Breakfast is the most significant meal of the day. It is the beginning, the first thing we treat ourselves to; something warm to drag us out of bed, something fresh to fire up our belly and our brain, something nurturing after an early morning work out, something to enjoy quietly by yourself once every else has gone out into the day. Morning is a time of ritual and breakfast is at the center of it all. We all have our own take and it can be highly personal. If there’s time, I love eating my breakfast quietly on the couch with no one around. Only after pondering over what I will have for quite some time and finally conjuring up something that completes what I feel I missed out on the day before and will hopefully serve me for the day ahead. If I had a small dinner yesterday, breakfast is quite extensive.
Weekend breakfast, however, is something completely different. Sometimes lasting into the PM. There’s nothing like a luxurious breakfast to start a luxurious day. Breakfast becomes about the group. We gather together at home or in babbling little groups outside the most popular breakfast joints. We come together to catch up and wind down, ready for the two days of the week that are all about socialising with those in our immediate community. During the working week we are forced out into the wider world to interact with people we do not know or understand. Humans can only hold stable relationships with a finite number of people who they know personally and whose emotions and actions they can anticipate and comprehend. This is thought to be around 150 people. Socialising with people outside of this intimate circle requires the following of social rules and imagined commonality – shared environment, shared grievances or shared beliefs. When the weekend arrives we can step outside of that imagined, yet concretely defined world, and spend our time with the people we know and who know us, not just the various bullet points of our identity.
Weekend breakfast, however, is something completely different. Sometimes lasting into the PM. There’s nothing like a luxurious breakfast to start a luxurious day. Breakfast becomes about the group. We gather together at home or in babbling little groups outside the most popular breakfast joints. We come together to catch up and wind down, ready for the two days of the week that are all about socialising with those in our immediate community. During the working week we are forced out into the wider world to interact with people we do not know or understand. Humans can only hold stable relationships with a finite number of people who they know personally and whose emotions and actions they can anticipate and comprehend. This is thought to be around 150 people. Socialising with people outside of this intimate circle requires the following of social rules and imagined commonality – shared environment, shared grievances or shared beliefs. When the weekend arrives we can step outside of that imagined, yet concretely defined world, and spend our time with the people we know and who know us, not just the various bullet points of our identity.
Unfortunately, my breakfasting rituals do not align with the man I share a home with. As soon as he’s up he needs to eat. His ritual does not observe the rules of the weekend. I tend to get up, throw on whatever is closest and cosiest and wander around the kitchen taking stock of what we have and what I can conjure out of the madness (Friday night is no time for doing dishes). By the time I’ve decided, he’s already eaten! Which kind of ruins the whole communal vibe of a leisurely breakfast alone with the person I don’t even need to speak to to understand.
Thus began my journey to find a quick yet elaborately indulgent breakfast that I could enjoy at my leisurely pace but would still be ready before he made it to the muesli jar. The checklist: a house filling fragrance, beauty when plonked on any table like surface, ability to increase heart warmth, simple ingredients, and that little je ne c’est quoi that makes you feel like you’re being rewarded for a week well survived
Thus began my journey to find a quick yet elaborately indulgent breakfast that I could enjoy at my leisurely pace but would still be ready before he made it to the muesli jar. The checklist: a house filling fragrance, beauty when plonked on any table like surface, ability to increase heart warmth, simple ingredients, and that little je ne c’est quoi that makes you feel like you’re being rewarded for a week well survived
This Baked Quinoa Oatmeal ticks all the boxes, plus one I hadn’t thought of. What you don’t eat for breakfast, once cold, transforms into a sweet gooey cake to be picked at all through the weekend! (Note: Leave a knife in the tray, otherwise you will just end up with multiple dirty knives. Or picky finger marks from those too lazy/hungry to grab a utensil). It requires very few ingredients, dry goods that can be kept hanging around the house for when needed, and really whatever fruit you like. I’ve made this multiple times, with multiple different fruity combinations, before settling on this wintery version. Each season brings it’s own delectable variations. In summer, stone fruit and berries is a must. Apricot and blackberry is still my all time hero. But for these cold mornings, earthy pears, tart raspberries, and obviously chocolate, is all one could ever want.
Besides looking resplendent and being finger-suckingly indulgent, this bake (obviously) has a nutritious side. Quinoa is high in protein, as well as carbohydrates, to give you last energy throughout the day and quash any worries about plant based eaters being malnourished. Any time you can cram more than one whole grain into a meal is a bonus! Whole oats are known to balance blood sugar and metabolism, lower cholesterol, and aid with digestion. Just like the quinoa and chia seeds, oats are a great source of fibre, which helps with satiety and optimal digestions, key steps towards finding that balance of ideal weight and vibrant energy.
An important part of this recipe is the coconut milk. I don’t mean that coconut milk you can now buy in boxes to have on your cereal, I mean the thick creamy stuff that most of us buy in a can. Buying the pure canned coconut cream and milk, minus any emulsifies or stabilisers is of the utmost importance. You want the one the simplest ingredients list. Coconut fat is a saturated fat, meaning it behaves in a very similar way to animal fats. It sets at room temperature, it thickens when you whip it, and it adds moisture and density to baking. However, coconut is a medium chain saturated fat and is not processed by the body in the same way as animal fats. It goes straight to the liver to be used up as energy rather than stored unnecessarily in our nooks and crannies. It really is the best in both worlds.
