Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 Ripe Bananas
• 1/2 Cup Greek Vanilla Yoghurt
• 1/4 Cup Butter, Softened
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tbs Vanilla
• 2/3 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp Sodium Bicarbonate
• 2 1/2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 Cups Oats
• 1 Cup Oat Bran
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2-1 Cup Chocolate Chips or Chunks

Method:

Preheat Oven to 180 C.

Line your baking sheets with baking paper.

In a food processor purée the bananas, yoghurt, butter, eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, baking soda, white whole wheat flour, oats, oat bran and salt. Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring until combined but do not over mix.

Drop by scoops - use a small ice cream scoop - onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack, allowing to cool.

Makes approximately 32 cookies. Keep in the freezer to retain freshness. Either take out the night before and let thaw or just pop in the microwave for a few seconds to remove their chill. Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry and White Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

10ml baking powder

2.5ml salt

2 eggs

1 cup yoghurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

5ml vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

½ to ¾ cup white chocolate chips or 100g white chocolate, chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Line your muffin pan with paper cups or muffin liners.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

In another bowl whisk the eggs together until combined. Add the rest of the wet ingredients (yoghurt, oil and vanilla) and mix together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix. I use a spatula to fold in the flour and mix everything together but you can also use a whisk. The batter would be thick.

Fold in the berries and the chocolate chips.

Divide evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and after about 5-8 minutes (when they’re cool enough to handle) transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Bites

Preparing the muffin cups.

Ingredients:

12 eggs

6 strips of bacon cut lengthways to make 12 strips

12 bits of proscuitto to fill bottom of muffin tins

12 cherry tomatoes halved

12 slices of mushroom

12 large pieces of flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper

Breakfast Bites cooked and ready to devour.

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180 ˚C.

Spray olive oil in the muffin tin and place proscuitto on the bottom , and bacon around the sides of each muffin spot.

Place mushroom slice, two halves of cherry tomato and a piece of parsley in each muffin tin. Crack open an egg on each muffin and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Perfect Fried Eggs

Have you ever wondered how chefs get perfectly round fried eggs? Well, they use metal rings in the frying pan and remove the ring when serving. I like this idea of using a ring of onion... it's edible and you don't have to try and remove the onion ring when serving. Clever and great for Sunday breakfast!

Spinach & Cheese Omelette Cups

Ingredients:

Frozen Spinach
8 eggs
Grated cheese
Diced tomato
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 190˚C
Arrange spinach on the bottoms of a paper lined muffin pan (approx. 15ml per cup) 
Add a thin layer of diced tomato to each cup
Add a layer of shredded cheese
Season with salt & pepper
Beat the eggs with additional salt & pepper
Using a small ladle, fill each cup almost to the top
Top with a small pepper slice & sprinkle paprika over top
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes – depending on your oven may need less or more time.

Meatnuts

Ingredients:

750g beef mince
2 eggs
5 mini peppers, diced
5ml marjoram
a few leaves of fresh basil and parsley, chopped
250g bacon

Method: 

Mix together meat, spices, and eggs.
Form into patties, poke a hole in the middle, and thread strips of bacon through the centre, wrapping it around the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, flip over, bake at 425 for fifteen minutes more. If you want crispy bacon, broil for the last five minutes.

Banana Beach Breakfast Muffins

I make a batch or muffins almost every week, varying the ingredients to accommodate what I have in my larder and to match my personal leanings. This week I used dates and coconut, which always make me think of a tropical beach, and bananas remind me of 'home', or what was home for so long - Natal, in South Africa.

Ingredients:

375ml flour

125ml rolled oats

15ml baking powder

2ml salt

150g caster sugar

40g coconut

2-3 ml mixed spice

8 dates, pitted and roughly chopped

125ml dried fruit mix

1 ripe banana

200ml milk

1 egg

100ml vegetable oil

5ml vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, caster sugar, coconut and mixed spice. To this add the chopped dates and dried fruit.

In a mini blender, blitz the banana and 50ml of milk to a loose puree.

In a jug, whisk the remaining milk with the egg, oil and vanilla extract. Add the banana-milk mixture and whisk to blend.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix to a fairly runny batter. Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups with the mixture and bake for 22-25 minutes. Test for doneness with a metal skewer, which should come out clean when the muffins are cooked. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Muesli Bars

These are great for breakfast on the run. With oats, fruit, nuts and seeds, they are nutricious and delicious, packed with essential carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Sunflower seeds are a super source of Omega 3 and Omega 6, necessary for good health, preventing heart desease, cholesterol problems and some skin conditions.

