Smoothie bowls need to be extra-thick so the toppings don’t sink. Solid toppings add a lot of nutrition and flavor to the meal. Put the berries on top rather than adding them to the smoothie base to preserve the smoothie’s vibrant green color.
SMOOTHIE BOWL
2 cups (500 ml) dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, broccoli, sunflower sprouts, pea shoots), firmly packed
¾ cup (185 ml) unsweetened soy milk or other nondairy milk, plus more as needed
3, 4 ounces (90, 120 g) soft organic tofu or unsweetened nondairy yogurt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) hemp seeds
¾ cup (185 ml) frozen peas
1 small frozen banana, broken into chunks
½ cup (125 ml) frozen pineapple or mango pieces (optional)
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS (PER SERVING)
½ cup (125 ml) berries, pomegranate seeds, goji berries, or chopped fresh fruit
¼ cup (60 ml) cooked and cooled or sprouted grain (barley, oat groats, Kamut, spelt, or quinoa)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) seeds (chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) chopped walnuts, almonds, or other nuts
1 tablespoon (15 ml) cacao nibs or unsweetened shredded dried coconut
Put all the ingredients in a high-speed blender in the order listed and process until smooth. Add a little more milk only if needed to facilitate processing. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Serve immediately with the optional toppings of your choice.
PER FULL RECIPE
(with unsweetened soy milk without optional toppings)
calories: 496
protein: 32 g
fat: 19 g
carbohydrate: 58 g
dietary fiber: 11 g
calcium: 360 mg
iron: 8 mg
magnesium: 313 mg
potassium: 1,814 mg
sodium: 192 mg
zinc: 3.1 mg
thiamin: 0.8 mg
riboflavin: 0.5 mg
niacin: 13 mg
folate: 156 mcg
vitamin A: 1,145 mcg RAE
vitamin C: 189 mg
omega-6 fatty acids: 7.5 g
omega-3 fatty acids: 2.7 g
Whole-Food Breakfast Bowl
MAKES 1 SERVING
Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, this filling and delicious breakfast will come together in minutes. Below are suggested layers with amounts and options. Choose one item for each layer. While it’s not essential to add legumes, they will help to boost the fiber, protein, iron, zinc, and other nutrients.
Layer 1: Whole Grains and Lentils (½, 1 cup/125, 250 ml)
Cooked barley, Kamut, spelt, oat groats, or steel-cut oats with lentils
Raw sprouted Kamut, spelt, barley, buckwheat, or lentils
Layer 2: Fruits (1 cup/250 ml fresh or frozen fruit, or ¼, ½ cup/60, 125 ml stewed fruit)
Berries, chopped fruit, grated apple
Stewed unsweetened fruit or Very Berry Sauce ( page 193 )
Layer 3: Nuts/Seeds (1 tablespoon/15 ml each of an omega-3-rich option and one other choice)
Omega-3-Rich Seed Mix ( page 197 )
Omega-3-rich seeds (chia, flax, hemp); other seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
Chopped walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds
Layer 4: Optional Creamy Additions (2, 4 tablespoons/30, 60 ml)
Unsweetened nondairy yogurt
Pear Cream ( page 192 )
Chia Pudding ( page 191 )
Fortified Unsweetened Nondairy Milk (1 cup/250 ml)
Optional spices (1/8, ¼ teaspoon/1, 2 ml) , such as allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice
PER SERVING (using ½ cup/125 ml cooked kamut ½ cup/125 ml berries ½ cup/125 ml chopped apple ¼ cup/60 ml stewed plums ¼ cup/60 ml nondairy yogurt 2 tablespoons/30 ml Omega- 3-Rich Seed Mix 1 cup/250 ml unsweetened soy milk):
calories: 376
protein: 12 g
fat: 13 g
carbohydrate: 63 g
dietary fiber: 13 g
calcium: 363 mg
iron: 3.3 mg
magnesium: 92 mg
potassium: 353 mg
sodium: 17 mg
zinc: 1 mg
thiamin: 0.3 mg
riboflavin: 0.1 mg
niacin: 3.6 mg
folate: 31 mcg
vitamin A: 33 mcg RAE
vitamin C: 13 mg
omega-6 fatty acids: 3.3 g
omega-3 fatty acids: 3.6 g
TIP: To cook lentils with grains, use ¾ cup (185 ml) grains and ¼ cup (60 ml) lentils and follow the cooking instructions for grains in table 11.3 , page 187 . Red, green, or small brown lentils will work well.
