Breakfast Burritos

Burrito's are awesome. So much goodness crammed into a light tortilla casing and best of all, you can eat it with your hands. Bacon and eggs are also awesome, though a little harder to eat with your hands. You could try, but let's face it, it would be messy. Well the breakfast burrito is the perfect solution to this problem. It's your favourite fry up foods, with Mexican flair and some salad and salsa for good measure. Plus it makes it healthy right? Yes! This has just become a health food. Just... maybe don't eat it every day. 


Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 flour tortillas
• 1/4 red onion
• 1 small tomato
• 1/2 small green capsicum
• 4 cm of cucumber 
• juice of half a lime 
• 4 rashers of middle eye bacon - the not too fatty kind, it makes it easier to bite through inside the wrap, oh and healthier.  
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk 
• salt and pepper 
• 1 cup of leftover cooked white rice 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce (optional) 

• 1 can of baked beans (or chilli beans) 
• 4 slices of cheddar cheese (or 1/2 cup grated cheese)  
• 2 cups of salad greens 
• optional: jalapenos, sriracha sauce, and sour cream to serve

Salsa

Finely dice the onion, tomato, capsicum and cucumber and mix together in a bowl. Add lime juice and season with a little salt. Stir and set aside. 

Bacon 

Heat a tbsp of oil in a heavy based fry pan and on a low heat, cook bacon until lightly browned on each side, then set aside in a warm oven (about 60 degrees) to keep warm while you prepare the rest. 

Red Rice

In the same pan that you cooked the bacon, add the cooked rice, 1/4 cup of water, tomato sauce and sriracha, stir over a low heat till all the tasty bacon flavours are lifted off the pan, the rice is a lovely red colour, and the water has evaporated, it may still be a little wet at this time, but remove into a small bowl and pop in the warm oven while you scramble the eggs.  

Eggs

Use a fork to lightly beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper. In a clean pan, heat 1 tbsp oil on a low heat and pour in the beaten eggs. Use a spatula to occasionally scrape the bottom of the pan so that the eggs scramble. Once set remove from the heat. 

To Assemble

Heat the baked beans in a small pot or microwave. 

Heat the tortillas for a couple of minutes in the warm oven, or 10 seconds in the microwave. 

Divide the fillings between the four tortillas centring in the middle a little: bacon, beans, cheese, rice, eggs, then salsa and a handful of greens. Adding jalapenos, sriracha, and sour cream if desired, though it's equally as tasty without. 

Fold the ends of each tortilla in slightly, then roll the tortilla around the filling so the seam is on the bottom, the slice diagonally. 

Toasted Muesli

As the mornings get colder (and often wetter) firing up the oven and making your own muesli is the perfect way to toil away a wet weekend morning. This version is refined sugar free and is loaded with delicious clusters of crunchy oats as well as being loaded with nuts and seeds. 
Feel free to adapt it as you like. Here I've used a mixture of quick cooking oats (for the clusters) and larger wholegrain oats, but if you want a richer clusterful muesli, omit the larger oats at the end. 
Also feel free to adapt the combinations of nuts and seeds which are added. I love walnuts, so went with that this time, but cashews, macadamia, almond or pecan would also be delicious and no doubt I'll be mixing it up with my next batch. If you're a dried fruit fan, you can add that at the end once it has finished cooking. 

Ingredients (makes 10 cups of muesli; 20-30 serves):  

• 3/4 cup dried pitted dates
• 2 tsp vanilla essence 
• 1 tbsp cinnamon 
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water extra
• 3 cups of quick cooking oats
• 1 cup coconut
• 3 cups of traditional wholegrain oats - I used Harraways 
• 1 cup nuts - walnuts, almond, cashew, macadamia, pecan or a mixture
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit of your choice - sultanas, apricot, cranberries etc (optional) 

Put dates, vanilla, cinnamon, and 3/4 cup of water into a small saucepan. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. We want the dates to begin to dissolve in the water, and the water to reduce so the result is a date paste. 

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius, and place 3 cups of quick cook oats and coconut into a large roasting dish. 

Add 1/4 cup of oil, and another 1/4 cup of water to the date mixture. Mix well to combine, then stir through the oats. It should be a sticky mess at this stage. Excellent. 

