Breakfast
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Recipe: Shakshuka with feta
As I’m still having food withdrawals from my trip to Israel earlier this year, I have been trying to replicate some dishes in my kitchen. Shakshuka is perhaps the most popular breakfast dish in Israeli cuisine. It’s basically eggs poached in a rich tomato-based sauce, served with bread, optional toppings and a few sides. Shakshuka with feta is one of my favourite variations. This dish is gluten-free if served with gluten-free bread. I used Nonie’s Food gluten-free pita, which like all their breads is outstanding. This is a vegetarian breakfast but you can omit the cheese for a dairy-free/vegan version.
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Recipe: Peanut butter protein banana bread
This peanut butter protein banana bread is great for breakfast, morning tea or afternoon tea. Because it’s high in protein, it also qualifies as a great post-workout snack. This treat is gluten-free and can be dairy-free. In addition, it does not contain added sugar. Notes on ingredients: I think this is common knowledge by now, but in case you didn’t know: super ripe bananas make the best banana bread You can use either smooth or crunchy peanut butter, as it will be ground further in the food processor anyway I used natural whey protein isolate from True Protein but you can use any type of whey or plant-based protein powder…
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Recipe: Morcilla and eggs with broccolini and braised fennel
Morcilla is a type of blood sausage that is popular in Spain and its former colonies. In Perú, it is mostly enjoyed in a bread roll, but I like to pair it more interesting accompaniments. Hence, I created this brunch recipe: morcilla and eggs with broccolini and braised fennel. A couple of good morcilla brands in Australia are Rodriguez Bros and La Boqueria. The recipe calls for a few different steps just because I wanted to choose the best cooking method for each element to achieve the desired end result: tender fennel, bright crunchy broccolini, brown morcilla slices and gooey eggs. However, there is no reason for you not to…
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Recipe: Asparagus and feta frittata
This asparagus and feta frittata is a quick breakfast you can make on the weekend and refrigerate to eat during the week. It’s a great way of consuming quality protein, calcium and vegetables in the morning. Of course, you can also pair it with a salad to have it for lunch or dinner. You can use this same basic recipe as a template and substitute your favourite vegetable and cheese. Feel free to add your favourite herbs and spices, too.
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Recipe: Banana pancakes
Banana pancakes are the perhaps the easiest pancakes you’ll ever make. This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free. The basic recipe has only 2 ingredients: banana and eggs. That’s 1 serve of fruit and 1 serve of protein foods ticked off for the day. I add cinnamon because I love its taste and it helps control blood sugar. Ripe bananas work best for this recipe, as they are easier to mash. Smaller pancakes are easier to flip. If you are like me and the sweetness of the banana is enough, you can use unsweetened yoghurt (e.g. YoPro or Rokeby Farms) or peanut butter (e.g. Mayver’s) as toppings. These will also…
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Portable breakfast ideas
I was recently motivated to come up with some portable breakfast ideas. Based on recommendations by Dr Valter Longo and others, I’ve been aiming to keep my food intake within a 12 hour window every day. The main reason I’ve struggled to comply with this rule is that sometimes I get home pretty late (8pm or later) after working out. The solution To solve this, I’ve adjusted my breakfast time to ~8am, which means I now eat breakfast at work. This means my breakfast has to be: a) portable and b) not too weird (okay, maybe just a little). The breakfast ideas Below is the nutritional breakdown of several combos…
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Recipe: Chorizo frittata
This is an easy, tasty recipe that makes good use of leftover frozen vegetables. You can have it for breakfast or serve it with a big salad for lunch or dinner. Enjoy! I used Mexican-style (uncooked) chorizo. You can use Spanish-style (dried) chorizo, which is already cooked, in which case you can place it straight in the roasting dish without cooking it. This recipe is gluten-free and low-carb.
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Recipe: Jugo surtido ("assorted" juice)
The funny thing about this juice is that the name tells you nothing, however everyone in Lima (possibly in Perú) knows exactly what to expect. The taste of a classic jugo surtido is, I’m sure, ingrained in the memories of millions of limeños who have ever set foot in a juguería (juice bars). When I was growing up, the best juguerías could be found in mercados (markets). Popular flavours were papaya, lúcuma con leche (lúcuma and milk), fresa con leche (strawberries and milk), plátano con leche (banana and milk), surtido and especial (surtido plus algarrobina and egg). I hated lúcuma until my mid-20s, the other single-fruit ones were common at…
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Product review: Chrissy’s Cuts sausages (plus recipe inside)
Chrissy’s Cuts sausages are made with quality cuts of meat that come from ethically farmed free-range and grass-fed animals. In addition, they do not contain any fillers, flours, nitrates or additives. I love her tagline “because meat shouldn’t be a mystery”. The current varieties on offer are beef brisket with smuggled greens and pork shoulder with bacon and maple syrup (killer combo!). I got a pack of the latter to sample. As you can see from the photo below, the ingredients list is super clean. Instead of just cooking the sausages and throwing them on a pile of coleslaw (my default modus operandi), I decided to use them to make…
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Recipe: Egg & olive salad
More egg salad madness! This variation includes olive oil mayonnaise and olives, a combo that is very familiar for Peruvians. If this variation doesn’t appeal to you, try the egg & cucumber or egg pesto recipes.