Omega-3-Rich Seed Mix
This seed mix makes it super-simple to enjoy a variety of seeds and Brazil nuts on your breakfast bowl, salads, or power bowls. It includes a blend of the most common omega-3-rich seeds, iron- and zinc-rich pumpkin seeds, and selenium-rich Brazil nuts. For ease, chop the pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts in a food processor.
MAKES 5 CUPS (1.25 L)
1 cup (250 ml) ground flaxseeds
1 cup (250 ml) chia seeds
1 cup (250 ml) hemp seeds
1 cup (250 ml) coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds
1 cup (250 ml) finely chopped Brazil nuts
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer to two glass jars. Keep a scoop in the jars for convenience. The jar you will use first may be kept in the refrigerator or freezer; store the second jar in the freezer.
PER 2 TABLESPOONS (30 ml)
calories: 107
protein: 4 g
fat: 9 g
carbohydrate: 4 g
dietary fiber: 3 g
calcium: 42 mg
iron: 1.4 mg
magnesium: 57 mg
potassium: 103 mg
sodium: 3 mg
zinc: 0.4 mg
thiamin: 0.16 mg
riboflavin: 0.02 mg
niacin: 1.6 mg
folate: 13 mcg
vitamin A: 0 mcg RAE
vitamin C: 0.7 mg
omega-6 fatty acids: 2.2 g
omega-3 fatty acids: 1.9 g
Berry Burst Muesli
MAKES 4 CUPS (1 L), 4 SERVINGS
This breakfast requires no cooking and minimal preparation time. It provides an excellent balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Soaking the grains and nuts enhances their digestibility and increases mineral absorption. Leftovers can be enjoyed the following day.
1½ cups (375 ml) rolled oats or other rolled grains
¼ cup (60 ml) nuts and/or seeds (such as walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds)
½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground cinnamon
2 cups (500 ml) unsweetened soy milk or other nondairy milk, plus more for serving
2 cups (500 ml) fresh or frozen berries
Ground flaxseeds (optional)
Put the oats, nuts, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk and berries. Refrigerate for 8, 12 hours. Serve with additional milk and sprinkle with the optional ground flaxseeds.
VARIATION: Replace some of the nondairy milk with nondairy yogurt. Replace the fresh berries with frozen berries, chopped fresh fruit, or grated apples. Frozen berries and fruits that discolor quickly are best added just before serving.
PER SERVING
(made with walnuts)
calories: 279
protein: 11 g
fat: 9 g
carbohydrate: 40 g
dietary fiber: 9 g
calcium: 69 mg
iron: 3.2 mg
magnesium: 15 mg
potassium: 217 mg
sodium: 18 mg
zinc: 2.7 mg
thiamin: 1 mg
riboflavin: 0.12 mg
niacin: 1 mg
folate: 44.7 mcg
vitamin A: 2.3 mcg RAE
vitamin C: 7 mg
omega-6 fatty acids: 2.3 g
omega-3 fatty acids: 1 g
Spiced Creamy Barley Bowl
Keep a supply of cooked barley on hand for this low GI breakfast. Enjoy it at home or spoon it into a mason jar and take it to work. Use fresh or frozen berries, or replace the berries with chopped peach, nectarine, or mango.
MAKES 2½ CUPS (625 ML), 1 LARGE OR 2 SMALLER SERVINGS
1 banana
1 cup (250 ml) cooked barley
¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened nondairy yogurt or Pear Cream ( page 192 )
¾ cup (185 ml) unsweetened soy milk or other nondairy milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) chia seeds
½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon (½ ml) ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon (½ ml) ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon (½ ml) ground cardamom
1 cup (250 ml) fresh or frozen berries, or ½ cup (125 ml) Very Berry Sauce ( page 193 )
2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped walnuts
Mash the banana in a small bowl. Add the barley, yogurt, milk, chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom and stir to combine. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. Stir well to break up any clumps. Top with the berries and walnuts.
