Gluten-free summer breakfast recipes to make you smile

So now it’s finally summer – and what a glorious one so far! – I’ve been coming up with new, summery breakfast ideas that suit sitting out in the garden or walking the kids to school.

I’ve never been one for big, carb-laden breakfasts, but I do love granola, especially when I make it myself. Granola can be very healthy and chock-full of goodness, but if you’re buying it from a store, it’s more often than not full of refined sugars and trans-fats.

A recipe that I recently tried and then adapted from one of my new favourite cookbooks, Superfoods, is wonderful. It’s everything a granola should be: crunchy, subtly sweet and full of slow-releasing energy for a zesty start to your day (recipe below).

Granola is also versatile: you can eat it the traditional way with milk (hemp and oat are my favourites) or yogurt (I love Coyo’s vanilla coconut yogurt), or take it with you in a pot for an on-the-go snack. I also love sprinkling it onto the tops of morning smoothies for added crunch.

Speaking of smoothies, I love them year-round, but they definitely come into their own in the summer, with fruits of all sorts being available at cheaper prices everywhere.

I’ve been obsessed with this one all week: ‘Mocha Madness’ I call it. It’s a pick-me-up smoothie for those of us who love coffee but don’t want the cow with it.

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Mocha Madness recipe
• 250ml plant- or nut-based milk
• 1/4 avocado
• 1 TB raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp Baobab powder
• 1 TB ‘green’ powder (I love the Super Green Detox one)
• Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 3-4 dates (I prefer Medjool but if you don’t have them, just put your dates first in some hot water to soften prior to blitzing)
• Handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1-2 tsp espresso powder
• Secret ingredient alert: Frozen broccoli (3 heads)

Method: Put everything into a blender, milk first, and process until smooth (30-45 seconds). Drink (or spoon it) immediately!

The frozen broccoli gives it an added antioxidant and green boost but is entirely hidden once blitzed. You’ll never know it’s there. Of course, you can substitute the broccoli for any other greens – or ice cubes if you don’t care for the veggies but want it cold (which means it will retain its nutritional goodness for longer).

Superfood Granola recipe:
• 200g raw buckwheat groats
• 75g gluten-free oats
• 60g gogi berries
• 60g pumpkin seeds
• 40g walnuts
• 60g organic, sugar-free coconut flakes
• 1TB organic brown rice syrup*
• 1-2tsp organic rapeseed oil (or coconut oil)

Method: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl – use your hands to make sure it’s thoroughly combined. Spread it out onto a greaseproof parchment-lined baking tray so it’s even – but don’t press it down. Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 12 minutes; remove to cool. You’ll need to break it up into small clusters once cooled – store in an airtight container or consume with your family straight away!

I prefer it with coconut yogurt and topped with fresh berries – yum!

*If you need it sweeter you can increase the syrup to 2TB or use 1TB of maple syrup – or sucanet (dehydrated raw cane juice) – in addition.

Twitter: @ondinebarry and Instagram: Ondineb71

The author:

Ondine is a passionate fan of gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free eating and writes our Fabulously Free blog