Spread evenly across the roasting dish and break up any large clusters. 

Roast for 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. You want the oats to dry out. 

Now add the remaining wholegrain oats, nuts and seeds. Continue cooking for another 10 - 20 minutes turning once. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. If using dried fruit add it once cooled. Finally, store your muesli in an airtight container for up to a month. 

Serve with your choice of fruits, yogurt and milk.    

Salmon and feta flan with peas

If you've been following my blog or recipe posts you'll notice salmon has been somewhat of a theme lately. Not to mention my assortment of sweet tarts and pies. This recipe combines the two: smoked salmon baked in a savoury pastry shell to make this delightful flan. 

Don't let the idea of making your own pastry put you off: it's actually ridiculously easy (especially with the use of a food processor - though it can be done by rubbing the butter and flour together with your fingertips), and truely impressive. Not to mention, it is a lot healthier than store bought flaky or short pastry. 

Pastry (Serves 6 - 8 as a light meal): 

• 1 1/4 c flour 
• 90 grams cold butter, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 - 6 tbsp chilled water

In a food processor, place the flour, salt and diced butter. Blitz on high till the butter is combined and it resembles breadcrumbs. 

Slowly add the iced water 1 tbsp at a time while the motor is running. The pastry will combine and become a soft sticky ball of dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, or 180 degrees on fan bake. Grease a 22cm tart tin generously with butter, or line with greaseproof paper. 

After chilling, remove from the fridge and on a lightly floured bench or piece of greaseproof paper, roll the pastry to be about 4 cm wider in diameter than your flan or tart tin. Gently press your pastry into the tin and trim the edges. (See any of my other tart posts for tips and tricks with pastry). 

Filling:

• 4 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 green capsicum, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, covered in boiling water and drained
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 150 grams smoked salmon
• 100 grams feta
• 1/2 tsp dried dill

Beat eggs with milk and salt. In the prepared pastry shell sprinkle the capsicum and peas evenly. Lay salmon over this, and then crumbled feta and red onion. 

Pour egg mixture over the top and gently press filling to ensure it is mainly submerged. 

Sprinkle with dried dill and place in the hot oven for 20 minutes. 

After 20 minutes reduce the heat to 180 degrees celsius, or 160 degrees fan bake, and bake for another 20 minutes. Once filling is set (and has most likely puffed up) and the pastry is cooked (it will be coming away from the edges of the tin) remove from the oven and set aside for 5-10 minutes to cool before slicing. 

Serve with dollops of your favourite chilli sauce.

Salmon Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini is one of those vegetables that kind of goes with everything. It's mild in flavour and still in plentiful supply due to the warm weather we've been having. The salmon makes a welcome flavourful addition, and despite the fact that it's rather expensive, a little goes a long way in this dish. 

The best thing about it is you can easily whip it up in 20 minutes, including cooking time for a delightful brunch or quick dinner solution. The recipe below serves 2 - 3 people but could easily be doubled to feed more. 

Ingredients (serves 2 - 3/6-8 fritters): 

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 small - medium zucchini, grated
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried dill 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
• 100 grams flaked smoked salmon 
• oil or butter for frying
• optional: green salad, avocado, grain toast, fried eggs and salted greek yogurt to serve. 

In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add the zucchini, spring onion, dill, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Stir in the flour and baking powder, mixing well, then finally add the milk and salmon. 

Heat a little oil or butter in a large frying pan, on a medium heat. Spoon the mixture into even sized fritters in the pan. Leave for 3-4 minutes, till small bubbles come to the surface. Flap the fritters and cook for another 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. 

To serve, prepare a light green salad, and some buttered grain toast. A fried egg on top of the fritter stack is also a nice accompaniment. Finally dollop a spoonful of salted greek yogurt onto the side. The fritters will keep in the fridge till later, but are best eaten fresh. 

Champagne Brunch

Bacon, eggs, sausages, toast, fried tomatoes. Brunch is pretty simple right? Yes. There's the usual fry up favourites, but there's also some really easy sides and ways to incorporate veggies, that can make your brunch the better. The best thing about most of these is that they can be prepared in advance and just warmed to serve, which makes them perfect for entertaining a crowd. 

