What’s the secret to the perfect weekend? A long, leisurely brunch, says Amber Rose, author of Nourish: Mind, Body & Soul
POACHED EGGS WITH CAULIFLOWER TOASTS, KALE & DUKKAH
This delicious ensemble is a serious treat, one of my all-time favourites. Cauliflower toasts give the poached eggs something to sit on and add texture without the need for bread.
Serves 2
1 whole cauliflower, outer leaves removed, washed
3 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
2 tablespoons Dukkah or lightly crushed cumin seeds, plus extra to serve
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ medium red chilli (optional), finely sliced
6–8 kale or cavolo nero leaves, on the large side, washed and centre stalks stripped out
4 free-range eggs
Salt
To serve
Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
A few twists of pepper
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut the cauliflower across into 4 slices of ‘toast’ about 1.5–2cm thick. Drizzle with some of the oil, sprinkle with dukkah, place the toasts on your tray and pop into the oven for about 30 minutes until they start to turn lovely and golden.
After 20 minutes, melt the oil and butter in a medium, lidded casserole over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli (if using), stir for 30 seconds, add the kale then a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Cover tightly with the lid and braise for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to turn the heat down or add a little extra water if it is cooking too furiously.
Place a wide casserole style dish over a high heat and fill it with boiling water from the kettle. Bring it to a light simmer and add a pinch of salt. Carefully crack one egg into a cup then gently pour it into the simmering water. Repeat with the remaining eggs and cook to your liking. Depending on their size, a soft poached egg takes about 2 minutes and a soft to firm one needs about 4 minutes.
When everything is ready, place the cauliflower toasts onto warm plates, top with the eggs and place the kale alongside. Sprinkle over a little extra dukkah, give a drizzle of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon over the kale and a few twists of pepper.
COCONUT & BANANA PANCAKES
I love pancakes (who doesn’t?)! These little ones are great topped with fresh fruit and a yoghurt for breakfast or brunch, or served as an afternoon tea much like drop scones with cream and jam. Sounds naughty but it needn’t be, if you have organic cream or whipped coconut cream sweetened with honey and a fresh sugar-free berry fridge jam then everything is good for you and totally nourishing.
Serves 2–3
2 ripe medium bananas, roughly chopped
4 whole eggs
2 tablespoons honey
70g desiccated coconut
100g almond meal
½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
Ghee or coconut oil for cooking
To serve
A few spoonfuls of your favourite yoghurt
Handful of your favourite seasonal fruit
Toasted coconut or cacao nibs
Put the bananas, eggs and honey in a food processor and purée until light and fluffy (or use a bowl and a stick blender). Add the coconut, almond meal and baking powder and beat to combine.
Heat up a tiny amount of coconut oil or ghee in your frying pan over a low to medium heat. Cook in batches, allowing a biggish spoonful of mix per pancake – too big and they are really hard to flip, so keep them drop-scone size. Cook thoroughly – they should take about 1½ minutes on each side; you will know when to flip them once little bubbles start to appear on the surface. Keep warm and continue to cook the rest of the batter, adding a little more oil to the pan between batches. Serve while hot and delicious with some of your favourite toppings.
LEMON & POPPYSEED SWEET OMELETTE
Here’s a refreshing way to start any day. The tart lemon lifts and adds a brightness, the poppyseeds provide a tasty little crunch and what could be better than maple syrup and berries? The omelette is grain-free and full of essential good fats to feed your brain for a busy day ahead. It can easily be dairy-free if you use coconut yoghurt, which is so good for you and utterly delicious.
Serves 1
2 free-range eggs
Pinch of good salt
1 generous teaspoon maple syrup,
plus extra for drizzling
Zest of ¼ of an unwaxed lemon,
plus extra to serve
1 teaspoon poppyseeds
1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil
To serve
1 generous dollop of your favourite yoghurt
1 small handful of fresh blueberries
Place a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk thoroughly until they are very light and fluffy: the fluffier the eggs, the fluffier your omelette. Mix in the salt, syrup, lemon zest and half the poppy seeds. Add the coconut oil to the hot pan, let it cover the base and use a flat wooden spatula to spread it around, then pour in your mix. Carefully pull in the sides with the spatula while tilting the pan and then let the egg run back out to fill the gap. Continue in this fashion until there is no runny mix left. Now carefully flip the omelette over – the second side will only need 30 seconds or so.
Gently slide the omelette out of the pan onto a waiting plate, spoon over your yoghurt and top with blueberries, a final drizzle of maple syrup and sprinkle on the remaining poppy seeds and some lemon zest. Enjoy while hot.
Taken from Nourish: Mind, Body & Soul by Amber Rose, Sadie Frost and Holly Davidson, published by Kyle Books, priced £19.99. Photography by David Loftus.
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