Curried Chickpea, Kale, and Sweet Potato Breakfast Scramble

Mmmm, fall. Dropping leaves, dropping temperatures, dropping motivation levels….c’mon y’all, I know it’s not just me that’s ready for the holidays to begin already! But alas, we must persist. If you need some help getting your psych back for cold weather camping mornings (or maybe just mornings in general), I’ve got just the thing for you.

This plant-based breakfast scramble looks like it takes way more work to make than it does , is easily made vegan (just leave off the egg), and it packs a punch of unique flavor and plant based protein mixed with some classic fall ingredients. Look no further for something to impress friends, significant others, or family members. Bonus, they’ll have to take a break from asking you when you’re going to stop spending all your money on outdoor gear and trips to obscure places just to climb on some rocks “they have rocks everywhere Karen, seriously?” because their mouths will be full!

Wondering why in the world you would bring kale camping (or put it in a plant-based breakfast scramble)? Besides being a super green jammed with protein, fiber, omega-3’s, and folate, kale has a surprisingly long life out of the grocery store, especially compared to leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, which wilt very quickly. All you need to keep your kale looking good for up to a week is to stick the ends in a cup of water, where it can live happily in one of your cupholders (bonus, you can get weird looks from people who see you driving with a cup of kale in your shotgun seat). This works especially well in the colder months, although you’ll notice your kale struggling if you’re keeping it in conditions below freezing (hey, I struggle below freezing too). Don’t have kale on hand for this plant-based breakfast scramble? Substitute with spinach or arugula!

Want to save a few dollars and also make this plant-based breakfast scramble more sustainable? Buy bulk dried chickpeas to use in this camping recipe instead (bonus points if you use a reusable bulk bag). To cook, simply let the chickpeas soak in water overnight (you’ll want about 1/4 cup of dried chickpeas for this camping recipe), then boil for 30-45 minutes or until soft. I know- that seems like a lot of time. If you’re able to plan ahead, do this process at home and throw the cooked chickpeas in your cooler- they’ll stay good for up to a week. If not, boil the chickpeas the night before while you’re making dinner or hanging out around the fire.

Get ready to actually enjoy your morning with this simple and delicious plant-based breakfast scramble!

Curried Chickpea, Kale, and Sweet Potato Breakfast Scramble

• 1/2 can chickpeas

• 3/4 medium sized sweet potato

• 1/4 red onion (1/2 if small)

• 5 leaves kale

• 1 clove garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

• 1/4 tsp + 1 pinch curry powder

• dash paprika

• dash black pepper

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp pine nuts

• 2 eggs (if desired)

• 1-2 tsp oil

Slice onions into thin strips and dice garlic. Put 1 tsp oil in pan and add onion, garlic, and all spices (curry, paprika, salt, pepper). Saute over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Chop sweet potatoes into small, thin cubes, about 2 cm size squares that are 1/2 cm thick (this is important. If sweet potato cubes are too thick, they will take too long to cook and other ingredients will overcook). Add sweet potatoes to pan and cover. Raise heat slightly and cook for 2-3 mins. Add chickpeas and a dash more oil (if ingredients are sticking to pan). Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes more, or until sweet potatoes are soft. Cut kale into strips and add to pan along with pine nuts. Raise heat to medium high and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until kale is cooked but still has bright green color. Adjust seasonings if needed. If desired, cook eggs over easy ( this can be done in the same pan but pushing scramble ingredients to one side and moving pan slight off center so that heat is mainly aimed at one side, where eggs are cooking). Split scramble into two bowls or plates and if used, top each with an egg. Yum. Feeds 2.

Grittify: Let’s be real, this recipe is pretty boujee and is definitely best suited for car camping where you can plan it out a bit. With that being said, by leaving the kale and eggs out of this, you’ve got ingredients that will last for quite a while (a week to a week and a half) without any refrigeration.

Gourmetify: This is fancy as f**k (in my standards), but if you want more, experiment with new veggies (I like adding red pepper), throw some goat cheese on top, and serve with a side of toasted and buttered bread. Ooh baby.