The Breakfast Club | Part I
like any zealous convert, I now feel the urge to bring everyone else into the fold...sharing a few recent recipes that have helped bring some grace back into my grazing
After receiving a couple of recipe books for a recent birthday I’d rather forget, my 2016 culinary repertoire has had a growth spurt over the past few weeks. Breakfast has particularly seen notable improvement. Rather than the daily diet of porridge and toast, I’ve adopted a more gluten-free approach as advocated by the likes of Amelia Freer (Eat. Nourish. Glow) and the Hemsley + Hemsely sisters (The Art of Eating Well and their latest book Good + Simple).
With a little more planning, and a few additions to the stock cupboard, I’ve become a convert to their healthy living mindset; eating a more balanced diet of simple unprocessed food – especially in the morning before the day’s demands unfold. So like any zealous convert, I now feel the urge to bring everyone else into the fold…sharing a few recent recipes that have helped bring some grace back into my grazing
There are too many people counting calories and not enough counting chemicals – Amelia Freer
Go-To Green Smoothie
¼ cucumber
¼ banana
A small handful of spinach
A small handful of kale
½ avocado peeled
Half a dozen fresh mint leaves
Juice of ½ a lemon
2tsp chia seeds
1tsp of coconut butter
250ml of almond milk or coconut water
To make one large smoothie bowl:
Wash the fruits/ vegetables/ herbs then chop to fit into your blender
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth
Top with a few flaked almonds and eat immediately or pour into a glass jar/ stainless steel flask and keep in the fridge
– play around with variations of fruits, vegetables and herbs whilst using the following ratio as a guide:
1 Protein
+ 1 portion of fruit
+ Some green vegetables
+ a liquid
Blueberry Pancakes with Mango Cashew Cream
150-200g blueberries
2tbsp coconut oil
2-4 tbsp warm water
2 eggs
1-1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp coconut flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate soda
Mango Cashew Cream (recipe here)
sea salt
To make six American style pancakes:
Wash the blueberries and allow to dry
Line a baking tray with parchment
Melt the coconut oil over a low heat in a frying pan and set aside to cool
Beat the water, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and pinch of sea salt together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy
Sift in the coconut flour and bicarbonate of soda and blend with the melted coconut oil to make a batter (leaving the frying pan unwashed) – allow to sit for a few minutes to thicken up
Redistribute any leftover coconut oil into the centre of the pan and place a 10cm egg ring in the centre
Place the pan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the batter into the egg ring
Push 10 blueberries into the centre of the pancake
After a few minutes the bottom will have set
Slide each pancake onto the prepared baking tray using a spatula and remove the egg ring
Repeat the process for the next pancake, bearing in mind the batter should make around six
Once all the pancakes are cooked
Place the baking tray under the grill for a few minutes to finish them off
Serve with a dollop of mango cashew cream and a few extra blueberries
We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day – Richard G Scott
Cinnamon Buckwheat Porridge
50g buckwheat groats (soaked overnight)
3 pitted dates
1 pinch of sea salt
2tsp coconut butter
1-2tsp ground cinnamon
Topping suggestions:
A small handful of chopped nuts – walnuts work particularly well
½ kiwi – or preferred chopped fruit (banana, apricots, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
cacoa powder / cacoa nibs
bee pollen
To make a single serving:
Drain and rinse the groats before placing into a blender. Add 300ml water plus the pitted dates, coconut butter and cinnamon. Blend until smooth
Pour into a small saucepan, and add the sea salt
Bring to the boil, stirring continuously to avoid lumps and prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan
Simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring throughout, adding more water if needed
Ladle into a bowl and add your preferred topping