Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” — the saying goes. Large breakfasts have been around for the longest time, and understandably so.
The first meal of the day breaks the fasting state of the body from the night and kick-starts it into gear to face the day.
Breakfast is an important meal of the day — and no doubt, one of the most delicious.
Cereals laden with sugar and preservatives line the “breakfast” aisles at major supermarkets — touting taste and goodness, but I am a skeptic when it comes to believing their nutritional value. The amount of sugar that is hidden in these packaged cereals is mind boggling.
Meals have to consist of three major components in the right ratio for it to work for the body: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
What are macronutrients?
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are called macronutrients because they are nutrients we consume in the largest amounts.
Carbs
They’re not the Devil! Actually, sugars, fibers and starches are forms of carbohydrates and can be mostly found in grains like rice and wheat, starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes and sugars. Carbohydrates provide energy to the body by breaking down into glucose, which is the main source of energy for our body.
Proteins
Proteins are large complex molecules that play many major roles in our body, including building muscle and providing structure and support for cells. Proteins can be found in foods like nuts and seeds, Greek yoghurt, oats and eggs amongst others.
Fats
No, no, don’t dismiss them as a bad thing! We need fats to process many vitamins in our body, and having a certain amount of fats is essential for us! But not all fats are good for us… here’s the skinny on it:
Fats fall into three broad categories: Unsaturated fats, which stay liquid at room temperature, and can be found in foods like avocados, nuts and vegetable oils; saturated fats generally stay solid at room temperature, for example, butter, cheese and some other milk products are sources of saturated fats; trans fats are liquid fats that have been turned into solid fats through the process of hydrogenation. Margarine and hydrogenated vegetable fat are examples of trans fat. Please avoid trans fats as much as possible, and stick to unsaturated fats. Trust me, your body will thank you.
Breakfasts and macronutrients
Ideally, breakfasts should consist of 45-65 per cent carbohydrates, 10-25 per cent proteins and 20-35 per cent fats by calorific consumption. Simply put, we need a large portion of carbohydrates, a medium portion of protein and a teensy bit of fat (since even a teensy bit can make a significant calorific dent!).
Oats, some gorgeous fruit, a spoon of nut butter and a side of Greek yoghurt would completely fit beautifully as a breakfast. It has carbohydrates and protein from oats, sugars from fruit, good fats from nut butters and a healthy dose of protein from Greek yoghurt. Easy peasy!
Vidisha Bathwal Paprika Gourmet and iStock
A breakfast bowl...
The idea of a breakfast bowl was born out of the need to create a simple yet effective dish that ticks all the right macronutrient boxes, while providing an aesthetically pleasing meal. The first thing you will notice about breakfast bowls are the colours — vibrant hues that pop off the crockery, creating edible art. For example, take the smoothie bowl, one of the most popular breakfast bowls. The thick and creamy consistency of the blended fruits with yogurt sets it apart from smoothies. The spoon-able mixture is then topped with nuts, seeds and fruits to add to its vibrancy and nutritional value. The effect is just too pretty to not eat. If you prefer something savoury, consider the breakfast burrito bowl — grains and greens and all the fixings of a Mexican meal topped with an egg, providing both fibre and protein! Satisfying and delicious.
The Instagram love story...
Today, before we feed ourselves, we feed our ’gram. For the uninitiated, that’s not short from grandma, it’s actually Instagram! Instagram is a hub of activity and everything from fashion to food makes its way through its hallowed portals into the hearts and minds of many a ’grammar! The breakfast bowl is the perfect fit, and checks all the boxes, making it Insta-worthy in a blink. It’s healthy, it’s pretty and it’s hip! Pardon me for saying this, but seeing truly is half eating, especially in today’s day and age and once you’ve set your eyes on the breakfast bowl, you can’t take them off it.
The popularity of the breakfast bowl comes not only from its nutritional value, but also its visual and sensorial appeal it provides its consumers.
Jump on the bandwagon!
Instagram or not, this trend is here to stay. Healthful eating can be fun, satisfying and interesting, and the breakfast bowl proves that with elan! So, if you have some fruit, a few nuts and the willingness to try something new, I urge you to follow these simple recipes to add zing to your mornings.
You could tag us @paprikakolkata on Instagram for us to feature your breakfast bowls on our page! Cheers to healthier mornings!
QUINOA POKE BOWL Paprika Gourmet and iStock
Recipes
Ingredients
Quinoa: 200g tri-colour quinoa
Water: 400ml
Salt
• 1 pcs onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic cut long
• 1 pc cut into cube oven-roasted sweet potato
• 1 pc beetroot
• 250g blanched broccoli
• 100g mushroom
• 1 pc avocado
• 1tbsp sesame oil , avocado oil
• Truffle salt
• Pinch of white pepper powder
• Olive oil zaatar (1tbsp of zaatar powder with 2tbsp in olive oil mixed in a Bowl)
Method:
Boil the quinoa in water for 15 minutes. Drain the water out, wash with cold water.
In a pan, put sesame oil, add sliced garlic, sliced onions, add boiled beetroot, add quinoa and mix well. Add truffle salt, white pepper powder, zaatar mixture.
Empty this in a bowl.
In a pan put olive oil, add mushrooms and give it a quick stir for 5 -7 minutes and remove from the heat. Same way - sauté´ broccoli.
Dressing ingredients:
• 1.5 cup yogurt strained 2tbsp tahini
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• To the yogurt, add tahini, salt, and pepper & mix well. Add some parsley, and put aside
Assembly:
In a bowl put some sauteed quinoa, top it up with the dressing, cut sliced avocado, roasted sweet potatoes, mushroom, broccoli. Top it up with toasted pine nuts and mint leaf.
SMASHED CUCUMBER SALAD WITH SUMAC ONIONS Paprika Gourmet and iStock
Recipes
Ingredients:
• Sumac onions
• 1tsp lemon juice
• 2tsp sumac
• 1 pcs big red onion sliced
For salad:
• 1tsp white sesame seeds, toasted 1lb Lebanese or Persian cucumbers (about 6 to 8 cucumbers)
• Parsley oil
• Salt
• 20g parsley leaves
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 5tbsp olive oil
• 900g full-fat yogurt
• Salt
• Muslin cloth
Method:
• Prep sumac onions.
• Place the cucumbers on a chopping board and trim off the tops and bottoms. Use the side of your knife to smack the cucumbers until they’re slightly bruised and breaking apart. Use a spoon to scoop the seeds out of the middle of each half and discard. Roughly chop the cucumbers into 1-inch pieces
• Transfer to a bowl and season with 1tsp of salt, tossing to combine, then set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the cucumbers through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the salty water.
To make parsley oil:
• Add the parsley, garlic, 1/4 tsp of salt and the olive oil to a food processor and blitz until completely smooth. Add the drained cucumbers, sumac onions, and a few tablespoons of parsley oil to a bowl and toss well to combine. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
• Sumac onion: Mix sumac herb with onions lightly, add salt and lemon juice
Labneh: Add the yogurt and salt to mix well, place in a cheesecloth. Place a heavy weight over it and transfer to the fridge and keep overnight.
About the author
(Vidisha Bathwal is the founder of Paprika Gourmet, an exotic artisan catering service brand in Calcutta. She’s also a passionate foodie and a fitness enthusiast)