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Good Morning Good Morning Good morning

Shakshouka My favorite indulgence 
It has been reported the best way to eat is  according to the old British idiom, breakfast like a king ( large) lunch like a prince (medium ) dinner like a pauper ( small, light) .
There is no doubt that breakfast is the most important meal of the day; although by many it is often skipped. It has been proven that children who skip breakfast do not do as well at school as those that have a nutritionally balanced start to the day.
When one thinks of a British breakfast one thinks of a heavy fat induced heart attack on a plate British fry up eggs sunny side up, with all the trimmings, even the   kosher version omitting the bacon, and pork sausages   adding kosher chicken sausages, baked beans, fried mushrooms, tomatoes and sliced fried potatoes, followed by toast and orange marmalade is a force to be reckoned with.
In Israel, breakfast is a major social event mainly at the weekends, but the breakfast is served by coffee houses all day; omelet, scrambled or fried eggs, Israeli salad, dips, cheese, bread a hot and cold drink is so gargantuan one often sees two or more people sharing a breakfast,  at lunchtime in a coffee house or restaurant. My favorite Israeli breakfast is Shakshouka, a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin served piping hot…I am really not allowed tomatoes or chili however every two – three months I give in to the craving eat the eggs leave the sauce, and quench my thirst for this unique middle eastern delight.
Breakfast for me has always been savory, eggs, kippers, kedgeree  and smoked haddock, among my favorites; however since my first visit to Baltimore back in the 1990's I discovered and fell in love with the cornbread or breakfast Muffin.

Muffins always intrigued and frightened me as they seemed complex for a breakfast food, most of the early recipes I came across included butter milk & butter, but now I am a firm convert to the breakfast muffin, fresh and just warm from the oven; they really don’t take that long to throw together, and while they are cooking one can be doing other things; or you can even make a batch in advance and keep them in the freezer, take out and defrost as needed.

Breakfast Muffins
This Morning I Made These Banana And Apple Spelt Breakfast Muffins, for a women's learning group that meets next door to my home every Wednesday morning; although I don’t attend as Wednesdays are a full day for me, I have taken on myself to provide a breakfast treat (either vegan cinnamon and honey oatmeal, buckwheat pancakes filled with fruit compote or breakfast muffins.)

 The whole process including preparation and cooking took less than 30 minutes this morning. Apparently they were delicious.

You can alter the recipe and make them gluten free, by using gluten free flour and omitting the oatmeal unless you can get gluten free oatmeal instead of the spelt flour; but today I only had spelt to hand.
The quantity below makes 26-30 muffins depending on size I make smaller ones as the women prefer that.

You Need
2 Cups Spelt or Gluten free flour
1/2 cup organic honey
1 tea spoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 cup apple sauce
3 over ripe bananas mashed I keep mine in the freezer to use in smoothies and baking
2 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon good vanilla essence
The zest of a large orange
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins optional
1/2 cup coconut oil melted
1/2 cup   almond or rice milk
3/4 cup organic quick cook oatmeal
1/2 tea spoon sea salt

Pre heat your oven   to 180c 350F Gas mark 4.
Line your muffin tins with paper case. (I do this the night before!)
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix well by hand for 2-3 minutes, making sure all the banana has mixed in well. You don’t need a machine this is very easy by hand!
Using an ice cream scoop to ensure uniformity of size, scoop one scoop into each paper case.
Place in the oven for 15-18 minutes, remove from the tin and let cool down a little, serve with your favorite beverage.

Ideal for school lunchboxes, for the busy person on the go.. a meal in a muffin not a bad way to start your day!

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