Easy Peasy Caprese Bread

Serves 8

I am as guilty as the next person at not having time to make a proper nutritionally balanced breakfast for myself.  I often eat my breakfast in the car on the go, which I know is not exactly ideal.  My options used to be somewhat limited to sugar-laden breakfast bar, but not anymore!  I have to admit I am feeling rather smug at my first attempt at bread making. It’s not your traditional loaf that requires kneading and rising. It’s their much easier untraditional sister that takes only 10 minutes of hands-on prep time before baking in the oven for half an hour to transforms it into this healthy loaf of deliciousness. I think my husband finds it all the more frustrating because he has started lovingly tending to his sourdough starter for a week now. Honestly if I didn’t know what he was up to, I’d think he was having some sort of affair down in our kitchen. Each night he spends ages meticulously feeding his beloved starter in the hope that one day soon he will make the perfect batch of sourdough bread. I, on the other hand, experimented a bit, chucked it all together and produced what can only be described as a little bit of mouth heaven! 

It is so easy to make, so full of flavour and is truly perfect for any time of the day. It lasts for several days in the fridge and is great to freeze individual slices and simply defrost in the microwave when you are short on time.

It is an ideal breakfast on the go as it is chock full of veggies and has 8g of protein per serving, as well as some complex carbohydrates to keep you full all morning long. It is perfect for lunch with a soup or salad, and is also a great little protein and fibre hit for a post workout snack.

One serving provides 148 calories, 2g of fibre, 8g of protein and approximately 20% of my daily Vitamin A and C requirements.

INGREDIENTS 

·     120g Cherry Tomatoes
·     1 Leek
·     100g Rainbow Chard (or any leafy greens like Kale or Cavolo Nero)
·     4 Spring Onions
·     4 Large Eggs
·     100g Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour
·     2 tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
·     A big handful of chopped fresh Basil and Chives
·     100g Mozzarella (or any cheese of your choice)
·     Salt & Fresh Black Pepper
·     1 tsp Olive Oil for frying
·     Optional – Chilli Flakes if you like a little spicy kick

METHOD 

·      Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
·      Finely chop the leeks, spring onions, rainbow chard and herbs.
·      Quarter the cherry tomatoes. 
·      Chop the mozzarella.
·      Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.  
·      Sautee the leeks for 3-4 minutes until browning slightly.  Set aside.
·      Whisk the eggs.
·      In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour.
·      Slowly incorporate the eggs into the flour until there are no lumps.
·      Add the chopped tomatoes, spring onions, leeks, chard, mozzarella, herbs and the salt and pepper (and chilli flakes if using).
·      Spoon the batter into a parchment lines loaf tin.
·      Sprinkle the pumpkins seeds on top.
·      Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
·      Enjoy fresh out of the oven or else cool on a wire rack, slice and freeze.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION 

Calories – 148
Protein – 8g
Carbohydrates – 11g
Fat – 7g
Fibre – 2g
Vitamin A – 22%
Vitamin C – 17%
Calcium – 5%
Iron – 9%