Month: September 2017

Cinnamon & nutmeg Barley bowl

I rarely get around to using Barley, it just seems to take so long to cook compared with other grains.  But in an effort to experiment more with introducing other grains into breakfast  I pre cooked a batch to eat during the week. This makes it much quicker to use for brekkie – so here is my first barley inspired brekkie bowl.  A great substitute for oats if you fancy something a little different.

Cinnamon & nutmeg Barley Bowl (serves one)

cinnamon barley

  • 100g cooked barley
  • 100ml almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Nutmeg – a good grating or 1/2 teaspoon ground
  • 1 tablespoon coconut yoghurt or coconut cream.
  • 1 banana

Put the barley, milk, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a pan and bring to the boil.  Turn it down and add the tablespoon of yoghurt or cream.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes – keep checking it doesn’t run out of liquid and burn.

Just before serving slice a banana and mix it through.  Sprinkle a bit more nutmeg on top.

Blueberry Choc Chioaty

I like using both chia seeds and oats in my overnight soakings, a mix of protein and carbs.  I find the consistency can become a little more solid, much like the old Irish tradition of porridge slabs kept in drawers!  It’s like eating a soft flapjack and I love this consistency especially with some maple syrup and yoghurt spooned on top before eating.  This is another healthy way to have chocolate for breakfast.

Blueberry Choc Chioaty

blueberry chioaty

  • 100g Blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoons oats
  • juice of one orange
  • 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder (if you want a stronger cacao hit then add a bit more)
  • 1 tablespoon cacao nibs

Mix together and put in the fridge overnight.  Top with yoghurt and maple syrup or some chocolate sprinkles!

Coco beet overnight oats

As the weather turns autumnal this is the perfect earthy overnight oats breakfast.  Beetroot is in season and I am currently harvesting a big bunch each week on the allotment.  I’ve tried a few different breakfast dishes with beetroot and I love it.  This has become a favourite because it’s so quick and looks such a lovely shade of red!

I find it’s best if you process the beetroot in a food processor – peel and chop and then process until it looks like couscous (a few seconds).  You can also finely grate it for this dish if you don’t have a food processor.

Coco beet overnight oats (serves one)

Beet coco oats

  • 50g raw beetroot – either processed in a food processor or finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
  • 40g oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 20g sultanas
  • 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
  • 50g flaked coconut
  • 150ml coconut milk

Layer up the beetroot, coconut, oats, cardamom, sultanas and seeds.  Then add the coconut milk and leave overnight in the fridge.

You can play around with your seeds and dried fruit – personally I love the taste of sultanas with this dish, but dried cranberries, raisins or goji berries would work well.  The hemp seeds give a nice subtle crunch, or you can use pumpkin or sunflower seeds.  Pistachio nuts also go very well with beetroot.  Just layer up as you fancy.  The key ingredients are the beetroot and coconut – the mix of earthiness and sweetness is perfect.