Two easy breakfast ideas... featuring Eli's Granola!

I decided I wanted to give something back through my love of food photography and recipe development, to help elevate the presence of my fellow foodies who have small businesses that are aligned with my own nutritional philosophies.

First up, we have Eli's Granola.

This isn't a sponsored post, but Eli gifted me a couple of bags of her granola so I could try the products for myself and create some recipes using them.

I decided on two simple and delicious breakfasts, ones that you can recreate in minutes using any crunchy granola you have to hand.

First up, the layered granola parfait.

Simply a big dollop of yoghurt, followed by some berries (from the freezer) warmed through in the microwave or on the stove and a generous helping of granola on top.

Or if you prefer an overnight fix, try this bircher muesli base with porridge oats, grated apple and Boost Your Bowl Topper's mixed together, soaked in plant milk of choice overnight and topped with granola for extra crunch factor in the morning.

One of the things I love about nutritious breakfast foods is that it makes the perfect snack at any time of the day. So if you hit that mid-afternoon slump, a bowl of bircher muesli could be the perfect pick me up to see you through to dinnertime.

The Eli's Granola packs I tried came in Coconut Almond and Peanut Butter flavours. But she also sells Chocolate Chip Quinoa Granola and Cinnamon Sultana Granola... Mmmmmm!

⭐️ Find Eli's Granola here.

Tell me, what would be your favourite granola flavour?

Crispy & Crunchy Oil-Free granola (secret ingredient!!)

So it's a Sunday morning and my plan was to have a whole day off to write letters and do creative arty stuff.

But I made this epic granola a few days ago and I've been eating it by the handful ever since, so I figured if you are having a chilled out Sunday like me (well, I will be shortly!) you might like to make some too!

In fact, I highly recommend you make some at your earliest opportunity :-)

I am a homemade granola lover, but I tend to eat it in ridiculous amounts as soon as I make it and typically even the healthy versions have quite a lot of oil to make it super crispy… Not this one!

So easy to make!

So many varieties to try!

Sooooo healthy too!

Have you had a guess at the secret ingredient that replaces the oil and still make for a crispy, crunchy granola that does not go dost by the next day? (I’m on day four now and it’s still just as crispy!)

Ok, i’ll let you in on the secret…

It’s ‘aqua faba’ (aka chickpea water)

Whaaaaattt??!!

Yup, just some of the juice out of the can of chickpeas! The stuff you usually rinse away.

I don’t know all the science behind it, but I know it works and that’s good enough for me.

I mixed in Apple Crumble Boost Your Bowl Toppers at the end (after baking otherwise it’ll burn), but you could use any flavour Toppers or simply some chopped dried fruit of choice if you have no Toppers to hand.

This is a ‘basic’ recipe but you could add cocoa and some chocolate chunks or nibs for a chocolatey option, or other spices to suit other flavour combos.

Serve it…

• Straight with milk or a dollop of yoghurt

• Layer it up as a ‘breakfast parfait’.

• You could even use it to decorate a cheesecake, ice-cream or similar dessert needing a topping.

• Or, erm… straight out of the container with your hands (don’t judge me!)

If you make it I would love to see your creations! Tag @eatboostyourbowl on Instagram.

Recipe: Crispy Oil-free Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats

• 1 cup chopped nuts or seeds of choice

• 2 tbs chia of flax seeds

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon and/or vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup aqua faba (chickpea water)

• 1/3 cup syrup of choice (I used maple syrup)*

• approx 1/2 cup Boost Your Bowl Toppers - stirred through after baking

*If you feel you want to increase the sweetness a little, add 1-3 tbs granulated sugar as well as the syrup. I liked it as it was, especially once the Toppers were mixed in.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Whip the aquafaba with an electric beater until it gets frothy and begins to form stiff peaks* - this may take 5-10 mins. Add the syrup and whip again briefly.

Mix all remaining ingredients (NOT the Toppers/ dried fruit) in a mixing bowl, toss together then add the whipped aquafaba and syrup mix last, Stir well to combine.

Spoon on to a large lined baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for approx 25-30 mins until golden and crispy. Allow to cool and mix the Toppers/dried fruit through.

Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

*Don’t worry too much if it doesn't form peaks or change much in volume since mine didn't fpr some reason and it still worked out great. The reason for whipping first is to increase the volume so it covers the granola mix much more effectively.

