A seedy breakfast: sweet and spicy oats

Not so very long ago, the phrase "seedy breakfast" would have meant something altogether different. Now it means that my breakfast is full of seeds. And turmeric, and cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg... it's pretty much the best breakfast ever.

Inspired by Leo Babauta and this blog post, I have given up making New Years Resolutions and focused on changing habits this year. As the Kundalini guru,Yogi Bhajan, taught: your habits define you. I've always believed in setting intentions for the year ahead, yet this may just be a more permanent way of doing it. My January has been all about health. I had an experience during the Christmas period (which I don't feel ready to go into here just yet) that made me realise the importance of it. Good health is a blessing that we often take for granted. So this month I have avoided processed sugar, alcohol and... meat. In fact, I've gone Vegetarian. Or Pescaterian to be precise. I'm not sure how long it will last, because I do love the taste of meat, but at the moment my body feels purer and happier without it.

This seedy, oaty breakfast was invented by my mum and pimped up by moi. The oats are cold - the idea is that you don't cook them, to preserve their nutritious value - instead, you pour hot (almond) milk over them the night before you want to eat them: 8-9 heaped tablespoons for 500ml milk. Then you mix in all the other ingredients down there and allow to cool overnight. The next morning, transfer it into bowls and put it in the fridge - you have breakfast for 3 days.

Ingredients:

500ml almond milk

8-9 tablespoons oats

2 tablespoons linseeds

2 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon crushed walnuts (or flaked almonds)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Spiced white chocolate mousse with crushed pistachios

Finally, something Christmassy

This is the kind of rich indulgence that should only be allowed at this time of year, because such a heavenly taste can only be created with equally sinful ingredients - butter, cream, sugar... Don't worry about it. It's easy to make and will make you shine like a star. If any food has the power of seduction, then this is it. If the people you serve it to like white chocolate that is. Many find it too sweet, yet here I would argue the sweetness is balanced out by the saltiness and spices. 

Melt the white chocolate, with the butter, in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering hot water. Stir in most of the crushed pistachios (saving a bit for decoration) and spices. Whip the cream with the icing sugar until it reaches the consistency of the squirty cream you can buy in a tin (if needs be, you can replace it with that too). Whip the egg whites with a large pinch of salt, until peaky. Blend the yolks with the cane sugar, until it has completely disintegrated, then add a the vanilla essence. Take the white chocolate off the heat and allow to cool for 4-5min. Stir the egg yolks in. Gently, fold in the egg whites and keep stirring. Finally, add the whipped cream and divide into individual cups, topping with more crushed pistachios. Chill overnight if possible and hallelujah! 

Ingredients (serves 4)

200g white chocolate

1 tablespoon salted butter

200ml whipping cream

1 tablespoon icing sugar

2 good quality eggs (separated)

Large pinch of fine sea salt

1 tablespoon soft brown cane sugar

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Handful crushed pistachios (you can crush them easily once peeled, with the side of a knife)

Parsnip fries with turmeric mayo

The frothy sunsets and mild evenings of early Autumn disappeared overnight. The nip is taking over and we'll need to start wearing gloves soon. My hands are already permanently cold and turning a tinge of violent. But the multi-coloured leaves and some sunny skies make up for the slight discomfort of these days, and I still like it that I live in Europe, where we have such drastic changes in season. Come February and I'm sure that I'll have moments where I very strongly wish that I lived somewhere else,  somewhere more temperate. That's why the dream of two homes I guess, one in London, of course, and one somewhere not too far away, somewhere sunny where people smile more during Winter months. Just a daydream for now. For now I'm still enjoying the changes and wondering why I haven't cooked a pumpkin-something yet this Autumn, while eating these parsnip chips with turmeric mayo and planning next week's visits to my dear friends, Karina in Athens and Maja in Rome

Don't peel the parsnips, there's really no point, just chop them up into the size of fries, bearing in mind the thinner you get them, the crispier they shall be. Heat a mixture of sunflower and roasted sesame oil on a large pan (about half a centimeter to a centimeter of oil in total) and meanwhile, on another pan, toast your sesame seeds if using them. While the oil is heating you have the chance to make your turmeric mayo. You could make your own mayo like this (in which case you may want to start earlier than this), then add the turmeric paste or just use shop bought mayo like I did on this occasion. I am using the same turmeric paste that you use to make Golden Milk - good quality turmeric, water and black pepper (which increases the health benefits of turmeric). Use 1 tablespoon of mayo to 1/4 teaspoon of the paste. Heat the oil before frying the parsnips, and once cooked (should take 6-8min depending on the amount), place them on some newspaper for a couple of minutes to remove excess oil. Season with plenty of sea salt and add a sprinkling of sesame seeds

Spicy chorizo and tomato scrambled eggs

There are so many things that don't quite work out in life, and this is okay. There are lessons to be learnt, compromises to be made, battles to be lost as well won, things given up on completely and things deemed worthy of being worked on gradually. Yet yet... when there is a success, no matter how minor, I am of the opinion that it should be celebrated. I am my father's daughter in this way - any excuse to open a bottle of champagne. While for my dad this is literally the case, for me, the champagne is more of a metaphor. It's a part of the reason why I write this blog, in celebration of the little things. Today I am celebrating this spicy chorizo and tomato scrambled eggs that was made in celebration of my brother's birthday

You need to pour boiling water over the tomatoes first, then peel and chop them. Melt some butter on a frying pan and add small cubes of chorizo sausage and some red chilli slices. Once the butter has turned red in colour, add the tomatoes and continue to fry until the tomatoes have almost disintegrated. Meanwhile beat the eggs and season with salt, pepper and a dash of paprika. Add them to the pan and continue to stir gently as they cook. We ate these with toasted crusty bread and sauteed spinach, slices of avocado and Bloody Marys (with the obligatory celery stick) on the side