Recipes: Bold Brekkies

Blueberry & beetroot porridge with chopped walnuts (pictured above)

Start the day right with this colourful breakfast of blueberry and beetroot porridge, packed full of antioxidants and guaranteed to power you through the day.
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
470ml water
100g rolled oats
¼ tsp cinnamon (plus more for serving)
200g blueberries, fresh or frozen
3-4 tbsp maple syrup (to taste)
Pinch salt
2 large ready cooked (vacuum pack) beetroot, chopped
Yogurt and chopped walnuts to serve

Method
Bring the water to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan and tip in the rolled oats and cinnamon.

Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all water is absorbed.

While the oats are cooking, in a separate pan, combine the blueberries, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and place on a medium heat.

Bring this mixture to the boil then uncover and allow blueberries to cook gently until soft and the juice around the blueberries is thick (about 10 minutes).

Add the chopped beetroot and continue cooking just until beetroot is hot.Add desired amount of oatmeal and blueberry-beet sauce to bowls. Serve with plain yogurt and chopped walnuts.

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Celery, pear and ginger juice

Give yourself a flavour and health boost with this tasty juice featuring apples, pears, celery and ginger. Plus celery is a prebiotic so can help keep bloating at bay.


Ingredients
2 green apples
2 pears
4 sticks of celery
3cm fresh ginger

Method
Chop the fruit and celery into chunks. Put everything through a juicer then chill in the fridge. Stir well before serving.

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Celery, spinach and cucumber juice

Boost your nutrient intake with this super green juice. Enjoy in the morning for a healthy start to the day or in the evening to help with a good night's sleep as celery contains the chemical serotonin, one of the most important brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters, for regulating the sleep/wake cycle.
Serves: 1
Preparation time: 5 minutes each
Cooking time: n/a

Ingredients
1 cucumber
5 sticks of celery
2 apples
1 bag Fresh & Naked baby spinach leaves
1 lime
1 tsp honey

Method:
Chop the cucumber, celery and apple into chunks. Put everything through a juicer then chill in the fridge. Stir well before serving.

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Juniperberry & Black Pepper Infused Beetroot salsa with Feta on rye toast

Make cheese on toast exciting with this quick and easy recipe featuring smooth and creamy feta cheese topped with ruby red infused beetroot.
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: n/a


Ingredients:
4 Juniperberry & Black Pepper Infused Beetroot, chopped into small cubes
2 spring onions, sliced
1 sprig mint, leaves chopped
zest of ¼ lime
2 tsp olive oil
4 slices rye bread
80g feta cheese

Method
In a bowl, combine the beetroot, spring onion, mint, lime zest and oil and season.

Toast the bread and butter if desired. Cut 4 small slices of feta across the depth of the block and place one on top of each slice of toast then top with the beetroot salsa.

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Shallot and Bacon Breakfast Tart with Rarebit Topping

Serves 4
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes


Ingredients
for the pastry
200g plain flour
100g butter, cubed and chilled
Pinch curry powder
Pinch poppy seeds
Water

for the Welsh Rarebit
200g Lancashire cheese
100g stilton
30ml milk
25g plain flour
25g breadcrumbs
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

for the sticky shallot and bacon mix
3 tbsp olive oil
6 rashers streaky bacon, cut into thin strips
10 shallots, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
2 tbsp honey
2 handfuls of fresh spinach, shredded

to finish:
Mixed salad leaves
Simple vinaigrette

Method
For the pastry tarts, place the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the curry powder and poppy seeds then enough water for it to come together to form firm dough. Leave to rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Dust a work surface with some plain flour then roll the pastry out thinly then divide between 4 individual tart cases. Prick with a fork then bake blind for 8 minutes until golden and crisp.

For the rarebit, place the Lancashire cheese, stilton and milk into a casserole pan and heat slowly until the cheese melts.

Add the flour and breadcrumbs and cook out for 1 minute until the cheese thickens and comes away from the edge of the pan.

