“Bacon And Eggs” Vegan Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
One flavor that often goes missing when you go vegan is smokiness. The flavor is generally only found in conjunction with meats. It’s a shame, especially because a smoky flavor goes well with the vegan pantry staple: quinoa.
This vegan quinoa breakfast bowl uses two ingredients to replicate it: smoked paprika and imitation bacon bits. Yes, most of the imitation bacon bits you see on salad bars are actually vegan (see FAQ for more info). You may have to do a bit of hunting to find smoked paprika at the supermarket, but the rich flavor and color it lends this dish is well worth it.
This lighter spin on the traditional “eggs and bacon” is a much healthier power breakfast quinoa bowl. Enjoy the great bacon taste without being weighed down!
You need these vegan ingredients
Cooking Instructions
- Dice the tomato into cubes roughly ¼ inch large.
- Slice avocado thinly. You should be able to get 6 slices out of each half.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot (you can test by putting a drop of water into the pan and seeing if it sizzles), crumble the tofu into the pan.
- Stir the tofu mixture with a spatula until most of the water is gone, and the tofu is dry and starting to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Continue stirring the tofu mixture for another 5 minutes. Don’t skip the stirring; you want to get all the tofu lightly browned without it sticking to the pan.
- Turn the heat off and stir in the quinoa, bacon bits, and tomato until well mixed, then divide the mixture into 2 bowls
- Top each bowl with avocado slices and serve! If you’d like, add more salt or black pepper.
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Frequently Asked Questions
While most imitation vegan bits are, in fact, vegan, you’ll still want to double-check the back label. Any brand that’s spelled “bac’n” or the says “bacon flavored” is probably safe. You can also make your own if you want to be extra sure they meet your dietary needs.
Yep, this food is 100% vegan! You can keep your quinoa breakfast bowl vegan by adding only fruits, vegetables, and other vegan ingredients.
If you don’t like avocado or tomato, dark leafy greens go well in a savory breakfast quinoa bowl. Sauteed mushrooms also make a great topping.
Yes, breakfast quinoa bowls are very healthy. Ounce for ounce, quinoa offers more nutrition than either rice or bread. It’s also a complete protein. That makes it not only good for vegans, but also a great breakfast staple that can keep you full until lunch.
Quinoa has a bitter-tasting outside layer of compounds called saponins. Commercial quinoa varieties are generally rinsed to remove this layer, but some people are very sensitive to the taste of saponins. If this is the case for you, you can soak your quinoa for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight before you cook it.
Simply pour the quinoa into a bowl and fill it with water to an inch over the level of the quinoa. When you’re ready to cook, rinse the quinoa in a sieve with cold water.
