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SERVES 2
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
a good pinch of sea salt
a good knob of butter
4 organic or free-range eggs
2 wholemeal pittas or flatbreads
1 teaspoon Turkish chilli flakes
a good pinch of sumac
a few sprigs of fresh mint, parsley and dill, leaves picked and chopped
Mix the yoghurt and salt in a bowl and leave to one side.
Heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Allow it to begin to brown, then crack in the eggs and turn the heat down, spooning the butter over the eggs until they are cooked exactly how you like them. I like my fried eggs to be just set, with a super-runny middle and just starting to crisp up around the edges. If you are having problems getting your eggs perfect, a lid over the pan can help keep in the heat so that the top and the bottom cook evenly.
Once your eggs are ready, quickly toast your pittas or flatbreads then top with a good spoonful of yoghurt and the fried eggs. Sprinkle over the chilli, sumac and herbs and season with a little salt if needed.
Try these with the Turkish coffee here.
MORNING SMOOTHIES – A FEW WAYS
These smoothies are a glassful of everything you need to start the day off right. I am always in a rush in the morning and find it hard to make time to eat: a 2-minute smoothie helps me walk out the door with a healthy glow before 9am and boosts my protein and nutrient levels sky high. These smoothies are also great to have straight after exercising.
Smoothies are great, as they are so flexible – you can make them with whatever fruits and milk or juice you have to hand, and in the winter you can delve into the freezer for handfuls of frozen berries. But for smoothies to be a generous alternative to couple of pieces of hot honeyed toast or some perfectly scrambled eggs, they need a little bit of consideration. The flavours need to be balanced, there needs to be some protein to keep you satisfied and there needs to be a boost of morning nutrients to start your day properly.
I have included a couple of smoothies with greens here. Green smoothies can be like Marmite, but I hope these blends will win even the more sceptical over. Gram for gram, dark leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and blitzing greens this way breaks them down and makes it much easier for your body to take in all the goodness.
I have included some notes here on some of the things I like to add to my smoothies for an extra nutrient kick, but they will be delicious without too.
LUCUMA This super fruit comes from Peru, where it’s known as ‘the Gold of the Incas’. It’s a golden-hued pulpy fruit that is utterly delicious, and here you buy it as a powder. Lucuma has a sweet, fresh kind of caramel flavour, so it’s a great option for people with a sweet tooth who are trying to cut down on sugar. Perfect for sprinkling on your porridge or spooning into a smoothie, it’s high in antioxidants and minerals and beta-carotene. You’ll find it in any health food shop. Add between a teaspoon and a tablespoon to your morning smoothie, depending on how sweet you like things.
MACA Another amazing Peruvian root, which comes from the same family as cabbage and broccoli. It comes in powdered form and has an almost malty sweet flavour. It is thought to calm the nervous system, balance our hormones and help our bodies cope with stress. Look for 100% maca root when you are buying it – start with a teaspoon of maca a day in your smoothie and work up to a tablespoon if you like.
HEMP Hemp comes in seed and powder form and both are perfect for adding to smoothies. Hemp is one of the only complete plant sources of protein, making it great for vegetarians or vegans. It is also high in omega 3 and 6 and in fibre, and delivers a solid dose of vitamins, minerals and the super-green chlorophyll. A tablespoon a day in your smoothie or on your yoghurt and granola every day is just right.
BEE POLLEN Not the stuff that floats around in summer and causes sneezing. Bee pollen is the pollen that bees collect from flowers and take back to store in their hives. They go from flower to flower collecting the stuff and packaging it into little golden granules. It may seem a bit out there to be eating this stuff, but it’s an incredible whole food in the truest sense, as it provides our body with almost every nutrient, vitamin and mineral we need, as well as being super-high in protein and digestion-boosting enzymes. You can buy raw bee pollen in granules (not blocks) from your local health food store. If you are able to buy local bee pollen it can help protect against allergies and hayfever. Bee pollen is powerful stuff, so start off with a teaspoon a day for adults, working your way up to a tablespoon, and for kids just a few grains, working up to half a teaspoon.