TIP: To boost the health benefits even more, decrease the barley to ¾ cup (185 ml) and add ¼ cup (60 ml) cooked lentils.
PER 1 LARGE SERVING
(full recipe)
calories: 445
protein: 14 g
fat: 16 g
carbohydrate: 69 g
dietary fiber: 16 g
calcium: 377 mg
iron: 3.8 mg
magnesium: 36 mg
potassium: 585 mg
sodium: 38 mg
zinc: 1 mg
thiamin: 0.2 mg
riboflavin: 0.1 mg
niacin: 2.8 mg
folate: 32 mcg
vitamin A: 5 mcg RAE
vitamin C: 25 mg
omega-6 fatty acids: 5.5 g
omega-3 fatty acids: 3 g
Apple Pie Oats
MAKES 5 CUPS (1.25 L), 5 SERVINGS
This oat-based breakfast provides a delicious, nourishing start to the day. See the variations below to use steel-cut oats or oat groats in place of rolled oats. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator and can be reheated or enjoyed cold.
OATS
1½ cups (375 ml) rolled oats
2 apples, chopped
2 cups (500 ml) unsweetened soy milk or other nondairy milk
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon (4 ml) ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground allspice
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt (optional)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Omega-3-Rich Seed Mix ( page 197 ) or chia, flax, or hemp seeds
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS (PER SERVING)
¼ cup (60 ml) Very Berry Sauce ( page 193 )
1, 2 tablespoons (15, 30 ml) Pear Cream ( page 192 ) or unsweetened nondairy yogurt
1 tablespoon (15 ml) chopped walnuts
PER SERVING (without toppings or salt)
calories: 249
protein: 11 g
fat: 6 g
carbohydrate: 44 g
dietary fiber: 9 g
calcium: 274 mg
iron: 3.3 mg
magnesium: 4 mg
potassium: 76 mg
sodium: 13 mg
zinc: 1.5 mg
thiamin: 0.03 mg
riboflavin: 0.04 mg
niacin: 0.7 mg
folate: 3 mcg
vitamin A: 40 mcg RAE
vitamin C: 2 mg
omega-6 fatty acids: 0.2 g
omega-3 fatty acids: 0.5 g
Put the oats, apples, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and optional salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then decrease the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15, 20 minutes. To serve, spoon into individual bowls. Sprinkle with the seed mix and any optional toppings as desired. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, leftover oats will keep for 5 days.
VARIATIONS: Replace the rolled oats with 1 cup (250 ml) steel-cut oats soaked in 3 cups (750 ml) water for 8, 12 hours, then drained and rinsed. Alternatively, replace the rolled oats with 1 cup (250 ml) oat groats soaked in 3 cups (750 ml) boiling water for 8, 12 hours, then drained and rinsed. To further boost fiber and nutrition, replace ¼ cup (60 ml) of the steel-cut oats or oat groats with dried red lentils.
Indian Breakfast Lentils
In many regions of the world, legumes are a part of breakfast every day. Lentils and other legumes served for breakfast can be made with savory seasonings or with sweet-tasting spices, as they are in this recipe. Having lentils for breakfast can help to stabilize blood sugar and augment nutrients that some people may fall short on. Legumes have a lower glycemic index than grains and are more concentrated sources of fiber, protein, iron, and zinc.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
LENTILS
¾ cup (185 ml) dried lentils
1 apple, finely chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) raisins
1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cardamom
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground coriander
¾ teaspoon (4 ml) ground cloves
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt (optional)
2 cups (500 ml) water
TOPPINGS (PER SERVING)
1 cup (250 ml) fresh fruit (such as apples, bananas, pears, or berries)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Pear Cream ( page 192 ) or unsweetened nondairy yogurt (optional)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) walnuts
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Omega-3-Rich Seed Mix ( page 197 ) , ground flaxseeds, or chia seeds
Put the lentils, apple, raisins, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cloves, and optional salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft, 20, 40 minutes. To warm the fruit, stir it into the lentils during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Stir in the optional Pear Cream and top with the walnuts and seed mix.
TIP: When reheating leftover breakfast lentils, add a little unsweetened soy milk or other nondairy milk.