Breakfast Quickie for working Girls

While working every weekday and having breakfast at the office, you have to plan what one can have for breakfast. It should be something delicious.. Of course... Something perfect to be prepared on the evening before.... Because who has time In the morning ? Shower , getting dressed, one cup of tea before leaving home..... So here a easy and yummie recipe for a healthy and delicious office breakfast.

You need (2 persons):

- 2 cups of some muesli mix (for this recipe I like some Bircher muesli mix with nuts)

- 300 g plain Yoghurt 

- 2 Apple

- 1 tsp grounded cinnamon 

Some honey to sweeten the yoghurt if wanted...

To prepare :

1. Mix muesli with 200 g yoghurt and sweeten with honey (if wanted ).

2. Grate coarsely the apples ( no need to peel the apples) and mix with cinnamon according to your taste.

3. First put the muesli in a glass, than top with some yoghurt and at least with the grated cinnamon-apples.

Reserve in the fridge until next morning before leaving home :). At the office: enjoy your delicious breakfast and have a good start in the new day ;).

Chia Pudding with Matcha and Yoghurt - ready to go Breakfast

Always looking for some tasty and easy to prepare breakfast, somewhat of a take away Breakfast, I found different recipes of chia pudding. Here I combine Chia with Matcha, Greek Yoghurt and some fruit purée. In my opinion the tastiest way eating Chia.

You need (for 2-3 servings)

- 3 Tbsp Chia seeds

- 1 tsp Matcha powder

- 1/4 tsp ground vanilla

- 200 ml soy milk ( or any other milk you like..)

- 1 Greek Yoghurt (250 ml or more) 

- 2-3 Tbsp honey (if vegan replace for example by cane-, maple - sirup or ....). Amount depending how sweet you like it.

- 6 Tbsp fruit purée ( I took a ready to use Mango purée. One can also prepare the purée by taking a good ripe mango, peel it, slice in medium sized cubes and then mix it to purée in a blender).

To prepare:

1. Pour over the chia seeds the milk, add the Matcha tea, the vanilla, 1 tsp honey and mix well. Refrigerate for about one hour or longer and stir from time to time. The prep will turn to a pudding-like consistence. Might be that you have to wait a little bit longer if you want really beautiful layers. I waited too short 😊.

2. Sweeten the yoghurt with some honey.

3. When the Chia is thickened, pour it in a glass, top with the yoghurt and then with the purée. You can add to the purée some fruit cubes (for example some fresh Mango cut in cubes and stirred to the purée. I added some raspberries).

That's it! Reserve the Chia pudding in the fridge until eating. It's perfect to prepare in the evening for your office breakfast next day.....

Crunchy Choc-Hazelnut Spread

I am not so the sweet one in the morning... Means that I am not one of those who only love Croissant and Jam for their breakfast..... I rather prefer some Porridge or some Bread with butter. But on the other Hand I love Sweets and so as "sweetlover" You also love Nutella, this chocolate-hazelnuts spread one can buy in the supermarket... In fact I don't know how it taste on a bread but I know how delicious it is savouring directly out of the glass.. spoon after spoon... So of course I was more than  curious when I found a Recipe in the new Cookbook " vegan to go" from Attila Hildmann for a Self done chocolate - hazelnuts spread. And so I instantly tried it, modified it a little bit... And OMG the Result is tremendous.... Here is the recipe.

You need:

90 g dark chocolate (I used one from Sarotti)

70 g icing Sugar

200g Butter (When vegan  use vegan butter) at roomtemperature

200g Hazelnut puree (to find in Bio Markets for ex.)

1 tsp. ground vanilla Bean 

40 g whole hazelnuts, roasted in the oven at 180 C until the skin is easily removable (there is no problem if there is some skin leaving....) and then you put  them in a plastic bag and crush them with a Rolling pin.

To prepare:

1. Melt the chocolate directly in a pan at medium heat by stirring from time to time, or in the microwave or in a Bowl over some simmering water

2. Stir together Hazelnut puree, butter, vanilla and sugar unter well combined (I used a  handheld electric Mixer). Than add the melted chocolate and stir once again until evenly combined.

3. Fold in the crushed hazelnuts and fill the Cream in Glaspots

4. Reserve the spread in the fridge but get it out some minutes before eating when you want it to be easy to spread. When you savour it with a spoon... It's fine directly out of the fridge ☺️

Egg in a hole

My daughter loves New York.... Hmmm, is anybody not lovin NY? So for her birthday She got a cookbook from Marc Grossmann with recipes from his hometown NY. Really great book! There are a lot of recipes I wanna try.... One of those was the recipe for "egg in a hole". Simple and easy to make but so yummie!

