A Quick and Colourful Breakfast to Combat Mondayitis

You spend the weekend sharing quality time with your loved ones, you reacquaint yourself with your kitchen, you make an attempt at some housework, you tuck in a couple of hours of exercise in the fresh air and maybe you even head out for a spot of indulgent shopping...

Then all too quickly Monday arrives and you are rudely jolted from your idyllic relaxation into a world of mad rush. You have 10 minutes, 15 at most, to fix and consume something that resembles breakfast. After the leisurely pyjama breakfasts of the past 2 days, a cold bowl of cereal or Vegemite on burnt toast is not likely to get your taste buds singing.

I recently came across an old wooden placard that read: if you want breakfast in bed tomorrow, sleep in the kitchen tonight. Whilst I adore the sense of humour, I don't think that this piece of advice will really get you very far.

I often wake up early to prepare an elaborate spread including a hearty cooked porridge and vegetable omelets. On the porridge there is a choice of stewed fruit, crushed nuts and maple syrup or shock horror, chocolate fudge sauce (but as the oats contain a long lasting low GI, I am hoping that it cancels out the sugar spike of the fudge sauce!). The omelet choices are equally varied starring my husband's own creation of caramelised mushrooms, Florentine spinach, homemade chunky tomato dressing or the good old lightly fried baked beans. And I have a particular weakness for whipping up a quick batch of fluffy pikelets...

However if you were to ask my family which breakfast dish they look forward to the most, they will unanimously tell you fresh fruit plates! And guess what?  It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare a filling, nutritious, energy giving and wholesome breakfast dish of fruit and yoghurt!

TO MAKE A YOGHURT FRUIT SALAD:

Cube half an apple as the base for your salad. Place in a porridge bowl.

Cut 1 persimmon into chunks and add to bowl.

Add your choice of melon, citrus, papaya, banana or berry. Banana is a good choice of energy and potassium for the morning.

Dollop a generous amount of vanilla yoghurt on top.

Garnish with the pulp of half a passionfuit or a mint leaf.

Some ideas to get the most out of your morning fruit salad:

- For a quick and healthy yet luxurious trifle dish, use a tall glass cup and layer fruits and yoghurt with granola.

- Seasonal fruits are often hard to find. I have had very good results using tinned fruits such as mangoes and lychees in my salads and frozen berries and mangoes.

- A scattering of sliced starfruit will add a luminous appearance to any fruit salad!

- You can add an exotic touch to your salad with cinnamon sticks or star anise.

- If you have a sweet tooth, try drizzling maple syrup, honey or a cinnamon or aniseed syrup over your dollop of yoghurt. To make your own exotic syrup use 3/4 cup of water, 1/3 cup sugar and either a cinnamon stick or 2 star anise. You can add the juice of a lime if you like. Bring to the boil and cook for 7-8 minutes until the syrup thickens. Remove and cool before using.

Enjoy.

My Delicious Homebaked Challah

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There is nothing that quite matches the smell of freshly baked hot bread wafting through the air. As a matter of fact, I recently read about a successful property agent who bakes a loaf of bread in the kitchens of every open house that she presents, in order to entice visitors to buy the house. And it works!

The process of making your own breads - kneading, shaping, rising and baking is enormously satisfying and involves instant gratification at every stage. Once you gain confidence with your technique, you can be as creative as you like, adding flavours and glazes and shaping the dough into designs from cute to exquisite. The final satisfaction comes from watching the pleasure on the faces of those that are lucky enough to taste a slice or many slices of your labour of love.

It took me about 6 months of testing and tweaking to develop the challah recipe below. I have guarded this secret recipe closely for many years, receiving raving compliments for its texture and flavour and now I am sharing it with you.

MIRIAM'S CHALLAH RECIPE:
Pour 2 and 1/3 cups cool water into a large clean bowl and add the following:
2 eggs
4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
7 tablespoons sugar (I use Coles Organic Raw sugar)
2 teaspoons salt
7 cups flour (flour must contain at least 11 g protein, I use Defiance Baker's Flour)
2 sachets dry yeast

Mix ingredients in the order above and knead to a smooth ball. It is important to measure ingredients exactly. Dough should have a moist but firm and springy feel to it. Cover bowl with clingwrap to trap in the natural heat and moisture of the fermentation process. Rest the dough for half an hour. Remove clingwrap and punch dough for about 30 seconds. Cover the dough again. Rest the dough in a warm place for a further 30 minutes in summer or 45 minutes in winter (near the stove is ideal). The dough will expand to double its size and is now ready for shaping.

To make 3 medium sized challahs, divide the dough into 3 equal parts. To make 1 large challah and 2 small challahs, divide the dough in half, set aside one half for the large challah and divide the second half in two for the smaller challahs. Braid or shape your challah in whichever way inspires you!

Glazes, toppings and garnishings:
Brushing on a glaze made of 2 parts egg yolk and 1 part water gives your bread a lustrous shine and helps to keep the bread fibres soft. For a special touch that your family will love, add a drop of vanilla essence to the glaze (but do not add sugar as your glaze will end up burnt). Go wild with your toppings; sprinkle in poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sauteed onions or crushed garlic.

For a milchig bread omit the egg glaze and try brushing on a wash of milk and sprinkle on a generous crumbling of fresh dried basil and oregano leaves. For something aromatic that is a scrumptious accompaniment with soups, substitute with caraway seeds.

Place your challahs into pans lined with baking paper. I use a laminton sized pan for one large challa placed lengthways and I put 2 small challahs widthways into another laminton pan. Find a warm, moist place to rest your challah pans, and let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size. If you are covering your rising challahs, make sure that the covering does not stick to your dough at any time. Carefully transfer your challahs to a preheated 350/180 degrees oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven immediately. When you tap the challah lightly it should sound slightly hollow.

Ways to enjoy your challah:
Once your bread is baked, you can enjoy it hot or cooled, sliced thick or thin, spread with your favourite dips, toasted and served with lashings of butter. 1or 2 day old bread can be coated with a beaten egg and lightly fried into a treat of french bread with strawberry jam.

I am currently working on a recipe that I am very much looking forward to sharing with you, for delicious cranberry bagels that are best enjoyed with freshly brewed coffee or a healthy squeezed juice!

Winter Warmer: Mug of Fluffy Hot Cocoa

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As the weather plunged to chilling temperatures this morning, I felt the need to fortify myself against the cold elements outside. Several years ago my teacher friend arrived at school in the wee hours of a wintery morning to mark exam papers. Entering the staffroom she spotted a colleague fixing himself a very indulgent looking mug of cocoa. He had brought along with him a handy little milk whisk - which he stored at work in a clean pencil case! - and he proceeded to top off his concoction with a dash of fragrant cinnamon sugar!

(You can purchase an electric mini frothing whisk inxpensively - about $4 at Coles or Woolies. For whipping up larger quantities, Kmart stocks milk frothing plungers).

RECIPE FOR 1 INDULGENT MUGFUL:

1 teaspoon plain cocoa

2-3 teaspoons raw sugar or sweetener of choice

dash of ground mixed spice

drop of almond essence

Pour in half a cup of heated milk or water and stir into cocoa mixture.

In another mug, froth 1/4 cup of milk till thick and fluffy.

Spoon the milky fluff onto your hot cocoa.

Add a dash of cinnamon sugar on top.

Garnish your saucer with cubes of white chocolate and marshmallows.

Yummy...

...and if you want to spice up your day, add a tiny dash of ground chilli powder.

...and if you like to relax by the fireplace in the evenings with good friends and a good game of Scrabble, omit the almond essence and add a shot of brown rum, a liquor, or whiskey of choice!