Today I’m sharing two breakfast recipes that are a good alternative to porridge, or a quick cup of coffee and a slice of toast on rushed mornings. I think they are each worth trying some weekend.
We have always taken great pride in our breakfasts at MacNean. We have three chefs on the team each morning, led by Marie McGlone who has been taking charge for 15 years now.
This MacNean granola is her recipe. A few weeks back, we had the blessing of the graves in Blacklion, and I had 12 of the family back to the restaurant for breakfast. Believe it or not, it was only my second time to enjoy being served this breakfast in the restaurant. I felt very proud of our team.
One thing about both breakfasts today, is that you can adjust your quantities according to your preferences. Get a good Irish yoghurt as a lot of the yoghurt in shops is imported. I recently had the pleasure of filming with Pauline Dunne from Killowen in Wexford, a ninth generation family farm, where she and her brother, Nicholas, use only their own farm milk. Great producers and delicious yoghurt. Also, look out for a good local honey.
Now is the time to buy and freeze Irish berries for your smoothie bowls during the year. You will get the best flavour and value. Pat Clarke is producing beautiful strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, another of our finest producers. You could use the MacNean or shop-bought granola. And instead of chia, you could use sesame or poppy seeds. The fun in making a smoothie bowl is in the decoration.
Ingredients: Fills a 600ml Kilner jar
4 tbsp sunflower oil
4 tbsp honey
350g porridge oats
100g seed mix (pumpkin, sesame, chia)
100g mix of raisins, honey-roasted peanuts, pineapple and cranberries (trail mix)
Natural yoghurt, banana, raspberries and blueberries, to serve
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/ gas mark 3). Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
2 Put the oil and honey in a large pan over a low heat and stir until they have melted together. Stir in the oats and the seed mix until evenly combined, then tip out onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
3 Stir in the trail mix and leave to cool, then transfer to a Kilner jar or suitable airtight container until ready to use.
4 To serve, put some granola into a serving bowl and top with a dollop of yoghurt. Slice up a banana and
scatter some raspberries and blueberries on top.
Ingredients: Serves 2
2 small bananas
225g frozen Irish mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries and blackcurrants)
6 tbsp natural yoghurt
4 tbsp granola
1 tbsp coconut flakes
1 tsp chia seeds
Method
1 Peel the bananas and cut into slices, then put three-quarters into a blender. Save the rest to decorate.
2 Add the frozen mixed berries, reserving a few for decoration, then add the yoghurt. Try to use frozen Irish berries.
3 Blitz the fruit mixture to a smooth purée. Using a spatula, put into small serving bowls. These can be frozen for a few hours at this point to firm up, which might be necessary if you have used imported berries that needed to be blanched.
4 To serve, decorate the smoothie bowl with the rest of the banana and berries along with the granola and coconut flakes and chia seeds.
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