All posts filed under: Breakfast

Banana Bread

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My new breakfast favorite! The Banana Bread is a good substitute to toast for breakfasts and handy snack with your afternoon tea/coffee. My dairy and sugar free recipe is made of easy-to-find ingredients (Okay, probably not the almond milk which could easily be replaced by coconut milk). Ingredients: 2 Eggs ¼ cup Almond Milk (or Coconut Milk) 1 ¾ cup Whole Wheat Flour ½ cup Honey 1/3 cup Olive Oil 1 cup mashed ripe Bananas (2 large bananas) 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Vanilla extract ½ tsp Salt ½ tsp Cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruits, fresh banana slices, etc. Preheat oven to 185 degrees Celsius (about 350 degrees F); In a large bowl, mash the banana and add the oil and honey with a whisk or a fork; Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the almond milk; Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Then, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour (in 3 …

Feta in the Oven

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Eating the same thing in a similar way gets sometimes boring! Feta in the Oven is a great and easy way to savor Feta in mornings and evenings. Ingredients: 200g Feta 1 Tomato or bunch of cherry tomatoes Fresh Thyme or Zaatar (Middle Eastern mixture of sumac, thyme and sesame seeds) 1 tbs Olive Oil 1. Preheat oven to 120 degrees Celsius (250 degrees F); 2. Dice the tomatoes or cut the cherry tomatoes in half; 3. Toss the Feta cheese in a pyrex baking dish with the diced tomatoes then top with Zaatar and Olive Oil. Bake for 15minutes in the oven until golden on top. This dish is best served with flatbread. Bon Appetit. The Urban Apron

Waffles, the old fashioned

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No better way to start a morning during your weekend without good old Waffles topped with honey and orange slices. Fortunately, I have the traditional recipe tucked into my apron. Please note that a less calorific recipe will be added later 😉  Ingredients: 2 cups Flour 2 Eggs 40g Butter 1.5 cup warm Milk 4 tsp Baking Powder 2 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Vanilla extract Preheat the waffle iron before mixing the dough. 1. Put the flour in a bowl with the baking powder, sugar and salt; 2. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add the warm milk, butter and vanilla; 3. Stir in the flour mixture and beat until blended, it will take less than 1 minute (make sure you don’t over blend); 4. Pour in the mixture into the waffle iron and cook until the waffles are gold and crispy; 5. Serve the warm waffles with honey and some fruits on the side. Bon Appetite! The Urban Apron

Chocolate Hazelnut spread

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Last week, I decided to make my own Chocolate Hazelnut Spread and got hooked ever since! Early 2016, I decided to lower my processed food (e.g. Nutella) consumption, which pushed me to search for different hazelnut chocolate spread recipes. My preferred taste combo: less cream & butter, and more chocolate. Note that the dosage hazelnut-chocolate can be changed depending on your taste. The spread lasts 4 weeks in the fridge, just remove ahead of time to let the spread soften. Ingredients for 100g: 1 cup Skinned Hazelnut 2 tbs Cream 2 tbs Unsalted Butter 2 tbs Sugar 100g Milk Chocolate 100g Dark Chocolate 1/4 tsp Sea Salt 1. Preheat oven to 180°C (about 350°F); 2. Spread out the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes until deep brown color. Make sure to shake them for even toasting and let them cool; 3. Grind the hazelnuts and sugar in a food processor until smoothed, it should take 1 minute for a buttery effect; 4. Melt the chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water; or just put them in the microwave for 15 seconds; 5. …

Almond Butter – Breakfast Edition

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They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I say it’s the most delicious one specially when drinking coffee 🙂 Okay… I might sound like a coffee addict, but I only drink it twice a day: A cappuccino lactose-free milk in the morning (my new habit) and a double espresso in the afternoon to keep me going! You might have noticed that I recently posted the Almond Butter Spread recipe which I am using for my morning dishes & snacks. I am also experimenting on different spread flavors depending on my mood. Here are some quick breaky recipes to fuel your day: 1. Granola & Fruits with Almond Butter Cut your favorite fruits, squeeze half an orange to add more taste. Spread the almond butter and add some granola and pomegranate seeds. 2. Toast & Fruits with Almond Butter Toast your bread then spread the almond butter. Add some banana slices and sprinkle with chia seeds, agave syrup and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy your morning. The Urban Apron

Homemade Mankoushe (in the pan) – Lebanese Flatbread

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Mankoushe how I miss you! Sometimes it gets to me like a strike, the smell of dough and fresh thyme would trigger my senses like if I was walking by a “fern” in the street (communal oven: referred to the location where the mankoushe is baked). Mankoushe is a typical Lebanese dough similar to a flatbread or pita, it is usually topped with herbs, cheese or meat. You can have it folded, wrapped or open at breakfast or lunch since it would make you feel full & satisfied. You can find it in the “fern” (communal oven) in almost every street at a very cheap price (1$). Yes, it is street food and my favorite… 🙂 When we were kids, my grandma used to take me with my brother to the “fern” every time we had a sleepover, usually early Sunday mornings before the family lunch gathering. Over the years, I used to have the Mankoushe wrap with Zaatar (thyme blend) and vegetables (tomato, cucumber, mint & olives) at school every Fridy until a fern/restaurant opened next to my school and we went over after school …

Almond Butter 101

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Are you hearing a lot about ALMOND BUTTER (or not)? Well, let me tell you more about it so you could make-up your own mind – unless you are allergic to nuts, then forget about it! First and foremost, it tastes GOOD which makes it suitable to be part of your diet: eaten on its own or added in sauces, homemade baked recipes and even smoothies! However, reasonable consumption should still be considered (like any other food product). Making nuts part of your diet supports your health by helping your body regulate blood sugar and lowering a risk of a heart attack. The STAR Nutrients: Vitamin E: As an antioxidant, vitamin E can neutralize free radicals, preventing these harmful chemicals from oxidizing your DNA and proteins, which damages your cells. Magnesium: Magnesium contributes to the function of your nervous system, facilitates muscle contraction, makes up a component of healthy bone tissue and helps support your metabolism. Iron: Iron promotes healthy oxygen transport — it helps you make hemoglobin and myoglobin, two proteins that oxygenate your tissues. Like vitamin E, iron protects your cells from oxidative damage by …

Summer Breakfast with quick tips!

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Summer offers a large variety of tasty fruits, ideally you want to have them all in a large bowl for breakfasts and/or snacks! Here is a healthy and satisfying recipe for summer mornings:  bowl full of fresh fruits, yoghurt and cereals to kick off the day (believe me you won’t get hungry before noon). Now the problem is that you can’t clean, peel and cut all those fruits at 8am. Mornings are usually hectic or lazy and sometimes you are not in the mood to hold a knife or step into the kitchen. Plus you know if you don’t have a descent breakfast you would eat anything you see once you are outside the house and that’s what you are avoiding for a healthy diet. So the Tip for a quick & fresh breakfast is to prepare the fruits overnight and add a little bit of fresh orange juice to avoid the ripe fruits. As for the Greek yoghurt part, I didn’t have to drain or do anything since I found 2 good brands in Danube Jeddah, in the imported section: …