I promised you a rhubarb recipe and here it is; Rhubarb Syllabub, well, my take on it anyhow. This is not a heavy creamed dessert, although you could eat it for dessert but more of a fruity breakfast. It's also perfect for people on the go as it is easily packaged up to take with you.
I've always roasted my rhubarb rather than stewing it as it always tends to hold its shape a little better. The rhubarb I have grown isn't that tart so my dish didn't need much sugar, but feel free to add more if you feel it is necessary.
Have you tried the Alpro Soya yoghurt with almonds yet? Oh my, it is absolutely delicious, and it is the perfect yoghurt to use for this dish.
Ingredients - Serves 1
100g Alpro plain yoghurt with almonds
6 Tbsp Stewed rhubarb (see recipe below)
3 Tbsp Homemade muesli
Method
Mix the yoghurt with 3 Tbsp of the stewed rhubarb and place half of the mixture in a glass.
Sprinkle over the homemade muesli and top with the remaining yoghurt and rhubarb mixture.
Add the rest of the rhubarb to the top and enjoy. Delicious even if I do say so myself! I've been enjoying this for breakfast for the last 2 weeks and I haven't tired of it yet!
Stewed Rhubarb - 5 portions
Ingredients
450g-475g Rhubarb, washed and patted dry
1 Ruby grapefruit, juice only
7g-10g Ginger, grated
1 Tbsp Sugar, or more if you so wish
Method
Cut the rhubarb into 3cm pieces and toss into an oven proof dish.
Add the grated ginger to the grapefruit juice and stir. Pour over the rhubarb.
Sprinkle over the sugar and roast in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes or until the rhubarb is cooked but still holding its shape.
Leave to cool, and store in the fridge ready for your breakfast for the week ahead.
Jasmine x
Two weeks ago I shared two recipes with you which used the Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder sent to me by Kiss Me Organics and I promised you another couple of recipes so here is the first; Matcha & Blueberry Oat Bars. This recipe makes 16 Oat Bars which are great for breakfast on the go or a mid morning snack to keep you going. I'm in love with oat bars at the moment and because they freeze so well you can make a batch and freeze some to eat later, they're small enough to defrost quickly so you can take one out of the freezer before you leave for work and its ready to eat by the time you get there. If not, just gently warm in the microwave for a few seconds. They are packed with other good for you ingredients too like hulled hemp seed, chia seed and of course matcha green tea and blueberries!
Ingredients
370g Oats
50g Hulled hemp seed
50g Milled Chia seed
20g Organic Matcha green tea powder
2 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
3 Bananas
150ml Soya yoghurt, vanilla
340g Soft silken tofu (1 packet), drained
2 Tbsp Agave nectar
1 Lemon, juice only
125g Blueberries
Method
Turn on your oven to a medium heat, around 180 - 190°C.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Put the oats into a food processor and blend until you have oat flour, transfer to a large bowl. Add the hulled hemp seeds, chia seeds, matcha powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine everything.
Slice the bananas into the food processor and add the yoghurt, blend until you have a thick cream. Add the silken tofu, agave nectar and the lemon juice and blend again.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine everything, the mixture will be fairly stiff.
Add the blueberries and stir again to ensure they are evenly incorporated through the mixture.
Pour into the lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until you can press the tops gently and they give a little. Cool in the tin and then tip onto a board and peel off the greaseproof paper.
Cut into squares, eat some and freeze some, easy!
Jasmine x
As part of my Winter Wellness Series I shared my Winter Wellness Happy Bites, which were great as an on the go breakfast as well as mid morning fix. They freeze really well, I just take one out of my freezer just before I leave work and by the time I get to work they have defrosted ready to be eaten. As an added bonus I used the frozen oat bars on my tennis elbow on the way to work, perhaps that's why they defrosted so quickly as my elbow is HOT! Mind you I have been getting some weird looks on the bus!
This time I made the oat bars with fresh blueberries and dried cranberries and they were delicious! These freeze well too.
Ingredients
200g Oats
20g Milled Chai seeds
25g Hemp seeds
2 Tsp Baing powder
1 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 Tsp Lemon rind (heaped)
2 Ripe bananas
200g Silken tofu
50ml Vanilla yoghurt (vegan of course)
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Agave nectar
100g Blueberries
25g Cranerries
Method
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until you have an oat flour. Tip into a bowl.
Add the next 5 ingredients to the oat flour and gently mix everything in.
Slice the bananas into the food processor and pulse until mashed, add the silken tofu and pulse again to combine.
Add the vanilla yoghurt, lemon juice and agave nectar to the food processor and process until everything is mixed in and you have a nice 'batter'.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the blueberries and dried cranberries and stir through the mixture.
Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes or when the mixture springs back when gently pressed. Cool in the tin and then tip onto a board and peel off the greaseproof paper.
Cut into squares, eat some and freeze some, easy!
Jasmine x
Last week I shared my top ten ideas for a vegan packed lunch and I thought it might be a good idea to do the same for breakfasts. I know a lot of us, me included, get stuck in a rut when it comes to breakfasts and normally have the same thing everyday. Hopefully there are some new ideas for you to try here, which are healthy and tasty! There are some fairly obvious ones but hopefully there are some things you've not yet tried.
