Austrian Croissants / Monica's Breakfast Bread (Godkipferl)

I made these for brunch today and they were delicious!  They're lovely with a hot mug of chocolate or coffee, a great way to treat yourself on a cold day.

Makes 6

Ingredients:-
- 1kg strong white plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1tsp salt
- 2 x 7g sachets of fast-action dried yeast
- 500ml milk, lukewarm
- 15g caster sugar, plus extra for dredging
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk, beaten

How to:-
1.  Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and yeast.  Pour the lukewarm milk into a separate bowl and mix with the sugar and oil, then beat in the 2 large eggs.
2. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mix to form a soft dough with your hands.  Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.  Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave for 15 minutes.  Dust 2 non-stick baking sheets with flour.
3. Knock back the dough and divide into 6 pieces.  Take a piece of dough and cut it into 3.  Roll or stretch each of the 3 pieces into sausage shapes about 20-25cm long.  Pinch the 3 together at one end, then plait the strands and pinch together at the other end.  Repeat with the remaining 5 pieces of dough.
4. Shape each plait into a crescent shape, place them on the floured baking sheets and leave to rest for 5 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4.
5. Brush the crescents with the beaten egg yolk and dredge them with caster sugar, then bake for 25 minutes until they are well risen and golden.  Take them out of the oven and check that the crescents are cooked by tapping the base - it should sound hollow.  Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.

[Recipe: The Hairy Bikers' Big Book Of Baking by Si King and Dave Myers]

Scrambled tofu & black bean burrito

A hearty breakfast option that also works well as a light lunch. I used chili flakes to give a little heat but if you like it hot, just add slices of the real thing.

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
Bitchin' Breakfast Burrito
Serves 1

Ingredients:-
- 100g firm tofu, crumbled
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 1 vegan sausage, chopped or crumbled
- 2 or 3 baby new potatoes, chopped
- handful of black beans (or pinto)
- 1 wholemeal tortilla
- Ketchup or other condiment (optional)

How to:-
1. Boil the baby new potatoes until tender (around 15 mins). Chop and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the tofu, garlic, yeast flakes, soy sauce, turmeric, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. In a frying pan, cook the vegan sausage according to pack. Once cooked, chop/crumble into the tofu mixture bowl.
4. Heat the oil in the frying pan and heat the potatoes and beans. Add in the tofu mixture and stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Place the tortilla over the pan to warm it and then place on a plate and add your condiment is using.
6. Carefully transfer the food onto the tortilla, keeping everything in the middle.
7. Wrap around and fold the bottom to envelope everything.
8. Serve whilst hot.


Notes: This would be great with some vegan cheese, salsa, peppers, chilies, mushrooms, tomatoes..the list is endless!

Healthy breakfast muffins

Perfect for breakfasts on the go and packing into lunchboxes. These little muffins are made with wholemeal flour so they will help to keep those hunger pangs at bay until lunch time. Have a go at experimenting with different fruit and nut combinations. Or if you prefer a sweeter muffin, try making some with dark chocolate chunks and maple syrup.

Blueberry


Tropical:
zest of 1 orange,
use chopped banana and dessicated/shredded coconut for the fruit
and macadamias or hazelnuts.

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
Basic Fruit and Nut Muffins
Makes 12


- 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 250g wholemeal flour
- 65g unrefined light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 300ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 150g fresh or dried fruit, diced/chopped if necessary
- 60g chopped nuts (optional)


How to:-
1. Preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5. Grease a standard muffin tray or use liners, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and mashed banana.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk, oil and vanilla essence.
4. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until barely combined.
5. Stir in the fruit and nuts.
6. Transfer to the prepared muffin tray and divide evenly.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin centre comes out clean.


Notes: The original recipe calls for Ener-G egg replacer but I used a ripe mashed banana instead to act as the "egg". The main reason for this is because in my household, I always have some sorry looking bananas left in their bowl at the end of the week so this is a great way to use them up.

Homemade granola

This is so easy to make, once you try it, you'll never buy store-bought again!

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
Home-Made Granola
Makes about 500g

- 175g porridge / rolled oats
- 125g sliced or chopped almonds
- 60g unsweetened dessicated / shredded coconut
- pinch of sea salt
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil (plus a little more for the baking sheet)
- 125g dried fruit e.g raisin mix

How to:-
1. Preheat oven to 150C/Gas 2
2. Arrange the oats on a large lipped baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the almonds, coconut and salt. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and oil.
5. Stir the toasted oats into the almonds bowl and add the syrup mixture, stirring thoroughly to combine everything.
6. Grease the baking sheet with a little oil and spread the granola evenly and bake. Stir occasionally until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
7. Sprinkle on the dried fruit and if you feel the granola looks a little dry, drizzle on a little more maple syrup and oil.
8. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack, be careful, this will be hot!
9. Store in an airtight container.