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Summer Berry Crumble Bars

I made this oat crumble as a surprise 'bressert' for my boyfriend last weekend. His favourite fruit is rhubarb and I had a few stalks in the garden that I wanted to use up.  I wanted a super healthy breakfast crumble that was indulgent enough for dessert (hence bressert).

I had planned for this to be enough to last us for breakfast AND dessert late in the day.... but we ate it all for breakfast ;-)

I first made this oat crumble recipe for my 'Not Just For Goldilocks' book, so I won't share it in full right here, BUT I will share with you a great spin-off in the form of these bars. I made the bars in the photos below initially for Real Food Source last year and using the same principle as the crumble I made them again.

These bars are quite soft and cakey with a crisp top, which is how I love them. I used a combination of oats, ground almonds and tiger nut flour for the topping, but other flours in place of tiger nuts and almonds would also work.

They also have a great nutritional boost by way of chia seeds which are also used here to thicken and bind the base and fruit layer.

These are perfect served hot with some vegan for a little indulgence or with a dollop of plain vegan yoghurt for a breakfast option.

Recipe: Summer Berry Crumble Bars

Makes approx 12 squares

Ingredients:

Crumble:

• 1 ½ cup oats

• 1/2 cup ground almonds

• 1 cup tiger nut flour (or other flour such as wholemeal, spelt or a gluten-free blend)

• ½ cup coconut oil– melted

• approx. 2 tbs coconut syrup (to taste)

• 2 tbs chia seeds and 3 tbs warm water (mixed to gel)

Berry Layer:

• 1 heaped cup stewed fruit (I used a combination of apple, rhubarb and raspberries)*

• approx. 1 tbs maple syrup

• 2 tbs chia seeds

• ½ cup rough chopped nuts of choice for topping (optional)

*I used approx 2 small/medium apples, 2 medium stalks or rhubarb and a large handful of raspberries (I didn't measure precisely but it equated to a good cup of fruit once cooked down)

Method:

Mix the oats, ground almond and tiger nut flour dried with the melted coconut oil and syrup. Set aside approx. 1/4 of this mixture for the topping (or more for a thicker topping).

To the remaining mix, add the chia ‘gel’ to help bind. Press the crumble mix firmly into an 8” square pan- it should be approx 1cm deep.  Bake for approx 15 minutes at 180C until just golden.

Meahwhile stew the fruit in a saucepan, adding a little syrup to taste as the rhubarb and raspberries are tart. No extra liquid is required as the fruit will release it's own. Add the chia seeds during the last few minutes to help thicken.

Remove the base crumble from the oven and spread the fruit layer evenly over the top. Add the reserved crumble mix, plus extra chunky nuts if desired.

Bake for another 5 minutes or so until the topping is golden and the fruit bubbling.

Serve hot or cool (note: the bars slice better when cool)

 

Pear Porridge...with 'super boost' options!

This wasn't a planned post... so I apologise in advance that all the photos are shot on my iphone, not my pro dSLR I usually use for recipe posts!

I enjoyed this breakfast two days running this week with variations on each, so I spontaneously decided to share with you too.

Pear + Courgette + Ginger is always a winner for me! 

How about you- are you a fan of adding veggies to your porridge?

My favourites are courgette, carrot or sweet potato very finely grated and cooked in with the oats. There are loads (56 in total) porridge recipes and spin-offs in this recipe book I created in case you are interested!

On top of the pic below are my Wholeplus Toppers (relaunching with new eco packaging soon!), but you could use any topings you like... nuts, seeds, dried fruits, granola, a drizzle of nut butter... or nothing at all :-)

These photos also give a shout out to the book 'Thresholds' that I was featured in and have just had the hard copy delivered. Holding it in my hands was such a wondrous feeling. I contributed my story which tells of the most significant time of my life to date, I would love you to read it (it's in Kindle for only £1.49)... you can find more info here!

Recipe: Pear Porridge- with 'super boost' options

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup porridge oats (GF if desired)

• 1/2 cup finely grated courgette

• up to 1/2 cup boost options listed below* or more oats

• 1 pear- half cut into tiny chunks and half sliced thinly (for top)

• Large handful of small dried fruit pieces- such as chopped dates, raisins, cranberries, mulberries or my Wholeplus Toppers (see note above).

