Breakfast is and has always been part of my everyday routine. I might swap it for brunch occasionally at the weekend but other than that, I just cannot skip it.
The thing with breakfast and me is that I cannot stick to the same things to eat day after day. For example: two pieces of toast with butter and jam, a fruit and a mug of green tea. That sounds great and perfect to start the day, and honestly it would be so easy to have this everyday. I like eating this type of breakfast, I really do. But after a couple of weeks, breakfast food boredom starts to set and I need to find something else to eat.
I usually swap the pieces of toast for slices of brioche or toasted challah bread, and green tea for a mint infusion. Another time, I like to move on to porridge and a mug of lemon and ginger infusion. And on occasions, I make myself a bowl of Greek yogurt topped with granola and drizzled with Irish honey (we get ours directly from E.’s family, it is so delicious!). Since I am in a granola phase at the moment, I thought I would try and make my own so I get to choose what flavours go in it.
The thing with breakfast and me is that I cannot stick to the same things to eat day after day. For example: two pieces of toast with butter and jam, a fruit and a mug of green tea. That sounds great and perfect to start the day, and honestly it would be so easy to have this everyday. I like eating this type of breakfast, I really do. But after a couple of weeks, breakfast food boredom starts to set and I need to find something else to eat.
I usually swap the pieces of toast for slices of brioche or toasted challah bread, and green tea for a mint infusion. Another time, I like to move on to porridge and a mug of lemon and ginger infusion. And on occasions, I make myself a bowl of Greek yogurt topped with granola and drizzled with Irish honey (we get ours directly from E.’s family, it is so delicious!). Since I am in a granola phase at the moment, I thought I would try and make my own so I get to choose what flavours go in it.
I had never made a batch of homemade granola before and now that I have tried it, I do not think I can go back to store-bought. It is not only easy to make but also so much nicer when you get to decide what ingredients go in it.
For this batch, I added some chopped hazelnuts and dried apricots, two flavours I really enjoy. The smell of the granola baking in the oven was just so wonderful. Afterwards, I knew I had to let it cool down completely before eating but I could not resist grabbing a little chunk to taste (a few actually, just to make sure it was still good 5 minutes later, and 5 minutes after that, and...).
I filled a couple of jars with it. It turns out that one batch makes a whole lot of granola. For breakfast the next day, I spooned a good dollop of Greek yogurt in a bowl, sprinkled it with a few chunks of my homemade apricot and hazelnut granola, and drizzled it with a heaped teaspoon of Irish honey. Et voilà! That’s another kind of breakfast to add to my list of various things I like to eat to start the day.
For this batch, I added some chopped hazelnuts and dried apricots, two flavours I really enjoy. The smell of the granola baking in the oven was just so wonderful. Afterwards, I knew I had to let it cool down completely before eating but I could not resist grabbing a little chunk to taste (a few actually, just to make sure it was still good 5 minutes later, and 5 minutes after that, and...).
I filled a couple of jars with it. It turns out that one batch makes a whole lot of granola. For breakfast the next day, I spooned a good dollop of Greek yogurt in a bowl, sprinkled it with a few chunks of my homemade apricot and hazelnut granola, and drizzled it with a heaped teaspoon of Irish honey. Et voilà! That’s another kind of breakfast to add to my list of various things I like to eat to start the day.
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What do you eat for breakfast?
I would love to read your ideas in the comments!
Are you familiar with breakfast food boredom? Or is it just me…
***
What do you eat for breakfast?
I would love to read your ideas in the comments!
Are you familiar with breakfast food boredom? Or is it just me…
***
Apricot and Hazelnut Granola Recipe (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons light olive oil
175g agave syrup
1 vanilla bean
300g rolled oats*
100g roughly chopped hazelnuts (blanched or with skin on)
120g chopped dried apricots
1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (150ºC Fan). Line two baking trays with greaseproof baking paper.
Cut the vanilla bean** in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and mix them well with the olive oil and agave syrup in a large baking bowl. Pour in the rolled oats and chopped hazelnuts and stir with a wooden spoon until they are lightly coated.
2. Divide the granola onto the two lined trays. Spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Place one tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake*** for 30 minutes until golden (my oven is too small to accommodate 2 baking trays on a shelf and it would not work if I placed a tray on the lower shelf underneath the other so I cook my granola in two batches instead). Half way through baking, stir in the chopped dried apricots.
3. Leave to cool down completely in the tray before breaking in pieces***. Store the granola in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Serve the granola at breakfast with creamy Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey or E.’s favourite: with unsweetened almond milk and pieces of whatever fruit is currently in season. It would also go really well with this breakfast yogurt panna cotta recipe.
Notes:
* make sure the oats are certified gluten free if you are allergic.
**A great way not to waste a cut and scraped vanilla bean is to put it in with your caster sugar. It will add a wonderful flavour to it!
***If you prefer your granola with less clumps, stir it every now and then while it bakes. But leave it as is if you prefer chunkier pieces of granola.
Bon appétit!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons light olive oil
175g agave syrup
1 vanilla bean
300g rolled oats*
100g roughly chopped hazelnuts (blanched or with skin on)
120g chopped dried apricots
1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (150ºC Fan). Line two baking trays with greaseproof baking paper.
Cut the vanilla bean** in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and mix them well with the olive oil and agave syrup in a large baking bowl. Pour in the rolled oats and chopped hazelnuts and stir with a wooden spoon until they are lightly coated.
2. Divide the granola onto the two lined trays. Spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Place one tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake*** for 30 minutes until golden (my oven is too small to accommodate 2 baking trays on a shelf and it would not work if I placed a tray on the lower shelf underneath the other so I cook my granola in two batches instead). Half way through baking, stir in the chopped dried apricots.
3. Leave to cool down completely in the tray before breaking in pieces***. Store the granola in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Serve the granola at breakfast with creamy Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey or E.’s favourite: with unsweetened almond milk and pieces of whatever fruit is currently in season. It would also go really well with this breakfast yogurt panna cotta recipe.
Notes:
* make sure the oats are certified gluten free if you are allergic.
**A great way not to waste a cut and scraped vanilla bean is to put it in with your caster sugar. It will add a wonderful flavour to it!
***If you prefer your granola with less clumps, stir it every now and then while it bakes. But leave it as is if you prefer chunkier pieces of granola.
Bon appétit!
