Category: bircher

Coconut yogi overnight oats

I love the new coconut yoghurts but find some of the brands too thick to eat very much of in one go! (Oh and the calories count is quite high).  So for this recipe I thinned out the yoghurt with some plant based milk to make some overnight oats.  This makes a lovely creamy and surprisingly filling (as it’s a small portion) brekkie.

Coconut Yogi overnight oats

  • 2 tablespoons thick coconut yoghurt (i.e. Coyo)
  • 4 tablespoons plant based milk (oat, almond, soya…)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons oats
  • 1 teaspoon peanut butter (a nice runny one such as Pip and Nut is good)

Mix everything together and put in the fridge overnight.  I leave the peanut butter out at this stage and add it in just before eating.  This keeps the peanut butter on the runny side as it hasn’t been absorbed, so it adds a bit of extra moisture and softness.

Lovely with bananas or berries and some extra cinnamon sprinkled on top to make it look pretty.

coconut yogi overnight oats

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Apple maple overnight oats

I love overnight oats – so easy and convenient. This is a quick easy put together option – making use of all the lovely apple choices out there at the moment. I made a batch last week so it’s easy to double or triple the recipe and it keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. I like to eat mine either at room temperature or after a couple of seconds in the microwave to take the chill off.  But you may prefer it straight from the fridge.

These are great to have pre or post a run too.

Apple maple overnight oats (one portion)

apple-maple-overnight-oats

  • 150ml Almond milk (any milk will do)
  • 1 medjool date
  • 1 apple – grated with skin on
  • 50g oats
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Grating of nutmeg (I find nutmeg a strong taste so whilst I like quite a lot – around 1/3 teaspoon, you may prefer some trial and error here)
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or more if you fancy a little more sweetness)

Blend the milk with the date.  Add this liquid to the oats, grated apple and spices.  Mix well and put into a bowl.  Pour the maple syrup over the top and sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds.  Cover and put in the fridge overnight.

PS – Thank you to Joe Delucci ice cream – the ice cream is wonderful and the containers very useful!

 

Beetroot and Coconut Bircher

The beetroot season is in full swing and with our summer continuing I still prefer my oats to be cold.  This is a lovely rich bircher in both taste and colour.  The recipe makes enough for around 3 portions.  Do play around with the additions of nuts and extras, but the beetroot, coconut water and maple syrup with the oats are the core essentials of this dish.

beet-and-coconut-bircher

Beetroot & Coconut Bircher

  • 2ooml coconut water
  • 100g raw beetroot (about one medium beetroot)
  • 100g oats
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
  • 50g Hazelnuts – slightly bashed
  • 50g sultanas
  • 2 tablespoons cacao nibs

Blend the beetroot and coconut water in a blender and put the mixture into a bowl.  Add the oats and maple syrup and mix in.  Add the other ingredients and leave in the fridge overnight.

 

Peach Melba Bowl

Peaches are at their best at the moment, lovely and ripe. The peach melba combo of peaches, raspberries and vanilla is a classic and can definitely be reproduced for breakfast. Just the use of the 3 classic ingredients plus oats and yoghurt can produce this lovely bowl – which is a bit of a cross between overnight oats, bircher and a smoothie bowl.

Peach Melba Bowl

Peach Melba Bowl

  • 2 peaches – stoned and cut into chunks
  • 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
  • 1 vanilla pod – seeds scrapped out
  • 100g fresh raspberries – roughly chopped
  • 60g Oats

Blend the peaches, yoghurt and the seeds from the vanilla pod in a blender. Put this mixture into a bowl and stir through the oats and chopped raspberries. Put in the fridge overnight.

This is enough for two portions – although my breakfast bowl tomorrow will be quite small judging by the amount of extra spoonfuls I was having today.

