Category Archives: Breakfast

Bookends of Love and Pancakes

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Sometimes Chris will drive over from his house to mine in the middle of the night – what a gift it is to have someone leave their cosy bed to join you just because they sleep better when they are holding you.

Even when we are staying under the same roof, I usually retire before he does; we are souls born for the opposite ends of the day: he is a night owl and I am an early bird. I don’t mind falling asleep by myself and he always comes in at the time of night I need him most: those middling hours where the threat of nightmare tends to dwell. I love to curl up within his arms. My body knows instinctively which way to twist and turn into his even in the depths of sleep. We dance under the covers throughout the night. Change positions as we get too warm, or an arm starts to cramp.

Choc-chip pancakes

Choc-chip pancakes

As he sneaks into bed late at night, so do I sneak out of bed in the early morning hours. We both have our bookends of the day where we find the best moments to nourish our souls as individuals, and those in-between to nourish us as a couple. I sneak out (with a kiss goodbye and a murmured reply) to run, or write, or visit the markets on the weekend, or to talk to Mum and Dad, or….to make chocolate chip pancakes for my still-sleeping Prince Charming. They are my gesture, my way of easing the hours of the day that he needs easing into. My way of starting the day with a show of love. Just as my darling ends the day that way.

Stacks on stacks of pancakes...

Stacks on stacks of pancakes…

These pancakes are fluffy, crispy on the outside. Once you pour the almond-vanilla-buttermilk dough onto the pan you need only wait about a minute before studding it generously with chocolate chips and then flipping it over to cook on the other side. Once you decide you want to make these you are only moments away from choc-chip heaven. I have even made these while doing dinner, cooled them on a cooling rack, and then packaged them in plastic sandwich bags to be taken for breakfast-on-the-run the next morning.

Sunday morning incarnation.

Sunday morning incarnation.

Chocolate-Chip Buttermilk Pancakes

These pancakes will make you immensely popular. Make them on a Sunday while your loved ones sleep, or on a Wednesday night when everyone needs a pick-up on Thursday morning. This recipe makes about 12 medium pancakes (I measure out my batter with an ice-cream scoop – the easiest cleanest method ever). You of course, can make them larger or smaller as you wish. A half batch also turns out well.

Ingredients

  • 100 grams of plain natural yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 150 grams plain flour
  • 75 grams almond meal
  • 4 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (or dark or white) chocolate chips

Method

  1.  Combine plain yoghurt, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Beat well.
  2. Whisk together flour, almond meal, caster sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Add yoghurt mixture to dry mixture and whisk together.
  4. Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray. Use an ice-cream scoop to portion out batter onto the heated pan. I cook about three pancakes at a time because this is what fits on my pan.
  5. Allow to cook for one minute then stud the uncooked tops of each with the chocolate chips. Let cook for another half a minute then flip and cook on the chipped side for about a minute and a half.
  6. Remove cooked pancakes from the pan and serve right away with ice-cream (for Chris) or cream (or both like my Dad), and some chocolate sauce never goes astray either. Or allow to cool completely and then pack in sandwich bags.

Tell me, dear reader, is there an unspoken way you show love to your family or partner? Are you a pancakes-for-breakfast kind of person? 

A Little Piece of Calm and Zucchini, Hazelnut, and Cranberry Bread (Gluten free)

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There is much to be done. The freight train of the year is gathering speed and the scenery is flashing by. Why, it’s already the middle of March don’t you know. My little desk is gathering stacks of paper – lectures and journals to read, books to fill with assignment-worthy words, receipts and bills to be filed, story ideas to be tucked safely away until I have a moment to flesh them out more. Every day I wonder which bags I need to pack into the back of my car, which role am I acting in today? Am I the dietitian/runner/university student (Monday and Tuesday)? Am I the runner/social-media intern/writing race co-ordinator (Wednesday)? Am I the dietitian/runner (Thursday)?

I am lucky to fill my life with so many wonderful things; I am lucky that every day I get to play the role of daughter, sister, girlfriend, and pet owner. Sometimes it helps to have a moment to sit back and look at the scenery that surrounds me. Just a few minutes in the garden in the late afternoon, when the sun is slanting through the palm trees and dancing in patterns on the grass and the breeze ruffles my hair away from my face just right, there is a deep sense of privilege in affording myself a moment like that. I breathe in and all sense of stress falls away. My shoulders straighten and a smile blooms unbidden on my face. I sit on the paving stones with my feet in the grass that has become overgrown after our record rain the past few weeks. I nibble on a slice of cake and sip at my tea and just listen to the faint sounds of life gathering in the houses surrounding ours. The suburb is coming home, settling in for the afternoon, anticipating the weekend and all its pleasures. The time comes for me to return to my desk, but before I leave the garden I tuck away a little piece of the calm that has washed over me for when I need it later in the week.