Pumpkin seeds are aslo packed with fibre, vitamin Bs, especially Niacin and Pyridoxine, minerals such as calcium, magnesium and selenium, and numerous health promoting antioxidants. Although their calorific content comes mainly from fats, pumpkin kernels are especially rich in mono-unsaturated fats, which help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.

All in all, a great way to start the day.

Ingredients:
65g butter
160ml honey - I like to use heather or lavender honey as they give such a wonderful flavour
50g dark brown muscovado sugar
130g wholemeal flour
200g rolled oats
50g desiccated coconut
100g sunflower seeds
50g dried pumpkin seeds, chopped
50g dried apricots, chopped
50g dates, chopped
50g raisins
50g chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazel nuts)
25g sesame seeds

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. Add the honey and sugar, stirring to bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, then gradually stir in the prepared butter and sugar mixture.
Press into a greased biscuit tray and bake for 25 minutes or until golden on top. Cut into bars while still hot and leave to cool.

Flapjacks

These are sweet little beauties, which hit the spot if you are looking for a good snack. Similar to Crunchies, but without the coconut they are not as crunchy, more chewy and soft. They are great for picnics, afternoon tea and breakfasts on the run. You can use 150g of demerara sugar or granulated sugar, or half of each. The demerara sugar gives a firmer texture.

Ingredients:

150g butter
75g golden granulated sugar
75g demerara sugar
50ml golden syrup or honey
300g oats

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place the butter, sugar and syrup or honey in a large pan and place over a gentle heat until the butter has melted. Mix well together and then stir in the oats.

Butter a 30cm x 20 cm dish and then pour in the mixture. Press down well with the back of a metal spoon.

Place in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown all over. Whilst the mixture is still warm run a knife around the edge of the dish and cut the flapjack into squares. Leave to cool completely in the tin before removing.

Makes about 15 squares. Store in an airtight container.

Crunchies

This is a South African classic biscuit made with oats and coconut. They make a treet for afternoon tea, or even a healthy breakfast on the run.

Everybody loves them!

Ingredients:
750ml desicated coconut
250ml flour
1L rolled oats
375ml sugar
5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
250g butter
50ml golden syrup or honey
10ml bicarbonate of soda
60ml milk


Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Combine the coconut, flour, rolled oats, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter with the syrup or honey and add to the dry ingredients.
Dissolve the bicarbonete of soda in the milk and add to the mixing bowl.
Mix well with a metal spoon to blend, ensuring that all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Press the crumbly mixture formly into a greased baking sheet to a depth of about 1 cm, flattening the top with a rolling pin.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden on top.
Cut into squares of the size desired while still hot. Lift out the squares with a spatula and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 5 dizen biscuits. Store in an airtight container.

Sour Cream Scones

Scones for breakfast, or afternoon tea,

are a classic celebration of British cooking.

The source of the scone is lost in the mists of time,

but was believed to be of Scots, or Celtic origin.

The Scots baked a quick bread of unleavened oats on a griddle,

probably about the size of a medium sized plate.

The circular loaf was cut into triangular quadrants for serving.

This bread may also be called a bannock, and the quadrants, scones.

Today this delicacy is usually made from wheat flour.

Individual scones are cut from the dough to make small cakes,

which are oven baked.

.

Ingredients:
500ml flour

20ml baking powder
2ml salt
300ml sour cream
60ml full cream milk
extra flour for dusting
extra milk for brushing

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in sour cream and milk to form a soft dough.

Knead lightly on a floured surface until just smooth. Pat out to 2cm thickness on a floured surface and cut into rounds with a floured 4-5cm scone cutter, taking care not to twist as you cut.

Place on an oven tray and brush only the tops with milk. Bake in the upper half of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Serve with strawberry jam and sour or clotted cream.

Salmon and Polenta Muffins

These are great served hot for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients:
250ml cup polenta meal
125ml self-raising flour
30ml castor sugar
1 egg
250ml buttermilk
2 eggs, extra
125ml double cream
210g can salmon, drained and flaked
130g can corn kernels, drained
2ml paprika

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
Combine polenta meal, flour and sugar in a bowl.
Combine buttermilk and 1 egg in a jug and whisk.
Mix buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula.
Whisk extra eggs and double cream in another bowl until combined.
Stir in salmon, corn kernels and paprika.
Line a muffin pan with paper cases.
Spoon 1 tablespoonful of cornmeal mixture into each paper-case and top with 1 tablespoonful of salmon mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are lightly browned.
Serve hot, or cool and cut open and fill with cream whipped with a pinch of paprika.