The following recipes include Potato Rosti, Garlic Spinach and Thyme Mushrooms. They go great alongside your usual brunch fry ups and are prefect accompaniments for that champagne breakfast celebration. 

Potato Rosti (makes 8 small) 

• 4 large potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cracked pepper
• 2 stalks of fresh rosemary, leaves only. 
• 2 egg whites
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Spread about 3 tbsp olive oil over a baking tray or roasting pan. 

Scrub the potatoes clean and use a food processor to finely shred them. 

Squeeze excess moisture from the potatoes and put them in a large bowl with rosemary, salt pepper and egg whites (the yolks can be reserved to make hollandaise or added to your scrambled eggs). 

Shape handfuls into patties and arrange on the baking tray. 

Drizzle liberally with more olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes turning once with a metal spatula. 

These can be eaten straight away. Or, set aside and crisp each side for a couple of minutes on the BBQ hotplate or a frying pan just before serving. 

Thyme Mushrooms (serves 4-6) 

• 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried) 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly
• 20 grams butter
• 3 cups of button mushrooms, sliced about 1 cm thick
• salt and pepper 
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

Heat the olive oil on a low heat in a frying pan. Add the onion and thyme. 

Saute for 2 minutes till softened. 

Add the butter and sliced mushrooms, stir regularly for the next few minutes. 

When mushrooms begin to soften add the salt, pepper, red wine and balsamic vinegar. 

Increase to a medium heat and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes till mushrooms are soft and liquid is reduced. 

If preparing in advance simply reheat in a saucepan or microwave. 

Garlic Spinach (serves 4-6) 

• 1 bag of large spinach leaves (about 300g), stalks removed. 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 spring onion, green parts only, sliced 5mm thick

Remove spinach stalks and place in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave for 1 minute. Drain, squeeze excess liquid when cool enough to handle. If preparing in advance, set aside till you're ready to eat. 

Roughly chop squeezed spinach. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add the spinach, garlic and spring onion. Toss for 1 minute. Serve immediately. 

Kumara Rosti, Poached Eggs, Salmon and Hollandaise

The Kumara Rosti and the Hollandaise really are the star of this dish. The perfect late breakfast meal, or after one of those early morning world cup games, we've been dragging ourselves out of bed for. 
The toppings, feel free to chop and change to suit your taste, I like to alternate the smoked salmon for haloumi every now and then, and both options are delicious. 

You can get the meal started in advance, making the rosti, spinach and hollandaise early, ready to be warmed and assembled when the eggs are poached. 
The recipe serves four, but could easily be doubled or halved. 

Kumara Rosti 

• 4 medium kumara, grated
• 1 tbsp salt 
• 2 egg whites
• oil, for frying

Grate the kumara and stir through the salt. Leave to sit for 10 - 20 minutes while you prepare the hollandaise. 

After sitting, squeeze the kumara to remove excess liquid, you'll be surprised how much comes out. Stir in the egg whites. 

Heat half a cm of oil in a frying pan and use your hands to mould and flatten balls of camera, fry then in the oil, turning after 3-4 minutes. Once cooked on both sides I like to put them in a hot oven for ten more minutes to make sure they cook through, and to keep them warm while you get everything else ready. 

Hollandaise 

• 80grams butter
• 2 egg yolks 
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

Make a double boiler. Place a small saucepan of water over a low heat. Place a glass or metal bowl over the top of the saucepan so that no steam can escape. This creates a gentle heat to cook your hollandaise. 

Put the yolks and butter into the bowl and whisk constantly as the butter melts. Whisking is important, you want the butter to mix in with the yolk before it cooks. Once all butter is melted, continue whisking for a minute or two till it has thickened a little. 

Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon juice. Do this quickly, while it is still warm. Set aside, it will continue to thicken, this is ok, as when it is spooned over the warm eggs it will melt a little. 

Spinach 

• 150 grams spinach
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp oil

Pour boiling water over the spinach and drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and add the lightly wilted spinach. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes till wilted. 

200 grams smoked salmon 

or 200 grams Haloumi cheese, sliced and fried 

8 Eggs, poached in hot water

Everyone has their own poaching tricks. I do mine in a large saucepan on a low simmer, with a spoonful of vinegar in the water. 

