Five plant-based breakfasts for after a morning class

The hour after a morning class has its own particular hunger. You are awake in a way you were not at six, you are faintly smug, and you have perhaps twenty minutes before the day starts making demands. Toast and jam will not hold you until lunch. Neither will a coffee drunk standing up.

These five breakfasts are the ones I come back to through the summer. Each has proper quantities, takes between two minutes and a quarter of an hour in the morning, and carries a useful amount of protein alongside some carbohydrate. The protein figures are approximate and depend on the brands you buy, so treat them as a guide rather than a label.

What a breakfast after class needs to do

After training, you want two things on the plate: some protein to support repair, and some carbohydrate to top up what you have used. For most people a breakfast with somewhere around 20 to 30 g of protein is a sensible target, which sits comfortably within the daily ranges discussed in our piece on plant protein for people who train.

Timing is less fussy than gym folklore claims. Eating within an hour or two of finishing is plenty; there is no need to bolt down a shake in the changing room. If your class is very early and you cannot face food before it, a banana or a glass of soya milk on the way in is enough to stop you feeling hollow, and the real breakfast can follow.

Drink some water as well. On a warm August morning after a reformer class, you will have lost more fluid than you think.

1. Tofu scramble on toast

Serves 2. Takes about 15 minutes.

• 280 g block of firm tofu, drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 to 4 tbsp unsweetened soya milk
• 2 big handfuls of spinach (about 60 g)
• 1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt) or ordinary salt, plus black pepper
• 4 slices wholemeal or seeded bread

1. Pat the tofu dry with a clean tea towel. There is no need to press it for a scramble.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the spring onions and tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, until the tomatoes start to slump.
3. Crumble the tofu into the pan with your fingers, leaving some pieces bigger than others. Add the turmeric and paprika and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until hot and catching slightly at the edges.
4. Stir in the nutritional yeast, soya milk and spinach. Cook for another minute, until the spinach wilts and the scramble turns creamy.
5. Take it off the heat, season with kala namak and pepper, and pile onto toast.

Kala namak has a sulphurous, eggy smell that people either love or find alarming. Add it off the heat and start with less than you think. Approximate protein per serving: 25 to 30 g.

2. Overnight oats with soya yoghurt

Serves 1. Takes 2 minutes the night before.

• 50 g porridge oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 150 g plain soya yoghurt
• 100 ml unsweetened soya milk
• A pinch of cinnamon and 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
• 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
• A handful of berries or half a grated apple

1. Stir the oats, chia, yoghurt, milk, cinnamon and maple syrup together in a jar or tub.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least four hours.
3. In the morning, loosen with a splash of milk if it has set too thick. Top with hemp seeds and fruit.

This is the one to make when your class starts at seven and you know you will be in a rush afterwards. Two jars keep happily for up to two days in the fridge. Approximate protein per serving: about 20 g.

3. Chickpea flour pancakes with herbs

Makes 4 small pancakes, serves 2. Takes about 20 minutes, including resting.

• 140 g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• About 220 ml cold water
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 small green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• A small handful of coriander, chopped
• 2 to 3 tsp vegetable oil
• To serve: 4 tbsp plain soya yoghurt and a spoonful of chutney or lime pickle

1. Whisk the flour, turmeric, cumin, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in the water gradually, whisking out the lumps, until the batter has the consistency of single cream.
2. Stir in the spring onions, chilli and coriander, then leave for 10 minutes. The flour needs time to absorb the water, and rested batter tears less.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brush with a little oil. Pour in a quarter of the batter and spread it thinly with the back of a ladle.
4. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges lift and the top looks dry. Drizzle a few drops of oil around the edge, flip, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve with yoghurt and chutney.

These are loosely modelled on the besan chilla made in homes across north India, and they are naturally gluten-free, though check the baking powder if that matters to you. If you want more protein, put a few cubes of tofu or a handful of edamame on the side. Approximate protein per serving: 15 to 17 g.

4. Smoky white beans on toast

Serves 2. Takes about 10 minutes.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• A pinch of chilli flakes
• 200 g passata
• 1 tsp maple syrup or soft brown sugar
• 400 g tin of cannellini or haricot beans, drained (or 240 g home-cooked)
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 slices sourdough or wholemeal bread, toasted
• A handful of chopped parsley

1. Warm the oil in a small pan over a low heat and cook the garlic, paprika and chilli for a minute, without letting the garlic brown.
2. Add the passata, syrup and a splash of water, and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Tip in the beans and simmer for 5 minutes, crushing a few against the side of the pan to thicken the sauce.
4. Season with salt, pepper and the vinegar, then spoon over the toast and scatter with parsley.

This is where a freezer stash pays off. If you have learned to cook beans from dry, one frozen bag replaces the tin, and the beans are creamier for it. The sauce keeps for two days in the fridge, so make double on Sunday. Approximate protein per serving: 16 to 18 g.

5. Peanut butter, banana and oat smoothie

Serves 1. Takes 3 minutes.

• 250 ml unsweetened soya milk
• 1 ripe banana, fresh or frozen in chunks
• 30 g porridge oats
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
• A handful of frozen berries or spinach
• A pinch of cinnamon

1. Put everything in a blender, liquid first.
2. Blend for 30 to 60 seconds, until completely smooth. Add a splash of water if it is too thick to drink.

For mornings when chewing feels like too much effort. Frozen banana makes it cold and thick without ice, which is welcome in August. A scoop of pea protein powder lifts it well above 35 g if you want it to. Approximate protein per serving without powder: about 18 g.

The five at a glance

Prep that makes early mornings easier

A good breakfast after class is mostly decided the evening before, the same way the rest of a steady practice depends on small habits, as I wrote in Pilates as a way of living. A few things worth doing on Sunday:

• Peel and slice overripe bananas into a freezer bag for smoothies.
• Slice a loaf and freeze it; toast straight from frozen.
• Mix a jar of seeds (hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, chia) to scatter over oats, yoghurt and toast.
• Keep a bag of cooked beans in the freezer and move it to the fridge the night before.
• Once a block of tofu is open, keep any leftover covered in fresh water in the fridge and use it within a couple of days.
• Make chickpea flour batter in the evening; stir in a spoonful of water in the morning, as it thickens overnight.

If you only change one thing, make it the jar of overnight oats waiting at the front of the fridge. You will open the door at half past eight, still in your leggings, and breakfast will already be done.