Breakfast & brunch

Healthy cinnamon, fig and coconut granola

12.01.2014 by georgie // 9 Comments

Bar a vat of coffee, I was never much of a breakfast person until I started dating Pete. (Pete is one of those naturally skinny people who has to eat every few hours or becomes mute and/ or grumpy). Now however it is my favourite meal of the day. For the last few months we have started the day with a bowl of chopped seasonal fruit and yoghurt, which has been perfect but now that the days are getting colder we’re finding we need something a little more filling. Porridge has made a welcome wintery return, however you can only have porridge for so many days on the trot without feeling like you are living off wallpaper paste. And cereal is pretty much a no-no in the Hayden household now (Sugar! Sugar!), and although some are ok, a lot of my dear boys favourites have been kicked to the curb. What to do?

Cue: homemade granola. With Pete’s nut allergy it wasn’t easy finding a granola or muesli that was nut free and wasn’t full of sugar. And when I did find one that was ok, it was crazy expensive! Much cheaper and more satisfying to make your own I say. So today I set about creating a delicious and healthy nut-free granola, to pimp up our fruit and yoghurt breakfast. It is incredibly quick to make, you know exactly what goes into it and, without blowing my own trumpet, it is pretty bloomin’ good.

Cinnamon, coconut and fig granola — Healthy cinnamon, coconut and fig granola

HEALTHY CINNAMON, FIG AND COCONUT GRANOLA

Makes around 16 servings

2 tablespoons groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil – light olive oil, sunflower, veg etc)
125ml runny honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
275g rolled oats
125g mixed seeds (I use a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppy seeds. Around 100g of the larger seeds and then a few spoonfuls of the little ones)
50g unsweetened coconut flakes
100g dried figs, chopped
75g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 150/ gas mark 2.

In a large bowl whisk together the oil and honey.

Crush the sea salt with your fingers into the bowl and add the oats, seeds, ground ginger and cinnamon. Mix everything together well with a large spoon and divide the mixture between two baking trays. Spread it out as much as possible and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven a couple of times during cooking and mix everything up so it goldens nice and evenly.

After 20 minutes the granola should look pretty golden. Stir in the coconut, chopped figs and cranberries and pop the trays back into the oven for a further 6 – 8 minutes, until the coconut has toasted and you have a lovely crisp granola.

Leave to cool in the tray completely and then spoon into an airtight jar or container. It will last up to a month. Serve with milk and/ or yoghurt, with fresh fruit. Dreamy.

Herby omelette with crispy ham hock and spinach

11.12.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

Like a lot of people brunch is a big deal in our house. Weekday breakfasts are rushed and are mostly a solo affair. So Saturday morning is a special occasion, a chance to cook together, leisurely, and a sort of ‘it’s the weekend’ celebration.

We mix it up at home, but one thing is for sure it will almost always be a savoury brunch as opposed to sweet (I don’t have the sweetest tooth and I was told that starting the day with protein was the best way). Below is a classic example of a Saturday morning Hayden-house staple. If you know me you know I love anything ham-y and cheesy, so this was a winner. Pimped up with the chilli and spinach, and opting for a crumbly tangy, yet creamy Lancashire cheese, it was a strong (and awesome) start to the day.

Honeyed ham hock omelette — Herby omelette with crispy ham

HERBY OMELETTE WITH CRISPY HAM HOCK AND SPINACH

Serves 2

5 large eggs, free range or organic
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of soft herbs, washed (I used coriander and parsley)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
ham hock, shredded (you can use leftovers, or Waitrose sell slow cooked shredded ham hock)
Olive oil
1 tablespoon runny honey
100g baby leaf spinach, washed
40g lancashire cheese (or any soft crumbly cheese)

Chop your herbs as fine as you can and place in a bowl with the eggs and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk everything together well and leave to one side.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the shredded ham hock, chilli and most of the spring onions and fry for around 5 minutes until everything starts to turn golden at the edges. When the ham is starting to look crisp, drizzle in the honey and toss it all together. Give it another minute or two until it turns sticky and caramelised, and then add the spinach. Give everything a stir and cook the spinach down, this will only take a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the filling into a bowl. Wipe the pan out and then return to the hob. Lower the heat to medium-low and then pour in the beaten eggs. Using a spatula gently swirl the mixture around so that you ripple eggs and cook them almost all the way through. When it is almost ready spoon the ham and spinach filling down the middle of the omelette and crumble over the Lancashire cheese. Turn the heat up a little so that the underside of the omelette browns, and then using a spatula or fish slice flip it over to envelope the filling. Cut the omelette into two and dish up. Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and extra chilli sauce, if you like.

Crispy ham hock and spinach omelette — Crispy ham hock and spinach herby omelette

Funfetti Buttermilk Pancake Stack

10.30.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

Today I have my dreamboat of a mate staying for a few days, and I promised her a birthday sweet treat. When I asked her what her favourite cake was, she pulled out a pinterest board of images, and settled on a stack of strawberry pancakes. Fine by me, quick and pretty and I’m a sucker for a pancake stack. I opted for buttermilk pancakes, layered with maple cream cheese, strawberries and dollops of homemade jam. Here you have it, Miss Clara’s funfetti pancake stack.

FUNFETTI BUTTERMILK PANCAKE STACK

Serves 2 hungry people or 3 normal folk

For the pancake batter:

150g plain flour
A teaspoon of hundreds and thousands
1 large egg, free range or organic
A teaspoon of vanilla extract
250ml buttermilk
3 tablespoons of caster sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of melted butter

To serve:

Handful of strawberries, hulled
2 heaped tablespoons of strawberry jam or compote
125g cream cheese
2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup
Hundreads and thousands, to decorate

In a jug whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract and melted butter. Leaving the sprinkles to one side, mix the remaining dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk mix into the dry bowl until you have a smooth batter, then finally stir in the sprinkles last.

Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When the butter has melted spoon in spoonfuls of the batter. I like to make them pretty small, using a generous tablespoon, so there are more of them. But by all means make them larger and just less. Fry the pancakes on one side until golden, and then flip over and continue to fry until cooked on both sides. Remove and leave to one side whilst you finished frying the remaining batter.

Meanwhile mix together the cream cheese with enough maple syrup to sweeten. When all the pancakes have cooked and cooled a little, layer them up with the sliced strawberries, and dollop of jam and cream cheese in between. Sprinkle with more of the hundreds and thousands and serve.