Category: Breakfast

Breakfast

Granola

Jenny

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I have finally banished cereal boxes from my kitchen! After years of experimenting, I have finally landed on a healthy breakfast that all three of my lovely children are happy to eat. Low in sugar and featuring a range of nutritious nuts and seeds, this is a filling breakfast to keep busy children and adults going all morning.

The recipe is infinitely customizable, but I am sharing how I make it to cater to my family’s tastes, with a few notes to help you customize it to your own tastes. We eat this with yogurt and fresh berries in the summer, or a homemade berry compote in the winter. A sliced banana on top is nice too.

Oh, and major bonus: your house will smell amazing as this cooks…

Granola

400 g gluten-free rolled oats

100 g flaked almonds

100 g chopped hazelnuts

100 g pistachio nut kernels

100 g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseed)

150 ml maple syrup

3 tablespoons olive oil

optional extras:

  • other nuts such as walnuts or pecans
  • dessicated coconut or coconut chips (add for last 10 minutes of cooking)
  • dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries etc (add for last 10 minutes of cooking)

Makes 12-15 servings

Preheat oven to 180 C.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except pistachios and mix well. Pour into a large roasting tin or rimmed baking sheet and spread out to form as thin a layer as possible. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Add the pistachios and bake for 5-10 minutes more, until golden brown.

Cool and transfer to an airtight container. Serve with milk or yogurt and fruit.

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Breakfast

Banana Almond Pancakes

Jenny

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Did you see my healthy breakfast tips in The Telegraph earlier this month? The Telegraph featured several Brain Food breakfast recipes in their article on “How to make your child a healthy breakfast that they’ll actually like”.  But looking through the recipes the Telegraph chose made me realize that one of my favorite breakfast recipes was not on the website at all! This recipe for banana almond pancakes is so quick and easy to throw together on a weekend morning, and you probably have all of the ingredients to hand. The pancakes pair beautifully with fruit and berries, a drizzle of maple syrup or a spoonful of chia seed jam.

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Banana Almond Pancakes

2 very ripe medium bananas, peeled

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons (40 g) ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

coconut oil for cooking (or any other cooking fat)

Makes about 8 pancakes.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork. Whisk in the eggs, then add the ground almonds and mix well.

Melt a small spoonful of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Using a ladle, add about 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan. The key to these pancakes is to keep them small, around the size of a scotch pancake, as they will be difficult to flip otherwise. Using a spatula correct the shape if necessary. When the bottom side is firmly cooked, after about 2 minutes, flip over (carefully!) and cook the other side for about 1 minute. Remove from the pan, and start again for the next pancake.

Breakfast, Dips and spreads

Pear Butter

Jenny

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I love the magic quality of this recipe, in which just one ingredient – pears – cook in a bit of water until they are completely transformed.  The result is a naturally sweet spread perfect for toast or pancakes, or stirred into some natural yogurt.  It is also a great way to use up any pears that are less than perfect or slightly past their prime.

This is good fun to make with children. They can chop the pears and stir the pot, and will be amazed at how cooking can completely change an ingredient.

Pear Butter

4 large pears or 6 medium (about 1.2 kg total)

200 ml water

Core and chop the pears, but do not peel them, and put in a pan with the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until pears are tender, about 1 hour.

Once the pears have softened, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 2-3 hours, stirring from time to time, until the mixture is smooth and brown and there is no visible liquid. You will need to stir more frequently towards the end of cooking, to avoid scorching.

Cool to room temperature and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

 

Breakfast, Dips and spreads

Blueberry Chia Jam

Jenny

blueberrychiajam

Happy new year! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and had a good break. To get started cooking in 2016, I am sharing a recipe that we will be making in my GAPS For Breakfast workshop next week. This workshop is now sold out – sorry! – but I will be holding it again in April 2016. Details of other upcoming workshops are in the sidebar or on my Events page.

Chia seeds are not only loaded with nutrients, but also very versatile in cooking. For those with an egg allergy, chia seeds can be used as an egg substitute. Chia seeds can be used to make a delicious gluten-free porridge. And here they are used to make a pan of runny fruit set into a jam, without the added sugar of traditional jam. Instead I have just added a touch of honey for sweetness. Chia jam is also incredibly quick to make compared to traditional jam, which is more of a “project”. I hope you enjoy it!

Blueberry Chia Jam

300 g fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chia seeds

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Yield – one small jam jar

Put the blueberries and honey in a pan and heat on the hob stirring frequently, until the blueberries have burst and the liquid is boiling. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chia seeds and cook for another 10 minutes, continuing to stir.

When the jam has thickened, take off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Taste and add more honey if necessary. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate. Keeps for up to one week.