You need (per person):

1 Egg

1 slice of toast bread

Some olive oil and salt and pepper to season

1 round cookie cutter

How to prepare:

1. Cut out with the cookie cutter a hole in the middle of your toast bread and put the bread on a plate.

2. Break the egg in two halves and pour the egg white over your bread. Reserve the egg yolk. Let the bread soak well with the egg white. Turn to both sides so that both sides are well soaked with the white.

3. In a pan heat up some olive oil and put the bread in the pan. Pour the yolk in the hole of the bread. After about 1 minute turn the bread to the other side and wait until crispy and brown.

Season with some salt and pepper to your convenience and .....mmmmmmhhhhhh.....yummie.... Can I get a further one.... 😉

Vegan Lavender Rice Pudding

Looking for some new quick Breakfast also fine to take away, I found this recipe for a lavender flavoured  Rice Pudding.. Easy to prepare and yummie!

You need (2 portions)

- 100 g rice flakes 

- 300 ml milk (Almond-, oat-milk or what ever. If you are not vegan use normal milk...)

- 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

- 2 tsp. dried lavender

- 1 tbsp. butter (vegan of course if strrictly veganista .....)

- Lemon zest from 1/2 organic lemon

To prepare:

1. Put lavender in a tea bag.

2. Bring to boil milk, sugar and lavender. Then remove the pan from the Heat, cover with a lid and wait for 10 minutes.

3. Remove the lavender - tea bag. 

4. Bring once again the milk to boil and stir in the rice flakes and the butter, as well as the lemon zest. Then turn off the heat and stir from time to time until obtaining the desired consistence. Sometimes you will need to add some more milk.. Adjust the amount to your taste...

Or you eat the Rice Pudding right now or you put in some glasses, add if wanted  some fruits ( I find blueberries very fine to combine...) and reserve in the fridge... You can eat then the Pudding cold or heat it up for some seconds in the microwave oven before savouring.....

Vegan Salsa di Noci Buns

                          

On sunday morning Breakfast can be celebrated and extended and therefore you may need some fresh hot buns but also quickly done... One will also chill on sunday, no? Here is a quick done recipe for some buns that I filled with a salsa die noci that I bought in Italy last holidays. So for me this treat reminds me also some good days.. Holidays.. Italy.... Sun... Fun.... If you don' t have a salsa di noce (could be hard to find outside Italy) just take some Pesto genovese..... 

I also used once again half of a pack of a ready to bake Croissant dough and my little muffin forms. If you don't have little muffin forms, no problem at all. Or you take normal muffins form and get bigger buns (attention here for baking time.. Might be longer..) or you just bake on a baking tray armed with parchment paper. Then you get a sort of rolls.. The taste is similary delicious... ;) 

You need:l

200 g of a ready to bake croissant dough 

1 glass of salsa di noci (or Pesto)

Some pine nuts

Little bit of butter for your forms as well as some flour

To prepare (you'll get about 12 little buns):

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C and prepare your muffin tray: buttering and dusting with some flour

2. On your dough smear the salsa and roll to the middle from both sides to get a long roll. Then cut in about 2 cm wide pieces.

3. Place in your prepared muffin tray and put on each bun some pine nuts.

4. Bake for about 18 minutes until golden brown

Breakfast here we come, we' re ready!

                            

                           

Oven baked French Toast

I love french Toast.. On a lazy sunday morning.... A good cup of tea... Some good book... This recipe for french Toast is genious as it is baken in the oven and meanwhile you can prepare the rest of your lazy sunday breakfast. I found the recipe in a cookbook from Donna Hay. I adapted it only a little by changing the used milk and reducing the number of eggs and using some brioche.
You neeed: (serves 2 - 4)
4 Brioche slices (rest of a brioche)
1 big egg
250 ml soy milk
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Some vanilla essence (or vanilla sugar)
2 tbsp. Agave syrup
Some salt, a little bit melt butter (for the baking dish), some maple syrup
To prepare:
1. Cover your baking dish with some parchment paper or baking foil and brusch with some melted butter.
2. Put the brioche slices int the buttered dish.
3. Mix together milk, cinnamon, sugar, milk, vanilla, a pinch salt and pour over the brioche.
4. Wait for about 20 minutes and then put in the to 180C preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
5. Serve with some powder sugar and maple syrup

