Category: Oats

The Big Brekkie Biccy

I think you can have biscuits for breakfast – I’m not talking about the rather plain breakfast biscuits that are currently on the market but homemade relatively healthy (lets face it a biscuit is never going to be the ultimate health food) biscuits full of good nuts and seeds.  The beauty of the brekkie biscuit is also it’s flexibility and portability – you can make it in advance, freeze it and then you always have a stash of breakfast biccies ready to take with you wherever you go – and it doesn’t have to always be for breakfast.

brekkie biccy

The big brekkie biccy (makes about 12 large biscuits)

  • 250g oats
  • 110g Spelt flour (or wholewheat)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch salt
  • 100g raisons
  • 100g unsalted peanuts
  • 150g brown sugar
  • 50g hazelnuts
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 200ml sunflower oil or rapeseed oil (or a combination – I used 100g sunflower and 100g rapeseed)
  • 150ml milk

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl – you can leave the nuts whole.  Then add the oil and stir in, finally add the milk.  The mixture will feel a bit sticky, add the milk slowly as you don’t want it too runny so add less if you think it’s a bit too on the runny side.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and then take roughly 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture per biscuit – flatten them out to around 6-8cm.  You’ll need a couple of baking trays.

Cook for around 10-15minutes until going golden  – 200c/400f/Gas 6. Put them on a rack to cool and harden up a little before eating or storing.  Can be frozen – they defrost very quickly – fortunately!

 

 

 

Rhubarb Bites

The glut continues and I’m still playing with rhubarb.  These bites are very moreish with a texture of a soft flapjack – but without the added sugar.  I’ve made flapjacks in the past using raw rhubarb, which works very well but for these I stewed the rhubarb first and this brings a softer texture and helps to bind the oats without the need for too much oil.

I’ve been eating these for the past two days – they are also good with a bit of full fat Greek yoghurt on the side for dipping.

Rhubarb Bites

Rhubarb bites

  • 200g Rhubarb – chopped into chunks
  • Juice and rind of half a large orange – or a whole small one
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons of brown sugar

Put all the above in a saucepan and bring to a simmer – simmer for around 4-5 minutes until it’s starting to go mushy. Leave to cool.

  • 200g oats
  • 100g dates – chopped
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 25g hulled hemp seeds
  • 50g pecan nuts – chopped
  • 50g coconut oil – melted

Mix all the ingredients together and then stir in the stewed rhubarb.

Line a baking dish with baking paper and put the mixture into the dish and mould it into a 20cm x 20cm square (roughly speaking).  It takes a bit of squishing down with your hand and/or a wooden spoon.

Divide into 16 squares before putting in the oven – use a sharp knife to cut through the mixture but don’t separate the squares.

Cook at 160c/325F/Gas 3 – for 30 minutes.  It should start to look golden brown on the top.

Take out of the oven and run your knife along the cuts again – don’t try and separate or take out of the tin.  Leave to cool in the tin before removing.

They do last a couple of days in an airtight container – that’s if you can stop eating them.

 

 

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.

 

Tofu Rhubarb Stack with Ginger Syrup

Tofu ginger 2I’ve started using silken tofu in various puddings – it’s great for a vegan cheesecake – and so wanted to try and incorporate some breakfast recipes with it.  It’s rhubarb season in our household with my allotment rhubarb in full harvest and I thought that rhubarb would combine really nicely with the tofu – with a few added extras to add sweetness and flavour.

The texture of silken tofu is quite runny and for this dish I wanted a more solid texture to go with the stewed rhubarb otherwise it would all be a bit too sloppy.  The addition of the roasted oats soaks up some of this moisture and makes the resulting tofu texture more like a thick bircher.

The ginger syrup brings it all together – don’t miss it out!  It’s quite strong, so you don’t need a lot of it, but it adds a fabulous sweet spice to the dish.

There is a bit of pre prep – but once that’s done the night before, it’s ready waiting for you to just add it all together in the morning.

Tofu Rhubarb Stack with Ginger Syrup – the layers

(the tofu and syrup is enough for two portions)

The Tofu layer

  • 300g packet of silken tofu (I used Clearspring)
  • 50g Oats
  • 2 teaspoons of coconut oil

Melt the coconut oil, add the oats and roast in the oven for around 10 minutes – shaking half way through.  Leave to cool.  You can also toast the oats on the hob in a frying pan – just keep shaking it to stop the oats burning.

Mix the tofu in a food processor to get it nice and creamy – it only takes a few seconds. Put the tofu into a bowl and mix through the roasted oats.  Put in the fridge overnight to allow the oats to soak up some of the tofu moisture.

The Ginger Syrup

  • 50g fresh ginger – roughly chopped into cubes (keep the skin on)
  • 20g brown sugar (I used coconut palm sugar but any will do)
  • 100ml water

Put everything into a small pan and bring to the boil – then simmer for around 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced and it looks more syrup than water.  Pour it through a sieve – this is your syrup. You can make this a day or two ahead as it keeps in the fridge for a few days.

Keep the strained ginger for use in iced teas – I popped mine in the freezer.

Rhubarb

I tend to stew a load of rhubarb at once and always have some ready in the fridge.  For one portion I would estimate around 200g rhubarb would be about right.

I do mine on the hob, chop the rhubarb into chunks, add a splash of water and some brown sugar and then simmer for around 10 mins – keep an eye on it and add a dash more water if it looks like sticking.  You don’t need much water.  Leave to cool or have it hot if you prefer – I prefer mine cold with this dish, I think it works better.