 

Fresh out of the oven.

Fresh out of the oven.

Zucchini, Hazelnut, and Cranberry Bread (Gluten Free, Naturally Sweetened)

If you are gluten-able then you can use 150 grams of wholemeal plain flour in place of the buckwheat and rice flours. Don’t be tempted to replace the hazelnut meal with flour or you will miss out on the nutty, dense texture in the crumb of the cake. Also, ensure that you use real maple syrup, not maple flavoured syrup; one is a product of nature the other is a product of a lab. If you can’t get your hands on maple syrup you can use honey or agave nectar, or my fellow Aussies can use golden syrup instead (this may yield a sweeter result).

 Ingredients:

  • 100 grams buckwheat flour
  • 50 grams brown rice flour
  • 80 grams hazelnut meal
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup low fat milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons rice bran oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1/2 cup cranberries
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf tin with baking paper.
  2. Prepare your zucchini by coarsely grating it using a box grater. Bundle zucchini shreds into a few paper towels and squeeze over the kitchen sink until you have removed most of the liquid. This will ensure that your dough doesn’t get sloppy. Set aside for later.
  3. In a large bowl weigh in the buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, and hazelnut meal. Measure in the salt, baking powder, and mixed spice and then whisk all the ingredients together until well incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl combine maple syrup, milk, eggs, rice bran oil, and vanilla bean paste.
  5. Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until nearly all combined. Add zucchini, cranberries, and hazelnuts to the batter and mix until fully incorporated.
  6. Pour batter into the prepared tin and slide into the oven.
  7. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean then remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
  8. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove from the tin and cool to room temperature before slicing.

 

Sliced and ready to take to the garden.

Sliced and ready to take to the garden.

The last step in this recipe isn’t really necessary though. You can allow the cake to cool in the tin for the amount of time it takes to boil the jug for a cup of green tea, then remove it from the tin, slice yourself off a heal of bread from one end, and then pop out to the garden and enjoy the fading light of the sun. I am also planning to have a slice for breakfast in the morning. It should go perfectly well with my Saturday morning skinny cap.

Sit a while and notice the small things that make you smile.

Sit a while and notice the small things that make you smile.

So my dear readers, do you feel like you play many different roles from day to day? I know I get dizzy just thinking about how many hats my Mum wears every day (and how many more she must have worn when we were little).

Where do you take yourself for a moment of peace and gratitude (and perhaps a slice of cake)?

Promise Me This: Gluten-free Coconut Banana Bread

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In two weeks she will be gone. Out of the home we have shared for nearly twenty-three years and into her own nest. As I watched them erect the floor, the walls, the roof, and then fill the inside with bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, and every tiny finishing touch, I started to learn how to let go, how to not hold on so tightly. You see, I have held on so tightly, and sometimes when you hold someone that close, they only yearn to be free even more. So I will watch you go, and help you make your new house into the cosy castle you deserve.

Just promise me this. Promise that you will still think of me when you are craving Peanut m&ms. Promise me you won’t watch Steel Magnolias with anyone else. Promise me that you will still come over at Christmas time and help me put up the tree (I can’t do those lights on my own). Promise me that when you have ‘nothing to wear’ you will drive over and steal something from my wardrobe, or text me ‘help’. Promise me that you won’t be too grown-up and responsible to bust out a Beyonce impersonation. Promise me that we will still find time to make cookies together and eat most of the dough before it makes the oven. Promise me that you’ll save a little space in your life, and a little time in your week, just for me.

Little sis and me in the kitchen

Little sis and me in the kitchen

Gluten-free Coconut Banana Bread

Jess and I take slices of this to the markets every Saturday morning for breakfast. Once the cake has cooled, slice into portions and wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, then freeze and remove the night before you would like to eat it for breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 80 grams coconut flour
  • 50 grams almond meal
  • 100 grams brown rice flour
  • 100 grams caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
  • 2 large bananas
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 250mL milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut essence
  • 2 tablespoons rice bran oil (or other flavourless vegetable oil)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with baking paper.
  2. In a small bowl mash bananas with lemon juice and set aside. This will soften the bananas and stop them from browning as well.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together coconut flour, almond meal, brown rice flour, caster sugar, salt, baking soda, and dessicated coconut.
  4. In a separate bowl beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, coconut essence, and oil. Add bananas and mix to combine.
  5. Add banana and egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  6. Spoon mixture into lined loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check loaf every 10 minutes; you may need to cover the top with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly.
  7. Once cooked remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Gluten- free coconut banana bread

Gluten- free coconut banana bread

I suppose I am a little anxious about the change and what it means for my sister and I. No one can live in Neverland forever and I have been lucky to have her so close for so long. If, as the Danish proverb says, ‘the road to a friend’s house is never long’, then the road to my sister’s home will never truly be more than a heartbeat away.

me dear reader, how do you cope with someone you love moving away? Are you better at dealing with change than I am?

