The old adage might be to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper, but all too often we start the day staring bleary-eyed into a soggy bowl of cereal. However, these breakfast recipes from Paul O’Callaghan, food blogger and author of Calso Cooks: Real Food Made Easy, are definitely worth getting out of bed for. A former plasterer, O’Callaghan has won a loyal following for his no-nonsense recipes through his blog Calso Cooks From The Sustainable Larder. His first book covers everything from courgette carbonara to guilt-free panna cotta. And here’s a taster to whet your appetite – and give you at least one good reason to leap from the leaba in the morning.
Melon and yoghurt crunch pots
These are a super healthy, fast and delicious start to the day...and not a cooker in sight.
1 melon or a melon medley pack
Natural low-fat yogurt
A handful of bran cereal
A handful of sunflower seeds
A small handful of raisins
Honey
Chop the melon roughly into bite-sized pieces.Divide them among four tumblers, pour some yogurt over the top and top this with the cereal, sunflower seeds and raisins. Finish off with a squirt of honey. Serve immediately.Pumpkin seed scones
Scones can be plain or have dried fruit in them, like raisins or sultanas, but I like to put seeds in mine, or a mix of seeds and fruit. There is nothing like making a fresh batch of scones first thing in the morning – the only problem being that I find it hard to stop eating until they are gone.
Makes 12
450g plain flour, plus some for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch of salt
115g butter
60g sugar
A handful of pumpkin seeds
275ml skimmed milk
1 medium egg
Preheat the oven to 180°C.Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl (no need to sift), add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until lump free and well incorporated. Stir in the sugar and pumpkin seeds with a wooden spoon.Beat the milk and egg together in a jug.Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients in the bowl and pour most of the milk and beaten egg in (reserve a little to glaze the scones) and fold this all together until it forms a dough.Dust a clean work surface with flour and scrape the dough out on to it. Dust the dough with more flour and gently knead it into a ball. Roll it out until it is about an inch thick. Then cut out in circles using a pastry cutter (use up all the dough by reforming and rolling).Place the circles on two greased and floured flat baking trays and use a pastry brush to glaze the tops with the reserved milk and egg mix.Place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and lightly golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.Banana and oat muffins
Muffins are a great ‘smash and grab’ breakfast. They keep well for a few days in an airtight container so they can be made when convenient and used for those mornings where there is a rush on or a snooze button pressed too many times – we’ve all been there.
260g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
100g porridge oats
100g soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs
185ml low-fat natural yogurt
60ml rapeseed oil
2 ripe bananas mashed
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a muffin tray with muffin cases.Sift the flour, cinnamon and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the oats and brown sugar.Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and mix in the yogurt and oil. Add in the mashed bananas and combine well. Add the wet mix to the dry flour mix and combine with a wooden spoon – the mix does not have to be fully smooth.Divide the mix evenly among the muffin cases. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and when cool enough to handle, place on a cooling rack until fully cool.Spiced French toast with walnut, blueberries and maple syrup
Growing up, French toast was something I had for supper, but now it’s a regular breakfast feature.
2 medium eggs
40ml skimmed milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
A sprinkle of cinnamon
A small handful of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Rapeseed oil
4 slices of good wholegrain bread
100g blueberries – fresh or frozen ones that have been thawed
Maple syrup (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon, then set aside. Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat and toast the walnuts for a few minutes, then set these aside in a spare bowl.Add a splash of rapeseed oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Dip both sides of a slice of the bread into the egg mixture, letting it soak in well. Cook in the hot pan for one to two minutes on either side and repeat this for the four slices, keeping them warm in a medium-heated oven when cooked.Serve the French toast with the chopped walnuts, blueberries and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.Calso Cooks: Real Food Made Easy is published by Mercier Press, RRP €19.99.
The old adage might be to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper, but all too often we start the day staring bleary-eyed into a soggy bowl of cereal. However, these breakfast recipes from Paul O’Callaghan, food blogger and author of Calso Cooks: Real Food Made Easy, are definitely worth getting out of bed for. A former plasterer, O’Callaghan has won a loyal following for his no-nonsense recipes through his blog Calso Cooks From The Sustainable Larder. His first book covers everything from courgette carbonara to guilt-free panna cotta. And here’s a taster to whet your appetite – and give you at least one good reason to leap from the leaba in the morning.
Melon and yoghurt crunch pots
These are a super healthy, fast and delicious start to the day...and not a cooker in sight.
1 melon or a melon medley pack
Natural low-fat yogurt
A handful of bran cereal
A handful of sunflower seeds
A small handful of raisins
Honey
Chop the melon roughly into bite-sized pieces.Divide them among four tumblers, pour some yogurt over the top and top this with the cereal, sunflower seeds and raisins. Finish off with a squirt of honey. Serve immediately.Pumpkin seed scones
Scones can be plain or have dried fruit in them, like raisins or sultanas, but I like to put seeds in mine, or a mix of seeds and fruit. There is nothing like making a fresh batch of scones first thing in the morning – the only problem being that I find it hard to stop eating until they are gone.
Makes 12
450g plain flour, plus some for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch of salt
115g butter
60g sugar
A handful of pumpkin seeds
275ml skimmed milk
1 medium egg
Preheat the oven to 180°C.Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl (no need to sift), add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until lump free and well incorporated. Stir in the sugar and pumpkin seeds with a wooden spoon.Beat the milk and egg together in a jug.Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients in the bowl and pour most of the milk and beaten egg in (reserve a little to glaze the scones) and fold this all together until it forms a dough.Dust a clean work surface with flour and scrape the dough out on to it. Dust the dough with more flour and gently knead it into a ball. Roll it out until it is about an inch thick. Then cut out in circles using a pastry cutter (use up all the dough by reforming and rolling).Place the circles on two greased and floured flat baking trays and use a pastry brush to glaze the tops with the reserved milk and egg mix.Place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and lightly golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.Banana and oat muffins
Muffins are a great ‘smash and grab’ breakfast. They keep well for a few days in an airtight container so they can be made when convenient and used for those mornings where there is a rush on or a snooze button pressed too many times – we’ve all been there.
260g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
100g porridge oats
100g soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs
185ml low-fat natural yogurt
60ml rapeseed oil
2 ripe bananas mashed
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a muffin tray with muffin cases.Sift the flour, cinnamon and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the oats and brown sugar.Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and mix in the yogurt and oil. Add in the mashed bananas and combine well. Add the wet mix to the dry flour mix and combine with a wooden spoon – the mix does not have to be fully smooth.Divide the mix evenly among the muffin cases. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and when cool enough to handle, place on a cooling rack until fully cool.Spiced French toast with walnut, blueberries and maple syrup
Growing up, French toast was something I had for supper, but now it’s a regular breakfast feature.
2 medium eggs
40ml skimmed milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
A sprinkle of cinnamon
A small handful of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Rapeseed oil
4 slices of good wholegrain bread
100g blueberries – fresh or frozen ones that have been thawed
Maple syrup (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon, then set aside. Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat and toast the walnuts for a few minutes, then set these aside in a spare bowl.Add a splash of rapeseed oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Dip both sides of a slice of the bread into the egg mixture, letting it soak in well. Cook in the hot pan for one to two minutes on either side and repeat this for the four slices, keeping them warm in a medium-heated oven when cooked.Serve the French toast with the chopped walnuts, blueberries and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.Calso Cooks: Real Food Made Easy is published by Mercier Press, RRP €19.99.
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