To assemble

On a plate place two warm rosti. Place a small pile of spinach on top of each. Next layer smoked salmon, or a slice of fried haloumi, place the poached egg on top, then spoon over the hollandaise and watch it melt down over the egg and rosti. 

Salt. 

Pepper. 

Enjoy. 

Left: Rosti with spinach, haloumi, egg and hollandaise. Right: The Salmon variation

Rocket and Mushroom Omelette‏

Eggs are a great start to the day and lately my favourite way to eat them is in an omelette.

I add ground linseed (also known as flaxseed) to my omelettes to boost dietary fibre. Linseed is often used as an replacement in recipes for those with allergies, and is great added to porridge or sauces which need thickening. You'll find it in the baking aisle at most supermarkets.

Ingredients (per person):

• 2 free range eggs
• 1 tbsp ground linseed
• 3 tbsp of your choice of milk 
• salt and pepper 
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
• handful of fresh rocket leaves
• oil or butter for frying.

Method

Mix eggs, linseed, milk, salt and pepper and whisk well with a fork.

Heat oil or butter in a large pan and cook mushrooms on a low heat for 5 minutes till softened. Remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

Keep heat low and heat another tbsp of oil or butter, then pour in egg mixture. Swirl to coat the pan.

Cook for a few minutes before spreading mushrooms over half the omelette. Place rocket on top of mushrooms, then fold the other half of the omelette over top.

Cook for another minute or two till cooked through then serve with buttered toast and a dollop of relish.

This is one of the recipes I created for NZDads.co.nz

Turmeric bircher and porridge pots.

Lately I've been making up these pots at night so that I have a quick healthy breakfast ready to go in the morning. In the weekends or mornings where time isn't so pushed I make it porridge style for a warm belly filler. 

Turmeric is an odd ingredient to put in something that's not savoury, but don't worry, it has a subtle earthy flavour, which once combined with fruit, cinnamon and coconut water or milk you don't even notice. So why use it then? 
Turmeric has many health benefits. Primarily it has anti-oxident and anti-inflammatory benefits. It's also been linked to improving brain function, preventing heart disease, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimers (Source: Authority Nutrition). 

I usually make mine with coconut water. Full of B-complex vitamins and potassium for electrolytes it makes it great for keeping hydrated (Source: Nutrition & You). In saying that, there is some dispute over the actual health benefits, seeing it's high in (natural) sugars (Source: Huffington Post), though this is why I like it, it sweetens the bircher without adding processed sugar. Either way, if you're not a fan, use any other milk alternative. 

Ingredients (per serve) 

• 1/2 cup quick cook oats 
• 3/4 cup liquid (unsweetened coconut water, milk, soy milk, almond milk, whatever you prefer)
• 2 tbsp sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp raisins 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• optional fresh fruit, yogurt, and toasted coconut to serve 

Shaken with coconut water ready to chill

 Bircher pot dry ingredients

Bircher Method 

Place all ingredients into a jar or bowl. 

Shake or stir, leave overnight in the fridge, or at least a few hours. 

Serve topped with your choice of fresh fruit, yogurt and toasted coconut.

Devour. 

Porridge Method

Place all ingredients into a small pot. 

Simmer gently for 3-5 minutes till liquid has absorbed. 

Serve topped with your choice of fresh fruit, yogurt and toasted coconut and seeds. 

Devour. 

Porridge style with fried banana, toasted coconut flakes and seeds

Creamy Cashew Smoothie

I love smoothies, but don't often drink them because of the dairy, Yes, I love cheese, yogurt ice-cream, but often these delicious foods don't love me. So when I stumbled upon this smoothie recipe I was very keen to try it out, I couldn't help but add cinnamon because I find it adds sweetness, and tastes delicious. The recipe serves one as a light meal, but could be shared between two as a snack. 








Ingredients


1/4c raw cashews (do not use roasted)
1/4c desiccated coconut
1 cup of water
1 tbsp chia seed
1 banana (Frozen is best) 
1 tsp finely ground coffee (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon 

Throw all ingredients into a blender (or use a stick blender). Blitz for 1 - 2 mins. You'll notice it getting thicker, that's the chia and cashew absorbing the liquid. 
If you're not a fan of coffee, you could easily leave it out. I'm also going to try it with ground ginger next time. 

Enjoy