Breakfast

Oil-Free Pumpkin Granola

September 21, 2017 by Holly Yzquierdo 1 Comment

Since September 1st is the beginning of pumpkin season I decided it was time to share my pumpkin granola recipe. This is no ordinary pumpkin granola! It has my favorite fall flavors in an easy to make oil-free granola.

This oil-free Pumpkin Granola recipe has the best fall flavors mixed in. Pumpkin spice, pecans and even cranberries!

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Most granola recipes are made with oil and it can be tricky to make it without. The payoff is worth it because you get a delicious chewy granola. (My husband loves chewy granola.) Don’t get me wrong. It still has plenty of crunch from raw pepitas and pecans. If you have a nut allergy, you can leave the pecans out but they are my favorite part!

I typically make my granola mild, I don’t want flavor too strong so it doesn’t overpower whatever it is served with. The funny thing is, I can’t stop snacking on this one by itself. I finally had to put it away because it’s way too tempting when left on the counter.

If you are looking for an easy and delicious granola recipe that has the best flavors of fall, try this recipe! You get the pumpkin, maple syrup, the classic pumpkin pie spices, raw pepitas, pecans and dried cranberries!

If you aren’t ready for fall after reading that list, nothing will help you! But don’t worry, if you aren’t a cranberry fan, you can leave them out. I made a batch of both but I’m partial to the cranberries!

One important note, if you need to be gluten-free because of an allergy or celiac disease, make sure you use gluten-free oats. I completely trust GF Harvest!

Oil-Free Pumpkin Granola

Enjoy this Pumpkin Granola on vegan yogurt, baked fruit, a smoothie bowl, pumpkin pudding, or like me, by the handful!

Ingredients

3 Cups rolled oats (choose certified gluten-free oats if needed)
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup plant milk (I used rice milk)
¼ cup raw pepitas
½ cup pecan halves
½ cup dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add your rolled oats and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add your pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices, vanilla and plant milk. Stir well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the oats a little at a time and stir well. Once all the wet ingredients are incorporated into the oats, add the raw pepitas and pecan halves and mix again. Don’t add the dried cranberries yet!
Scoop mixture onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Be careful not to get it too close to the edge. If there isn’t enough room, use two baking sheets.
Bake for 40 minutes total but pull it out every 10 minutes to stir gently. Once done, allow to cool.
After the granola is cool, mix in the dried cranberries and store in an airtight container.

You can skip the parchment if you have a Silpat! It’s a non-stick silicone baking mat (and it makes a great gift).

Did I leave out any of your favorite fall flavors?

Yield: 5 cups

Oil-Free Pumpkin Granola

This oil-free Pumpkin Granola recipe has the best fall flavors mixed in. Pumpkin spice, pecans and even cranberries!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

3 Cups rolled oats (choose certified gluten-free oats if needed)
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup plant milk (I used rice milk)
¼ cup raw pepitas
½ cup pecan halves
½ cup dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add your rolled oats and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, add your pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices, vanilla and plant milk. Stir well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the oats a little at a time and stir well. Once all the wet ingredients are incorporated into the oats, add the raw pepitas and pecan halves and mix again. Don't add the dried cranberries yet!
Scoop mixture onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Be careful not to get it too close to the edge. If there isn't enough room, use two baking sheets.
Bake for 40 minutes total but pull it out every 10 minutes to stir gently. Once done, allow to cool.
After the granola is cool, mix in the dried cranberries and store in an airtight container.

Notes

You can skip the parchment if you have a Silpat.

Banana Nut Oatmeal (Instant Pot and Stove top directions)

January 25, 2017 by Holly Yzquierdo 1 Comment

We made Banana Nut Oatmeal in my Instant Pot and it was good! I wasn’t sure what I would think of warm banana. I regularly use banana in my baked goods so I thought it was worth taking the chance and I’m so glad I did!

Instant Pot Banana Nut Oatmeal takes the flavors of Banana Bread and adds the wholesomeness of oatmeal.

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After all, when I was a kid I loved Banana Pudding. I remember eating it while it was still warm.

I also loved Banana Bread. I thought about the flavors I like in my banana bread and incorporated those into my oatmeal, cinnamon and almonds. If you can’t have tree nuts, try hemp seeds. I love the nutty flavor that hemp seeds infuse in recipes. I’ll probably make it with hemp seeds instead of nuts about half the time.

