Berries, honey and yoghurt, oh my!

No-one could dispute that berries, honey and luscious Greek yoghurt are a win-win-win combination. Add chia seeds, oats and coconut flakes and you've got an extremely nutritious breakfast.

Overnight Berries & Oats (serves 1)

As the berries defrost overnight this will help to soften the oats and ready them for eating.  I have no doubt that an additional half banana sliced would go nicely too (I'm just not a big fan). 

2/3 c wholegrain oats (I'm sure rolled would work too)
Handful of frozen berries
1 Tbsp honey (I use manuka for extra health)
1 Tbsp chia seeds
3 heaped Tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 Tbsp coconut flakes (optional)
1 Tbsp flaxseed (linseed) (optional)

Into a breakfast bowl, add everything and combine.  Set aside in fridge overnight, and that's it!

In the morning, I usually try to remember to take it out of the fridge before having a shower so it can come up to room temperature.  Then I sprinkle some flaxseeds over and enjoy. (And yes, this is an exception to my need for a savoury breakfast.)

Oh, Sweet Bread

With desserts, I'm pretty lazy.  If there are too many ingredients that I don't already have in the cupboard, I'll be reluctant to make it.  Besides the fact that my sweet tooth is small, health-wise I don't mind if there isn't something sweet around.  It could have something to do with the few months of my life where I ate a sweet muffin at least every other day (a whole other story), or maybe it's that small guilt factor that comes with pouring a cup of sugar into a bowl with half a block a butter already sitting in it.  Of course, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do but I'd probably save the guilt for a cheeseburger.

Our annual office picnic in the weekend however did call for desserts and I thought long and hard about my contribution.  A raspberry chocolate brownie? A flourless black doris plum upside down cake? Both personal favourites when the occasion arises but I was feeling lazy for baking. And I had no chocolate in the pantry. Fresh fruit salad? I did need to go to the local fruit and vege market anyway...

I turned to Heidi Swanson for some inspiration.  Award-winning author of the blog 101 Cookbooks and books Super Natural Cooking and Super Natural Every Day, she had made a name for herself through her natural and whole food cooking philosophy made easy, delicious and accessible through her blog and publications. I hadn't read much of her work before I picked up Super Natural Every Day in Portland's Powell's bookstore, but I was already in a phase of wanting to cook with less processed ingredients. I was sold.

So, I turned straight to the dessert or 'Sweet Treats' section and slowed down straight away.  As I mentioned in my first post, I like reading cookbooks just to read and in the urgency of needing to find a dish to make, I couldn't help myself.  Gorgeous recipes such as Watermelon Salad and Membrillo Cake led the chapter, though were out of my reach due to not having any medjool dates, quince paste or rose water around.  Then, the perfect simple recipe: Sweet Panzanella.

Panzanella is traditionally an Italian savoury bread salad often made up of stale bread tossed in typical Italian flavours such as tomatoes, onions, basil, capers and olives, in a oil and vinegar dressing.  A beautifully easy summer's picnic lunch, making Swanson's sweet variation fit for my occasion.  The list of ingredients exceeded no more than 6 and I only needed to buy a loaf of whole grain seed bread and some fresh fruit.  The original recipe calls for raspberries but suggests the option of using either plums, peaches or nectarines - all fruit fiercely in season right now.  My plan was to find the cheapest juiciest option at the market, and cheap and juicy I found: Plum Delights for $1.99/kg. Yahtzee.