Cranachan

If you saw SBS last night it was "Eat well: Why most food labels are wrong about calories"

Did you see it?
Well...they had this cranachan on there, its a traditional scottish dessert. In modern times it is usually made from a mixture of whipped cream, whisky, honey and fresh raspberries, with toasted oatmeal soaked overnight in a little bit of whisky. Aye!

Well you may know my last name Farquharson is Scottish so my ears and eyes perked up when this was mentioned and I was like "omg I have to make that, it looks like all kinds of deliciousness right there! "

I made it tonight and had it for dessert, I thought it was too good not to share and you guys have to make it!
I also thought this would be a fabulous breakfast!
Anyhoo...this is what I came up with!
You could drop the oats and just use flaked almonds and flaked coconut or other nuts and seeds and follow the recipe the same, you could also not use cream and just use yoghurt:)

Cranachan
Serves 4
100g (1 cup) rolled oats
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey 

Melt the honey and butter in a pan on a low heat, add the oats and stir until the oats are golden brown and toasted, careful not to burn them, set aside to cool

150ml cream (whipping cream)
½ cup of greek yoghurt or other plain yoghurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract (or some whiskey)

Whip cream, vanilla (whiskey if using) and honey together until stiff, watch out it doesn’t turn to butter! Then fold in yoghurt until combined.

250g fruit- you could use pear, banana, passionfruit, kiwifruit etc….
I have used 125g raspberries and 125g strawberries, chop the strawberries up.
To assemble you can use whatever you choose, like a glass or dessert bowl. Put in some fruit in each glass, then oats, then cream, then repeat with fruit, then oats and cream on top. If you have any left have the top layer with some oats and fruit.

Cauliflower cheese fritters

Make 12 fritters approx

Ingredients

500g cauliflower, grated or blitz to a resemble bread crumbs

3 eggs

1 cup of grated cheese (100g) I used a mix of mozzarella, tasty and a little parmesan

1 tsp salt- I like this amount but you can half this

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

Method

Mix all together. Fry off in some oil in a large pan and using a spoon drop a tbsp of the mix and form a circle, press down slightly like a pancake. Have the heat low to medium so they cook without burning. Turn over when golden brown underneath. Serve up!

This could be an entrée, a veg side dish, or serve with salad or some poached or fried eggs for a breakfast. You could make mini ones and top with smoked salmon crème fraiche or sour cream and a sprig of dill, perhaps a couple of capers. 

Stir fried oats with apple, sultanas and cinnamon

Ingredients

1 cup of rolled oats

1 egg

2 tbsp coconut flakes or shredded coconut

2 tbsp slivered or flaked almonds

2 tbsp sultanas

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup of water or milk

1 apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges

2 tbsp coconut cream (opt) for the topping

Honey or maple to taste for the topping

Method
Mix oats together with the egg, set aside.

In a pan with some butter fry your apple wedges until golden brown and set aside. In the same pan, add more butter if needed and add your coconut, almonds, cinnamon and oat mix. Stir fry until golden brown and nice and toasted, then add your milk and sultanas. Keep stirring until there is no more liquid, about 1 minute. Serve up in 2 bowls and top with your apple, coconut cream and honey.

Chocolate, oat and seed clusters

Ingredients

2 cups of oats

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup of chopped pumpkin seeds

½ cup of flaxseeds

½ cup of sesame seeds

¼ cup of chia seeds

1/3 cup of honey or maple

½ cup of coconut oil or you can use light olive oil or a mix of the 2

2-3 tbsp cacao powder

Method

Mix altogether and spread out on a lined tray about 1 cm thick, pack down. Bake at 140c for about 1 hour. It will still be crumbly when you take it out but when it cools it firms up. If you find it’s not all crisp after cooling you can put in back in the oven, I found some of the middle wasn’t done when it cooled as it was thicker so I took the outside bits that were crispy and put in a container and then put the rest back in for 10 minutes. Serve in big pieces as a snack or break up a little more and have for breakfast with milk, yoghurt and berries/banana. Store in an airtight container

Jaffa bircher/porridge

Ingredients

2 tbsp oats

1 tbsp coconut

1 tbsp lsa (ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almond)

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp honey

3 tsp cacao powder

½ an orange- best to use organic as you will use skin and all

Method

Roughly chop your orange, and blitz until mostly smooth (use skin and all) Add enough liquid to make 250ml. I have used almond milk. Put in your jar or container with the rest of your ingredients (you can blitz coconut if you don’t want it shredded) Shake or mix well. Leave overnight in the fridge and serve with some coconut yoghurt/greek yoghurt and mandarin segments

served cold with coconut yoghurt

More health-promoting phytonutrients (flavanones) are found in the peel and inner white pulp of the orange than in its liquid orange center. The herperidin molecule found in the white pulpy portion of the orange molecule has been arguably singled out as the most important flavanone in oranges. It has been shown to lower high blood pressure as well as cholesterol in animal studies and to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Pectin and other fibers found in the white layer beneath the skin of the orange can also help curb appetite and suppress hunger for up to 4 hours! And contrary to common belief, this white pulpy portion is not bitter. Because this most nutritious part of the orange is removed when oranges are juiced, it is just one more reason to select whole oranges over juice. And leave some of the white inner peel on your oranges for some of those extra nutritional benefits!

Sesame and nut porridge with fig, vanilla and honey

This uses 5 tbsp nuts/seeds/coconut you can use any combination you like

Gluten/grain free

Serves 1

 

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

3 brazil nuts

1 tbsp macadamia nuts

1 tbsp shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp honey

1-2 dried figs

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 cup liquid- I have used half almond milk and half coconut milk kefir

Method

Blitz/pulse up every (except the chia seeds) until mostly fine or until your liking, put into your jar/container and add your liquid and chia, shake well and put in the fridge overnight, heat up if you want it as a porridge or you can eat it cold. Serve with yoghurt, butter, coconut cream if you want

Buckwheat, nut and seed porridge

Serves 1

You can leave the buckwheat out if you like. This is a very filling brekky!

Buckwheat is not wheat at all, it is a fruit seed! It is related to rhubarb. 

Buckwheat contains phytochemicals such as; quercetin which is anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. There is also rutin which is also an antioxidant. Rutin also strengthens the capillaries and circulation.

Ingredients

1 tbsp raw buckwheat

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp shredded coconut

3 brazil nuts

1 tbsp cashew nuts

1 tbsp goji berries

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maple or honey

2 tsp maca powder or other powder such as camu camu, cacao, mesquite, lacuma, acai, maqui  etc, or leave out completely

1 cup of almond milk

Method

Blitz everything except the chia and goji berries, you can have as chunky or as fine as you want it. Put into your jar or container and add the chia, goji berries and milk, stir well. In the morning you can have it cold as a bircher muesli or hot as a porridge, serve with berries/yoghurt/coconut cream etc…