Millet - Porridge with Oatmilk

 I confess that since my childhood I hated gruel, porridges and all those things. But starting with vegan meals and being growen up I tryed different porridge and became a fan  :). One I really love is this millet porridge prepared with oatmilk. I would not drink oat milk without any addition. I find it also does´nt look very attempting. But for cooking this porridge it´s ideal as it does not get burnt. Meaning that it is ok when you stir only from time to time...
You need (for 3 - 4 servings):
150 g fine millet
500 ml Oatmilk - and some more milk (oat, soy or whatever) to adjust the porridge before serving to the creamyness you like
some agave syrup
1 - 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
Some grated Vanilla bean (amount up to your taste)
Different fruits cut into small pieces or you use a fruit salad
To prepare:
1. Bring millet together with the oatmilk to a boil and then let simmer at low heat for about 30-40 minutes. Stir from time to time. If needed add some more milk (when millet is not yet cooked)
2. Adjust with Cinnamon, grated vanilla bean and agave syrup up to your taste
3. For serving place the millet porridge in a bowl and decorate with fruits or you give it in a glass by layers (1 layer porridge, 1 layer fruit ...). It might be that you have to add some more milk before serving to get it more creamy.

Up to you you can eat the porridge while warm or you eat it when cooled down. I like to prepare a bigger amount and then reserve it in my fridge for a ready to take away breakfast for the next days.

Homemade Lemon Curd

It is not a secret that I like to drink tea.. so one may not wonder that I like also tea time and the traditional english tea time with scones, sandwiches and ... lemon curd. Until now I´ve not found a lemon curd to buy that I find tasty. I think this is also the reason why for a long time I did´nt like Lemon Curd at all. The Mom of my best friend one day made herself some Lemon Curd and I had the chance to receive a glass for tasting it.. Heaven. I had never eaten such a good Lemon curd ever before. I asked her for the recipe...here it is....

You need:

- 440 g sugar

- 225 g butter
- juice from 3 organic lemons (about 100g) and grated peel of one of the lemons

- 3 big eggs

To prepare:

1. In a bowl placed over boiling water (but the bowl sould not touch the water) mix together with a eletric mixer butter, lemon juice and grated peel as well as sugar until well combined.

2. With a fork mix the 3 eggs and add to your butter-sugar-lemon mix and continue beating over the hot water until you get a creamy consistence. This takes some minutes, so be patient...and be aware that your mixture does not boil (otherwise it will not get smooth and creamy)...

Thats all!!!! Fill the cream immediatly in some glasses (like a marmelade). One can preserve the Lemon Curd in the fridge for some weeks.

I love lemon curd on a fresh, hot Toast.. of course with a cup of tea :) yumm!

For Dessert: French Toast with Mascarpone ice and hot caramelized peaches

I confess that for a long time I was afraid to make French toast at home. All the good toasts I´ve got out in a Café for Breakfast; I thought that I never could do it that good... In my country French Toast is not so well known, so I ate it mainly when beeing in GB or France for Holidays.. I also thought that it would take a long time to do french toast... Since my last stay in London I was determined to try it very soon regardless my fears... And now I could do it every day... It is so easy and so fingerlicking... But why only serve them for Breakfast, why not as a dessert? So I was brooding for some days over the question what to combine with my french toast that I had decided to serve for dessert at my annual "Girlfriends Summer - Dinner"... And I think I´ve got it: a rich, milky icecream + caramelized, slightly warm fruits + the hot, soft French Toast....Yummie
You need (serves 4 - 6 persons):
For the Toast:
- 1 slice toast / person
- 280 ml Milk
- 2 big eggs
- 3 dashes Vanilla Paste (or a scraped vanilla pod)
- 3 Tbsp. butter and enough sunflower oil for the frying pan (to cover the base for about 5 mm)
For the Ice Cream:
- 350 g Mascarpone
- 200 ml Milk
- 90 g icing sugar
2 medium sized eggs
- 2 dashes Vanilla Paste
For the caramelized peaches:
- 2 big peaches (sliced)
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- a good knob butter
To prepare:
1. Start with the preparation of the ice cream as it will need some time to be ready/frozen (the time it needs depends on the way you prepare it: or over night in your fridge or the time that your ice machine needs. In my rather simple ice machine it takes about 50 minutes to get a  creamy ice).
Separate the eggs. Mix together in a bowl Mascarpone, icing sugar, milk and egg yolks until you get a creamy, frothy texture.
2. Beat the eggwhites until stiff and fold them in in your mascarponemix.
3. Put this mix in your ice machine and .. yeah wait until it´s finished and ready to serve.

