Breakfast Foods that warm for cold days

by eatwoo.com 18 November 2023, 20:23 1.8k Views

Orange-spiced-quinoa-porridge-with-honey-pepper-yoghurt

Breakfast Foods that Warm for Cold Days

Table of Contents

Introduction

As the chilly winds usher in the winter season, our cravings shift towards heartwarming foods. In this blog post, we will explore the delightful world of breakfast options that not only satisfy our taste buds but also provide the much-needed warmth to kickstart our day.

Benefits of Warm Breakfasts

Boosting Metabolism

Starting your day with a warm breakfast has been proven to rev up your metabolism. The heat from the food helps activate digestive enzymes, ensuring your body efficiently processes nutrients throughout the day.

Sustained Energy Levels

Warm breakfasts, rich in complex carbohydrates, release energy gradually. This sustained energy flow keeps you fueled and focused, preventing the mid-morning energy slump.

Enhanced Mood

There’s something comforting about a warm meal that extends beyond physical satisfaction. The psychological warmth derived from cozy breakfasts can positively impact your mood, setting a cheerful tone for the day.

Smoked salmon kedgeree

300 g hot-smoked salmon
2 tablespoons ghee
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
210 g (1 cup) millet, rinsed
200 g (1 cup) corn kernels
2 hard-boiled free-range eggs, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Break the salmon into large pieces.

Heat the ghee in a large non-stick frying pan, add the spring onion and spices and cook over medium heat until the mustard seeds start to pop.

Add the salmon, millet, corn and 1 litre (4 cups) of water to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes, until the millet is soft and the corn is tender. Add the eggs and parsley and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with the lemon zest and juice.Serves 4

Ginger tea

Anyone who knows me knows I am the queen of ginger tea in winter. If you visit me, that is what you are offered. I usually don’t strain it, just slice a few pieces, add them to my cup and pour in the hot water. It is my medicine. If I am going to be at home all day, then I will pop a big pan of it on and let it simmer until I have a big gingery brew. I then use this is in everything. I could bang on forever about the goodness of ginger. In short, ginger is great for digestion and nausea, has anti-inflammatory properties and relieves colds and flus. Best of all, it tastes amazing

2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh ginger

Put the ginger into cups, pour over 500 ml (2 cups) of boiling water and allow to brew for a few minutes before drinking. Make sure you chew on the little ginger shreds in the bottom of your cup, they are really yummy.Serves 2–4

Warm your toes winter chai

The fussiest chai drinker in the world, I rarely order it when I’m out because it’s never spicy enough and I have been spoilt by too many incredibly delicious masala chais in India. The secret to a great brew is time. The longer you allow the spices to bathe in the liquid, the richer, spicier and more divinely aromatic your chai will be. I don’t use black tea in my chai because I prefer it without but I have given the option of it here for those who like a caffeine hit

6 cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 black peppercorns
3 star anise
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
2 teaspoons black tea leaves or 1 black tea bag (optional)
250 ml (1 cup) unhomogenised organic milk dark palm sugar, to taste (optional)

Crush each spice separately in a mortar and pestle, then transfer to a large saucepan. Add 1 litre (4 cups) of water and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until the mixture is deep brown and fragrant. This is where the rich spice flavour comes from, so you don’t want to rush this process or your chai will taste weak and watery.

Add the tea, if using, and milk to the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes more. Strain and sweeten with the sugar, if desired.Serves 4

Feta and tomato polenta porridge

100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bay leaf
170 g (1 cup) fine polenta (cornmeal)
a handful of basil leaves
100 g marinated goat’s feta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon pepitas
1 tablespoon linseeds (flaxseeds)
150 g baby spinach

Combine 750 ml (3 cups) of water, the tomatoes and bay leaf in a saucepan, place over high heat and bring to the boil. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly to stop it from becoming lumpy. Change to a wooden spoon and continue to stir until the polenta is thick and starts to come away from the side of the pan. Gently stir in the basil and feta. Remove from the heat and cover while you cook the spinach.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and seeds and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, until the garlic starts to colour. Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes, just until the spinach wilts.

Fold the spinach through the polenta and serve immediately. The polenta will thicken on standing.Serves 4

Spicy sunshine egg

85 g (½ cup) brown rice flour
65 g (½ cup) chickpea flour (besan)
pinch of sea salt
55 g (1 cup) finely shredded English spinach
1 long green chilli, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee
8 free-range eggs
sriracha chilli sauce or Kasoundi, to serve
sunflower sprouts, to serve
fried onions, to serve

Combine the flours, salt, spinach, chilli and nigella seeds in a bowl, then stir in the oil and 250 ml (1 cup) of warm water and continue to stir until the batter is smooth.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the ghee in a large non-stick frying pan, add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and cook over medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface. Crack one egg into the centre of the chapatti, then fold the chapatti over the egg.

Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until the egg is cooked to your liking. Repeat with the remaining ghee, batter and eggs.

Serve each chapati and egg drizzled with the chilli sauce or kasoundi and topped with the fried onions.Serves 4 (2 chapatis each)

Toasted buckwheat, chia and millet granola

This isn’t granola in the true sense of the word. I’ve used warming buckwheat and millet instead of oats.

190 g (1 cup) buckwheat
95 g (½ cup) millet
75 g (½ cup) white chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons linseeds (flaxseeds)
3 tablespoons pepitas
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons nut butter
3 tablespoons ghee
3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
3 tablespoons raisins
3 tablespoons goji berries
milk of your choice, warmed, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Put the buckwheat, millet, chia seeds, spices and seeds in a bowl and mix to combine.

Combine the nut butter, ghee and rice syrup in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the nut butter softens and the mixture is smooth. Add to the buckwheat mixture and mix well.

Spread the mixture on the prepared trays, bake for 10 minutes, turn and bake the other side for a further 10 minutes, until crisp and golden. Stir in the raisins and goji berries.

Allow the granola to cool on the trays, then break into bite-sized pieces. Serve with the warm milk.Makes 500 g (4 cups)

Toasted buckwheat, chia and millet granola

Orange-spiced quinoa porridge with honey pepper yoghurt

In the cooler months I like to warm up my yoghurt with some ginger or pepper, especially if I am sweetening it. (Remember, sweet is cooling.) I know honey pepper yoghurt may sound a touch odd, but it is really very tasty.

95 g (1 cup) quinoa flakes
1 teaspoon white chia seeds
finely grated zest of 1 orange, plus extra to serve
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of sea salt
250 ml (1 cup) unhomogenised organic milk or unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon ghee
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons whole almonds, soaked overnight and sliced
orange slices, to serve

Honey pepper yoghurt

1 teaspoon raw honey
½ teaspoon cracked pink peppercorns
4 tablespoons Greek-style yoghurt

Put the quinoa and chia seeds in a saucepan, add 500 ml (2 cups) of water, the orange zest, spices and salt and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the quinoa is thick and creamy. Stir in the milk and ghee and cook until the porridge is heated through.

To make the honey pepper yoghurt, fold together the honey, peppercorns and yoghurt.

Serve the porridge with the honey pepper yoghurt on top. Finish with the raisins and almonds and extra orange slices and zest.Serves 4

Flu fighter tea

You will notice that I add the honey last when the tea is warm rather than hot. This is because in Ayurveda, heating honey above 40°C is a big no-no, which is why I tend to cook with pure maple syrup and coconut sugar and never honey. This is also the reason I recommend raw honey rather than store-bought honey, as heating honey destroys a lot of its medicinal properties.

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sliced fresh turmeric
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon raw honey

Put the fenugreek, ginger, turmeric and lemon juice into a teapot, add 1 litre (4 cups) of boiling water and allow to steep and cool for 15 minutes.

Stir in the honey. Strain into cups and serve.Serves 2–4Honey is considered different to all other sweeteners in Ayurveda. It is warming, whereas other sweeteners like maple syrup and sugar are cooling. It is thought that eating locally produced honey can help protect against asthma and hayfever.

Shakshuka

I got to know shakshuka when I was living in Jerusalem in my 20s. Here I have used haloumi but you could use marinated feta. The sauce always tastes better the next day.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
200 g chargrilled red capsicum from a jar, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
400 g can chopped tomatoes
100 g haloumi, chopped
100 g baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
4 free-range eggs
Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
watercress, to serve
8 white corn tortillas, warmed (optional)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, chilli and capsicum and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and golden. Add the paprika and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and haloumi to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Stir in the spinach, oregano and 3 tablespoons of water and cook for 3 minutes, until the spinach wilts.

Make four small indentations in the top of the sauce with the back of a spoon, leaving a bit of space between each one. Crack the eggs into the holes, cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until the whites are cooked but the yolks are soft.

Top the mixture with spoonfuls of the yoghurt and sprinkle on the watercress. Serve with the warm corn tortillas, if using.Serves 4