Breakfast - Food of the Gods

                                                                                       

Do you love breakfast as much as I do? I often go to bed thinking about what I am going to have for breakfast the next day:) And weekend breakfast or hotel breakfast buffet when on holiday is my idea of bliss.

I find breakfas culture around the world absolutely fascinating! Breakfast can be so varied — from a cup of coffee and a pastry in Italy to a full Irish breakfast with sausages, bacon, eggs, black and white pudding, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and some toast! And how about salmon for breakfast in Japan? Or a lovely spread of breads, cheeses, sliced meats, olives, fresh fruit and vegetables in Turkey?

In this article I am going to share with you some of my favourite breakfast ideas.

#1 Porridge

I am not going to teach you how to make porridge, but I will tell you about 4 ways to enjoy it.

First — traditional porridge cooked in a mixture of water and milk (did you know that it’s better to start cooking porridge in water and add milk closer to the end of cooking time as milk slows down the cooking process?). I serve my porridge with sliced bananas, pears or blueberries, a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and milled linseed.

Second — overnight oats. You can find lots of recipes for overnight porridge on the internet. I make mine with Alpro soy mango yoghurt (no added sugar), some chia seeds, and soy milk. Mix everything in a jar or a bowl and leave it in the fridge overnight. It can be enjoyed cold or warm (gently warm it up in a saucepan over low heat before serving) with an optional topping of fruit/berries.

Third — baked porridge from Deliciously Ella (I have adapted it to my taste and I do not add any maple syrup or sugar). You can find the recipe here.

Forth — toasted oatmeal from acouplecooks.com (recipe here). My favourite way to enjoy this type of porridge is to sprinkle it over youghurt and fruit as you would granola, but it’s a completely different experience, equally delicious.

#2 Breakfast salads

Carrot and apple. Coarsely grate a carrot and an apple. Mix, top with plain yoghurt, chopped prunes and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Pear Waldorf. Chop a ripe and juicy conference pear, a stick of celery, season with black pepper and dress with plain yoghurt and a drop of sweet chilli sauce, or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice depending on your mood. Sprinkle with some chopped walnuts/pecans. You can serve it as is or on a bed of lettuce/rocket.

Beetroot and apple. Coarsely grate a small raw beetroot and an apple. Dress with plain yoghurt. Enjoy.

#3 Avocado toast 2-ways

Savoury: mash half of an avocado with a fork on a slice of toast. Top with sauerkraut (fermented cabbage). No need to add either salt or lemon juice because sauerkraut is already salty and tangy at the same time. NB I make my sauerkraut myself as I am not satisfied with shop bought varieties and it’s super easy to make it at home (I will post a recipe soon).

Sweet: mash the other half of avocado with a fork on a slice of toast. Top with sliced (or mashed) banana. Mix a teaspoon of tahini paste with a teaspoon of plain yoghurt (I use soy yoghurt) and dollop it over the avocado and banana.

I could go on and on and on about breakfast, but I guess I should stop here. You can check out a couple more of my breakfast ideas on my blog: mini ricotta bakes with yoghurt and blueberries and Yorkshire pudding for breakfast?!