To serve

Top with raspberries, peach slices, yoghurt and honey

 

Coco Lemon Yoghurt Bircher

I usually use milk or fruit juice for my bircher but after tasting one recently made just using yoghurt, I’ve been experimenting.  This combination of lemon with coconut is lovely, sharpness meets sweetness and I love the freshness these flavours bring to breakfast.

Coco lemon yoghurt bircher (serves one)

lemon yoghurt bircher

  • 1 pot of coconut yoghurt (170g)
  • Juice and zest of half a lemon (you could add a bit more if you want a sharper taste – I often add another squeeze and some extra zest on top)
  • 15g goji berries
  • 20g oats
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

Mix everything together and leave overnight or for at least an hour (I dare you to resist trying a few mouthfuls before you leave it!).

 

Avo lime bircher

Having tried the Honestly Healthy avocado bircher a few weeks ago I’ve been trying other combinations.  Avocado and lime is a natural pairing and having the sharpness of lime with the avocado and coconut gives a great sharp sparkle to breakfast.  The mix of chia seeds, quinoa flakes and oats provides a slightly less carb heavy bircher mix.

This is a touch of Mexican summer nights on a breakfast plate.

Avo lime bircher (serves one)

Avo and lime bircher

  • 1 tbs chia seeds
  • 1 tbs quinoa flakes
  • 2 tbs oats
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 1 baby avocado (or half a large one)
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • Zest of 1 lime

Mix everything together and leave to soak overnight.  Sprinkle some desiccated coconut or coconut flakes on top before eating and a few extra slithers of lime zest.

 

Avocado Bircher

I came across this recipe from Honestly Healthy and had never thought about adding avocado to oats.  I made this last night and really enjoyed it this morning. The avocado adds a lovely smooth texture to the oats.  The original recipe uses pomegranate seeds at the end before serving – I didn’t have any so substituted some dried cranberries and goji seeds instead.  Definitely a great way to have avocado for breakfast.

See the original recipe here

Avocado bircherAvocado Bircher (serves two generous portions)

  • 150g oats
  • 1 avocado
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 350ml almond milk (or other milk)
  • 1 apple grated
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Topping

  • Any seeds or fruit – pomegranate, dried cranberries, goji berries – something with a slightly sharp taste is a nice complement to the dish

Method

  • Chop the avocado into smallish chunks – squeeze the lemon juice over the top.
  • Put the oats in a bowl and add the milk, cinnamon, sesame seeds, apple and avocado.
  • Mix and leave to soak overnight.
  • Top with your choice of seeds and fruit.

 

Jaffa Bircher

I love Jaffa cakes, the mixture of chocolate and orange is one of the best flavour combinations. I’ve recently  run a few trail events where Jaffa cakes have been available at the drinks stations alongside the gels and I have been nicely fuelled by Jaffa power.  I’ve been trying to recreate that Jaffa taste in a slightly healthier way.

I first discovered the joys of orange puree during a patisserie course last year and it’s fabulous for adding a really strong orange hit.  There is a bit of preparation the night before due to having to boil the oranges and make the puree, but it’s really easy and worth it.  The puree also freezes really well.  I freeze it in ice cube trays or small ramekins so it’s portioned ready to use.  So instead of boiling one orange at a time I boil 2 or 3 and freeze the leftover.

To make the orange puree

Put 1 or more whole oranges in a big pan of water, bring to the boil and then simmer for around an hour – they should feel very soft when ready but still intact. Drain them, cut them in half and let them cool. When cool blitz them in a processor – skin and all. This is your puree.

Jaffa Bircher (serves one)

Jaffa bircher

  • 100g orange puree (this a about half of a large orange when pureed)
  • 30g oats
  • 2 teaspoons of cacao powder
  • 10g dried cranberries
  • 100ml Almond milk

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and leave to soak overnight.  If you want a slightly wetter bircher add an additional tablespoon of almond milk over the mixture before putting in the fridge.

Before eating I like to sprinkle a few more cranberries and cacao nibs on top.

This is another most delicious brekkie that tastes soooo much better than it looks.