Monday 21 May 2012

Winter-warming brekkie: grain-free, dairy-free, delicious and nutritious!


Although I really love my Berries & Coconut Extraordinaire for breakfast, as we head into the depths of winter, the cool and refreshing nature of the recipe that I enjoy in the warmer months just isn’t cutting it. While I would love to do a big fry up every morning with eggs, bacon and tomato (that's right - I said I would have bacon and eggs every day - what are you going to do about it?), waking up at 5am for a 5:50am start doesn't really allow for it.

So, this morning, I decided to adapt, only slightly, the summer recipe to make it more of a winter warmer, and I can confidently say it was delicious! So delicious that by the time I realised I should have taken a photo I had already gobbled everything up! Sorry! And to be honest, it wouldn't really have made for good food porn. So instead, you can have a random photo of my local bay that I took on my walk the other morning, and picture yourself snuggled up inside in your jammies enjoying this tasty brekkie, thankful that you are not outside in this cold, foggy spookiness....



Have you got the picture in your mind? Are you snuggled up and ready to warm your belly with a nutritious meal to start the day? Here you go:

**RECIPE: Winter Berries & Coconut Extraordinaire – serves 1
  • 1 tbspn extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1-2 handfuls mixed berries (I used a handful each of frozen blueberries and raspberries)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 small handful nuts, chopped
  • Full fat coconut milk – I think I used about a cup, but feel free to add more or less (taste as you go and adjust to your liking)
  • 1 egg, whisked separately
  • 1 tsp raw organic honey (optional)
  • 1 small handful coconut flakes (optional)


This will take about 5-10mins to prepare. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add berries and powders, stirring to mix. Then add coconut milk, nuts and egg, stirring frequently. As the mixture gets warm, add honey and coconut flakes, if using. Keep stirring the mixture until it is quite warm-hot*.  Serve and enjoy!

*Note: It is important to ensure the mix is well heated as raw egg whites contain a protein  called avidin, which can bind with biotin (a B vitamin which plays an essential role in many metabolic processes) and prevent our absorption, potentially leading to biotin deficiency (which looks a little like depression, skin rashes and hair loss – not ideal!). Cooking the egg whites will denature this protein and prevent the binding from occurring. If you don’t want to heat the mix that much, just add the egg yolk and leave the white out.

I hope you all enjoy this one! Keep warm and stay healthy!

Do you have any yummy grain-free brekkie recipes on the go for winter? Please share!

1 comment:

  1. yum i'll try this for sure... my breaky fave lately (sorry kitty this will make you drool buckets) is to slice two thick red onion rings, sizzle them in a little coconut oil then snuggle a slice of bacon inside them and sizzle a little longer. Then crack an egg into each one, sprinkle with parsley and turn the heat down until the white is white and the yolk is gooey. Sea salt and pepper and its done. I obviously have a little more time in the mornings, although while its cooking I dress Kai and Taj, pack kindy bags and nappy bags and gulp some coffee....but this breaky makes my mornings happy.

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