When it comes to breakfast Ryan and I have two distinct needs. Ryan needs coffee. I need to be full so I’m not hangry (hungry+angry) one hour later. This smoothie does both things. Tasty, filling, and caffeinated. I like peanut butter and banana together, and I know that’s a sandwich combination usually associated with Elvis. I think a catchier name for this smoothie might be something like the caffeinated Elvis. Or maybe jumpin’ Elvis? Whaddya think?

Regardless, it’s such a good combination of foods because the protein from the peanut butter keeps you full and the banana adds a nice sweetness. Frozen bananas are especially delicious and creamy in smoothies and I highly recommend you throw some bananas in your freezer right now. Ok don’t just through bananas in your freezer, but peel them, cut them up into blender friendly pieces and store them in a tightly sealed food storage container. The smoothie also contains yogurt & milk so in one drink we’re getting three food groups. How’s that for a balanced breakfast?! Final bonus, this stores well in the fridge and doesn’t separate like most smoothies. You can drink half one morning and save the other half for the next. Yummy and efficient is the best recipe combination.

Now, I was a little nervous about combining banana and coffee – it seemed weird. And then I remembered I’ve actually had this combination before. Every summer until we moved to London (and pretty much every summer of Ryan’s whole life) we went to the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. In the mornings we’d go to Coffee Talk (because as you might remember from the top Ryan needs coffee in the morning) to get breakfast and on the last day of our trip we’d buy a bag of bananas foster coffee. The delicious sweet, sort of fakey banana scent was intoxicating and the overall flavor was enjoyable and caramel like. We’ve been sad to miss out on Stone Harbor this year. Even worse, my family went to Cape May (the next beach town over from Stone Harbor) at the same time so we double missed out on the beach! This smoothie is my tiny tribute to those beach time coffee runs.

Messy level: Slightly more messy than a regular smoothie only because you have to make some espresso or coffee and then let it cool. Alternatively you could use store-bought canned espresso or coffee, but then you don’t have control of how much sugar is in those drinks. Still, a smoothie is always an easy clean up.

Caffeinated Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas (unfrozen is fine, but frozen gives a creamy texture)
• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup espresso, cooled
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredient to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
2. Taste. If needed, add further ingredients to suit your taste.
3. Pour into a glass and serve with a draw. Drink and feel happily full and caffeinated.

3.3.3077

 

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Today is a day when practically everyone in London needs a slice of cake. Why? Because of the Tube strike. For most people, the commute today is longer and more crowded (which also means hotter and sweatier). This was my first strike experience. Last year I was unemployed and it didn’t bother me and last month I had the day off. I left super early to ensure I wasn’t late for work, and in fact, I was an hour early. However, it did take me an hour longer than usual to get here. See, it’s tough. We all need a slice of cake.

If I’m honest, I think the perfect cake to soothe commute related stress is this chocolate lava cake I wrote about a few years ago. It’s the perfect cake because it’s unhealthy, indulgent, and incredibly easy to make. However, this cake is a close second because I think it’s the perfect cake to have for breakfast. And I’m a huge advocate of cake for breakfast. This cake will give you a sugar burst to pep up your morning, it’s not to terribly unhealthy, and then you could have another slice when you get home at the end of the day. 

I think any cake is good for breakfast, but let me sing the praises of this specific cake. First, it has peaches so that right there practically makes it a health food. Before making this cake I had been thinking a lot about baking with peaches. When peaches are good, oh man are they good. When I eat a nice peach it makes me feel like a kid again because the juice dribbles everywhere but the taste is warm and sweet like sunshine. I decided on an upside down cake because then the peach’s natural beauty could be on display (where as in a pie it’s hidden).

Second, this cake is good for breakfast because it’s sweet enough to feel like a treat and give you a pick-me-up, but it’s not so sickly sweet you want to brush your teeth right after. Third, this cake is low in calories. A lot of people eat muffins for breakfast and many of those store bought muffins are basically cakes masquerading as a filling breakfast food. For example, some Starbucks muffins have over 400 calories per muffin! So why not cut out the faking and actually have a real delicious cake for breakfast. This cake, if you cut this cake in 8 slices, each piece has less than 250 calories per serving. Second, it’s made with some whole grain flour, Greek yogurt, and of course peaches so there is actually a bit of nutritional value in this cake. See, the perfect breakfast cake.