• 1 tbs chia seeds or flax seed

• 1 scant tsp grated ginger and/or ground turmeric (if using turmeric add a pinch of black pepper too to maximise nutrient absorption)

• approx 1.5 cups non-dairy milk of choice - more or less for desired thickness as it cooks.

• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)

• Handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds (optional)

*up to 1/2 cup of a mix of the following: vegan protein blend, almond flour, cooked quinoa, quinoa flakes, teff flour, shelled hemp seeds (less of the hemp) 

Method:

Finely grate the courgette and add along with all ingredients (other than toppings) to a medium pan on the stove top. Bring to a simmer and cook for approx 5 minutes, adding extra liquid as required for desired consistency.

Serve, decorate, eat!

Notes:

1. In the first two photos I added cooked quinoa to the oats and handful of pumpkin seeds, then topped with Wholeplus Toppers (Gingerbread, Super Seedy or Lemon Pie would be fab!)

2. In the second two photos I added turmeric and black pepper then added 1/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup teff flour with a dusting of cinnamon on top.
    

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Vegan 'salmon' cream cheese bagels

I saw this recipe on my friend Lisa's nutrition focussed Instagram account recently (well actually quite a few weeks ago now as it's taken me a little while to publish this post!)

It looked delicious and I was intrigued as to how she'd made it. When she said it was simply marinaded carrot ribbons I was hooked and invited her to share the recipe here on my blog. It's just the kind of quirky recipe creation I love :-)

You can keep it simple by using pre-made ingredients as suggested below. Or go all the way and make your own 'cashew cheese' or try a savoury version this cheese style spread I made using yoghurt and coconut flour. The bagels could also be homemade and gluten-free if needed. Or simply use lettuce cups for a light bite.

Now, take it away Lisa!

Recipe: vegan 'salmon' cream cheese bagels

Makes 2 bagels

Ingredients:

• Bagels – I bought classic bagels from The Natural Bagel company (found in Sainsbury's) – worth checking labels to ensure no milk these had soya only.
• Cream cheese – Again I went for convenience and bought the vegan original cream cheese from Sainsbury's free from range.  It’s a coconut base and a lot of my clients really like it as a dairy-free alternative. (There are also lots of recipes on-line for homemade cashew cheese or similar)
• Salad – one of my staples is a bag of mixed watercress, rocket and spinach as these bitter greens are AMAZING for your digestion.

For the ‘Smoked salmon’

• Liquid smoke (available on Ebay/Amazon and probably other places) quantity is personal preference but I put a good dessert spoonful in.
• Carrots – I used two wide carrots.  Peeled the skin first and discard and then keep peeling.  I found a wide head peeler works best.  Peel the carrot so that it forms long ribbons.
• Pink Himalayan sea salt
• Some recipes add apple cider vinegar and/or tamari but I like to keep it as simple as possible!

Method:

‘Peel’ the carrots into long ribbons into a bowl. Add a twist or two of the salt. Add the liquid smoke. Mix everything together (see note below for marinading).

Transfer to a foil-lined baking tray – you need to be able to fully cover the carrot mix with the foil and seal it.

Bake in the oven 200˚C for about 20mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool.  

Lisa's note: when I made these I couldn’t wait and basically toasted the bagels, slapped the cream cheese on and put the carrot on and garnished with the salad – and they tasted amazing.   I left the remainder of the carrot with my vegan pal and she reported that left overnight and chilled the flavours were even better!

Want to know more about Lisa?

Lisa is 'The Nutritional Realist and has a holistic method of working, looking at every aspect of you and how it impacts your goal. Ultimately it's all about you. She’s the resource to enable you to get to your health goals and stay there! She’ll coach you to throw the pebble that will create positive ripples throughout your life.

Find more about Lisa and her work via her website, her Facebook page or on Instagram.

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Rhubarb Crumble Granola (and what is a 'natural flavour'?)

Over the last few month I have been working behind the scenes to develop my Wholeplus flavour range, it is still in the works but I hope to unleash the exciting new products and creative philosophy very soon!

A huge part of my investigation process was in aligning optimal taste and texture with highest quality ingredients. When I launched Wholeplus I initially only had three flavours in the range- chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla as these were the only real food powders I could get and I was resistant to explore 'natural flavours' because I didn't understand them. It was very limiting.

So, what are 'natural flavourings'? 

