Tag Archives: breakfast

Sunday Breakfast: Zaatar fried egg

 Good morning to you my dear reader! I have an intriguing question for you this lovely Sunday morning – what time are you awake on weekends? Is it 6am or 11am? Today I had a special fitness morning. Firstly, I wake up early today: at 8am (yes, it is early for me), went to a nice and energetic pilates class, which is really made my day. Afterwards, I was so hungry and in need of something extremely tasty and healthy!Zaatar fried egg

 I fell in love with zaatar (it’s a mix of dried spices) since I moved to Dubai. I can’t remember how or when I tried it for the first time, but once I tried this incredible mixture, it remains my favourite Middle Eastern spice ever since. As my husband says: “you can eat anything with zaatar”. 😀 it’s funny but true. You can prepare many dishes using zaatar, like eggplant wedges with it and pomegranate molasses or delicious roasted salmon steaks, or anything else you like.
 All you need for today is an egg and zaatar! A slice of wurzel or sourdough bread, some olives and feta could make your breakfast more complete and nourishing. Hope this bright and simple meal satisfy your taste buds! 😉Zaatar friedd egg on a slice of wurzel bread

Zaatar fried egg

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: very easy
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Ingredients
1 or 2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
1 tsp dry zaatar spice mix (per egg)
salt, pepper to taste
1 slice of wurzel or sourdough bread
1 tbsp olives (preferably in olive oil)
1 tbsp feta cheese
few cherry tomatoes, optional
  • Heat oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat, crack an egg, season with salt, pepper, then sprinkle with zaatar and fry for a couple of minutes.
  • Meanwhile, toast the bread or put it under the grill for a minute.
  • Arrange bread on a serving plate, carefully transfer the fried egg on the toast. Top with olives and crumbled feta.
  • Serve immediately with fresh cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with extra zaatar, if you like.

Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

  Good morning! I guess, pancakes is the most wanted breakfast on Earth. 😀 No matter how you call them in your country, whether you like thick or thin pancakes, sweet or savory – they are all delicious! Today, I’d like to share the recipe of Russian buckwheat oladushki (small pancakes). In Russia we like buckwheat grain and consume it in enormous amounts; it is not only the tasty grain but also very healthy (it contains no gluten, and a good source of protein). So buckwheat flour is also popular and widely-used in preparation of various pancakes, vareniki or cakes.Buckwheat pancakes

 The flour is a bit heavy itself, plus I used wholegrain one, and as you can see from the photos: my pancakes turned out not very thick. But if you like them thicker and fluffier, add less buckwheat and more plain flour.
 These pretty dark and so-healthy pancakes go great with a dollop of fresh sour cream and slice of homemade cured salmon! I brought a can of pike caviar from Russia, and garnished pancaked with it. It’s not very salty and suits perfectly here. Of course I understand that it’s not easy to get pike caviar (at least find it Russian store), but you can substitute it with salmon or any other fish caviar you like, or a thin slice of smoked salmon is another awesome option.
Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

Buckwheat pancakes with pike caviar

Ingredients
100g buckwheat flour (I used organic wholegrain)
100g plain flour
1 egg
200g sour cream (20% fat)
3 tbsp full-fat milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
sunflower oil, for frying
Garnish
sour cream
pike caviar (sub it with salmon caviar or cured salmon slices)
chopped chive, optional
Method
  • In a large bowl, whisk egg with salt, milk, sour cream and oil. Sift plain flour, add buckwheat flour and soda. Mix all ingredients to combine.
  • Heat a frying pan or skillet of a high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil, if needed. Using a ladle or cup, drop some batter on a pan until desires size of pancake is reached (I made 7-8cm). Cook until edges begin to look dry and bubbles start to form, about 1 minute. Then flip the pancakes and cook 1-2 minutes more on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
  • Serve with a dollop of sour cream, top with a few teaspoons of caviar and sprinkle with chive if desired.
Enjoy Russian Breakfast!

Sunday Dairy Breakfast

 Do you remember I told you last Sunday that better not to skip breakfast? And I do hope you have eaten something every morning! Have you? 😉 Was it something tasty? Mmm May be pancakes.. I made onion-chilli cookies twice this week (the recipe here). Once with spring onion, another with leeks, both times they were so good! I love gentle hit from chillies, it helps me to stay awake for a long time!
 Yesterday I didn’t have a plenty time, and my choice was quick-but-healthful breakfast: Greek yogurt with raspberries and honey. But on the picture, you can see another delicious thing – Russian prostokvasha with colorful raspberries and blackberries. Prostokvasha is a dairy product, similar to thick yogurt, which is made from a fermented milk (milk prepared by bacterial fermentation). When it’s prepared from a regular milk it has a pale milky color, but prostokvasha can be also made from baked milk and thus it has beige color, similar to “coffee with cream” (as on the photo). Baked milk is called ‘toplenoe moloko’ in Russia, it’s traditional Russian dairy product. For this milk, regular milk is boiled, and then simmered for a long time to get a special color, taste and smell. Originally it was prepared in Russian pech, nowadays all milky produce can be bought in any Russian store. I do love toplenoe milk and prostokvasha for its unique taste, so I ate it every single day while I was on holiday.. Russian Prostokvasha
 Whether you chose an yogurt with berries or savory cookies for breakfast, I’m sure that better to consume something easy-to-make than nothing. Prostokvasha with colorful raspberries