An important part of this recipe is the coconut milk. I don’t mean that coconut milk you can now buy in boxes to have on your cereal, I mean the thick creamy stuff that most of us buy in a can. Buying the pure canned coconut cream and milk, minus any emulsifies or stabilisers is of the utmost importance. You want the one the simplest ingredients list. Coconut fat is a saturated fat, meaning it behaves in a very similar way to animal fats. It sets at room temperature, it thickens when you whip it, and it adds moisture and density to baking. However, coconut is a medium chain saturated fat and is not processed by the body in the same way as animal fats. It goes straight to the liver to be used up as energy rather than stored unnecessarily in our nooks and crannies. It really is the best in both worlds.
This Chocolate Sauce is where the magic really happens, all the rest is so simple. Watching goopy tahini whisked into something that resembles melted chocolate in every way is life changing. Tahini is one of my favourite ingredients! It’s loaded with calcium and iron, but because it’s made from sesame seeds rather than nuts (like many other condiments of the same form) I find it a lot easier to digest. Plus I love the transformation. It’s sticky and slightly pastey, seeming to seize as you add the cacao, maple, and then the water. It puts up a fight, getting thicker and thicker, rejecting the water, but as you stir it begins to give up and becomes this crazily velvety liquid. Science/magic. You’re left with a chocolate sauce that’s one part calcium rich seeds, one part mineral dense sap, and one part antioxidant rich cacao. How could you not have an amazing day after pouring that all over your plate?!
Baked Quinoa Oatmeal
Dry:
1 ½ cups whole rolled Oats
½ cup white Quinoa
2 tbsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Cinnamon
Zest of 1 small Orange or Mandarin
Pinch of Salt
Wet:
2 ripe Bananas
1 ½ cups Water
1 cup Coconut Milk (the pure kind with no emulsifiers)
¼ cup pure Maple Syrup
½ tsp Vanilla extract or the seeds from ½ Vanilla Pod
4 Pears
Frozen Raspberries, or fresh if they’re available (as many as you can squeeze in)
Cacao nibs to sprinkle
Chocolate Sauce
¼ cup Tahini
¼ cup Cacao
¼ cup Maple Syrup
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup Water
Dry:
1 ½ cups whole rolled Oats
½ cup white Quinoa
2 tbsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Cinnamon
Zest of 1 small Orange or Mandarin
Pinch of Salt
Wet:
2 ripe Bananas
1 ½ cups Water
1 cup Coconut Milk (the pure kind with no emulsifiers)
¼ cup pure Maple Syrup
½ tsp Vanilla extract or the seeds from ½ Vanilla Pod
4 Pears
Frozen Raspberries, or fresh if they’re available (as many as you can squeeze in)
Cacao nibs to sprinkle
Chocolate Sauce
¼ cup Tahini
¼ cup Cacao
¼ cup Maple Syrup
¼ tsp Salt
½ cup Water
Submerge the quinoa in water. It doesn't really need to soak, but it should be rinsed thoroughly. You'll understand why when you see the foamy water that comes off it. Tip it out into a sieve and let the cold tap run through it until the water coming out is clean. Rest over a bowl to drain completely.
Combine all the remaining dry ingredients in a bowl.
Put all the wet ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour the wet into the dry, adding the drained quinoa, and stir to combine. It will be quite wet, it’s supposed to be. Let this mix sit in the bowl while you prepare the pears.
Peel, quarter and core the pears.
Line a medium sized baking tray with baking paper. I’ve used a 20x30cm tray, but you could use any shape you like.
Poor the oatmeal mixture into the tray, giving it a little stir to make sure all the oats and quinoa are evenly distributed.
Gently lay your pears on the top, side by side. Scatter over as many raspberries as you can possibly fit! There’s nothing like finding a sour little raspberry amoungst the sweet oatmeal. Sprinkle with cacao nibs for a little crunch.
Bake in a 160 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until it is soft to touch yet not wet.
In this time, make the chocolate sauce. This is more than you will need for your baked oatmeal, but it can never hurt to have wholesome chocolate sauce lurking in the fridge.
Combine the tahini, cacao, maple syrup, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add in the water, whisking as you go, until the sauce is smooth and pourable.
Transfer into a bottle or jug for the breakfast table.
Once the oatmeal is cooked, allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, just so it’s easier to cut.
Cut into bars and serve with a generous pouring of chocolate sauce.
Combine all the remaining dry ingredients in a bowl.
Put all the wet ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour the wet into the dry, adding the drained quinoa, and stir to combine. It will be quite wet, it’s supposed to be. Let this mix sit in the bowl while you prepare the pears.
Peel, quarter and core the pears.
Line a medium sized baking tray with baking paper. I’ve used a 20x30cm tray, but you could use any shape you like.
Poor the oatmeal mixture into the tray, giving it a little stir to make sure all the oats and quinoa are evenly distributed.
Gently lay your pears on the top, side by side. Scatter over as many raspberries as you can possibly fit! There’s nothing like finding a sour little raspberry amoungst the sweet oatmeal. Sprinkle with cacao nibs for a little crunch.
Bake in a 160 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until it is soft to touch yet not wet.
In this time, make the chocolate sauce. This is more than you will need for your baked oatmeal, but it can never hurt to have wholesome chocolate sauce lurking in the fridge.
Combine the tahini, cacao, maple syrup, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add in the water, whisking as you go, until the sauce is smooth and pourable.
Transfer into a bottle or jug for the breakfast table.
Once the oatmeal is cooked, allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, just so it’s easier to cut.
Cut into bars and serve with a generous pouring of chocolate sauce.