Taken from the web: 'Natural flavourings are flavouring substances or flavouring preparations which are extracted from vegetable or animal materials and are not further chemically modified or changed.' 

So basically, natural flavours come from natural sources — the original ingredient is found in nature and then purified and extracted and added back into the food. This is the only way it is truly possible to have foods in certain flavours, and nearly all companies use them including most of the health brands I know.

This has become sensationalised in various articles online with headlines such as 'is beaver butt used to flavour your food?' (Yes indeed the anal secretions of beavers can be used in foodstuffs and is actually pretty wide spread in the perfume industry as a musky smell- who knew!)  BUT Don't worry this DOES NOT appear in my products!

My biggest takeaway from this process of investigation is to be fully aware, do you own research and ask questions of the manufacturer if you are unsure how ingredients are derived. 

My investigations brought me to Foodie Flavours and after doing some thorough research to understand what natural flavours really are, a face-to-face meeting with the company, and confirmation that all of their products are indeed vegan, gluten free, sugar-free and made in the UK, I was gifted some flavours to take home for my trials.  

As well as Wholeplus Toppers recipes, I decided to put the Foodie Flavours to good use and created a granola recipe in a couple of flavours combinations. Both were great, but I have a real thing for the sweet and sour tang of rhubarb which is amazing.

Of course you can use any other 'flavouring' types you like- any extracts of choice or vanilla bean, cinnamon ginger etc.

Granola is a perfect snack all on its own, but in a 'smoothie bowl' (top pic) that was almost like custard in its consistency it was a wonderful combo of smooth and crunchy.  This was simple to whip up with water, frozen banana and cashews blended up. Yoghurt gives a similar creamy contrast too.

I also love how the freeze dried beetroot gives a great nutritional boost and lovely pink hue to compliment the rhubarb.  Beetroot powder would also work well I imagine but I think beet juice would make the resulting granola too wet and soft.

You could add any chopped nuts or seeds you like, I used roughly half pumpkin seeds for some flecks of colour and the rest a combo of mixed chopped nuts.

Other flavours that would make great granolas...

• Chocolate orange with cocoa and orange flavour (or zest)

• Cinnamon ...because cinnamon with everything works ;-)

• Bakewell tart- almond flavour with flakes almonds and some dried cherries (stir those in after!)

• Banana Bread- I have tried this mashed with fresh banana and dried bananas chunks and it's great. These was my first granola recipe experiments that used pureed fruit.

• Tropical Trip with a tropical flavour and then coconut curls and dried fruit chunks mixed through once cooked.

• PB&J granola- this recipe made great chunky clusters!

What are your favourite flavour combos? 

Recipe: Rhubarb Crumble Granola

(with Foodie Flavours)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup oats

• 1 cup chopped nuts/seeds

• a pinch of sea salt

• 3 tbs coconut oil- melted

• 1/4 cup mild syrup of choice (I used coconut syrup)

• approx 8 drops Foodie Flavours rhubarb flavour* (they suggest 20 drops per kg of product)

• 1/4 cup freeze dried beetroot powder* (optional for colour)

*You could omit the beetroot and/or use an alternative flavour type of your choice. I also tried 'dulce du leche' flavour as seen below in the lighter variation. 

Method:

Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl until well coated.

Spoon onto a lined baking tray in a thin even layer and bake for approx 15-20 mins on a medium heat- roughly 160C until lightly golden and toasted. Allow to cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container. I found the granola lost it crispness after a couple of days, but it still tasted good!

The dulche du leche version. Great with yoghurt too- this is the new Alpro 'Greek style' version I fancied trying out!

Baked 'Bakewell' Pie.... New favourite easy festive 'bressert'!

I have found my new Christmas breakfast for this year!  Or more accurately 'bressert' - when  dish i heathy enough for breakfast but indulgent enough for dessert!

It's a spin on my equally wonderful classic Christmas baked oats from over 4 years ago now (wow time flies!) and it's the new recipe I'll be making for my family on Christmas morning. 

This year we are spending Christmas Day at my brother and his girlfriend's house in Winchester, and knowing they both love 'Bakewell Tart' flavours I was inspired to create a breakfast in their honour. The mini bliss balls pressed into the top are added indulgence as I had some mix in my fridge from the recent workshop I ran (more workshops in the New Year if you want to come!) but you could omit these or simply use marzipan and roll into balls if you have that to hand! Or you could use Bakewell Nakd bars chopped up, ha ha (not a sponsored link!) I will say the balls do make an incredible addition to this breakfast so add them if you can.

