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a few pecan nuts, crumbled
lime wedges
honey or agave syrup
First turn the oven to 120°C/fan 100°C/gas ½ to keep everything warm.
Blitz the oats until you have a scruffy oat flour. Add to a bowl with the pecans and throw in the baking powder and salt.
Mix the mashed banana with the milk (you can do this by blitzing them together in the food processor, if you like). Beat the banana mixture into the flour and leave the batter to sit for a few minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat, then add the banana slices and fry on both sides in the dry pan until brown and caramelised. Keep warm in the oven.
Put the pan back on a medium heat and add a little coconut oil or butter. Drop in a healthy tablespoonful of batter for each pancake. Once the sides are cooked and bubbles have risen to the top, scatter over a handful of blueberries and flip the pancake over. Cook for another couple of minutes on the other side. The pancakes will stay a little moist in the middle because of the banana, so don’t worry. Keep them warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
Serve the pancakes piled with the banana slices. Add some crumbled pecans and a squeeze of lime, and, if you like, a little touch of honey, agave or maple syrup.
A scoop of coconut and banana ice cream turns these into a feel-good pudding too (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).
Cherry poppy seed waffles
Like bottomless coffee and inch-deep maple syrup and waitresses with name badges, waffles are very American territory to me. I started making them at home last year – I bought a £20 waffle iron and I haven’t looked back, as there is something so good about their crispy chequered exterior. They are quick and easy to make and more consistent than pancakes, and the waffle iron stays squeaky clean, so no washing up. This is my poppy seed-flecked version. I make these waffles with a mixture of oats or quinoa, whizzed to a floury dust in the food processor, but straight up wholemeal flour works well too.
Cherries are hands down my favourite fruit. When British cherries start filling my basket they are all I eat for breakfast until they are gone again. They’re high in iron, so they are useful for people cutting back on iron-rich meats. I keep pitted cherries in the freezer to use all year round, and you can buy good frozen ones from most supermarkets too. These are equally good with raspberries mashed with a little rosewater in place of the cherries.
Instead of using eggs here you can make these pancakes using the incredibly clever natural binding qualities of chia seeds. What I like best about chia seeds is how they work in baking and sweet things. You can use them in place of eggs in almost all baking, just mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water for each egg and leave to soak for a few minutes until you have a gloopy mix. I like the crunch of the chia seeds in my cake but if you want to you could grind them to a powder in your food processor before mixing with the water. This mixture works in all the baking in this book, just don’t try scrambling them!
MAKES 8 WAFFLES
FOR THE CHERRIES
500g pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons honey
FOR THE BATTER
200g oats
4 tablespoons light brown sugar or coconut sugar (see here (#litres_trial_promo))
1 tablespoon baking powder
a pinch of sea salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds, plus extra to serve
200ml natural yoghurt or coconut milk yoghurt
150ml milk of your choice
3 organic or free-range eggs (or see note on chia)
grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
butter or coconut oil, for cooking
TO SERVE
honey
Put the cherries and honey into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 10 minutes, until just softened, slightly sticky and deep crimson.
Put your waffle iron on a very low heat to warm up. I cook using a gas hob, which heats the waffle iron quite quickly, but you may need to wait a little longer if you have an electric or induction hob. You could use an electric waffle maker set to medium too.
Whiz the oats in a food processor until you have a fine powder, then put into a bowl with the sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds. In a jug, whisk the yoghurt, milk, eggs and lemon zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and beat until you have a smooth, thick batter, then pour into a jug to make it easier to fill your waffle iron.
Turn the heat up a little on your waffle iron. Drop a knob of butter or coconut oil on to the base of it and use a brush to persuade it around the iron squares. Flip the iron and do the same for the other side.
Spoon one ladleful of mixture into one side of your hot iron and close the lid. Leave for 2 minutes to crisp up, then flip for another 3 minutes. The waffles are ready once they’re an even golden brown and come away from the sides easily.
Serve with the warm cherries, a sprinkling of poppy seeds and a spoonful of yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.
Dosa-spiced potato cakes with quick cucumber pickle
The best breakfast I have ever eaten was a masala dosa in Fort Cochin, Kerala. This is how I like to work the deep, fragrant, southern Indian flavours into my day. It’s an anytime dish with big flavour hitters in the shape of curry leaves and black mustard seeds, which give the potato the warm subtle punch that is the deeply clever balance of southern Indian food. This is how I almost always use up my leftover mashed potato. Any root veg mash works well here but I find potato takes on the flavours best.
Mashing avocado with these spices is a revelation – I eat this on toast at least once a week.
If curry leaves aren’t easy to get, you can just leave them out. However, curry leaves are wonderful, and if you haven’t come across them before, try to get your hands on some. They have a curious but delicious flavour, and add depth in a way that is difficult to explain, much like a truffle does. I buy a few packets whenever I see them – a lot of supermarkets stock them these days. Store them in a sandwich bag in the freezer and tumble a few out as you need them. They are addictive and also very good for you. They can be mixed with lime and a pinch of sugar in hot water to aid digestion.
