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While your porridge is cooking, put the blueberries into another pan with the maple syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice and cook over a medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to mash up some of the blueberries and release their deep violet juices, leaving a few whole. They are ready when most of the liquid has reduced to a jammy texture, like a pie filling.
Your porridge is ready when the amaranth grains have softened and absorbed into the creamy oats but still have a little bite.
To serve, pile the porridge into bowls and top with the blueberries and more maple syrup, if you like. Dessert for breakfast.
Overnight Bircher with peaches
Weekday breakfasts for me are usually two bleary minutes before I run out of the door. If you take time over breakfast, good for you. I certainly do when time is on my side. When it’s not, I get clever and make this super-quick muesli the night before.
I add chia seeds because they give a rich creaminess – if you don’t want to add chia, just don’t add as much milk. As good peaches aren’t around all year I often swap them out for other fruits.
A note on chia seeds: these amazing little seeds boost the nutritional value of the breakfast tenfold. They look a bit like poppy seeds and come in a variety of colours: black, white and grey. I use the white ones here. You’ll find them in health food shops and in big supermarkets beside the nuts and seeds. Chia seeds were the food of choice of Aztec and Mayan warriors, and a single tablespoon would keep them going for 24 hours. They are high in protein, so they’re perfect for breakfast time. I use them in smoothies and in baking.
SERVES 2
100g oats
2 tablespoons white chia seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
350ml milk of your choice (I use almond or coconut)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
a dash of all-natural vanilla extract
a little squeeze of lemon juice
2 ripe peaches
SERVE WITH
Winter • a couple of handfuls of chopped dried peaches or pears
Spring • chopped strawberries
Summer • peaches, as recipe
Autumn • chopped sweet, ripe pear
The night before, put the oats, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds into a bowl or container, pour over the milk, and add the maple syrup, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix well, then cover and pop into the fridge overnight.
In the morning, chop the peaches into little chunks, squeeze over a little more lemon and either layer them up with the oats and seeds in a glass or bowl, or just run out of the door with everything in a little container.
Turkish fried eggs
This is a really good weekend breakfast, easily quick enough to squeeze in on weekdays too. It’s filling, fresh and perky from the chilli and will start your day off properly. I use pul biber – Turkish chilli pepper flakes – here. They are easy to find in Turkish corner shops – if you can’t get them, use a chopped fresh red chilli or a tiny pinch of dried, crushed chilli flakes instead.
Pul biber or Aleppo chilli makes its way into a lot of my cooking these days. I love the gentle heat and sweetness. I guess it’s closest to an ancho chilli. It’s got a sweet fruity character, smells of really good sun-dried tomatoes, and still packs a chilli punch. I use it in place of the searingly hot crushed chillies we find in the UK.
SERVES 2
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
a good pinch of sea salt
a good knob of butter
4 organic or free-range eggs
2 wholemeal pittas or flatbreads
1 teaspoon Turkish chilli flakes
a good pinch of sumac
a few sprigs of fresh mint, parsley and dill, leaves picked and chopped
Mix the yoghurt and salt in a bowl and leave to one side.
Heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Allow it to begin to brown, then crack in the eggs and turn the heat down, spooning the butter over the eggs until they are cooked exactly how you like them. I like my fried eggs to be just set, with a super-runny middle and just starting to crisp up around the edges. If you are having problems getting your eggs perfect, a lid over the pan can help keep in the heat so that the top and the bottom cook evenly.
Once your eggs are ready, quickly toast your pittas or flatbreads then top with a good spoonful of yoghurt and the fried eggs. Sprinkle over the chilli, sumac and herbs and season with a little salt if needed.
Try these with the Turkish coffee here (#litres_trial_promo).
MORNING SMOOTHIES – A FEW WAYS
These smoothies are a glassful of everything you need to start the day off right. I am always in a rush in the morning and find it hard to make time to eat: a 2-minute smoothie helps me walk out the door with a healthy glow before 9am and boosts my protein and nutrient levels sky high. These smoothies are also great to have straight after exercising.
Smoothies are great, as they are so flexible – you can make them with whatever fruits and milk or juice you have to hand, and in the winter you can delve into the freezer for handfuls of frozen berries. But for smoothies to be a generous alternative to couple of pieces of hot honeyed toast or some perfectly scrambled eggs, they need a little bit of consideration. The flavours need to be balanced, there needs to be some protein to keep you satisfied and there needs to be a boost of morning nutrients to start your day properly.
I have included a couple of smoothies with greens here. Green smoothies can be like Marmite, but I hope these blends will win even the more sceptical over. Gram for gram, dark leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and blitzing greens this way breaks them down and makes it much easier for your body to take in all the goodness.
I have included some notes here on some of the things I like to add to my smoothies for an extra nutrient kick, but they will be delicious without too.