Sunday Breakfast

 I think, breakfast is one of the most important meal of the day. I never miss breakfast; even if I woke up at 12 or 1pm – I prefer to eat something from breakfast category whether it’s mushroom kasha or sweet pancakes.
 I know that lots of people skip breakfast or have only coffee and sort of to-go bar; some say they are not hungry enough, or another reasons are lack of time or motivation. But eating breakfast can help you to wake up, to boost your energy and metabolism. Moreover, experts say that people who eat breakfast tend to have a lower risk of many health issues. Breakfast should be around 30% daily calories intake. So, skipping the breakfast leading to seek out higher calorie food later in the day.
 Thus, I decided to start a series of ‘Sunday Breakfast’. Why breakfast? – that you’ve read above. Why Sunday? – because it’s usually weekend, no need to hurry – you’ve got plenty of time to prepare any breakfast you/your family like. I’m going to post breakfast recipes that I’m cooking and enjoying. And I’d be more than happy if you share with me your breakfast ideas and recipes; if you decided to take part in this series – send me links to your posts or articles in the internet with your favourite morning meal. You can also write recipes and send me by email, so I could choose a suitable for me and taste them.
 Let’s begin a healthy way to start the day, especially if you haven’t had a breakfast for a long time!
Sunday Breakfast: Zucchini oladushki
I’m quite sure that almost everyone loves zucchini fritters. We call them oladii/oladushki in Russia, that means small pancakes (have a look another recipe by clicking here). These zucchini oladushki are more healthier, because I used fine oats instead of plain flour and fried them almost without oil. As you can see from the photos: they are served with fried quail eggs, which can be substitute with regular ones; herbs add a nice and aromatic touch – to wake up your senses!Zucchini oladushki with fried quail eggs

Sunday Breakfast: Zucchini Oladushki

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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*I didn’t use salt, because I used parmesan which is salty itself, but you can add some salt if needed.
**If zucchini oladushki don’t stick to your frying pan- omit the oil.
Ingredients
1 large zucchini, grated
few spoons of fine oats (or wholemeal flour)
*3-4 tbsp grated parmesan
3 quail eggs or 1 regular egg for the zucchini mixture
2 tsp lemon juice, optional
2-3 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
**1-2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil for frying
quail eggs for serving, as much as you like
some grated parmesan for garnish, optional
  • In a bowl, combine all ingredients, except oil. Heat the oil (if using) in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Using a tablespoon pour a spoonful of the mixture into pan, making oladushki/fritters, fry for a 2 minutes on each side.
  • Keep zucchini oladushki in a warm place: put them in warm 50C oven or cover with foil. Meanwhile, fry quail eggs (you may use the same pan).
  • Top oladushki with fried quail eggs, sprinkle with parmesan if desired.
Enjoy your breakfast!

Zucchini oladushki/yellow flower

Chicken Liver Pâté

 Hey guys! To say the last few weeks of my life have been filled with sport, beach and meeting with friends, so I hadn’t been posting regularly and commenting on your lovely blogs, but I will resume blogging and posting more often. 🙂 And I want to share with you a simple but super delicious recipe –  chicken liver pate! The pate is very quick and easy to make, and require only a few ingredients. Another advantage is a low cost of chicken livers. Pureeing the cooked livers along with butter and a little cognac or brandy transforms the plain part of chicken into something magnificent! It’s a great breakfast on a slice of toasted bread or can be a nice appetizer topped with a cornichon or little pickled onion. 🙂Chicken liver pate

Chicken Liver Pâté

  • Servings: >6
  • Difficulty: easy
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If cooking for children, omit the cognac.
Ingredients
1 large onion
1 medium carrot
20g butter
500g chicken liver, cleaned
1+1 tbsp cognac (or brandy/whiskey)
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1-2 tsp fresh leaves
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
50ml water or chicken stock
100ml cream  (12-15%)
50-60g butter, at room temperature
sea salt to taste
freshly grated black and white pepper to taste
Top
40-50g butter
 
Preparation
  1. Peel onion and cut into small cubes. Wash, peel and grate carrot.
  2. In a deep frying pan or saucepan, heat butter and add vegetables, cook on a medium heat until soft (don’t brown). Add liver and fry for 8-10 minutes. Add one tablespoon of cognac, herbs and season to taste. Simmer on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add water, cream, bring to boil and turn off the heat. Leave to cool at room temperature.
  3. Transfer to a food processor or puree with hand blender. If the consistency is too thick, add more warm water or stock. Adjust the seasoning. Add soft butter, cognac and blend again.
  4. You can make a butter ‘lead’, for that heat the butter in a small bowl and pour over the cooled pate.
  5. Transfer pate to a bowl and keep covered in the fridge up to 5 days.

Enjoy!