SERVES 4
FOR THE POTATO CAKES
olive or coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
10 curry leaves
4 large potatoes, boiled, drained and coarsely mashed, or 4 big spoons of leftover mash
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE AVOCADO
2 ripe avocados, halved and destoned
juice of ½ a lemon
FOR THE QUICK CUCUMBER PICKLE
½ a cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, bashed in a pestle and mortar
a pinch of sugar or a squeeze of agave syrup
grated zest and juice of ½ an unwaxed lemon
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add the mustard seeds and stand back while they pop. Scoop out a heaped tablespoon of the onion mixture and put to one side to cool.
With the pan still on the heat, add the turmeric and curry leaves and fry for another minute or so, then put the whole lot into a bowl to cool slightly.
Add the mashed potato to the onions, then season and mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and shape them into 4 potato cakes. Put them into the fridge to chill while you do a couple of other little jobs.
In another bowl, mash the avocados with the lemon juice (you can use a potato masher here), then stir in the tablespoon of the onion you set aside. Mix, then season well.
To make your pickle, put the sliced cucumber into a bowl and add all the other pickle ingredients. Using your hands, scrunch the cucumber slices to get the flavours going.
Now put your frying pan back on the heat. Take the potato cakes out of the fridge and fry them gently and carefully in a little oil for about 2–3 minutes on each side, until warmed through and crispy brown.
Serve each dosa cake piled with the mustard seed, onion and mashed avocado and with a sprightly spoonful of pickle on the side.
Other ways to use your cucumber pickle:
· Sandwiched inside a veggie burger.
· Next to a bowl of dhal and rice.
· In a bagel with some cream cheese and grated lemon zest.
· In a cheese sandwich.
· Next to any curry.
· To make the best ever cucumber sandwiches.
Wholegrain Sunday brunch
Sometimes a fortifying breakfast or brunch is needed but I have never been on board with heavy, greasy food to start off the day. For me breakfast is the mark of how I want my day to be. I eat this breakfast after a night out or before a day of the same – I guess you could say this is my full English. In autumn and winter, when tomatoes are not at their best, use a few sun-dried tomatoes added at the end instead.
You can make this in the time it takes someone else to go and buy the paper and to brew a decent cup of coffee. I encourage you to try grains rather than toast for breakfast. I find them so much more sustaining than bread and they work perfectly here. If you like, though, a good slice of bread works wonderfully in place of the farro. Sometimes for a really filling brunch I sizzle up a couple of the chestnut bangers here (#litres_trial_promo) too, or pan-fry a couple of slices of tofu, in place of the egg.
Sage is not perhaps the most obvious choice for a breakfast herb but it works brilliantly here. I love sage – the word, the taste, the bolstering flavour it brings – there is something ancient about it that I adore. In fact it’s a member of the mint family and you can taste the relationship. I love to fry sage leaves in hot oil till perfectly crisp and sprinkle them on fried eggs or roasted squash.
SERVES 2, THOUGH THIS CAN BE EASILY SCALED UP FOR A BIG FRIENDLY BRUNCH
¼ of a butternut squash or similar, deseeded and cut into 1cm slices
2 big field mushrooms
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive or rapeseed oil
100g farro or quinoa
2 healthy vines of cherry tomatoes
a small handful (50g) of almonds
a few sprigs of fresh sage (about 20 leaves)
1 lemon
2 organic or free-range eggs, for poaching (more if you are hungry)
Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
Place the squash and mushrooms on a tray, season, and drizzle with a little oil. Pop it into the oven for 15 minutes.
Next, get your grain on the go. Rinse it under cold water, then put it into a pan of boiling, salted water and cook the farro for 20–25 minutes, until tender, or the quinoa for 10 minutes, making sure to top up with more water as needed.
Once the squash has had 20 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and add the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil and put back into the oven for another 20 minutes.
To make the sage and almond pesto, toast the almonds in a pan until fragrant and just browning, then remove from the heat. In a pestle and mortar, bash the sage leaves with a pinch of salt. Add the almonds and bash until you have a chunky paste, then pour in 4 tablespoons of oil, squeeze in the juice of a quarter of the lemon and bash again until it’s smoothish. Season with salt and pepper, tasting and balancing to your liking. This can be done in a food processor too.
Finally, get a pan of boiling water on to poach your eggs (I use a frying pan). Turn the heat down until the water is barely blipping, then crack in the eggs and leave to cook for 3–4 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon on to some kitchen paper.
Spoon the grain on to plates, pile on the sticky roasted veg, top with an egg, then drizzle generously with the pesto and enjoy at a slow pace.
food for filling a gap (#ulink_7e34ec3c-8537-5fd8-93bf-0b0638c2112f)
If you’re going to snack, you might as well do it properly in every sense. Topping up between meals with something that is delicious, thought out and healthy stops me reaching for a chocolate biscuit. Whether it’s a simple slick of almond butter on a rice cake, or a handful of kale chips, or some homemade spicy caramel popcorn, a considered snack keeps me happy, fulfilled and full of energy. All these recipes are perfect for a crowd too – just double them up as needed to fuel a party.
Charred sweet potato quesadillas · sweet and salty crispy kale chips · the best egg sandwich you’ll ever eat · deep smoky salsa · miso-spiked hummus · jewel-coloured Middle Eastern dip · doorstep sandwiches · spiced salted caramel popcorn · maple peanut California wraps
Speedy sweet potato quesadillas
Quesadillas are an anytime meal. They take just 5 minutes to make, and everyone adores them. You can snack on them at a party, they make a late-home-from-work dinner, and they even work at breakfast with an egg inside.