It’s also a good anytime cake. (I mean what cake isn’t a good anytime cake). I made this last weekend before heading to my friend’s for board game night and it went over well. This cake is sweet enough that it feels like dessert but you don’t have to feel guilty. And of course, the best part of the cake is the delicious peaches. They add a slight crunch and a bright juiciness. It’s wonderful. The overall taste is the right balance of wholesome and sweet. And for a day like today with a tough commute, I think we could all use that combo of a treat that’s not so bad for you. So go ahead, have some cake London. We deserve it.

Messy level: I think all cakes are three spoon recipes. You need two bowls, you have to measure so much, and of course I spill flour everywhere. Also this batter is really thick so it’s not pourable. You basically have to slap it down on top of the peaches and then smooth is with a knife (or your fingers if you’re like me). A bit messy, but worth it. Cake is always worth it.

Peach Upside Down Cake

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 2 small-medium peaches, thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided (plus extra not-melted for greasing)
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whisky
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ½ cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup plain fat-free yogurt, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Grease a 8" cake pan with butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease that.
3. In a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of butter, the brown sugar, and the whisky. Dip the slices of peaches into this sugar mixture.
4. Line the bottom of your prepared pan with the dipped peaches. Arrange the peaches in pretty concentric circles.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, both flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
6. In another bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, yogurt, 3 tablespoons of butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
7. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredient. Fold together until just combined. It will be a thick batter.
8. Spoon the batter over the peaches. Smooth out the batter with a knife or your finger.
9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until browned and a toothpick put in the center comes out mostly clean.
10. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool for one minute.
11. Run a knife around the outside edge of the cake to loosen it. Then carefully invert the cake and remove the pan.
12. Cut, serve, enjoy!

3.3.3077

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This is one of those recipes. Coronation chicken was created in 1953 for banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Ryan and I have had it a few times for lunch and it’s really tasty. It’s a cold, sweet, and savory chicken salad. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve only had this recipe at one place. That means I don’t have enough experience to say what is most authentic, best, or worst. All I can say, is that what I’ve had in the shop is good and what I made was good. What I made tasted similar to the restaurant version, but not the same. And that seems to make sense because there are tons of recipe variations out there. I found simple three ingredient recipes, complex and difficult recipes, and ones somewhere in between. I chose this one from the Guardian, and I liked it because it was a mix of ingredients I already had in the pantry and a few special ones I had to buy. Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 1.5kg/3.3 lb

1 cinnamon stick

5 black peppercorns (or a few twists from a pepper mill)

1 tsp salt

pinch of saffron

thumb size piece of ginger, peeled

bay leaf

5 tbsp mango chutney

50g/ 1/3 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

2 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

200 ml or a little more than 3/4 cup mayonnaise

200 ml  or a little more than 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

50g/ 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Small bunch of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Put the chicken, breast side up in a large pot. Add the cinnamon, pepper, saffron, salt, bay leaf, and half the ginger. Fill with cold water until only the top of the breast is exposed.

2. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook for 1.5 hours. Take out of the pan and set aside to cool.

3. Remove the meat and cut or rip into bite sized pieces. Set aside until lukewarm.

4. Finely chop up the rest of the ginger.

5. Put the chutney and apricots in a large bowl.

6. In a pan, toast the curry powder until fragrant. This takes only 45 seconds or so. This is done to help bring out the flavors more strongly.

7. Add the curry and ginger into the bowl with the chutney and apricots.

8. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then mayonnaise, then yogurt. Taste. Season to your liking. I added more curry.

9. Once the chicken is cold, mix in the dressing. Refrigerate for a couple hours. Try your best to do this, it really improves the flavors!

10. Add the cilantro and almonds.

11. Eat on a salad or on a roll.

Messy level: This recipe is pretty messy simply because there are so many steps. I found it messiest working with the chicken. I had a hard time getting it neatly out of the pot and onto a plate and then I used my hands to remove the chicken. This was a bit drippy and sticky. I also felt I needed a lot of bowls and utensils for cutting, for the sauce, and for the chicken. Still, a long lazy day at home gives me time for a big clean up.

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