Shakshuka

If you haven't yet heard of Shakshuka or Shakshouka, it is a Middle Eastern dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It's a great breakfast or brunch to serve a large number of people as you can bring the pan to the table and have everyone serve themselves. The tomato sauce is delicious for dipping and is also full of lycopene which is a potent antioxidant. It's one of those dishes that you seem to be able to whip up when you think you have 'nothing' to eat apart from a box of eggs & a few other store cupboard ingredients. It's a firm favourite in my house! 

Serves 5

Ingredients:

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small red chilli, diced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 3 handfuls of kale, washed and torn
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 5 free-range eggs

Method:

1. Heat a little olive in a large frying pan or skillet. Add the onion, garlic, chilli and spices and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the kale and cherry tomatoes, continue to cook until the kale has wilted.
2. Add the tinned tomatoes, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Create 5 small dips in the sauce in which to place the eggs, then crack them in carefully. Cover the pan and continue cooking for about 8 minutes or until the eggs are nicely cooked through.
4. Serve with some crusty sourdough bread drizzled with a little olive oil.

Mini Asparagus & Herb Frittatas

These mini frittatas make the most of the local asparagus season. They are perfect for breakfast and lunches on the go. Serve them with a simple green salad for a tasty and nourishing meal.

Serves 6 (individual frittata per person)

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 6 asparagus spears
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
• 4 free-range eggs
• 8 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 handful fresh mint, chopped
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Sea-salt & black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease and line a 6-hole muffin tray with small squares of baking paper. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Chop the asparagus stalks, leaving the tips to top the frittatas. Add the asparagus to the frying pan with the onion and garlic. Continue frying until the asparagus has softened. Set aside to cool.
4. Whisk together the eggs and natural yoghurt. Add the chopped herbs and season to taste.
5. Once the fried mix has cooled tip it into the egg mix and stir well to distribute the vegetables and herbs.
6. Pour the mix into the prepared cases, transfer to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.

Berry Smoothie Bowl

This smoothie works best at the height of Summer when these berries are in season. Although you can enjoy it at anytime of year using frozen berries. A good tip is to freeze fresh berries during the Summer when you can buy local and then use them as you want during the colder months.

Ingredients:

• 75g strawberries
• 75g blueberries
• 75g raspberries
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 banana
• 150ml almond milk

Toppings:

• Blueberries
• Desiccated coconut
• Bee pollen
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Cashew nuts

-Or your own combination of superfoods, nuts, fruit & seeds.

Method:

1. Place the strawberries, blueberries, avocado, banana and almond milk into a blender.
2. Pulse until smooth, then pour into a serving bowl.
3. Scatter with your choice of toppings and enjoy.

Plum & Chia Pudding

This is a great nutritious breakfast which you can prepare the night before and take with you on the move. Chia seeds are full of protein, fibre and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

Chia pudding:

• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 100ml coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Plum Sauce:

• 3 plums
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Squeeze of lemon juice

To Decorate:

• 1 plum, sliced
• 1 tsp desiccated coconut 

Method:

1. Mix the chia seeds, coconut milk and vanilla extract together in a jar or glass. Leave to sit in the fridge overnight to set.
2. To make the plum sauce add the plums, maple syrup and a splash of water to a small saucepan. Leave to simmer for about 5-10 minutes over a low heat.
3. Leave the sauce to cool before using it to top the chia pudding once it has set.
4. Add the extra plum slices and desiccated coconut to decorate. 

Quinoa & Oat Granola

Now that the weather is a little more mild my attention has shifted from warm bowls of porridge to lighter bowls of goodness, containing grains, fruit and yoghurt. I love experimenting with different combinations of grains, seeds, nuts and dried fruit to make the kind of granola which is tailored to your own taste buds. It's also an amazing way of using up all those random nut and seed packets you might have sitting in your cupboards. The recipe below is more of a guideline to show you what I used for depending on what was in my cupboards but feel free to use whatever is in yours and put your own stamp on it.

Ingredients:

• 100g quinoa flakes
• 200g rolled oats
• 100g cashew nuts
• 75g sunflower seeds
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp honey
• 125g raisins

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the quinoa flakes, oats, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, desiccated coconut and ground cinnamon. 
3. Melt the coconut oil and honey together in a small saucepan over a low heat.
4. Pour the melted ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Tip the mix onto the prepared baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.
6. Leave to cool, then lastly stir in the raisins. Ready to serve however you wish, perhaps with some sliced fresh fruit and yoghurt or a splash of nut milk.

Banana & Coconut Pancakes

These delicious pancakes are quick to make & weigh in pretty well on the healthy scale. They are gluten, grain and dairy-free.

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Ingredients:

• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Coconut oil, for frying
• Blood oranges, peeled & sliced
• Maple syrup, for drizzling

Method:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Spoon a little coconut oil into a frying pan & heat gently over a low heat.
3. Once the oil has melted, scoop small ladles of the batter into the pan. Watch the pancakes at this point as they burn easily.
4. Flip them over once ready. When they are golden and cooked through, serve immediately with sliced blood oranges & a drizzle of maple syrup.