The three big things I love about baked oatmeals are...

1. They literally take minutes to mix up in one bowl and you can just as easily make breakfast for two or eight by just changing at the quantities (and the size of the baking dish)

2. There are almost endless flavour combinations (I have loads on my blog already)

3. They are healthy enough for breakfast but indulgent enough for dessert!

The bliss ball recipe I used is available here in my newly launched 'The Ultimate Bliss Ball Recipe Guide'. It has 20 recipes AND loads of alternative options for each so the ideas really are limitless... this guide will be a great addition to a January health kick too!  I made the book as a 'printable layout' so you can print and cut the cards up to give as gifts with a recipe you've made.  

It's the little things that make me happy! :-)

Now, back to the Bakewell Pie recipe...

Recipe: Baked 'Bakewell' Pie

Serves 2 (could just as easily be doubled or tripled....)

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup porridge oats

• 1 1/2 cup non dairy milk

• 1/2 cup flaked almonds

• 1 tbs ground flax seed or chia seed

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• 1/2 cup roughly crumbled frozen raspberries*

• bliss balls or marzipan balls (optional)

• approx. 1 tbs maple syrup to taste (or any unrefined sweetener of choice)

*I didn't have cherries to hand (which would have made a more classic bakewell). I use frozen fruits as they are more readily available for me at this time of year. Their colour does not bleed so much as I mix then through, and they do not risk burning in the oven.

Method:

Mix everything together adding the raspberries in the final strokes. Spoon into a medium oven dish, add a few extra almond flakes into the top if you like. Don't addd the bliss balls yet! If you are making your own bliss balls, you have a 10 minute window to make them now.

Bake at 180C for a total of approx. 25 mins until the topping is golden. After 10-15 mins whilst the top is still quite soft (and not golden) add the bliss balls, pressing them lightly into the top. Continue baking until golden on top.

Serve immediately, alone or with non-dairy yoghurt, cream or (ice-cream for dessert!) Also great eaten cold the next day.

Blueberry & Banana High Protein Pancakes

I feel like it's been forever and a day since I've posted loads of food recipes! Once upon a time back in the early days) I was posting three or four times per week, but that's when I had nothing else to do alongside ;-)

Recently I've been spending a lot more time doing my own inner work which is my track of to becoming a better person and coach. I've also been doing a lot of brainstorming- figuring out how to make my mark on this world and how best to make a difference in your lives. With the news of Scott's passing a few weeks ago it made me think more deeply about how I show up and the actions I take.

On another lighter and altogether delicious note, if you've been keeping up with me on Facebook page you'll know I have been busy creating recipes for a 'porridge' e-book to be ready for you very very shortly. Sign up to my newsletter for a special launch offer coming in the next couple of weeks!

In the meantime it's the weekend and so I reckon pancakes should be on the agenda. It's been a while!

Mmmmm pancake brunch!

These ones are super duper simple and also super duper high protein- all natural protein by way of the chickpea flour, chia seed and a little nut butter. 

I love the flavour of these, although if you are not such a fan of chickpea flour you might want to sub half with ground oats or another grain for a neutral flavour.  I have used banana and frozen blueberries, but for for an autumnal twist why not try stewed apple or pear.

If the hot sun comes out as it has done most days this week, I may well whip up another batch and sit out in the garden. Indian summer bliss!

Recipe: chickpea flour pancakes

Serves 1 (3 small pancakes)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup chickpea flour (aka gram or garbanzo flour) 

• 2 tsp chia seed (or flax)

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• 1 heaped tsp coconut sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ½ cup water

•  1 tbs peanut or almond nut butter 

• toppings of choice- I used mashed banana, blueberries and soy yoghurt

Method:

Mix/mash all ingredients together until you have a thick but spoonable/runny batter. Ideally, allow to stand for 2-3 minutes to thicken a little more whilst you prepare your toppings.

Dollop into three equal sized pancakes into a large oiled frying pan. Cook for 2 minutes then flip and cook for another minute or so until both sides are golden.

Layer up with mashed or sliced banana and blueberries (or fruity filling of choice!) and a little non dairy yoghurt for extra messyness ;-)

Serve immediately.