Recipe List
Toasted Crumpets with Berry Compote
It’s amazing what you can make with two slightly squishy bananas! These pancakes are super speedy and hit the spot when you want something sweet for breakfast.
SERVES 6
makes about 12 pancakes
2 large over-ripe bananas, peeled and roughly chopped
4 eggs
½ tsp gluten free baking powder
small pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tsp vegetable oil
200g fresh berries (such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, or a mixture)
1 Put the bananas into a small mixing bowl and mash really well until smooth, then add the eggs and beat until combined. Add the baking powder and cinnamon and fold together.
2 Heat a frying pan until hot, then add half of the vegetable oil. Drop in large spoonfuls of the batter (you’ll need to cook the pancakes in two batches), then fry over a medium heat for 1 minute until golden and just bubbling on the top. Flip over and fry for another 30–45 seconds until cooked through.
3 Remove to serving plates and then repeat with the remaining oil and batter.
4 Top the warm pancakes with the fresh berries – or if you fancy, throw the berries into the batter and cook them in the pancakes.
You can make a batch of pancakes in advance, then cool and keep them on a covered plate in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave oven as needed – simply place them in a single layer on a suitable plate, cover loosely with kitchen paper and microwave on high for 30 seconds per batch until hot through.
A quick take on a traditional recipe, this works equally well with smoked mackerel or any cooked fish.
SERVES 4
1 tsp rapeseed oil
bunch of spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp medium curry powder
300g basmati rice
600ml vegetable stock
3 eggs
160g frozen peas
225g smoked salmon trimmings
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Heat a sauté pan until medium hot, then add the rapeseed oil and spring onion and cook for a couple of minutes until just softened. Add the curry powder, stir well and cook for another minute. Stir in the rice and mix together, then pour over the vegetable stock.
2 Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook over a very low heat for 12–15 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. If you cook the rice over too high a heat, the stock will evaporate and the rice will not be cooked through.
3 While the rice is cooking, soft-boil the eggs. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and gently lower the eggs into the water. Simmer for 8 minutes for soft-boiled or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Tip off the water, then place under running cold water for a few minutes until they are cool enough to handle. Crack and shell the eggs, then cut into quarters.
4 By now the rice should be cooked. Stir in the peas, followed by the smoked salmon and lemon juice, and mix gently until evenly combined. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and cook for another minute to ensure it’s hot through.
5 Stir in the parsley and serve topped with the soft-boiled eggs.
A super speedy one-pot breakfast that suits all – toast the muffin while the egg cooks and you have breakfast ready in under 1½ minutes!
SERVES 1
½ tsp butter, plus optional extra for the muffin
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
pinch of sea salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp grated cheese (such as Cheddar)
1 muffin
tomato ketchup, to serve (optional)
1 Place the butter into a small mug and heat in a microwave oven on high for 10 seconds. Add the egg, milk, salt and black pepper and mix together with a fork.
2 Scatter the grated cheese on top, then return to the microwave. Cook (uncovered) on high for 30 seconds, then remove and stir well with a fork. Return to the microwave and cook on high for another 10 seconds, then remove and stir once more. The eggs should now be cooked and fluffy; if not, cook them further on high in 10-second bursts until cooked through.
3 While the egg cooks, split and toast the muffin, then butter it if you like.
4 Serve the egg from the mug with the muffin alongside, or tip it out onto the muffin, and serve with a little tomato ketchup, if you like.
Turn everyday crumpets into a treat with a frozen berry compote that cooks in the time it takes to toast the crumpets.
SERVES 4
320g frozen mixed berries
3 tbsp clear honey
8 crumpets
200g low fat natural yoghurt
1 Heat a medium frying pan until hot, then add the mixed berries, 2 tablespoons of water and the honey and stir well.
2 Cook for 3–4 minutes until the fruit is hot through and the sauce is thickened slightly, stirring once or twice.
3 While the fruits heat through, toast the crumpets on both sides.
4 Place the crumpets on plates (two per serving), spoon the berry compote over, dividing it evenly, then finish each serving with a dollop of yoghurt.
A beautifully thin omelette is packed full of veg and rolled up into a wrap, ready to eat warm on the go. You can add whatever veg you fancy.
SERVES 1
1 tsp rapeseed oil
40g mushrooms, roughly chopped
40g tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 eggs
1 wholemeal wrap
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Heat a medium frying pan until hot, then add the rapeseed oil and mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and fry for another minute.
2 While the vegetables fry, crack the eggs into a small bowl, season with salt and black pepper and whisk to combine. Warm the wrap according to the packet instructions.
3 Pour the eggs evenly into the pan, pulling up the sides of the mixture slightly and tilting the pan to run any loose egg mix over to the sides.
4 Fry for 1–2 minutes until the egg mix is set, then slide out of the pan onto the warm wrap. Roll up, then cut in half and serve immediately.
This is a great one for people who rush out of the door in the morning saying they don’t have time to make breakfast – make it the night before so you can just grab it and go! It’s also good to take to work with you, just decant some into a small sealable container.
SERVES 4
100g porridge oats
2 eating apples, cored and grated
200g natural yoghurt
1 tbsp clear honey
200g frozen mixed berries
1 Tip the oats into a large, plastic food storage box, then grate the apples straight over the top.
2 Add 150ml of water, the yoghurt and honey, and mix together really well until all the oats are coated in the apple/yoghurt mixture. Add the frozen mixed berries and stir well once more. Cover tightly with the lid and leave in the fridge overnight.
3 In the morning, divide the bircher muesli among four bowls, glasses or takeaway pots and dive in.
• You can keep the basic mix in the fridge for 2–3 days, just taking out what you need each day.
• You could add a teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract to the oats to give a vanilla hit.
• Add any chopped nuts or mixed seeds to the mix to increase the protein.
The quickest of breakfasts is made even speedier by using a microwave oven to cook these tasty scrambled eggs. Add cheese and extra butter if you want to increase your fat or protein intake, or simply stick with the eggs and spinach if not.
SERVES 3
3 eggs
3 tsp butter, chopped
3 tsp milk
30g baby spinach leaves
3 slices of bread
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Crack each egg into a separate mug.
2 Add 1 teaspoon of the butter, 1 teaspoon of the milk and one third of the spinach to each of the mugs. Season with a little black pepper, then mix each one really well with a fork until the egg is beaten.
3 Place one mug at a time into a microwave oven. Cook (uncovered) on high for 30 seconds, then remove and stir well with a fork. Return to the microwave and cook on high for another 10 seconds, then remove and stir once more. The eggs should now be cooked and fluffy; if not, cook them further on high in 10-second bursts until cooked through.
4 Repeat with the remaining mugs.
5 While the eggs cook, toast the bread slices on both sides. Serve the toast with the scrambled eggs tipped on top.
