Archive for category breakfast

Granola Bars

“A health snack that you can make at home”

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or regular butter), for greasing the baking tray
  • 100 g pecans, chopped
  • 100 g almond flakes
  • 125 g (1 1/4 cups) rolled oats
  • 90 g shredded coconut, loosely packed (I used unsweetened)
  • 330 g (1 cup) brown rice syrup (or use honey)
  • 50 g (1/4 cup) natural cane sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons ground espresso beans (or ground coffee)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Butter an 20×30cm baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, pecans, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (around 7 minutes). Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Combine the rice syrup (we used clearsprings organic), sugar, salt, espresso, and vanilla in a small saucepanover medium heat and stir constantly as it comes to a boil and thickens just a bit, about 4 minutes. Pour the syrup over the oat mixture and stir until it is evenly incorporated.

Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and press it in (wet fingers and/or a silicon spatula work great for this) until the mixture is packed as tightly as possible.

Cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares — your best serrated knife is great for this.

You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or two, as you would cookies, however, I prefer to store mine in the freezer. I find that they stay the most crisp this way as all granola tends to soften at room temperature after a day or more.

Notes : We used a tray with separated compartments that worked a treat.  You can find all the ingredients including the Rice Syrup at the health food store such as Good Earth in Balutta for our Maltese readers.

Source : 101 cookbooks and smitten kitchen combination (101 cookbooks have a great video on her site)

Servings/Yield : Makes 12 to 16 granola bars

Difficulty : Easy

Course : Snack

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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Bagels for Brunch

bagelsforbrunch

“Make a batch of these low-fat bagels to help stave off mid-morning hunger pangs”

  • 7 g dry yeast
  • 4 tbsp. Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 450 g bread flour

Tip the yeast and 1 tbsp sugar into a large bowl, and pour over 100ml warm water. Leave for 10 mins until the mixture becomes frothy.

Pour 200ml warm water into the bowl, then stir in the salt and half the flour. Keep adding the remaining flour (you may not have to use it all) and mixing with your hands until you have a soft, but not sticky dough. Then knead for 10 mins until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and put in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1hr.

Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 10 pieces, each about 85g. Shape each piece into a flattish ball, then take a wooden spooon and use the handle to make a hole in the middle of each ball. Slip the spoon into the hole, then twirl the bagel around the spoon to make a hole about 3cm wide. Cover the bagel loosely with cling film while you shape the remaining dough.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and tip in the remaining sugar. Slip the bagels into the boiling water – no more than four at a time. Cook for 1-2 mins, turning over in the water until the bagels have puffed slightly and a skin has formed. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain away any excess water. Sprinkle over your choice of topping and place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake in the oven for 25 mins until browned and crisp – the bases should sound hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack, then serve with your favourite filling.

Notes : poppy, fennel and/or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top (optional).  Can be frozen for future use.

Source : Good Food : November 2005

Servings/Yield : 10 Bagels

Rating : 4 out of 5

Difficulty : Moderate

Cuisine : European : Eastern

Course : Snack

Preparation Times : Prep: 30 Minutes Cook: 30 Minutes Rise: 1 Hour

Nutritional notes : 178 kcalories, protein 5g, carbohydrate 40g, fat 1 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 1g, salt 1 g

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Rich Breakfast Pancakes

pancakes

Breakfast pancakes with a surprise dairy free twist.  Soya pancakes, you won’t tell the difference, and you won’t go back either.  This has been a breakfast choice in our home for over a year now.

  • 250 g plain flour
  • 2 tsps baking powder
  • 65 g golden caster sugar
  • 250 ml soya milk, chilled
  • 3 tbsp soya yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for cooking

Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large bowl, add the sugar and mix. In a large bowl, mix the soya milk, soya yogurt, egg and oil, then whisk into the flour to make a smooth batter.

Heat a medium-sized non-stick frying pan with a little oil until hot. Add a small ladleful of batter (to give a pancake diameter of about 10cm; you’ll get a feel for this after making the first one). Cook for 1 minute until golden, flip over and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Keep warm while you cook the other pancakes (the mixture should make about 18). Serve with maple syrup and fresh blueberries.

Source : Delicious Magazine : website (I came up with this recipe on my own a year back, but found a professional example from .delicious site where they had a pro photo to go with it).

Servings/Yield : 4 servings

Difficulty : Easy

Preparation Times : Ready in: 15 Minutes

Nutritional notes : Per serving: (based on 6): 276kcals, 8.3g fat (1.2g saturated), 7.2g protein, 46g carbs, 13.4g sugar, 1g salt

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Dog\'s dinnerNot my sort of thingGood but not for meWould try againLoved it! (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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