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The Body Retreat

The Body Retreat

Women Only Weight Loss & Wellbeing Retreats

Poached Egg with Bulgar Wheat Breakfast Hash

This morning I woke with a real craving for eggs and carbs!!

Normally this would mean egg on toast, I normally only eat bread baked by Julie Brealy as she makes me the most amazing sourdough rye bread which my gut can tolerate much better than commercial breads.   But we have just returned from our andalusian retreat and there has been no baking so far at The Body Retreat.  So no bread for me.

Serves 1
  • 30gms Dry Bulgar Wheat
  • 2 Asparagus Spears, chopped
  • 1 Scallion, chopped
  • 1/2 Avocado, chopped
  • Small Handful Baby Spinach, chopped
  • 1 large Free Range Egg
  • Chilli Flakes, Fresh Ground Black Pepper, Olive Oil

So my crab craving was satisfied this morning by using bulgar wheat. Buglar wheat or cracked wheat is a good source of dietary fibre and plant protein.  While bulgur wheat is definitely a step up from refined carbohydrates it’s still best to have in moderation.

You could substitute Quinoa for the bulgar wheat here and have a great dish if you want to go gluten free.

To Make Egg and Bulgar Wheat Breakfast Breakfast Hash

  1.  Cook the bulgar wheat until aldente.
  2. Cook the asparagus and then add with the other vegetables to the cooked bulgar wheat and mix.
  3. Poach your egg and then simply load up your plate with the bulgar wheat mix and top with your egg.
  4. Sprinkle with chilli flakes, black pepper and olive oil
  5. Enjoy

 

 

 

Sugar Free Buckwheat Pancakes With Cinnamon Nut Cream

Who doesn’t love pancakes!!

They are a staple on retreats.  Even on our Sugar Detox Retreat.  That is when these sugar free buckwheat pancakes come into their own.  We serve them with the cinnamon nut cream but on other retreats we like to serve them with some fresh or frozen berries for a little sweet hit.

SERVES 4
  • FOR THE PANCAKES
  • 1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
  • 1 Cup Coconut Milk
  • 1 Egg, separated
  • 1 tbs Coconut Oil ( for cooking)
  • FOR THE CINNAMON NUT CREAM
  • 1 Cup Blanched Almonds
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Juice ½ Orange
  • Zest of 1 Whole Orange
  • ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

 

METHOD

 

First make the Cinnamon Nut Cream

 

Soak the nuts over night if possible. Then combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If the mix is a little too thick then add a splash of the soaking liquid to thin down.

 

To Make the Pancakes

 

Mix the egg yolk with the coconut milk. Beat the egg white until it forms stiff peaks. Now mix the coconut milk mix with the flour until your create a thick batter. Now fold in the egg while.

 

When ready to cook the pancakes, add a tbps of the oil to a hot frying pan and then add a ladle spoon of the batter. Cook the pancake until it s browned and firm then flip the pancake over and cook on the second side for a further minute or two. Continue to cook all the remaining pancakes.

You can keep the cooked pancakes warm in a medium warm over for about 5 – 10 mins without compromising on taste and texture.

Serve 2 pancakes per person topped with the cinnamon nut cream and some fresh berries when in season or defrosted berries all year round.

Green Eggs & ….

“Do you like Green Eggs & Ham”?*

 

You may already be aware  of my enduring love affair with the humble egg.  As a breakfast dish they set you up for the day, they filling and nutritious and don’t leaving you flagging mid morning.  When you come in from work at the end of  long and busy day what could be better or faster than eggs.  The original fast food.

If I had to rank my egg love in order then scrambled eggs would be at the top of the list. I like my scrambled eggs wet, by which I means I don’t like to cut myself a slice of scramble, but you cook yours to just how you like them.

Im also a big fan of multitasking with foods, so why not pack in as much nutrition as you can, hence the addition of the spinach and parsley here.  I must also admit that i love the bright green eggs agains the pink of the ham or salmon that I serve this dish with most often.

If you are a vegetarian, then top your kale with roasted seeds to add texture and extra protein.