An Unexpected Breakfast: The Lesson

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‘In the morning when the moon is at it’s rest, 
You will find me at the time I love the best 
Watching rainbows play on sunlight; 
Pools of water iced from cold night, in the morning. 
Tis the morning of my life.’

(‘In the morning’ ~ The Bee Gees, 1965)

Morning walk into the sun.

Morning walk into the sun.

Weekday mornings are rushed and hurried creatures for the most part. When I was working full-time it was an early alarm clock call, gym session, drive through traffic, and breakfast at my desk while I started sorting through the first emails of the day. The past year has been less hectic and I have come to treasure the quiet morning hours where I can wake early and potter around the house, go for a walk or run and come back to a leisurely breakfast before starting on the tasks for the day, or heading off to university. I know I am incredibly lucky, but believe me, in some ways I miss the strict schedule of a non-uni-student-full-time-worker.

Our glorious spread. Thanks Casey and Cassie.

Our glorious spread. Thanks Casey and Cassie.

Weekend mornings have always been more of a slow-paced affair. A time where you can take stock of the morning before you, cook a leisurely breakfast for your loved ones, and just let the day come as it may. This week I was lucky to share one of these golden weekend mornings on a Tuesday with two of my closest friends. I took the opportunity presented by a lovely summer morning to go for a walk and listen to the world wake up (and some podcasts from BBC Radio 4). Then I drove over for a ladies-only breakfast on the verandah. We sipped tea, ate divine gluten-free pancakes topped with fresh fruit salad, and caught up on how life had been unfolding in our own separate worlds over the past few weeks. By mid-morning we were all on our way again, but the rare opportunity for a lazy start and a soul-recharging visit with friends had me carrying a smile and a ray of morning sun in my heart all day long.

My beautiful breakfast.

My beautiful breakfast.

Tuesday morning’s lesson was this: take the moment and say yes. Take the unexpected breakfasts, the journeys, the hand that is offered to you. Say yes. Yes to pancakes eaten off fine china on a weekday morning. Yes to the spur-of-the-moment movie date night with your boyfriend. Yes to the ice cream parlour visit at 9:30pm on a Sunday (it really does fortify the soul for a Monday morning run). Yes to the golden moments in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings of life. Sprinkle a little special into every day.

Tell me, dear readers, what is your favourite morning ritual? Do you have something special on a weekday morning that makes them more bearable, or a favourite Sunday treat?

Monday Night Dinner Date: Summer vegetable, herb, and cheese fritters (gluten free)

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A Monday night. A quiet house. Just Chris and I and a beautiful summer night to spend in each other’s company. We lazed the afternoon away lost in books: food for me; sci-fi for him. There is great comfort in the company of someone who loves to read as much as I do. Both of us caught up in our separate worlds, but only a heartbeat away. I smile when he turns the page and reaches across to touch my hand.

The night hours draw close, and we start to think about dinner time. I move around the kitchen, chopping and beating and frying, and listen to laughter in the living room. It’s been a month, and I can’t believe the power that laugh has over me. The bacon sizzles in the pan. I watch ethereal strands of egg white change from translucent to opaque while he fetches beverages for us. We talk of travel, the places we have been, the places we are longing to go. We make plans for the upcoming Australia Day weekend. Talk about food and an Aussie-themed playlist to set the tone for the day. These are the everyday moments that make up a life. These are my everyday moments, and my life. I am learning even more about the way that the minutes that make up hours are the essential particles of our lives. The Monday night dinner dates are the precious moments that buoy us through the hours we spend apart. The company of the one we care for is the craving that keeps us moving through our day.

A walk in the park, hand in hand.

A walk in the park, hand in hand.

Summer vegetable, herb, and cheese fritters (gluten free)

Makes about 8 fritters. These are great the next day either warm or cold. I nibbled on some with a salad for dinner, and they are the perfect after school or lunch box snack for kids (and adults) too. Or try them as a weekend brunch when you need a sturdy start to the day.

 Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup chickpea (besan) flour
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup corn (fresh or canned)
  • 1/2 cup peas (if frozen, defrost and drain well before using)
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely diced zucchini
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Fritters, his style (before salad)

Fritters, his style (before salad)

 Method:

  1. In a medium bowl whisk together the chickpea flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and herbs. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and egg.
  2. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
  3. To the batter add the corn, peas, spring onions, zucchini, and cheddar cheese. Mix carefully to incorporate vegetables into batter.
  4. Heat a non-stick frypan over medium heat, and grease with a little spray cooking oil.
  5. Spoon about 1/3 cup of batter onto the pan for each fritter. Cook until golden brown. This will be about 1.5-2 minutes per side. Remove from pan to a covered plate to keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.
Fritters her style (sans bacon)

Fritters her style (that is, sans bacon)

Serving: I love having someone to cook for. Someone who loves food as much as I do. These fritters are a perfect ‘his and hers’ dinner. Given my vegetarian and gluten free requirements I like to make things that can be slightly altered or added to that will suit both of us. I poached eggs for both of us, and fried some bacon to accompany Chris’s fritter stack. Served with a freshly tossed salad we both had empty plates and happy stomachs at the end of our meal.

Tell me, dear readers, what are some of the everyday moments that stand out in your life? What make up the minutes, the moments, the strands of the fabric of your day?

Coconut Cranberry Scrolls

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Wednesday. Already the middle of the week again. I know that I am already thinking of the downward spiral that leads from the weekly peak of Wednesday to the under-the-covers-snuggle-pit that is the weekend. What better way to entertain thoughts and dreams of the weekend than to contemplate breakfast goodies that are sure to signal a sweet start.

Without further ado my friends, I present Coconut Cranberry Scrolls. Perfect for a weekend breakfast, brunch, or any other smackeral of snacking in between.

Coconut cranberry scrolls with coconut frosting

Coconut Cranberry Scrolls

Inspired by, and adapted from, this beautiful recipe by Kim Laidlaw, in this book. While there are several steps involved in this process, and it can take a few hours from start to finish, there is a large amount of inactive time. If you like you can put this in the refrigerator overnight and simply bake them in the morning. If you would like to take that option I have included a note below. Besides, when you smell the sweet coconut and jam smell wafting from the oven you will be pleased you indulged in the ancient comfort of bread making.

Ingredients

For the rolls:

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

For the filling:

  • 1/3 cup mixed berry jam
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup dessicated coconut

For the frosting:

  • 2/3 cup dessicated coconut
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • Water

Dough in progress


Making your dough:

  1. Place milk in a microwave-safe bowl and warm in the microwave for about 45 seconds. It should be warmer than skin temperature but not boiling. Pour milk into a large bowl and add yeast. Mix to dissolve.
  2. Allow yeast and milk to stand about 10 minutes. If your yeast hasn’t foamed after this time it is off so you will need to invest in some new yeasty creatures to get the best results.
  3. Add the sugar, eggs, flour, and salt. Mix with a spoon to form a shaggy dough. You can add a little more flour if need be.
  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured bench, and dot with the butter. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. This will take about 7 minutes. You may need to flour the bench a few times when you first start kneading.
  5. After you have finished kneading place dough in a large oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot to rise until it doubles in size. This will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Start scrolling:

  1. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Turn out dough onto a floured bench, and punch it down. Cut dough in half.
  2. Working with one half and a floured rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 25 x 35 centimetres.
  3. Warm the jam slightly in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Spread half the jam on the dough. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the coconut and then 1/3 cup of cranberries.
  4. Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll across the dough to form a log.
  5. Using a piece of cotton (or unflavoured dental floss) cut the log of dough into 8 pieces. Place these (cut side down) onto the lined baking dish.
  6. Repeat process with the other half of the dough.
  7. Cover the dish lightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise once again, in a warm spot. [If you would like to you can put them in the refrigerator at this point, and then just take them out an hour before you would like to cook them in the morning.
  8. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Third and final act:
  1. Slide the puffily pretty rolls into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Your rolls should be a beautiful golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the middle will come out clean.
  2. Remove rolls from the oven and while they cool a little prepare the frosting.
  3. To make the frosting simply mix coconut and icing sugar with enough water to make a thick paste.
  4. Drizzle frosting over warm rolls. Take a moment to revel in the blend of yeast, coconut, and warm fruit that will now perfume your immediate vicinity. This is life. This is good.
  5. Serve to your family, friends, or anyone who might randomly show up lured by the comforting promise that is baking bread. Or, gobble up as many as you can and enjoy some soul restoring alone time.

Just one more, just because I can….