I try not to add too much sugar so as a guide I use roughly 1 teaspoon of sugar per 100g of rhubarb but I know many people who prefer a bit more sugar.

The Breakfast!

Tofu gingerIn the morning – just assemble your layers and drizzle the syrup over the top.

I added some extra blueberries to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Beetroot & red berry granola

Further adventures with beetroot and a lazy bank holiday morning produced this wonderfully colourful granola. It has lovely hints of cardamom and ginger and with no added sugar I can pretend it’s super healthy.  It’s certainly lovely with coconut yoghurt. As usual I’ve been snacking on this all day. Granola is not just for brekkie.Beet granola jar

Beetroot & red berry granola

Makes a medium kilner jar’s worth.

  • 200g rolled oats
  • 50g Pumpkin seeds
  • 50g linseeds
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 large raw beetroot – peeled – around 160g – chopped into chunks
  • 1cm cube of fresh ginger
  • 50g coconut oil (before melting – so it’s still solid when you weigh it)
  • 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or other oil of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 50g dried cranberries
  • 50g goji berries

First make the beetroot coating.  Melt the coconut oil gently in a pan – I find it confusing when a recipe states coconut oil as I never know if that means melted or solid – so I’ve started weighing my solid coconut oil to be clear.

Then put the beetroot, fresh ginger, melted coconut oil and walnut oil in a blender. The texture will look like a very thick smoothie – see the photo below – pre mixing in.

In a large bowl mix together the oats, pumpkin seeds, linseeds and cardamom.Beet granola mix Add the beetroot mix and mix in well – making sure everything is well coated.

Rub some butter on a baking sheet and spread the mix onto the sheet. Bake for 10minutes at 180c/350f/Gas 4

Take it out and shake it up – then add the cranberries, goji berries and ground ginger. Mix it all up again and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  Leave it to cool then tuck in.

Beet granola oven done

 

 

 

Pear Ginger & Spirulina Oat bowl

 

Pear ginger and spirilenaIf you can reset your spectrum of acceptable breakfast colours – this is truly green and delicious.  I couldn’t resist sneaking a few mouthfuls as I put it in the fridge to soak overnight. I’ve tried spirulina in smoothies before and I find the taste can be quite overwhelming, so I was very moderate in my use of it here. It adds a lovely hint of flavour but still allows the ginger and pear to get a look in too and of course it creates that wonderful breakfast colour.  No cooking required – just another soaked oat bircher delight.

Pear Ginger & Spirulina Oat bowl

  • 30g porridge oats
  • 20g oat bran (you could use all porridge oats but I find mixing the oats gives a slightly less heavy bowl)
  • 1 pear – grated
  • 1cm piece of fresh ginger – grated
  • 25g Sultanas
  • 1/4 teaspoon of spirulina powder
  • 10g pumpkin seeds
  • 200ml almond milk

Mix everything together and put in the fridge overnight.  It’s lovely served on its own or with a blob of yoghurt – or crème fraiche.

Pear ginger spira and yog

I had a quick early banana before a run this morning and then settled in to eat this whilst watching the London Marathon.

Sticky Prune Bites

I found a tin of prunes in the back of the cupboard that were almost out of date, I have no idea why I bought them, but I hate wasting things so spent a large part of this morning trying to figure out what to do with them.  I tried making some granola but instead my ‘granola’ came out quite sticky and actually rather lovely, keeping the moistness of the prunes.

The result of my experiment are some rather lovely moist snacky bites – definitely somewhere between chunky granola and sticky flapjacks. Delicious on their own with a cup of coffee. It’s a good way to incorporate some prunes into your diet – I’ve never been a big fan, but keeping the moisture and adding some lovely zesty oats works for me.

Sticky Prune Bites

Makes enough bites for around 3 snacky breakfasts – if you can resist the urge to snack on them during the rest of the day.

Sticky prune bites

  • 100g oats
  • 1 tin of pitted prunes in juice (290g)
  • 50g whole almonds
  • Juice and Zest of one orange
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • 2 tablespoons of the prune juice
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Drain the prunes – and keep the juice. Put the oats in a bowl and chop in the prunes – I used scissors to chop them into chunks. Add the almonds and orange zest and mix well to ensure all the prune chunks are well covered in oats.

Mix the honey, orange juice, prune juice and sugar together in a small pan and heat gently for a couple of minutes until the honey and sugar is dissolved.  Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then add to the oat mix.  Mix it well – it will be wet and sticky.

Rub some butter on the bottom of a baking sheet to stop it sticking and then spread the oat mixture over the sheet.

Put it in the oven (200c/400f/Gas 6) – for 5 minutes.  Take it out and give it a shake and another mix up to break it up into pieces. It will still be quite sticky.

Cook for a further 5 minutes.  Take it out, shake it up again and leave to cool.

The final mix is still quite sticky but really lovely and moist and easily breaks into bite sized bits with lovely chunks of prune.

Store in an airtight jar in the fridge

Simply Hot B&B

This morning was a quick ‘what’s in the fridge to use up’ type breakfast – and today the blueberries were getting to that not so fresh stage.  Cooking them up with a banana is quick and easy and adding a few oats helps to bulk up what is essentially a warming low fat brekkie.

Simply Hot B&B (serves one)

Baked banana

  • 1 banana – cut into thick slices
  • handful of blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 20g oats
  • sprinkle of cinnamon

Melt the coconut oil then mix with the honey.  Mix this with the banana, blueberries, oats and cinnamon.  Make sure it’s all well coated. Pop into a hot oven – 200c/400f/Gas 6 for 10 minutes.  You want the blueberries to start going a bit squishy.

Nice served with yoghurt.

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.