Rise and shine: Three super-healthy breakfast recipes
START your day with a super-healthy breakfast
Hello and welcome to Saturday, the day we all get to sleep in that bit longer. Since I don’t have any commitments this weekend, I am planning some exercise with my son, Rocco, playing squash and football. Moving on to this week’s book, Blood Sugar: Quinoa & Healthy Living by Michael Moore, it seems that, like me, the author is into healthy food. I like the pancake recipe (opposite) because it is so light and full of seeds and berries – fantastic.
Although it is a great source of protein, many people haven’t tried quinoa, which is from South America and readily available. I urge you to get a packet and cook it at home.
Just cook it in boiling water with a little salt then let it cool on a flat surface and drizzle with olive oil. Use it in salads or as a substitute for rice.White quinoa is the most readily available and versatile. Other great grains are buckwheat, farro wheat and barley. I also use seeds such as chia and sunflower. If you’re planning on looking great and eating healthy food this summer, this book will help.
Now I need to think about breakfast. I’m going to poach fresh eggs in a little vinegar, grill organic sausages and make baked beans with a can of borlotti beans and fresh tomato puree. I will also serve toasted crusty bread and a couple of slices of Parma ham.I introduced this to the San Carlo Cicchetti restaurants in London and Manchester and it’s had a great response. Why not try it at home?Buon appetito.
Stoneground muesli pancake
60g self-raising flour
60g stone-ground whole-wheat flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ cup whole rolled oats
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tbsp LSA (ground linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds)
1 tbsp agave syrup
2 eggs
250ml skimmed milk
Cooking spray
For the vanilla yoghurt:
250ml low-fat natural yoghurt
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
For the raspberry crush:
150g raspberries
1 tsp agave syrup
SERVES: 6
PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES, PLUS CHILLING TIME
COOKING TIME: AROUND 20 MINUTES
Combine flours, baking soda, oats, almonds and LSA in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the agave syrup, eggs and milk and mix into the dry ingredients. The batter should have the consistency of double cream. Set aside for 30 minutes.In a separate bowl mix together the yoghurt and agave syrup. Stir in the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean and refrigerate until needed.
For the crush, put half the raspberries in a bowl with the agave syrup and crush with a fork until broken down. Stir in remaining raspberries and set aside.
Heat a nonstick frying pan and moisten with cooking spray. Ladle spoonfuls of batter into the pan and cook for about 1 minute, or until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. Turn over and cook for a further 45-60 seconds. Turn onto a plate and repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Serve with the raspberry crush and a spoonful of vanilla yoghurt.
Chilled apple and pear porridge with raw almonds
355ml skimmed milk
120ml water
120g white quinoa
120g plain yoghurt
1 tbsp agave syrup
1 red apple
1 green pear
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground cinnamon
60g raw almonds, skin on, finely sliced
SERVES: 4
PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES
Put milk, water and quinoa in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until soft, then allow to cool.
Place the cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl and stir in the yoghurt and agave syrup. Using a coarse cheese grater, grate the apple and pear into the bowl, allowing any juices to drip in.
Mix together well.
Add the spices to taste and adjust the consistency with a splash of milk.
Put into small individual serving bowls and sprinkle with the chopped almonds before serving.
Greek yoghurt parfait cups
1 tbsp unprocessed bran
300g natural low-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp quinoa flakes
100ml grape juice or apple juice
1 tbsp agave syrup
250ml water
1 red apple
125g fresh blueberries
125g fresh raspberries
SERVES: 4
PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES, PLUS COOLING AND CHILLING TIME
COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES
Mix the bran, yoghurt, quinoa flakes and fruit juice in a small bowl and place in the fridge.
In a pan heat the agave syrup and water and add the peeled and cored apple cut into 8 wedges. Simmer for 10 minutes until soft. Add blueberries and raspberries and leave to cool.
Remove fruit using a slotted spoon and layer alternately with the yoghurt in serving glasses. Refrigerate before serving.
Extracts taken from Blood Sugar: Quinoa & Healthy Living, by Michael Moore, photography by Steve Brown, published by New Holland, priced £14.99. To order your copy at the special offer price of £13.49, with free UK delivery, call the Saturday magazine Bookshop on 0871 471 3469 or visit expressbooks.co.uk. To order by post, send a cheque made payable to The Express, along with your contact details, to, The Express, Orders Dept, 1 Broadland Business Park, Norwich NR7 0WF. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. SP: Spoke, London W1B 2AG.