Category Archives: Breakfast

Christmas Granola

Perfect for Christmas morning!

Do you want to make your house smell like Christmas? Make some of this granola, works like a charm. You will instantly be in the Christmas spirit!

Our homemade Christmas granola is packed with holiday flavor, big clusters of chewy crunchy morsels with cinnamon, nuts, cranberries and chocolate.

It is also a festive, edible gift when wrapped in a holiday bag and tied with a ribbon. You can also attach a hand written label with the recipe on it.

Prep time : 10 min.

Cooking time : 40 min.

Makes : 7 cups approx.

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Pistachios
1/3 cup Maple syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried Cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, (or dark)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 320° F/ 160° C . Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the oats, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil, the sugar and maple syrup and stir until thoroughly combined. Make sure all of the oats are moistened.
Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add the nuts and stir to combine. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow granola to cool completely in order to get the crunchy clusters. Now add the dried Cranberries and Chocolate chips. Enjoy with milk or yoghurt or by the handful as a snack.
Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Five Spice Chestnut Banana Bread with chocolate chips

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This very satisfying Five Spice Chestnut Banana Bread with chocolate chips is one of those quick breads that you want to bake every week, especially during colder months. With warming and fragrant spices that just brings joy by the smell they spread through the house while baking. Perfect for breakfast with a little butter, as a snack or even as a dessert. The five spice takes it to the next level. Wondering what five spice is?

Let me explain.

Chinese Five spice is a combination of the five basic flavours, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (hearty/savoury).

The components of this wonderful spice mix are cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves and peppercorns. You can find the mix at most supermarkets. It’s a very versatile spice mix that can be used in sweet and savoury dishes.

INGREDIENTS

WET
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup/100 gr. light brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup mild olive oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini, don’t pack to measure, instead fit loosely in the cup. (about 1 medium/large zucchini)

DRY
• 1 cup/125gr. whole wheat flour
• 1 cup/125 gr all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. Chinese five spice
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips (optional but recommend)
• 1 cup cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped (vacuum pack or can, drained)

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly oil a 9×5-inch/23x13cm loaf tin and line with baking paper.

Place grated zucchini op clean kitchen towel, roll it up and squeeze and twist, to drain as much of the liquid as you can.
In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the mashed banana with the brown sugar, olive oil, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, Chinese five spice and salt.

Add this to the wet batter and mix very slowly until just combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the zucchini, chestnuts and chocolate chips until just combined. Do not overmix

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the middle comes out dry(-ish). It is still supposed to be moist since it’s a banana zucchini bread, however there should not be any batter still sticking to the skewer.
Should the bread become too dark you can tent some foil over the top loosely.

Remove from oven once it is finished baking and let it cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, then remove from tin with the parchment paper and let cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

Amish Baked Oatmeal, healthy version

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Amish Baked Oatmeal

A warm and comforting breakfast like Amish Baked Oatmeal is by far our favourite breakfast. Especially now in Fall, when a warm breakfast casserole is so cozy and everyone can dig in. Baked oatmeal is a traditional and comforting Amish breakfast casserole. Unlike regular oatmeal, which is cooked on the stove like a porridge, Amish baked oatmeal is made in the oven and is very very good. Although the authentic Amish casserole has tons of sugar and butter , I have reduced and replaced some of the sugar for maple syrup and just added a tiny bit of butter to make it not only delicious but healthy too.
In Fall we eat this all the time, adding different kinds of fruit like blueberries, or banana, and it’s the only breakfast that keeps us full until lunchtime. Also it’s a great way to get a head start on busy mornings, you could make this in the evening and simply re-heat in the morning. It keeps all week and freezes well too so I usually make double and freeze half, either in individual containers or in one.
It’s crazy good and tastes like a bakery style Vanilla muffin!

For this healthy baked oatmeal recipe, you’ll need:

Eggs – Eggs give lift and give the oatmeal structure, it also adds a good amount of proteins and nutritional value.
Maple syrup – you can adjust the amount to taste, it give the baked oatmeal a caramel like flavor and also depth. Perfect in combination with vanilla extract.
Applesauce– the perfect sugar substitute, use instead of maple syrup when using stevia extract or other sugar substitute.
Baking powder – also for a good lift, making the baked oatmeal more cake-like
Cinnamon and nutmeg – these two spices give the oatmeal the true Amish flavour.
Vanilla extract – use real vanilla if you can, otherwise a good extract. You must incorporate this into the oatmeal for optimal flavor.
Salt – a pinch of salt is what keeps it from tasting bland.
Milk – Use any kind of milk you like, the fattier the milk, the creamier the baked oatmeal will be. Plant milk works great too. I always use oat milk.
Butter – even a few tablespoons can work a miracle, it gives a smooth texture. You may replace it with neutral olive oil or coconut oil. If you don’t want any butter or fat, simply leave out.
Oats – use a combo of both old fashioned and quick oats for the perfect structure balance.
Banana – instead of all the butter.

Prep time : 5 min

Cooking time : 25

Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. melted butter for baking dish
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ teaspoons salt
1 small very ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
2 tbsp. melted butter (you could leave this out but it adds good flavor)
¼ cup maple syrup (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce plus 2 tsp. liquid stevia)
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups milk
1-2 tbsp. brown sugar for sprinkling on top. (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 x 10 inch baking dish, or similar.
In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients, the quick-cooking oats, the old fashioned rolled oats, the baking powder, the cinnamon, the nutmeg and the salt. Stir to combine well.
In a food processor, mix the banana with the eggs, the melted butter, the maple syrup (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce plus 2 tsp. liquid stevia), the vanilla and the milk.
You can also do this part in another bowl, mashing the banana with a fork and then adding the remaining wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to combine. Pour into the greased baking dish and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown and appears set. Serve warm with extra milk or fruit.

Enjoy!

If you make this recipe please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you. And please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!

Olive oil Zucchini Banana Bread with chocolate chips

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Olive oil Zucchini Banana Bread with chocolate chips

Shredded zucchini and mashed banana work perfectly together and ensure that this nutritious loaf stays nice and moist. The banana adds sweetness so there is no need to add too much sugar.
It’s the best of all quick breads if you ask me. With the added chocolate chips to make it a real treat. Lightly sweet and perfectly fluffy and moist, and very healthy too.

INGREDIENTS:

WET
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup mild olive oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini, don’t pack to measure, instead fit loosely in the cup. (about 1 medium/large zucchini) SEE NOTE about drying zucchini*

DRY
• 1 cup oat flour, made by simply grinding oats in a food processor
• 1 cup brown rice flour or whole wheat all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add the the first six ingredients and whisk to combine.
3. In another bowl combine the flours, baking powder and salt, stir in the grated zucchini. Add the wet ingredients, and stir with a spatula, now add the chocolate chips and stir thru.
4. Turn batter out into the prepared pan , smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.

5. Bake for about 55 minutes or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Note – place grated zucchini on a clean kitchen towel and roll it up, wring out as much moist as you can.

Enjoy!

If you make this recipe please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you. And please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!