homemade granola + fruit compote

Friends invited us round for brunch a few weekends ago.  They whipped up this quick granola and fruit compote which was to die for, a little piece of heaven I had to ask how it was made. It sounded so simple, I  immediately got on the case.

From now on, I make sure I always have a pack of frozen berries in the freezer for whenever I need to make this delicious little number.  It's great too when you have friends come stay for the weekend.  There is something that feels quite posh about serving this to guests and leaves a lasting impression - meanwhile it's the easiest thing in the world!

Oh and it has to be served with Greek yoghurt!!!

All you need is a packet of frozen berries and mixed seeds and oats which you toast (these keep forever in jar).

Little tip:  I sometimes serve it as a dessert too with crushed biscuits on top, Ginger biscuits work well so to do Amaretti (almond) biscuits.

 

You will need:

 

For the compote:

• 1 packet of frozen berries (any flavour, I used mixed summer berries but it also works well with plain blueberries)
• 1 Tbs of honey
• Juice from 1/2 an orange

 

For the granola:

• Oats
• Mixed seeds, I use pumpkin seeds, linseeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (a packet of superfood seeds usually has them all)

 

 

Method:

 

1) Make the compote by putting frozen berries in a pan with honey and orange juice and simmer on low heat till it waters down and starts to thicken, not too thick as it will thicken more when it cools so should still be a little runny.  Allow the compote to cool before serving.  Keeps for a while in the fridge.

 

2) Toast the seeds, as much or little as you need (quantities up to you) a good mix of oats to seeds ratio is good.  Toast them under the grill for a few seconds, keeping a constant eye on them as they burn very quickly.

 

3) Serve over Greek yoghurt with the compote and seeds on top.

brekkie egg baskets (healthy)

There is nothing better than waking up on a lazy Saturday morning, listening to Rod Stewart classics and a good fry up.  

These brekkie eggs in toast baskets are my take on a quick, mess free, healthier option to a fry-up and a great way to start the weekend. 

They look more complex than they are.  They are surprisingly simple (like most things on this blog) and very impressive little things.

In fact this would make a great breakfast when cooking for the masses.  You know those weekends when the house is full of friends and Xmas beds.  Those weekends you've usually been out the night before and you wake up craving a good breakfast.  I'm always torn between frying or grilling and which method is going to make the least mess.  These toast baskets involve very little mess and everyone gets theirs at the same time, thus solveing the delayed toast scenario where there is always one person waiting for his toast to pop, or a single egg to be fried. 

You get to bake all the toast baskets at once, first in the oven and then simply add the eggs and poach in the oven till they are the desired consistency. 

After making these I thought they would be great served on a bed of spinach.  On this occassion I served them with a fresh tomato and chilli salsa.



Brekkie eggs in toast baskets

You'll need:

• sliced bread (any type, brown, white, rye etc)
• eggs
• fresh tomatoes, diced
• chilli (optional) diced
• oregano
• mushrooms

Method
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees
2) Grease a muffin tray and lay a slice of bread in each mould, creating a cup
3) Bake the bread till crispy or golden brown, approx 20 - 30 minutes
4) Once baskets are crispy, add the eggs, one egg per cup.  You may add whatever other ingredients you like, creamed spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms etc.  And bake till eggs are soft, approx 10 minutes
5) Serve with chopped tomatoes and chilli salsa and mushrooms.

Top tip: 

I love giving the eggs extra flavour, add a sprinkle of chicken spice, paprika or oregano.

mozzarella herb muffins (Low GI)

This time of year is a very busy time in the garden.  Everything doing what they need to do to prepare for the winter. Trees loosing their leaves, squirrels collecting and storing their food and plants buckling down on low energy mode.  I wanted to make the most of the herbs before they disappeared.  I picked all that were left and decided to make these healthy herby mozzarella muffins.  They make a wonderful savoury afternoon snack for children and great to take round to friends.

Makes 12

You'll need:

• 1 cup mozzarella
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup oat bran (or plain oats)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
• 4 chopped cherry tomatoes (or 1 chopped regular tomato)
• 2 large bunches of herbs (mint, parsley, chives, oregano; approx 10 Tbs in total)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 15ml olive oil
• 15ml balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2) Mix dry ingredients together

3) Add herbs, yoghurt, oil and vinegar and mix well.

4) Grease a muffin pan well

5) Spoon mixture into the pan and bake for 25 mins or until golden.