SPIRULINA AND CHLORELLA Spirulina and chlorella are two types of algae, which are insanely rich in nutrients and protein. When I put either in my morning smoothie I feel so full of energy. The stuff is like natural green caffeine. The taste of both spirulina and chlorella is quite strong, so start with a half a teaspoon and work your way up to couple of teaspoons.
Each of these four recipes makes one giant smoothie that keeps me going until lunchtime. If you can’t skip your cereal or toast, then split this between two for a little morning kick-start.
Put all the ingredients for your choice of smoothie, apart from the ice cubes but including any extra powders you want to use, into the blender. Whiz on low to start with, then turn it up to high for a minute or so. You may need to turn off the blender, take the top off and use a spoon to get everything moving. Whiz until smooth and a vivid green.
Add a few ice cubes and blitz again until completely smooth. If you have added a lot of powders you may need to water the smoothie down with a little cold water.
EASY WAYS TO ADD PROTEIN
A super easy and delicious way to boost the protein in your smoothies is to add a tablespoon of a nut or seed butter. Almond butter and tahini are my favourites, and they add a depth, richness and creaminess to smoothies too.
Oats are a surprisingly good source of protein as well as fibre – a couple of tablespoons in your smoothie will add a lush creaminess. Porridge oats work best but rolled oats work well too; I just soak mine first for a few minutes in some of the milk I will use for my smoothie.
GO TO GREEN
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1 small banana, peeled
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 large handfuls of greens (spinach or kale)
juice of ½ an lemon
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
a good pinch of ground cinnamon
250ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
AVOCADO AND TOASTED COCONUT
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½ an avocado
1 banana, peeled
juice of ½ lemon or lime
1 tablespoon chia seeds
375ml coconut water or milk
1 tablespoon toasted coconut
2 dates
a few ice cubes
SESAME AND DATE
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1 banana
2 persimmons or ½ a mango
1 tablespoon tahini
300ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
a small handful of oats
a drizzle of honey
the juice of ½ an orange
2 dates
BERRY AND BASIL
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1 large handful of berries (blueberries, blackberries or strawberries)
1 large handful of greens
1 banana
5 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
200ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
a few ice cubes
Lemon maple granola
Shop-bought granola is the breakfast of choice for most of my friends who want to eat a little better. However, while cleverly branded as health foods, most granolas are full of sugar. This is why I make my own on Sunday night. Just 10 minutes’ work yields a deeply satisfying and beautiful jar of breakfast for the rest of the week. I use a mixture of quinoa flakes and oats for balance, as I find oats a bit heavy for first thing, but this works just as well if you use 300g of one or the other (and using just quinoa will make it gluten free). Use whatever dried fruit you like here. I have kept it simple, but sometimes I like to add dried peaches, pears or plums too when I find them. I find it really pleasing to measure in handfuls, but I have given some weights here too if you prefer to be precise.
Quinoa flakes can be used anywhere you would use oats. I use them for my morning porridge. Quinoa is said to be one of the most complete foods in nature, as it contains a brilliant balance of amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Most importantly, it is a complete source of protein, so it’s perfect if you are cutting down or cutting out other proteins.
MAKES ABOUT 700G, A NICE BIG JAR
8 tablespoons runny honey or maple syrup
2 large handfuls (150g) of rolled oats
2 large handfuls (150g) of quinoa flakes
2 handfuls (80g) of seeds (I use sunflower and pumpkin)
2 handfuls (150g) of nuts (I use skin-on almonds and pecans), chopped
a handful (30g) of unsweetened desiccated coconut
grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
a handful (100g) of raisins
2 handfuls (100g) of any other dried fruit, roughly chopped (I use dates and dried apricots)
SERVE WITH YOGHURT AND FRUIT
Spring • vanilla-poached rhubarb and soya yoghurt
Summer • roasted strawberries with coconut milk yoghurt
Autumn • poached pears with maple syrup
Winter • dates poached in blood orange juice
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. If you are using honey, heat it in a saucepan until warm (no need to do this if you are using maple syrup). Mix the oats, quinoa flakes, seeds, chopped nuts, coconut and lemon zest in a large bowl, then scatter over two large, lightly oiled baking trays.