Since I was cooking with steel cut oats I decided to do a spin off of my Instant Pot Oatmeal recipe. You could make this with rolled oats as well. I’ll include directions for both.

I don’t like to cook steel cut oats on the stove because they take too long. The Instant Pot still takes time to come to pressure, cook and depressurize, but I can walk away and do other things while it cooks.

I always buy gluten-free oats. If you don’t need gluten-free you can buy regular oats. I buy these steel cut oats for pressure cooking. See other varieties of oats here.

If you are in the mood for a warm banana nut treat, try this Banana Nut Oatmeal!

Banana Nut Oatmeal Stove Top directions

If you are making this on the stove top with rolled or instant oats, you’ll want to check the side of the package to see how much oats and water you need for you (or your family). I generally use 2 cups of water for every cup of rolled or instant oats.

Ingredients

gluten-free rolled oats + water
2 Bananas, sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons chopped nuts, I used almonds
maple syrup to taste

Instructions

Bring your water to boil. Once boiling, add your oats.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Chop one banana and add it to the cooking oats. Add the cinnamon.
Stir regularly. Once done, add in the other banana slices, nuts and maple syrup to taste.

Banana Nut Oatmeal in the Instant Pot

If you are making this with steel cut oats I highly recommend using the Instant Pot. I typically cook my oats plain, then add in any toppings but I wanted to have the banana cooked in too.

The oatmeal seemed to be a little more watery than normal when it was done. I just shut the lid for 5 minutes. When I came back it was perfect. I topped it with a the remaining banana slices, extra sliced almonds and a little maple syrup.

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats (gluten-free if needed)
3 cups water
2 Bananas, sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup almonds, sliced
maple syrup to taste

Instructions

Pour steel cut oats, water, one banana sliced and cinnamon into the Instant Pot and give it a little stir.
Close the lid, seal the vent and press the Manual button. Use the arrows to move down to 3 minutes.
The Instant Pot will come to pressure in about 15 minutes or so. Then it will start counting down as it cooks. When it’s done, it will beep. I usually turn it off and allow the pressure to naturally come down (natural pressure release).
After about 10 minutes, open the lid carefully so the steam doesn’t burn you. Scoop out your oatmeal into a bowl. Add the extra banana slices, almond slices and maple syrup to your bowl.

Yield: 3 Servings

Instant Pot Banana Nut Oatmeal

Instant Pot Banana Nut Oatmeal takes the flavors of Banana Bread and adds the wholesomeness of oatmeal.

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats (gluten-free if needed)
3 cups water
2 Bananas, sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup almonds, sliced
maple syrup to taste

Instructions

Pour steel cut oats, water, one banana sliced and cinnamon into the Instant Pot and give it a little stir.
Close the lid, seal the vent and press the Manual button. Use the arrows to move down to 3 minutes.
The Instant Pot will come to pressure in about 15 minutes or so. Then it will start counting down as it cooks. When it's done, it will beep. I usually turn it off and allow the pressure to naturally come down (natural pressure release).
After about 10 minutes, open the lid carefully so the steam doesn't burn you. Scoop out your oatmeal into a bowl. Add the extra banana slices, almond slices and maple syrup to your bowl.

Notes

If the oatmeal seems watery, shut the lid for 5 minutes.

Yogurt and Granola

September 7, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 10 Comments

My youngest son does not like cereal. Every morning I have to figure out something he will eat. He prefers a mound of fruit. While a bowl full of fruit isn’t bad I want him to have something that will stick with him a little longer Yogurt and Granola are two of his favorites!

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My son loves fruit. Before he lost one of his front teeth, he would easily eat 5+ apples per day. His missing tooth has slowed him down some, but not much. I end up cutting up a lot of fruit for him now which means he can eat it faster than ever.

As much as he loves a big bowl of fruit for breakfast, I feel like he needs something a little more complex. Thankfully he loves the granola. I love it too.

Yogurt and Granola

This isn’t an actual recipe, it’s more of a “put all of this together” type of thing.

I use dairy-free yogurt, fresh fruit and granola for an easy breakfast, snack or dessert.

I like to start with granola in the bottom of the bowl, then add yogurt, then fruit. I repeat layers until I’m satisfied.

You can mix and match granola flavors, yogurt flavors and different types of fruit so you always have something interesting to try.

If you have food allergies, carefully inspect all the labels. Gerb’s has a great allergy-safe product (unfortunately it has honey). Bob’s Red Mill has great vegan granola (but it’s not gluten-free).