Notes: I couldn't find any rice syrup which the original recipe called for, so I used 2 tablespoons of extra maple syrup, with the result being very maple-syrupy which I loved! You could try using agave nectar instead and choose different nuts/dried fruits for variation. Serve your granola with your favourite soy/rice milk/yoghurt and add fresh fruit if desired.

Vegan McMuffin / breakfast sandwich

This little beauty reminds me of those calorie and fat laden McMuffins that McDonalds serve. Thankfully, this one is completely vegan and has much less fat! You can play around with what you want to put in them; try a portobello mushroom, add some tomatoes or cheese, load it up with salad, put in a sliced faux sausage, the options are endless. P.S I was in a little hurry taking the photo so I realise that the muffin is upside down, it was still tasty though :)

Adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch:-
THE Breakfast Sandwich
Serves 1

- 50g tofu, sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 2 slices vegan bacon
- soy butter/marg spread for the muffin
- 1 wholemeal English muffin, split and toasted
- pinch of sea salt (optional)
- pinch of pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)
- ketchup for serving (optional)

How to:-
1. If using, mix the tofu with the soy sauce and set aside.
2. In a frying pan, melt the rapeseed oil. Add the tofu and bacon and cook for a few minutes.
3. Toast the muffin and spread lightly each side with soy butter.
4. Assemble as desired with the tofu and bacon, adding the salt/pepper/ketchup if wanted.
5. Serve immediately whilst hot.


Notes: I'm trying to eat wholemeal/wholegrain carbs nowadays and avoiding the nasty white stuff wherever possible. Wholemeal English muffins are to die for. If you don't have much love for the whole stuff, try these. I used Cauldron tofu and Redwood's Organic Bacon Style Rashers. I didn't like the bacon much, it was very chewy. If I was making this for myself, I would probably use bacon from Quorn which would make it vegetarian. I also tried using Tofutti's Cheddar Cheese Slices which are simply awful, so I skipped those. For the soy spread I used Pure.

French tofu scramble

I've wanted to cook properly with tofu for a while but never got around to it, until now. I'm really pleased with how this turned out for my first effort. I am AMAZED by how similiar scrambled tofu is to scrambled eggs. Seriously, after making this, I could quite happily not eat whole eggs ever again and I doubt I would miss them. This is a nice cooked breakfast on its own or you could easily bulk it out with more veggies and a side of carbs to turn it into a more substantial lunch or dinner time meal.

Adapted from Skinny Bitch In The Kitch:-
French Scramble
Serves 1

- 100g firm or extra-firm tofu
- handful of grated vegan cheese
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or put through a press
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon rapeseed oil
- 30g sliced mushrooms, any kind - I used normal white button ones
- handful of baby spinach leaves to serve (optional)

How to:-
1. In a bowl combine the tofu, cheese, garlic, soy sauce, turmeric, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, melt the oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender.
3. Stir in the tofu mixture and cook for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally and until any excess liquid has evaporated.
4. Serve immediately on a bed of baby spinach leaves if using.

Notes: I used Cauldron tofu and Redwood's Cheezly Mozzarella for this one. The vegan cheese grated and melted easily with the scramble. I couldn't taste it a great deal whilst eating so if you prefer a more cheesier dish, just add more cheese! The original recipe calls for spring onions which I left out because I hate onions and nutritional yeast flakes which I left out as I couldn't find them. I have since ordered a tub of Marigold Engevita's nutritional yeast flakes via eBay and will use these next time I make this dish. I also couldn't find any refined coconut oil so used rapeseed oil instead, and I prefer to eat spinach raw rather than cooked so that's just a matter of personal preference.

Strawberry, grape and melon fruit salad

I've recently read Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. Loved the book and found it very informative on a lot of issues. I've started to change some of my eating habits and the first one that I've found the easiest to do was to have something simple for breakfast. Fruit is the breakfast of champions so I've been enjoying this simple fruit salad lately.

Strawberries are probably my favourite fruit. I could eat them all day, everyday and I'm always sad when they go out of season. I love grapes and all types of melons so this is a perfect little starter in the mornings for me.