Pour over the maple syrup or honey and mix well with your hands to coat everything. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remember to give it a good stir every 5 minutes or so.
After 20 minutes, add all the dried fruits and put back into the oven for another 10 minutes to get that slightly chewy, caramelised fruit texture. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in airtight jars or containers for up to 1 month.
Ten ways with avocado on toast
To me, avocado on toast is sunny food – it feels right on a summer’s day and brightens up a dreary one. It is a go-to when time is short and cupboards are bare. I often eat it as a hurried breakfast, very simply with some lime, salt and pepper. But these other ways have crept in too.
Since avocado is the star of the show, accept nothing less than soft, yielding, ripe and perfect. Avocados are loaded with good fats and omega 3, like the stuff you find in olive oil, and an artillery of vitamins and minerals. I would struggle to eat without them.
EACH MAKES 2 PIECES OF TOAST
· Mash an avocado with lemon, salt and pepper. Pile onto toasted sourdough, top with tomatoes, a little balsamic vinegar, a bit of basil and some olive oil.
· Mash an avocado with lemon juice and pile onto rye bread with a drizzle of honey.
· Mash an avocado with some lime juice, salt and pepper. Pile onto toasted bread and top with a good sprinkling of chopped, fresh red chilli.
· Mash an avocado with a little lemon juice. Pile onto hot buttered toast and top with a poached egg and some chilli sauce.
· Mash an avocado with a little lemon juice. Spread a toasted bagel with a fine slick of cream cheese and top with the mashed avo, generously grate over lemon zest and sprinkle with lots of black pepper.
· Mash an avocado with a little lime juice, salt and pepper and stir in a chopped spring onion, a teaspoon of toasted mustard seeds and some chopped coriander. Pile onto hot toast.
· Mash your avocado with a tiny bit of lemon juice. Top hot toast with a slick of coconut oil, the mashed avo and then some toasted almonds.
· Mash your avocado with a little lemon juice, pile onto toast, then top with a few thin slices of banana and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
· Mash a ripe avocado with a little lemon juice, pile onto toast, and top with chopped pistachios, some toasted sesame seeds and a little honey and cinnamon.
· Whiz some basil with a little olive oil. Mash an avocado with a little lemon juice and pile onto hot toast, crumble over some feta and pour over the basil oil.
Herbed Parisian scrambled eggs
Sometimes I need a reminder that something simple and classic is really, really good. In my imaginary life where I spend my days roaming around Paris flea markets this is what I would eat for breakfast. Classically, chervil is used in harmony of herbs too, but it’s not easy to find so I’ve left it out; however, if you come across some, buy it – it’s got such a piercingly delicate flavour and is great chucked into green salads. Basil and mint can be thrown into the mix here too.
A note on how to keep soft herbs: I use herbs a lot – their flavours are like nothing else, and each is so completely different from the others, I couldn’t cook without them. I appreciate that buying a lot of herbs for a little breakfast recipe feels extravagant. This is how I make herbs work harder for me. I buy a load once every week or so when they look good at the greengrocer, and I keep them like flowers, in glasses filled with a dash of cold water in the milk-bottle compartment of my fridge. This way they keep for a week or so. Every time I open the fridge I am met with a heady smell and a grassy green wall of herbs, which means they are appreciated and make their way into much more of my cooking.
SERVES 2
a little olive oil or butter
4 really good organic or free-range eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs each of fresh parsley, tarragon and dill, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 slices of good buttered toast (I like sourdough)
Everyone has their own way with eggs. This is how I scramble mine.
Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan on a medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl, mix with a fork, season well, then pour into the hot pan and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to pull the eggs away from the sides of the pan, creating golden folds. Continue to do this until the eggs are how you like them. I like mine to just come together but keep a faint little bit of wobble.
Take the pan off the heat, taste, add more salt and pepper if necessary, and stir in the herbs. Pile on top of buttered toast.
MY MORNING FRUIT
To my mind there is no better way to start the day than with a bowl of in-season fruit. Here are the bowls I make as the seasons change. Some can be made in a batch for quick weekday breakfasts, others can be put together in a few minutes – try with the granola here.
SPRING
APPLES · PEARS · RHUBARB ·
RASPBERRIES · EARLY STRAWBERRIES
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QUICK RHUBARB COMPOTE
for 1 person
Take 4 stalks of rhubarb, chop small and
put in a pan with 4 tablespoons of good honey, a bit of vanilla, if you have it, and the juice of ½ an orange. Simmer for 15 minutes until soft through.
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SPRING FRUIT BOWL
for 1 person
Cut up 1 apple and 1 pear, squeeze over the juice of ½ a lime, mash a handful of raspberries with 1 teaspoon of honey and mix the two together.
SUMMER
STRAWBERRIES · CHERRIES · RASPBERRIES ·
PEACHES · APRICOTS ·
BLUEBERRIES · BLACKCURRANTS
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RED FRUIT SALAD
for 2 people
Cut up 10 strawberries and 10 cherries. Add a handful of raspberries and a handful of halved red grapes. Squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon and if you like add a little honey. Optional: sprinkle with bashed coriander seeds.
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QUICK APRICOT COMPOTE
makes a small jar
Put 250g of apricots (stoned) into a pan with 2 tablespoons of runny honey and the juice of ½ an orange. Bring to a slow simmer on a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes until softened.
AUTUMN
APPLES · PEARS · PEACHES · NECTARINES ·
PLUMS · BLACKBERRIES
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HEDGEROW FRUIT BOWL
for 2 people
Put 1 chopped apple, 1 chopped pear and 2 chopped plums into a bowl with a handful of blackberries, tear in some mint and mix well.
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ROSEWATER PEACHES
for 1 person
Place 4 peach halves on a baking tray, drizzle with honey, scatter over vanilla and some pistachios and sprinkle over a tablespoon of rosewater. Bake for 30 minutes until soft through. Serve with yoghurt or goat’s cheese and some toast.
WINTER
APPLES · PEARS · WINTER CITRUS ·
CLEMENTINES · CRANBERRIES
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ORCHARD FRUIT BOWL
for 2 people
Chop up 3 ripe pears and add the seeds of ½ a pomegranate and 4 chopped-up dates. Squeeze over the juice of 1 lime and serve.
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QUICK SPICED CLEMENTINES
for 2 people
Slice up 4 clementines and lay on a plate, sprinkle with ½ a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and drizzle with honey.
A new eggs Benedict
I’m not sure I know anyone who doesn’t like eggs Benedict, in all its rich hollandaise glory. This is how I make mine. Roasted slices of sweet potato step in for muffins, and avocado and cashews whiz up creamily in seconds with a bit of tarragon to make a killer super-light hollandaise, creamy but not too rich. The sticky onions and spinach sandwich it all together.
I like to make my hollandaise this way, as I find a butter-laden sauce too much of a treat to start the day with (delicious though it is).
In order to get a creamy sauce I soak my cashew nuts in water overnight, but, if you forget, half an hour’s soaking will do. See here for more on soaking nuts.
For this recipe, you need to get your hands on large sweet potatoes so that they are wide enough to sit the poached egg on top.
