Warming breakfast - for the cooler months ... May 13 2016

Now that the weather has become a little cooler, it is a great time to start having porridge for breakfast - actually, I eat porridge mostly all year round!

This is a recipe that I have made for a few years quite regularly - and it is really tasty ... and is such a great way to start the morning.

It is a baked porridge, and you can add any fruits, nuts & seeds or super-food blends to it - depending on what you prefer or feel like.

It takes about 35 minutes to cook and because it makes a big dish size, you then can just warm it up for breakfast for the next few days - I just reheat what I am going to eat in the bench top oven and yum ... breakfast is very quickly made and ready to eat! 

Baked oatmeal with banana, apples and blueberries
What do you need ...
2 bananas, sliced (or any fruit)
2 apples, grated (or any fresh fruit or dried fruit)
1 cup blueberries (or fruit of your choice)
1/3 cup flaked almonds (or nuts or seeds of your choice)
2 tablespoons LSA*
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup rolled oats
Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)
1 cup milk (plant-based or dairy)
How to make ...
1. Lightly grease dish or use baking paper. Set oven to 175⁰C.
2. Layer bananas on base of lasagna size dish, then layer on top the grated apple, blueberries, almond flakes, LSA and coconut. Sprinkle oats on top of fruit and press down with a spoon. Then sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon on top.
3. Gently pour milk over oat mix, and bake in moderate oven for 35-40 minutes.
4. Serve hot or cold – and stores in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*LSA is a fabulous healthy fat and fibre filled combination of linseeds (flax seed), sunflower seeds and almonds that have been ground up. They taste great sprinkled on your breakfast or added to baking ... try to make sure when buying that it as been stored in the fridge ... as it does oxidise once ground. The best way is to make your own, in small batches and store in the refrigerator. 

ANZAC cookies ... April 25 2016

This morning I couldn't get ANZAC cookies out of my mind!

So, I decided it was time to bake - actually I have to admit that I haven't baked biscuits since probably my children were at school ... and they are in their late 20's (oh and early 30's now)!

LEST WE FORGET ... today in New Zealand & Australia it is ANZAC day - a wonderful day of celebration, starting with dawn services all around the country, to remember those who have served our countries in war times.

Over the last 100 years ANZAC biscuits have become associated with ANZAC day - though they have changed a bit from the rolled oat dry biscuit ... with the addition of golden syrup, butter and sugar! 

Sooo, my recipe today for the ANZAC cookies is a little different - but it tastes fantastic, and is also nice and chewy - it is great with a cup of tea!

ANZAC Cookies
What do you need ...
125 g coconut oil or butter 1/4 cup coconut nectar or rice malt syrup
1/2 cup date puree *
1 cup spelt flour *
1 1/2 cups coconut threads
1/2 cup almond flakes
1/2 cup LSA *
Zest of 1 orange
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
How to make ...
1. Heat oven to 180C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place coconut nectar, butter and date puree* into a saucepan and melt over a low heat, mixing well.
3. Mix baking soda with orange juice and then add to saucepan along with the dry ingredients, stirring until ingredients are well combined.
4. Roll heaped tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking tray, leaving 3cm between to allow for spreading during baking.
5. Flatten slightly and then bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack and and then store in an airtight container.
Makes: 20 biscuits

* Date puree is really easy to make and is a great substitute for refined sugar - just place 1/2 cup of dates into 1/2 cup of hot water for about five minutes and then blitz until it becomes a puree.
* Spelt flour is an ancient grain, the same genus as wheat but a different species - so though it is not gluten-free, it has never been hybridised like wheat has and so the gluten is often more easily broken down and used in the body.
* LSA is a fabulous healthy fat and fibre filled combination of linseeds (flax seed), sunflower seeds and almonds that have been ground up. They taste great sprinkled on your breakfast or added to baking...try to make sure when buying that it as been stored in the fridge...as it does oxidise once ground. The best way is to make your own, in small batches and store in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy 

Welcome :) November 05 2014

Thanks for visiting The Herbal Teapot - Artisan Tea Co. blog ... I will be back to update