Banana oat bars

 Ingredients

•  3 large very ripe bananas
• 120g peanut butter or almond butter
• 200g rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp salt

Optional:

• Vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips or raisins
• Ground cinnamon or ginger

Method 

1. Mash the bananas on a plate until they are smooth and creamy.
2. Tip the mashed bananas into a mixing bowl and add the peanut butter.
3. Mix well until you have a creamy mixture.
4. Add the rolled oats and salt and stir well.
5. Add any flavouring, spice, choc chips or dried fruit etc. if desired.
6. Grease and line an 8" square or oblong tin
7.  Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
8. Bake in the centre of a moderate oven, 350º F or gas mark 4 for around 25 minutes.
9. Allow to cool a bit and then mark into bars with a knife.

 

 

Light banana pancakes

Ingredients

One over ripe slightly fermenting banana 

One egg

1 tbsp plain flour (wheat or buckwheat etc) 

A little olive oil or fat 

Method 

1. Mash the winey banana in a large breakfast cup.
2. Break the egg into the cup and stir.
3. Add a spoonful of flour, and whisk it a little.
4. Leave it to stand for a bit. (The longer you leave it the more bubbly it will be).
5. Heat the oil in a large flat non-stick pan and fry small drop scone size spoonfuls of the mixture.
6. Turn once with a non-stick spatula.
7. Serve with fruit and cream or syrup etc.

Good for breakfast or pudding at any time. Can also be taken on picnics.

 

Staffordshire oatcakes

Ingredients

8 oz fine or medium oatmeal
8 oz wheat flour (or some non-wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast or 1 oz fresh yeast
3/4 pint warm water
3/4 pint warm milk

Method

1. Mix the oatmeal and flour together.
2. Mix in the dried yeast (or rub in the fresh yeast).
3. Gradually add the liquids and make a smooth batter.
4. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for an hour, or cooler overnight.
5. Heat a pancake pan, greasy with bacon fat from frying the bacon.
6.  Use a ladle to pour in batter and spread to about 9 or 10 inches diameter.
7. Flip it over when the bubbles on top burst and the top is set.
8. Finished cakes should be soft, not crisp.
9. Serve with bacon and the rest of a cooked breakfast, or topped with melted cheese etc.

Catherine's best oatmeal pancakes

Make the batter a bit in advance if possible, to allow the oatmeal to soak up the liquid. If you are serving the pancakes with bacon and syrup for breakfast, cook the bacon in the pan first and then keep it warm while you fry the pancakes in the bacon fat that remains in the pan. You can also mix in chopped apple, apple rings or slices of banana to make fritters (very good with bacon and maple syrup!).

Ingredients

1 oz fine oatmeal
1 egg
Pinch of salt
A little milk

Method

1. Weigh up the oatmeal and put it in a large soup cup or small bowl
2. Break the egg into it, and stir to make a thick batter
3. Add a small slosh of milk (about 2tsp) and the pinch of salt.
4. Leave the batter to stand for as long as poss (five minutes is good, an hour is better, overnight is fine).
5. Add more milk to achieve the right consistency. The batter can be thickish for small griddle cake/scotch pancakes, or a bit thinner for large crepes.
6. Heat an oiled griddle or crepe pan or frying pan (or the pan left after frying bacon), and cook the pancakes. 

Serve them with bacon, fruit, yogurt and syrup for breakfast. Serve them with lemon and sugar for pancake day. Save the extras and use them as sandwich wraps. Spread them with jam, or cheese...

Porridge made with rolled oats

Not how Daddy makes it, but can be done without soaking and takes very little time.

Per person:
1 oz rolled oats
1/3 pint of water (can be hot) (a tea cup full)
1/3 tsp of salt

Put all these in a pan and bring to the boil.
Stir well.
Boil for about three minutes and serve in warm bowls (with cream and syrup etc).

Cottage Cheese Griddle Cakes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp melted butter
4 oz (100 g) cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 oz (50 g) Self raising flour
1 tbsp milk

1. Add the melted butter to the cottage cheese and gradually whisk in the eggs (a hand whisk or fork is fine for this).
2. Stir in the flour and milk, and mix to a smooth thick batter.
3. Grease the griddle or frying pan.
   
4. Heat the griddle or frying pan.
5. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the griddle. Turn them over with a wooden spatula or with a knife and wooden spoon. They should be golden on both sides by the end.
6. Serve freshly cooked with crisp hot bacon, honey, jam or jelly.

"These scones are very light and digestible, and particularly good for anyone who does not want much starch in his diet."

Porridge

Sunday morning porridge how Daddy makes it:

Ingredients:

for each person add the following quantities:

1 oz medium oatmeal
7 fl oz water
1/3 teaspoon salt

1. Put the oatmeal and water in a non-stick pan. Soak overnight.
2. Add the salt.
3. Bring to the boil gently and cook for 5 minutes or so.
4. Serve hot in warm bowls. Serve a jug of cold milk separately, and a selection of brown sugar, maple syrup, black treacle etc.
   

For porridge how Mummy likes it, stir a dessertspoon of plain yogurt into your bowl of porridge, and drizzle ginger syrup over. Have a small cup of cold milk alongside, into which you dip your every spoonful of hot porridge. This keeps the milk from getting hot by contact with the hot porridge.