SERVES 4
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1cm rounds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive or rapeseed oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and finely sliced
6 handfuls of spinach, washed and any big stalks removed
4 organic or free-range eggs
FOR THE QUICK HOLLANDAISE
a small handful of cashew nuts, soaked in water (see above)
½ an avocado
a small bunch of fresh tarragon or dill, leaves picked
juice of ½ a lime
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
Lay the sweet potato slices on a couple of baking trays, season with salt and pepper, drizzle lightly with oil and roast for 20 minutes, until soft through and crisping at the edges.
Now on to the onions. Put a pan on a medium heat, add a little oil, then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions are soft and sweet and starting to brown. Scoop them into a bowl and set to one side, keeping the pan to use later.
To make your hollandaise, blitz the drained cashews in a food processor until you have a crumbly paste. Add the avocado and most of the tarragon or dill with the lime juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper and blitz again. If you need to, loosen the sauce with a little water until it is thick but drizzleable.
Heat the pan you cooked the onions in on a medium heat. Add the spinach and a drop of olive oil and cook for a couple of minutes, until it starts to wilt but is still vivid green.
Next, poach the eggs. Heat a pan of water until boiling – I use a frying pan, but use whatever pan is most comfortable for you to poach eggs in. Turn the heat down until the water is barely blipping, then crack in the eggs and leave them to cook for 3–4 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.
To serve, lay some of the sweet potatoes in the middle of each plate. Top with the onions and wilted spinach, then add the egg and a spoonful of hollandaise. Scatter over the rest of the tarragon or dill, season with salt and pepper and dig in.
Other ways to use your quick avocado hollandaise:
· Spooned over griddled asparagus.
· On top of a green spring risotto.
· On top of little smashed-pea toasts.
· Next to a simple poached egg on toast.
· In sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.
Huevos rancheros
I make this dish a lot. It’s the one thing I order without fail at breakfast tables in America. The holy trio of eggs, tomatoes and avocado never fails me. It mostly crops up at my house mid-morning on a Saturday, after a walk to the shop for the paper.
I have kept this version super-simple, as it’s a great thing to be able to throw together in a few minutes without having to dash to the shop. I use spring onions, as they are quick to cook and have a milder note, more suited to the morning I think, but they can just as easily be swapped for thinly sliced red onion. I use fresh tomatoes in the summer, but good-quality tinned ones work for the rest of the year.
The key here is cooking the eggs perfectly. I have tried a few different ways of getting just-set white and runny yolk perfection. The trick that works for me is using a frying pan with a lid and keeping the heat low so that the eggs poach and steam at the same time. I also make a version of this with roasted peppers or slices of smoked tofu instead of the eggs.
It’s really worth investing as much as you can in the eggs you buy. I always buy organic free-range. Eggs are nutrient-loaded, perfectly packaged bundles of goodness. The yolks contain all the vitamins and minerals, and by keeping them runny you actually preserve the nutrients that would be killed off by the heat if you were to cook them all the way through.
SERVES 2 AS A HEARTY BRUNCH
olive oil
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 × 400g tin of tomatoes, or 400g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 lime
a small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked and finely chopped
4 organic or free-range eggs
2 wholemeal or corn tortillas
Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium frying pan (one with a lid that fits) over a moderate heat. Add the spring onions and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and the smoked paprika and cook for another couple of minutes.
Next, add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, until they have broken down and the sauce has thickened.
In the meantime, mash the avocado with the lime juice (I use a potato masher) and the chopped coriander, season with salt and pepper and put to one side.
Once the tomatoes have broken down and thickened, turn the heat down to medium-low. Make 4 small holes in the sauce with the back of a wooden spoon by pushing the sauce out of the way. Crack an egg into each of the holes, season each egg with a little salt and pepper, then pop the lid on and leave to cook for exactly 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes the egg whites should be just set with a hint of a wobble, with the yolks runny in the middle. Remember, they will keep cooking as you take them to the table.
While the eggs are cooking, warm the tortillas – I do this by holding each one over a gas flame with a pair of tongs for a few seconds on each side to char, but 20–30 seconds on each side in a warm non-stick pan will work just as well.
