Healthy Breakfast - Stove Top Granola

This morning I find myself child-free, husband-free, and I'll be honest and confess that after a week off the potatoes/bread/rice/pasta the fridge is also food-free.

So what to have for breakfast I ask myself?

My gorgeous hubby last week ordered us a copy of The Hairy Dieters Fast Food. We have a copy of The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight and the recipes we've tried have been great. Particularly the Sweet and Sour Chicken which is DEFINITELY as good as any I have had from a Chinese restaurant. I love the Hairy Bikers for that recipe alone.

[Both images courtesy of the Hairy Bikers and Orion Publishing Group Ltd]

Fast, healthy food is a winner in my house, Jamie Olivers 15 minute meals is probably my number 2 cookbook, and some of them I have shaved down to sub 10 minutes, which I'm well proud of (sad act that I am).

Anyways, back to the new book. The recipes in the breakfast section are enough to make anyone hungry, even in the middle of the afternoon. I'm looking forward to trying the Corned Beef Hash and the Biker Breakfast Muffins. But this morning I tried the Stove-Top Granola.

Not a lover of nuts and seeds particularly, I thought I'd give it a go anyway, and I WAS NOT disappointed. Fairly quick to make, I wouldn't want to do it on a morning when I have the school run, but it was so worth it. Crunchy, not too sweet, not too nutty, and lovely and filling.

Recipe: (serves 6)

2 tbsp maple syrup

20g butter

150g jumbo oats (I used regular porridge oats)

pinch salt

1tbsp sunflower seeds (I used mixed seeds, which had all sorts in!!)

2tbsp flaked almonds

50g dried fruit (I used dried cranberries)

Basically, you melt the butter and syrup in a fry pan, add the oats, keep stirring until they're lovely and golden, add the seeds, almonds and fruit. Remove to cool for five minutes and bingo.

I served mine with some natural yoghurt, some music and a Nespresso. Yum.

#Food #Breakfast #Granola #HealthyEating #HairyBikers #HairyDieters #JamieOliver