Having a healthy, hearty breakfast is a great way to start the day. One of my favourite hot breakfasts is scrambled tofu – it’s easy to make and is a great source of plant-based protein. Tofu also contains tiny chemicals called phytoestrogens, particularly good if you are a middle-aged woman like me!
Not everyone is a tofu fan though. Some people are intolerant to it and, depending where you are in the world, it can be hard to find products made with good sources of soya (ie: non-GMO). Tofu can have a higher price tag too, especially if you want organic products.
This breakfast scramble uses chickpea (gram) flour instead of tofu and it a fabulous alternative. Chickpea flour is one of my favourite plant-based ingredients – it works like a bit of magic! And it’s cheaper than both tofu and eggs which is good news at the moment with food prices going up almost every day.
You’ll find it pops up in my recipes quite frequently and there’s no wonder when you realise how wonderful it is. I’ve put together an information page of interesting facts (well I think they’re interesting 😉 ) about chickpea flour – you can find it here.
This vegan scramble contains a mix of veggies – whatever you fancy for breakfast really! – and a chickpea flour batter. I tend to go for a little red onion, mushrooms and chopped spinach. You could make it without the veg, but they provide a pleasant texture – along with extra veggies which is always good. Without, it could all just be a bit gloopy.
One other thing about chickpea flour that is great for many people is it’s gluten free. Very useful if you are plant-based and have additional intolerances that need attention. Being a vegan and gluten free can be most challenging, so it’s great to have a breakfast recipe that suits all needs – just make sure it’s served on gluten free toast as well!
I have to say this scramble is harder to make than scrambled tofu, mainly because it sticks to the bottom of the pan quite readily and needs some elbow power to deal with! I like to be upfront about any issues you may have when cooking any of my recipes, so these are things to take into consideration:
*A good non-stick pan is essential, particularly as we are cooking without oil. And chickpea flour is super sticky when it’s gets hot. My favourite frying pan is the Prestige Eco pan. It’s made with plants, has an excellent non-stick base and can be recycled if/when you have worn it out.
*Make sure you have a wooden spatula to hand to scrape the cook bits off the base as it sets.
*You need to make sure the mix is cooked properly, as chickpea flour is not so tasty when raw!
*Cooking temperature is key when cooking the mix. It needs a medium heat; too hot and say goodbye to your pan as the mix will set like concrete. Too low and you’ll be standing there wondering if it’s ever going to cook!
If you think this all sounds too much like hard work, I can also say it is really tasty and very filling, and well worth it, totally setting you up for the day. As it’s made with a whole product, there’s lots of gut loving fibre and plant protein, so no need to worry about sugar lows in a couple of hours time. And of course, although I’ve called it Vegan Breakfast Scramble, you can make this for brunch, lunch or supper time -whatever takes your fancy.
I hope you give this recipe a go – and enjoy it. Do let me know how you get on in the comments below.
Vegan Breakfast Scramble
Equipment
- High speed blender
- Non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
Veggies - my suggestions but choose what you prefer
- 1/4 medium red or white onion finely chopped
- 3 medium mushrooms washed and finely chopped
- 1/2 small courgette finely chopped
- 3 handfuls spinach rinsed and roughly chopped
Scramble mix
- 50 grams chickpea (gram) flour
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder gluten free if needed
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
- pinch kala namuk (Indian black salt) or table salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 180 ml water
Instructions
- Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the base of your frying pan. Pop in the chopped onion and sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes until they start to soften. Stir from time to time and add more water if needed.
- Add the mushrooms and/or courgettes (if using) and cook for another couple of minutes. Finally add the spinach and continue to cook, allowing the water in the veg to come out.
- Whilst the veggies are cooking, pop all the scramble ingredients in the blender jug and whiz for 30 seconds to make sure everything is combined and there are no flour lumps.
- Once the veg is soft and ready to eat, carefully tip into the blender jug and mix with a fork (don't whiz again or you'll lose the texture). Pop the pan back over the heat and pour the mix into the pan.
- Stir with a flat end wooden spatula. As the mix cooks on the base of the pan, scrap it up and mix into the wet mixture. Continue doing this until the mix is super thick.
- Continue cooking on a medium heat - stop stirring for 2 minutes then give the base of a pan a good scrape. The mix will have stuck but the browned bits add flavour and texture to the scramble.
- Once the mix is dry, it's ready to serve. Make sure you soak your pan after serving!
- Serve on toast of your choice or with extra veggies on the side with an extra grind of black pepper on top.
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