Breakfast Muffins

My love of muffins is well documented on this blog, with a slight preference towards the somewhat healthy variety. Those below contain wholemeal flour and oats, so if I concentrate really hard I can almost convince myself that one of these in the morning is on a par with having a kale smoothie for breakfast! 😉 I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to try, and I think we might be on a winner with this one! The combination of banana, zucchini and carrot really works and they came out golden and delicious. By using over-ripe bananas to offset the savoury veggie component, I think they’re the perfect level of sweetness to be a great breakfast or afternoon treat. The original recipe also called for the addition of dried cherries but I left them out as I prefer to keep the flavours quite simple. By all means add half a cup of any dried fruit if you want to make them a little sweeter!

Apart from the elbow grease required for grating of the carrot, they’re dead easy to make. As with all muffins it’s just a matter of combining the dry and wet ingredients. I always like to read the comments/feedback section of online recipes as people often give great tips. For these muffins, one person advised that despite the baking soda they didn’t rise a great deal so I made sure I filled the muffin tins quite full (nobody wants half a muffin!) and let’s be honest the top is the best part!

Ingredients: (12 muffins)

2 carrots (grated), 2 bananas (overripe – mashed), 1 zucchini (grated), ¼ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup plain yoghurt, 2 eggs, 1 cup wholemeal flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup shredded coconut, ½ cup walnuts, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground ginger.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Place muffin liners in muffin cups.
2. Mix carrots, banana, zucchini, vegetable oil, yoghurt and eggs in a bowl.
3. Whisk flour and baking soda in a separate bowl.
4. Mix brown sugar, oats, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, salt and ginger into the flour mixture until well combined.
5. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture until just combined.
6. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffins cups (use a ¼ cup or ice-cream scoop for easy portioning).
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Breakfast Update

Anyone who knows me well, knows that one of my favourite past times is to watch cooking shows. In fact, it’s one of the only things that can keep me stationary for long periods. I was watching Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen and she made these delightful oeufs en cocotte. The following Saturday I gave them a go, with just a few slight variations from the original recipe (she topped them off with fish roe but I left it out as my caviar taste buds haven’t quite kicked in by 9am).

Oeufs en cocotte (Eggs in a pot)

Ingredients: crème fraîche, nutmeg, dill, 2 eggs per person

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Place a teaspoon of crème fraîche in the bottom of a ramekin, crack 2 eggs on top, add a second teaspoon of crème fraîche, pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Repeat!
3. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour lukewarm water in to the dish so that it come halfway up the sides.
4. Bake for 15 minutes (the yolk should still be runny).
5. Finish with a sprig of dill and serve with crusty baguette and ham if desired. 

Foxy Bean (Wooloongabba)

Having brunched at its neighbour Pawpaw many times, we thought we’d give Foxy Bean a shot. The cafe was busy and the service friendly and efficient. The menu had all of the usual favourites.

Between us we had the crushed avocado (my sister said the fried manchego accompanying it was super tasty albeit slightly superfluous), bacon and egg toastie on a brioche bun (on the small side but only $10), nicely scrambled eggs and the haloumi, avocado and tomato salsa on sourdough looked the winner. The coffees (Genovese) were nicely made with lots of chocolate on top just how I like my cappuccinos!

Sol Natural Foods (Fortitude Valley)

I was excited to hear this new Sol Breads venture had opened up just down the road. I’ve now been twice and the spacious, industrial style fit out is a welcoming space. The display cabinets are packed with a selection of salads, filled croissants, quiches and sweet treats. For breakfast we re-fueled after a morning jog/walk in the increasingly intense Brisbane morning sun. The eggs were a vivid yellow & maintained the slight fluidity that I like in my scrambled eggs. My sister’s avocado on toast with the addition of fresh tomato was generous and hit the spot. The spiced mince with poached eggs, slightly more hearty but well portioned.

Not just a breakfast spot, they’re open in to the evening as well and I’m keen to return to try their pizzas and organic wine, perhaps along with a spot of trivia! Overall, a welcome food addition to the neighbourhood.

Bris Breakfasts

Breakfast in Brisbane is a big thing, with a new “it” location opening up seemingly every week. With a little help from The Urban List to point me in the right direction over the last couple of weeks, I’ve taken myself and my trusty sidekicks to sample a few of the breakfast offerings we had yet to try.

Scout Café (Petrie Terrace)

We arrived at a respectable 9am to find the café busy and people milling around outside, patiently waiting to be seated. We were told it would be around 20 minutes for a table but were pleasantly surprised when our 3 person contingent were seated in closer to 5. The menu reads well with some deviations from the typical breakfast menu staples. My two sisters opted for the porridge with poached pears, crushed nuts and generous drizzle of cream; both saying it was lovely and creamy (literally) with a good bit of crunch from the nuts and just the right portion size. I too was looking for something a little sweet and opted for the carrot and date loaf served with a healthy dollop of mascarpone. My only little quibble was that the baristas and the chefs didn’t seem to be in unison. Our second round of coffees didn’t make it to the table by the time we were ready to leave. Despite this, the quality of the food was good and the café had a nice ambience. Next time I’ll make sure someone samples the breaky bagel and I might give the breaky salad topped with a fried egg and salsa verde a go.

Jak + Hill (Spring Hill)

After an energetic morning of hill walking around Ascot with my BFF Sarah, we headed to Jak + Hill to re-fuel. I somewhat predictably couldn’t go past the poached eggs on sourdough with a side of avocado and feta ‘smash’, with Sarah opting for the corn fritters with a poached egg, avocado and rocket. Both were well presented and the eggs were perfectly poached, soft and oozy without being too runny which is just the way I like them.

Again the café has a nice feel; it’s open plan and well fit out without being over the top, making it a great spot for an easy, breezy weekend breakfast.

Sol Breads (West End)

After running the City2South with my sister, Morgan, the obvious next port of call for our morning was a smug, hearty breakfast. We thought we’d stick to the south side of the river and give Sol Breads a go; I follow them on Instagram and their breakfast and lunch Insta snaps always make my tuna and cottage cheese on crackers seem rather mundane. Again I went for poached eggs, this time with butter beans and roast tomatoes. Robbie opted for an omelette and Morgan went for the superfood option of poached eggs, smoked salmon and asparagus with salsa verde.

  

This breakfast outing was characterised by generously sized and flavoursome meals with efficient service and friendly staff. When next I’m across the river I’d readily head back for round two.

Any other breakfast recommendations?? Let me know!

Bri xx