I have to put the granola away in the pantry every time or I’ll make little pit stops all day long munching on it. I’ll often dip a piece of fruit in SunButter then roll it in the granola.

I also put granola on dairy-free ice cream! What can I say, I’m a sucker for this stuff.

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Fruit Salad with Simple Citrus Dressing

July 21, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 158 Comments

Fruit Salad. That is the answer to so many questions. Here are a few of them and let me know if you think of more:

What should I take to the potluck?
What will your (picky) kid eat?
What should I freeze for a icy treat?
What is the one vegan food no one will think is weird?
What will make the other kids jealous at the lunch table?
What should we pack for the picnic?

I know there are more but we have things to do. I think you get my point though, Fruit Salad is a great addition just about any time.

The only problem with fruit salad is the browning that happens when you cut certain types fruit. I’ve got an easy fix for you.

All you need is some vitamin C! Citrus juice does wonders to keep fruit from browning.

Growing up I didn’t eat a lot of fruit. I remember the first time I saw my husband meticulously rubbing lemon juice on apples and bananas. I thought he was insane. It was labor intensive to wipe each and every slice of apple and banana with a lemon wedge (although sometimes the lemon juice went in a bowl and we would dip it).

Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to do that. This version has a few more steps but it’s even easier and less time consuming than his way.

Not only does it keep it from browning but your fruit salad will continue to taste refreshing for a day or two (if it lasts that long). I like to store it in a bowl with a lid so I can give it a gentle shake before serving. You can also make fun fruit kabobs for a treat if you have leftovers.

Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing

This dressing works with many kinds of fruit. We are using strawberries, kiwis, cantaloupe, blueberries and blackberries. The important thing is to use what you like, mango, pineapple and grapes are good choices too! In the fall we use lots of apples.

Ingredients

juice from 2 large naval oranges
juice from 1 pink grapefruit
juice from 1 lemon juice
juice from ½ lime juice
3 pounds of assorted fruit

Instructions

Squeeze juice from oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime into a bowl or small jar.
Stir juice (or if in a jar with a lid, give it a little shake).
Pour it over the fruit and serve.

Fruit Salad with Simple Citrus Dressing

A simple fruit salad perfect for any occasion

Ingredients

juice from 2 large naval oranges
juice from 1 pink grapefruit
juice from 1 lemon juice
juice from ½ lime juice
3 pounds of assorted fruit

Instructions

Squeeze juice from oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime into a bowl or small jar.
Stir juice (or if in a jar with a lid, give it a little shake).
Pour it over the fruit and serve.

Notes

Breakfast Cookies

June 1, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 27 Comments

Yep, we are having cookies for breakfast. These aren’t ordinary cookies, they are Breakfast Cookies and full of fiber and healthy ingredients.

I specifically made these Breakfast Cookies with my preferences in mind. So often, moms will put others needs ahead of their own but when it comes to eating healthy it’s important to take care of yourself.

This page contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase something using one of these links I’ll make a small percentage that helps pay to run this site but it won’t cost you any extra. Thank you for supporting My Plant-Based Family.

Breakfast Cookies aren’t a new idea. People have been making them for years. I wanted my Breakfast Cookies to contain ingredients that I would put in my oatmeal. I’m not looking for a junk food breakfast here. On the contrary, I’m looking for a plant-based, whole food breakfast that is also allergy-friendly and portable for breakfast on the go.

This Breakfast Cookie recipe contains my three favorite seeds, raw pepitas, hemp hearts and chia seeds. I love seeds! They are a great source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. One of the things I love about these cookies is that even though they have seeds the seeds aren’t super noticeable when you’re eating them.

I make a gel with water and the chia seeds. After I let it sit to congeal I toss the raisins in the water too. It may seem strange but our raisins get so dry. We buy them in bulk and after a while, they get really dry and a little on the hard side. That doesn’t bother my family but I like my raisins to be a little more plump. I usually soak my raisins in warm water for a few minutes before using them. If you are using golden raisins they probably don’t need to be soaked.

To keep it allergy-friendly I use gluten-free oats and a peanut butter alternative. You could use peanut butter or some other nut butter if you prefer. The oats give it substance and the nut/seed butter gives it flavor and acts as the other binder.

