rise & spice: Breakfast spices
I feel breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Making it a nutritious, flavourful, and filling meal will ensure we stay energised and focused all morning.
Whether it’s a cold or hot breakfast, or a sweet or savoury dish, there are plenty of ways we could be jazzing them up with spices!
Cinnamon is a common go-to spice in the mornings – whether it’s for a porridge, smoothie, or pancakes, as is vanilla for waffles or French toast. However, there are others that we can blend these familiar spices with or use on their own.
Here are 5 spices you can try, with recipe ideas and health benefits:
Allspice
With notes of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and a hint of pepper, allspice is great all-rounder.
Use whole berries to brew a morning spiced or herbal tea, or for poaching fruit;
Use ground for sprinkling into porridge, smoothies, pancakes, waffles, baked oats, or homemade granola;
Add to Bircher muesli, or combine with a drop of honey/maple and yoghurt for adding to your granola bowl;
Sprinkle into the sauce when making spiced up beans or a Shakshuka.
Allspice is known to improve mood, immunity, and circulation, and acts as a pain reliever.
Cumin
Swap your cracked black pepper for roasted coarsely ground cumin seeds to give your tastebuds a refreshing treat in the mornings.
Known for boosting metabolism, hydration, and digestion, you know you’ll be starting your day well!
In India a glass of warm water with cumin seeds is a common drink consumed specifically for its health benefits.
Roast and coarsely grind cumin seeds for sprinkling over your avocado smash, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, beans, or Shakshuka;
Combine with potatoes or hash browns or fritters;
Blend with warm honey for drizzling over haloumi and a roasted vegetable stack, or waffles or pancakes.
They’re also beautiful savoury addition to sweet eats!
Ginger
This is one of my favourites. I add a fresh slice to my morning cuppa every day.
I combine ground ginger with cinnamon in my smoothies, porridge, pancakes, and French toast batter.
I sprinkle it on top of my yoghurt in a granola bowl, blending it with cinnamon and a hint of vanilla.
I use it when baking homemade granola and oatmeal, plus for baking or poaching fruit and overnight oats or a chia pudding.
Ginger boosts metabolism, acting a good digestive aid, and has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Nigella seeds
With it’s delicious roasted/caramelised onion-y flavours, these seeds are perfect for sprinkling over your favourite egg dish – whether it’s poached, fried, scrambled, or an omelette.
They also pair wonderfully when sprinkled over avocado smash, juicy tomatoes, mushrooms, or beans.
If you’re making fresh bread, sprinkle them on top of the dough before baking for adding an onion-like taste, or add to baked oats for a hint of savoury.
These minute seeds are known to lower cholesterol, boost memory, and balance blood sugars, as well as reduce acne, alleviate inflammation, and kill off bacteria.
Turmeric
Following our Spice Story feature last week on this ‘Golden Spice’, Turmeric truly has become a go-to spice for cooking and wellness.
Sprinkle into creamy, milky-based breakfasts such as, porridge, oatmeal, overnight oats or chia or rice puddings;
Add to yoghurt with a drop of maple/honey for adding to granola or muesli bowls;
Add a pinch when cooking scrambled eggs or tofu, or an omelette;
For making morning potatoes or spiced up beans;
Add to smoothies, milkshakes, lassi, or an herbal tea or ‘Haldi Doodh’ (turmeric milk).
Recipes
Check out these recipes for you to spice up your mornings!
Spiced Scrambled Tofu - watch our Insta reel for a step-by-step guide on this one here!
Connect with me for any questions or comments!