Remove from the heat, cool slightly then place in a food processor. Add the egg yolks, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and blend until smooth.

For the sticky shallot filling, heat the olive oil and fry the bacon until golden, add the chopped shallots, garlic and honey and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded spinach and season to taste.

When ready to serve divide the shallot mixture into the 4 tartlet cases, reserving some for garnish, pour the rarebit over the top of the filling, ensuring it covers the whole tart. Bake in a hot oven for 5 minutes. Finish off under a hot grill until glazed and golden.

Serve with some mixed salad leaves and a simple vinaigrette.

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Smoked Salmon with Sweet and Sour Shallots, Radishes and Olive Oil

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
100ml white wine vinegar
5g caster sugar
100ml water
100g whole round shallots
250g smoked salmon
½ bunch of French breakfast radishes
30ml olive oil
50g fresh baby pea shoots

Method
Make the marinade for the shallots by combining the vinegar and the sugar in 100ml of water. Bring to the boil and allow to go cold.

Cut the shallots into very fine rings and place in to the cooled vinegar mixture, allow to infuse (This can be for up to 1 hour.)

Choose the dish that you are going to serve your smoked salmon on and very carefully and nicely arrange the salmon onto it.

Slice your radishes very finely to the same thickness as the shallots and place into ice cold water for ½ hour.

When you are ready to serve, pick the shallot rings out of the marinade and scatter liberally over the smoked salmon.

Drizzle with the lemon scented olive oil and scatter over the radishes and finish with the fresh pea shoots.

Serve with slices of lemon, good bread and a little more salad

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Warm Watercress Potato Cake with Poached Egg and Trout

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 40 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients
700g potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
100g watercress, lightly chopped
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve
150g hot smoked trout fillets, broken into flakes
50g watercress
4 eggs

Method
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10-15mins or until they are tender. Drain, return to the pan and mash until smooth. Add the chopped watercress, beaten egg and plenty of seasoning. Mix well then leave until cool enough to handle.
Preheat the oven to 200oC/ 400oF/Gas Mark 6. Divide the mixture into four, and shape each into a neat cake shape. Brush on all sides with the oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins or until the cakes are golden brown.
When ready to serve, bring a frying pan of salted water to the boil. Reduce the heat so the water is just simmering, then crack the four eggs and gently drop them into the water. Cook for 3-4 mins or until the eggs are poached to your liking. Lift them from the water with a slotted spoon and drain.
Place a potato cake on each plate, top with watercress, flaked trout and the poached egg. Serve straight away.

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Hot Smoked Salmon & Watercress Frittata

Simple and quick enough for breakfast, yet impressive enough to serve for supper or lunch with friends and family, this frittata is loaded with goodness. If you're not a fan of fish, replace it with some cooked ham or chicken, or for a vegetarian option, try chickpeas or roasted sweet potato.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
6 spring onions, finely sliced
150g watercress
150g hot smoked salmon
Zest of half a lemon
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of ground nutmeg
10 large, free-range eggs
1 tbsp crème fraîche
25g feta cheese, thinly sliced (optional)

Method
Pre-heat the grill.

Warm the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan with an oven-proof handle and sauté the spring onions over a gentle heat for a few minutes until soft.

Add the watercress and stir, gently, until the watercress begins to wilt.

Remove the skin from the hot smoked salmon, and flake it into pieces into the pan. Add the lemon zest and dried chilli, if using.

In a bowl, season the eggs generously with salt, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, add the crème fraiche and whisk until combined. Pour into the pan and cook over a gentle heat, moving the mixture around with a spatula every now and then, until the bottom of the frittata is set and the top is still wobbly.

Scatter over the feta cheese (if using).

Pop the frittata under the grill for another 2-3 minutes, to finish cooking the top.

For more recipes see  www.lovethecrunch.com & www.lovebeetroot.co.uk