You may notice slight vanilla and cinnamon flavors as well. I skipped the chocolate for two reasons. First, I’m going to be eating these on the go and I don’t want little chocolate chips falling out and melting in my car or on my clothes in the super hot Arizona sun. Second, if I ate chocolate for breakfast it would be hard for me not to indulge in sweets all day.

These Breakfast Cookies just have a touch of sweetness but taste much less sweet than your standard store-bought granola bar. I’ve been relying on those a lot lately and I’m trying to get away from it. They are delicious but the “good” ones are pretty expensive for every day.

Breakfast Cookies

I recommend you enjoy these Breakfast Cookies with a cup of coffee. If you decide to share with your kids they may want a cup of plant-based milk.

Yield: 12

Breakfast Cookies

These Breakfast Cookies are perfect for breakfast or snack on the go! These lightly sweetened cookies are full of healthy ingredients your family will love.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup warm water
2 tsp chia seeds
¼ cup raisins
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats pulsed in a blender
½ cup peanut butter alternative
¼ cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp raw pepitas
1 Tbsp hemp hearts
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Pour 2 tsp chia seeds into warm water and give a gentle stir. Add in raisins if they are dry. Let sit at least 5 minutes.
In a large bowl add the rolled oats and the pulsed rolled oats.
Dump the Soy Nut Butter into the oats and stir well. I have best results "stabbing" the clumps with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the chia seed/raisin water and maple syrup then stir well to incorporate everything.
Sprinkle the remaining seeds, cinnamon and vanilla in the bowl then stir a final time.
Use a spoon to scoop out a ball of dough slightly larger that a ping pong ball. Use wet hands to roll it into a ball then flatten it into a disk. The dough will not spread so the size will be the same after baking. You should have about 12 cookies.
Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool before eating. Store in air tight container and enjoy within 3-4 days.

Notes

You can substitute your favorite ingredients. Choose cranberries instead of raisins, pick your favorite nut or seen butter, and change up the spices to suit your preferences.

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Overnight Oats

May 18, 2016 by Holly Yzquierdo 19 Comments

I want to eat a healthy breakfast but some days I don’t have the time to cook. Overnight Oats are a healthy option for busy mornings.

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You know I love my Instant Pot Oatmeal but Overnight Oats are even faster. Just spend a few minutes before bed and a few minutes in the morning for an easy breakfast.

I use old fashioned oats. Bob’s Red Mill oats is our brand of choice. But if you need gluten-free I recommend GF Harvest Oats! Their manufacturing process is as good as it gets for keep gluten out of the picture.

We use Rice Dream for most of our cooking. My kids love the vanilla but I prefer the regular unsweetened. I like that it’s shelf stable so I can keep a few in my pantry and not worry about running out without a backup. I have 3 cartons in my pantry right now!

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats are also perfect for travel! Just bring a bowl or jar with the oats pre-measured. Then pick up some plant milk and fruit at your destination. Easy peasy!

Ingredients

½ cup oats (I used old-fashioned oats)
½ cup plant milk
½ banana, diced very small
¼ cup chopped strawberries
¼ tsp cinnamon
sweeten to taste with maple syrup
blueberries

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, maple syrup and milk, mix until combined.
Allow to sit in the fridge overnight.
Dice the bananas and slice the strawberries.
Mix the banana with the overnight oats, then add the strawberries and top with blueberries.

I love bananas and add them to almost all my overnight oats because they are so sweet. I’m really focused on cutting down my sugar intake. Bananas add the sweetness I want. Sometimes I’ll add a touch of maple syrup too.

If strawberries, bananas and blueberries aren’t your thing try raisins or peaches or diced apples.

Sometimes I’ll get a little “fancy” and add fresh ginger or hemp seeds. Really, you can add whatever you like. The fruit is completely optional.

For more information on oatmeal and to see my favorite oatmeal picks check out my Ultimate Oatmeal Guide.

Check out more delicious breakfast recipes on my Breakfast Page!

Yield: 1 Serving

Overnight Oats

Plant-Based Overnight Oats are the perfect vegan breakfast for busy mornings.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup oats (I used old-fashioned oats)
½ cup plant milk
½ banana, diced very small
¼ cup chopped strawberries
¼ tsp cinnamon
sweeten to taste with maple syrup
blueberries

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, maple syrup and milk, mix until combined.
Allow to sit in the fridge overnight.
Dice the bananas and slice the strawberries.
Mix the banana with the overnight oats, then add the strawberries and top with blueberries.

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Oil-Free Pumpkin Granola

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