I’m not a morning person. Never have been. In fact, I don’t trust anybody that is. I know so many people that see breakfast as their prime opportunity to energise themselves and get their bodies in good stead to face the day. I am no such person.
On weekdays, breakfast to me is a hindrance. I’d much rather suck on a strong coffee at my desk that be stove side, which is why my weekday breakfast always contains oats that are soaked overnight so all I have to do of a morning is lift a Tupperware lid.
But the weekend is where I come alive. The weekend is where I am able to express a little more proactive love in the Kitchen and give my body the breakfast it so deserves. From quick five minute porridge to decadent chocolate pancakes, the weekend is where I am able to throw myself into a real treat before I pretend to be a grown up.
TOMATO & AVOCADO BREAKFAST BRUSCHETTA
Preheat your oven to 200C. Snip some cherry tomatoes from their vine and place on an oiled baking try. Drizzle with some oil and scatter with salt/pepper before slipping in the oven for 30 minutes. While it roasts, halve a baguette and keep to one side.
Halve an avocado, remove the stone and scrape its jade flesh into a bowl. Scrunch this up with the back of a fork before pouring in a splash of cider vinegar and some salt. Drizzle the bread with a little olive oil and place on the tray of tomatoes for the last 10/15 minutes of the tomatoes cooking time.
Remove from the oven, butter the bread, spread the avocado on top and crown with the tomatoes.
COCONUT & ALMOND PORRIDGE
Put a handful of almonds into a freezer back and gently bash (gently bash – how oxymoronic) them to a mixture of dust and crackles. Pour into a saucepan with about 50g or so of rolled porridge oats and a tablespoon of chia seeds. Put in a small pinch of cinnamon, a little nutmeg, some soft brown sugar and a droplet of vanilla extract.
Pour in 170ml of almond milk and turn the heat on. Bring it to a gentle bubble, stirring as you go. Add a handful of desiccated coconut and continue to stir on a gentle heat until the oats have absorbed the milk and is oatily swollen. Oatily. Sure, let’s go with it.
Once oatily swollen, serve with a scattering of whole almonds for extra crunch and a quick throw of a little more coconut.
CHOCOLATE OAT PANCAKES WITH MINT CHOCOLATE SAUCE & HAZELNUTS
Drop 100g of porridge oats into a blender and blitz up to a scruffy looking flour. Tip this into a bowl with a tiny bit of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder and a measly tablespoon of coco powder. Mix this together before pouring ion 100ml of milk (full fat, yes please). Stir this to a batter and put to one side to rest. Could even be done the night before.
When you’re ready, start with a chocolate sauce by literally just dropping about 100g of mint chocolate in a pan and gently melting on a hob, stirring as you go. Once the chocolate starts to melt, pour in a little double cream and keep stirring until a thick, velvety chocolate sauce forms. Keep this on a low heat when you crack on with the pancakes.
Pour a tiny dab of flavourless oil in a big frying pan and swish it around just to grease the base. Heat this up and once the pan is hot, pour in four globs of the pancake batter, no more than about a small teacups worth per batter. These measurements will give you about 8 small, American style pancakes. You’ll know when to flip when small bubble pockets start to form on the pancake surface. Flip and cook for another 2/3 minutes on the other side.
Once you’ve flipped up 8 pancakes, pour over the chocolate sauce and serve with a nutty scattering of hazelnuts. Happy weekend.
MIKEY AND THE KITCHEN. 