BREAKFAST BASICS: CASHEW CREAM + MYLK + BASIC CHIA PUDDING

Breakfast is easily the most important meal of the day for me. It sets the whole tone for what is to follow, allowing a moment to create the space I want to go into the day. It sounds a bit hippy-dip, but honestly, breakfast rituals are SO sacred in our house. Always a big glass of water on waking, followed by tea (green at the moment, often peppermint too), then breakfast. Adam hasn't wavered from his bowl of yoghurt and blueberries, followed by a cup of freshly-made coffee, for years. It's something I treasure, these little micro-movements of the morning, knowing they'll be there for me when I wake up, marking the start of another (often) glorious (sometimes not) day.

But, as someone who regularly gets up (very) early to help people ring in the day with their yoga practice, prep-ahead breakfasts are definitely my vibe. Chia pudding is one of my most regular (and favourite) breakfasts - it has so many applications. Mix it up the night before (sometimes even topping with the berries then too) makes an irresistible grab-and-go breakfast that does not compromise on convenience, taste, or good health. I'll often make up 2-3 breakfasts at once, if I know I've got a particularly busy week ahead. (They also make excellent snacks.) I love the recipe as given here, simply topped with some fresh fruit and nuts. Alternatively, if I want a more fancy breakfast parfait, I’ll halve the recipe to make room in my jar for other layers. The flavoured variations are almost endless, but I’ve given some of my favourites below.

I've also included a recipe for vanilla cashew cream and mylk, which thought not mind-blowingly original, is the recipe I now know by heart. It is so versatile and simple. I have the lovely Hannah to thank for the idea of blending some of the cashew cream with extra water to make cashew mylk — not only do you get two delicious products, but your blender is easier to clean — genius!


CASHEW CREAM + MYLK
makes about 1 cup of cashew cream + 1 litre of cashew mylk

1 cup/115 g raw cashews
pinch of ground vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cover the cashews with water and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Strain and rinse thoroughly.

Scoop the cashews into the blender and add the vanilla. Add a dash of water. Blend slowly, then stop and scrape down the sides, blend again on a higher speed.

Add more water 1 tbsp at a time, until cashew cream has reached the desired consistency. Continue blending until the cashew cream is silky and smooth. This should take 2-4 minutes, depending on the speed of your blender.

Pour cashew cream into a clean glass jar, but don’t scrape out the blender. Add 800 ml fresh water to the blender, and blend with the remaining cashew cream to make cashew mylk. Pour mylk into a glass bottle. Refrigerate both the cream and mylk. Keeps for up to 1 week.

Variation: For cacao cashew cream, take ¼ cup of your cashew cream and mix in 1 tbsp raw cacao powder. This can also be done with mesquite and maca powders for even more options.

BASIC CHIA PUDDING
serves 1 as a meal or 2 as a snack

4 tbsp/40 g chia seeds
1 cup/250 ml mylk of choise (cashew, almond, coconut, etc)
to serve: cashew cream, fresh berries, coconut chips, bee pollen

The night before, mix chia seeds and mylk together, giving them a few good stirs before storing in the fridge overnight. A 400-500 ml (about 2 cups or 16 oz) glass jar is ideal (especially if you need to grab and go). In the morning, serve with your favourite toppings.

Variation: add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp maple syrup to the soaking liquid, serve with chopped banana, strawberries and a sprinkle of pepitas.

Variation: add 1 tbsp raw cacao powder and 2 tsp maple syrup to the soaking liquid for a luscious chocolate pudding.

Variation: reduce amount of mylk to ⅔ cup/165 ml and blend ⅓ cup berries of choice (frozen is fine) into the mylk for a berry flavour.

Variation: gently warm the soaking liquid and infuse with your favourite blend of tea for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding chia seeds.