Julia's Child

Guilt-free banana bread with oat bran, pecans and chocolate chips.

I enjoy classic granola as much as the next person, but after making this version with a kick of Indian spice, I will never go back to a ‘plain jane’ version.

On top of some vanilla greek yogurt, this makes for a gratifying, healthful, protein-packed mid-afternoon snack.

Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that hit the spot. My Nana used to make these for us when we were kids - alongside, peaches in syrup. Today, I was feeling like something comforting for breakfast, something effortless. I was reminded of these while flipping through Trish Magwood’s “In My Mother’s Kitchen” cookbook yesterday. These were painfully easy to make, and put a big smile on my face. Fry the cut out circles as well, and serve on the side (perfect for dipping in the yolk).

The secret to making delicate scones is handling the dough as little as possible.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute 1/2 cup plain yogurt whisked with 2 tablespoons milk.

Makes 1 dozen

Breakfast is my favourite meal. I often feel it’s because I can justify eating the most, to kick-start my metabolism and keep my spirits high throughout the day. But no. In fact, I wake each morning with a hankering for oatmeal. Typically, I eat oats topped with fat-free vanilla greek yogurt, blueberries and nuts. I treasure it. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life.

Today, in an effort to further explore “Quinoa 365,” I decided to venture out into the quinoa breakfast world and spice things up from the everyday ordinary. Despite studies revealing that eating the same nutritionally dense meals every day is in fact healthy, I don’t believe this method is providing one with optimal nutrition.

Blueberry Flax Hot Cereal

Recipe courtesy of: ‘Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood’

This recipe serves one but can be doubled or tripled.