If you're new to veganism and what to ask me a question, please feel free to leave me a comment at the bottom of the page, tweet me or send me a direct message through twitter. I'm happy to help.
1) Fruit Salad
In my eyes you can't beat a fresh fruit salad with a little yoghurt drizzled over, especially during the warmer months of the year. Mix together different fruits depending on the seasons and you will get a different fruit salad every 3-4 months. This one is a mix of cherries, strawberries, green and black grapes and apple. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
2) Fruit Smoothies
I love smoothies! You can't go wrong with a smoothie, they are very forgiving. If your smoothie doesn't taste quite how you like it, throw in another ingredient and process again!
My favourite fruit smoothies are Strawberry & Banana and Pineapple, Mango & Banana. You really can't go wrong with these two, just add the ingredients to a blender with a little water and vegan yoghurt and blend.
If you can find a little space in your garden to grow your own strawberries, there's nothing like popping outside harvesting what you need and then popping them into your blender! You can't get fresher than that can you?
If you haven't the room to grow a lot of strawberries the next best thing is to find a 'pick your own' fruit farm. How many of you used to pick strawberries as a kid to get some pocket money? I sure did, back braking work but today they are grown at shoulder height so no more bending down to pick them.
3) Green Smoothies
These are just as easy to make and tasty. As you get used to the flavour of green smoothies you can be a bit more adventurous with the vegetables that you add.
My current favourite is Kale, Pineapple and a handful of grapes you can't taste the kale. The title link will take you to another favourite which uses Pineapple and Spinach and if you like that one why not try the Caribbean version of it. If you know someone who doesn't get there 'five a day' smoothies are a fantastic way to get more fruit and vegetables in your diet.
Once your taste buds have warmed up a little try adding another vegetable to one of the above smoothies. I've made one with broccoli and cucumber and surprisingly it tasted scrumptious. The options are endless, just experiment and you'll be amazed at what flavours you grow to love.
4) Muesli
This is my favourite breakfast at the moment and I take this to work at least 3 times a week. It is easily transported in my nifty two pot stacker with vegan yoghurt to be mixed together when I arrive at work. I posted my recipe yesterday, which is enough for 8 servings, just double up the quantities if you want to make more.
5) Pancakes
I made this during Vegan Mofo on a "Sleepy Sunday" theme, which was breakfasts, brunch or lazin' in bed snacks.
Personally, I'm not a massive fan of pancakes, I never have been. Even the vegan pancakes taste too 'eggy' for me, strange but true. Even as a vegetarian I never ate eggs unless they were heavily disguised in cake and even then I could sometimes pin point the taste. I've just never liked the taste and I couldn't get out of my head what they actually are. Rant over - sorry!
However, I did eat these two pancakes as the filling on top was divine, perfect for a late breakfast or brunch. You could use it to top toast if you don't like the idea of pancakes.
6) Morning Bruchetta
I made this one sunny morning last year and memories of walking bare foot on a beach, sun beating down on my back came flooding back. It really is sunshine food and perfect food to eat sitting outside on a warm sunny summer morning. Although this photograph was taken early April last year!
Full of Mediterranean flavours, fresh and vibrant, you could do worse for breakfast!
7) Bean Hash
Once again this recipe came about during Vegan Mofo last year on another Sleepy Sunday theme.
I love beans and there is more to life than baked beans although they are awesome.
This dish mixes Borlotti beans with potato, onions and mushrooms and served with baked beans it really is beantastic!
8) Tofumlette
For all of you who used to love omelettes, fear not, you can still enjoy them but using tofu instead of eggs.
With my indifference to anything 'eggy' I found that adding salsa to the top influenced my taste buds and I actually enjoyed the tofumlette. You can add any vegetable to a vegan tofumlette, see what you can come up with. This recipe uses spinach and mushrooms perfect for breakfast.
9) Mushrooms on Toast
I had this for breakfast this morning, I love mushrooms, I could have quite easily eaten double the amount. There is no recipe as such for this but all I do is saute ½ a finely chopped red onion until translucent in a little olive oil. Then add 5 diced chestnut mushrooms, a splash of unsweetened almond milk and saute for another minute before adding a splash of soy sauce, ½ Tsp smoked paprika and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked. Serve on top of toast with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. For me heaven on a plate! Of course there are so many other things you could serve on toast, baked beans, avocado with black pepper, tomatoes, homemade jam, marmite or peanut butter to name just a few.
10) Homemade Bread and Jam
You can't beat freshly baked homemade bread, the smell that comes from your kitchen is fantastic. There is just one slight problem though, it tastes that good you will go back for more and more and more!
I love putting my bread maker on over night using the timer function so that I wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread. It really is something that will get you out of bed in a morning! That first slice, still warm, spread with your favourite jam just can't be beaten. You can use more slices for your lunch too and its great toasted the next day.
I hope that has given you some ideas, or jogged your memory as to some of the most simple breakfasts in life.
If you're looking for vegan packed lunch ideas then take a look at my lunches to take to work.