 

*Dr Seuss

Serves 1
  • 2 large free range eggs
  • 1 spring onion, chopped
  • Handful fresh parsley, chopped
  • handful fresh baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 tbps natural yoghurt
  • 1 tbps rice bran oil
  • On The Side ....
  • Handful kale, Chopped
  • 1/4 clove garlic, minced
  • 10 gms organic butter
  • 5 gms mixed seeds
  • 25 gm good quality organic ham, or smoked salmon

Method.

First prepare your eggs, breaking them into a bowl or jug and beat together with the yoghurt. Then mix in the spring onion, spinach and parsley. Leave to one side while you cook the kale.

Place the butter in a small shallow frying pan and allow to melt, add the kale and garlic and turn the heat down low. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until the kale is wilted. Take off the heat and cover to keep warm as you go back to the eggs

Now heat the oil in the frying pan (I am a big believer in using the same pan to save on the washing up) add your egg mix and keeping the heat medium to low keep stirring until the eggs have scrambled to the texture you prefer.

Serve the eggs and kale with either ham, salmon or seeds.

Avocado & Spinach Breakfast Burrito

Its no secret that we love eggs for breakfast here at The Body Retreat.  Whats not to love, they are quick, simple to prepare and lend themselves to so many creative recipes.

Here we have taken the idea of a mexican burrito wrap, with the tastes of cool avocado, juicy tomatoes and spicy chilli and given a little Conscious Cooking twist.

Using egg omelette in place of the wrap you can create a taste sensation.

You will notice in the ingredients that i use the leaves from the celery, most people chop these of and discard them..not us.  Have you every tried them, the taste is fabulous, I always keep them for soups, stocks, even making my own celery salt.  But here I like them as they add a bright fresh oniony herby flavour.  Most people when you serve the burrito will not notice the celery taste, but will enjoy the extra something it brings to the dish.  Try it and see for yourself.

Serves 1
  • For the Burrito:
  • 2 large Free Range Eggs
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tsp rice bran oil
  • For the Filling:
  • ½ ripe avocado, cubed
  • 1 inch piece cucumber, cubed
  • 2 cherry tomato’s, halved
  • 1 spring onion, chopped
  • handful baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • handful coriander, roughly chopped
  • celery leaves, finely chopped
  • ¼ red chilli, finely chopped
  • juice of ½ a lime

Method:

First make up the salsa filling, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season and put to one side while you make up the egg pancake.

To make the pancakes, beat the eggs and season with slat and pepper, heat the oil in a small shallow frying pan. Add the eggs and cook for about 2 – 3 minutes unlit firm.

To construct your breakfast burrito, simply slide the egg pancake onto a large plate, spook the salsa in a line through the centre from edge to edge. Roll up to make your burrito.

Sweet Potato & Feta Omelette

Omelettes are a great breakfast choice, a perfect healthy start to any day.

Studies have found that eating eggs for breakfast reduces the calorie intake for the rest of the day, the high protein start to the day provides a slow and steady energy release meaning you are less likely to be reaching for sweet starchy snacks mid morning.

This is my favourite omelette as it has two of my favourite additions, sweet potato and feta cheese.

Sweet potato is high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and helps control blood sugar levels as they have a low Glycemic Load.  Feta cheese is a greek cheese usually made from goat or sheep milk and has a bold tangy flavour, which means that a little goes a long way.

Serves 2
  • 4 large free range eggs, beaten
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled & grated
  • 1 brown or red onion, finely sliced
  • 1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
  • 50gm feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tsp rice bran oil
  • salt and pepper

 

Sweet Potato & Feta Omelette

Method:

Heat the oil in a small shallow frying pan.  Add the onion and gently fry until almost soft.  Add a sprinkle of salt to the onion as this will stop the onion from burning as it draws out the moisture.

Next add the grated sweet potato and red pepper and mix throughly as you gentle allow to soften.  This will take about 1 – 2 minutes. We want to keep a light crunch to the pepper.

Now add the beaten egg mix, making sure to cover all the vegetables.  Cook for 2 – 3 minutes to allow the base to firm.  Now sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese over the omelette, season with freshly ground black pepper and then pop the pan under a medium hot grill to finish cooking for a further 2 – 3 minutes.