4. Or you wait until your ice cream is ready to start baking the french toast or you have done the ice the day before or you use one from the supermarket... For the french toast mix together milk, eggs and vanilla paste in a flat dish and place the Toasts in it and let them soak on both sides for several minutes (the longer they soak the more difficult it becomes to handle them but also your toast will be more fluffy... so at least you should let them in your milkmix for about 5 minutes)

5. Heat up sunflower oil and butter in a non sticking pan and bake in it the soaked Toasts. Each side takes about 1 minute, just wait until golden brown and a little bit crispy... If you have to wait for the other toasts reserve the ready done ones in the to 50 C preheated oven. (drain them shortly on a kitchen paper when taken out of the pan)

6. Meanwhile the toast bake you give in an other pan the dark brown sugar and heat it up until it starts to melt. Than add the butter and wait once more until melted. Add the peaches that you have sliced previously and cover them with the caramel by turning them occasionally.

7. On a dish arrange the French Toast with ice and caramelized peaches, dust with icing sugar and drizzle all over some more of your fruitcaramel...

Even when you are no more hungry after your Lunch or Dinner... I would wonder if somebody could resist to this dessert..... :))

A good reason for "Croissants de gazelles"...

Blossoms, Flowers all around... and they have stolen me an hour....

Every year the same.

When the day comes where we have to adjust our watches because of Winter - Summer-Time change  it is like a signal for starting the gardening time.. A friend of mine who is a professional gardener ever tries to stop us, because it is of course to early to start planting as it might get colder once again.. But Gardencenters and Florist attracts us with some Springtime Opening Events... and so my sister, beeing impatient to "reopen" her terrace and getting new plants, and myself decided to make a short trip to the Springtime Event of one of a very stylish Gardener nearby our hometown...  We´ve been there for about 3 hours, looking around, choosing some flowers, tasting wine and juices, trying new earings..... Getting home we were both satisfied with our conquests. To continue the "Flowerfeeling" and to satisfy the desire of our palates, we decided to have a late Breakfast with some Croissants de Gazelles and a good cup of tea.

I don´t know if you ever have heard about "Cornes de Gazelles". It is a sweet treat from arab-french cuisine consisting of a special dough filled with ground almonds flavoured with "eau de fleur d´orangers" (water of Orangeblossoms). The name of this treat come from his form, as it shall remind the corns from gazelles. Eau de Fleur d´oranger is very well known in the south of France, la Provence. You can find there a lot of sweets flavoured with this special flavour. So it might be a little bit difficult to get it in your country. When ever I am in France I try to bring a little bottle of Eau de Fleurs d´orangers at home. So as we wanted to satisfy our desire quite quick we made a sort of a "Fast Food Variation" of cornes de Gazelles by using a ready to use Croissant Dough, that you can find in quite any supermarket and filling with the flavoured almonds.. and here they are our Croissants de Gazelles!

You need (for 6 Croissants):

-  1 Package of a ready to use Croissant Dough (for 6 Croissants)

- 2 - 3 tbsp. of a jam (I used the rest of a clementinejam)

- 2 tbsp. Eau de Fleur d´oranger

- 20 g icing sugar

- 80 g ground almonds

- 2 tbsp. icing sugar mixed with 1 tbsp. water to glaze the Croissant

To prepare:

 1. Preheat your oven to the temperature that the producers from your Croissant Dough recommands (it will be around 200 C)

2. Prepare your almond filling by mixing together the ground almonds, with the Eau de Fleur d´orangers and 20 g icing sugar. You will obtain some sort of a paste.

3. Open the Croissant-Dough package as explained on the package and divide into the predesigned Triangles

 3. Smear some jam on each Triangle and disperse the flavoured almond paste on it.

4 . Roll each Triangle to a Croissant and put them on a baking tray armed with parchement paper

5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

6. Meanwhile the Croissants bake you can prepare the Glaze (and the Tea :))) by mixing 3 tbsp. icing sugar with 1 tbsp. water

7. When the Croissants are ready baked sweap the glaze on each of them with a baking brush.