LUCUMA This super fruit comes from Peru, where it’s known as ‘the Gold of the Incas’. It’s a golden-hued pulpy fruit that is utterly delicious, and here you buy it as a powder. Lucuma has a sweet, fresh kind of caramel flavour, so it’s a great option for people with a sweet tooth who are trying to cut down on sugar. Perfect for sprinkling on your porridge or spooning into a smoothie, it’s high in antioxidants and minerals and beta-carotene. You’ll find it in any health food shop. Add between a teaspoon and a tablespoon to your morning smoothie, depending on how sweet you like things.
MACA Another amazing Peruvian root, which comes from the same family as cabbage and broccoli. It comes in powdered form and has an almost malty sweet flavour. It is thought to calm the nervous system, balance our hormones and help our bodies cope with stress. Look for 100% maca root when you are buying it – start with a teaspoon of maca a day in your smoothie and work up to a tablespoon if you like.
HEMP Hemp comes in seed and powder form and both are perfect for adding to smoothies. Hemp is one of the only complete plant sources of protein, making it great for vegetarians or vegans. It is also high in omega 3 and 6 and in fibre, and delivers a solid dose of vitamins, minerals and the super-green chlorophyll. A tablespoon a day in your smoothie or on your yoghurt and granola every day is just right.
BEE POLLEN Not the stuff that floats around in summer and causes sneezing. Bee pollen is the pollen that bees collect from flowers and take back to store in their hives. They go from flower to flower collecting the stuff and packaging it into little golden granules. It may seem a bit out there to be eating this stuff, but it’s an incredible whole food in the truest sense, as it provides our body with almost every nutrient, vitamin and mineral we need, as well as being super-high in protein and digestion-boosting enzymes. You can buy raw bee pollen in granules (not blocks) from your local health food store. If you are able to buy local bee pollen it can help protect against allergies and hayfever. Bee pollen is powerful stuff, so start off with a teaspoon a day for adults, working your way up to a tablespoon, and for kids just a few grains, working up to half a teaspoon.
SPIRULINA AND CHLORELLA Spirulina and chlorella are two types of algae, which are insanely rich in nutrients and protein. When I put either in my morning smoothie I feel so full of energy. The stuff is like natural green caffeine. The taste of both spirulina and chlorella is quite strong, so start with a half a teaspoon and work your way up to couple of teaspoons.
Each of these four recipes makes one giant smoothie that keeps me going until lunchtime. If you can’t skip your cereal or toast, then split this between two for a little morning kick-start.
Put all the ingredients for your choice of smoothie, apart from the ice cubes but including any extra powders you want to use, into the blender. Whiz on low to start with, then turn it up to high for a minute or so. You may need to turn off the blender, take the top off and use a spoon to get everything moving. Whiz until smooth and a vivid green.
Add a few ice cubes and blitz again until completely smooth. If you have added a lot of powders you may need to water the smoothie down with a little cold water.
EASY WAYS TO ADD PROTEIN
A super easy and delicious way to boost the protein in your smoothies is to add a tablespoon of a nut or seed butter. Almond butter and tahini are my favourites, and they add a depth, richness and creaminess to smoothies too.
Oats are a surprisingly good source of protein as well as fibre – a couple of tablespoons in your smoothie will add a lush creaminess. Porridge oats work best but rolled oats work well too; I just soak mine first for a few minutes in some of the milk I will use for my smoothie.
GO TO GREEN
•
1 small banana, peeled
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 large handfuls of greens (spinach or kale)
juice of ½ an lemon
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
a good pinch of ground cinnamon
250ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
AVOCADO AND TOASTED COCONUT
•
½ an avocado
1 banana, peeled
juice of ½ lemon or lime
1 tablespoon chia seeds
375ml coconut water or milk
1 tablespoon toasted coconut
2 dates
a few ice cubes
SESAME AND DATE
•
1 banana
2 persimmons or ½ a mango
1 tablespoon tahini
300ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
a small handful of oats
a drizzle of honey
the juice of ½ an orange
2 dates
BERRY AND BASIL
•
1 large handful of berries (blueberries, blackberries or strawberries)
1 large handful of greens
1 banana
5 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
200ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
a few ice cubes
Lemon maple granola
Shop-bought granola is the breakfast of choice for most of my friends who want to eat a little better. However, while cleverly branded as health foods, most granolas are full of sugar. This is why I make my own on Sunday night. Just 10 minutes’ work yields a deeply satisfying and beautiful jar of breakfast for the rest of the week. I use a mixture of quinoa flakes and oats for balance, as I find oats a bit heavy for first thing, but this works just as well if you use 300g of one or the other (and using just quinoa will make it gluten free). Use whatever dried fruit you like here. I have kept it simple, but sometimes I like to add dried peaches, pears or plums too when I find them. I find it really pleasing to measure in handfuls, but I have given some weights here too if you prefer to be precise.
Quinoa flakes can be used anywhere you would use oats. I use them for my morning porridge. Quinoa is said to be one of the most complete foods in nature, as it contains a brilliant balance of amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Most importantly, it is a complete source of protein, so it’s perfect if you are cutting down or cutting out other proteins.
MAKES ABOUT 700G, A NICE BIG JAR
8 tablespoons runny honey or maple syrup
2 large handfuls (150g) of rolled oats
