HOT BREAKFAST FOR THE COCOONER

Comfort food works wonders on any winter morning. It doesn't even have to be a lazy Sunday morning for that. A few simple recipes, ideal for stay-at-home people (or people with a nasty morning mood ...), for a wonderfully hot breakfast:

• French toast with ricotta and apple

Cut an apple into slices. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top and stew the slices in the pan for a few minutes. Dip a few thick slices of bread in a mixture of egg, milk and brown sugar. Fry these French toast in the pan with some butter. Serve with a soupspoon of ricotta.

• Chocolate oatmeal with cherries

Place a pan of milk (± 1 cup) on the stove. Add a handful of dry oatmeal and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer until the oatmeal is soft. Turn down the heat a little and put in a few pieces (as much as you like) of dark chocolate. Stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted. Put it in a breakfast bowl and finish off with half a cup of cherries (out of season best from the freezer).

HOT BREAKFAST FOR THE ENERGY SEEKER

Having trouble waking up and a tough day ahead? Then you could use an energy boost!

• Banana cake with nuts

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease a cake mold with butter. Peel 3 bananas and puree them. Add 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt. Chop 75g of nuts of your choice and add them, together with 30g of grated coconut. Bake the cake in the oven for approx. 45 min. Delicious breakfast to take with you to work!

• Pumpkin pancakes  

For 8 to 10 pieces: Mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, a pinch of cinnamon, ginger powder and some chia seeds. Add to this dry mixture 1 cup of milk, an egg, a dash of rapeseed oil and 6 tablespoons of mashed pumpkin (can be boiled and crushed beforehand). Bake the pancakes. Ready!

THE ADVENTURER CHOOSES THIS HOT BREAKFAST

Prefer a spicy and/or exotic breakfast? Here are some recipes with influences from faraway countries:

• Bacon, eggs & quinoa

For 4 persons: Chop 1 sweet potato, ½ red onion, six mushrooms and 1 clove of garlic. Fry in the pan with 100g bacon cubes. Season with chilli, salt and pepper. When this is almost done, add ½ cup (dry but rinsed) quinoa and then 1 cup water or broth. Leave to simmer for ± 15 minutes until the quinoa is cooked. Serve with a fried egg on top.

• Tofu tortilla

For 4 persons: Crush 2 'blocks' of tofu with a fork. Chop an onion and a small red pepper. Stew the onion and pepper in some oil and season with cumin, coriander and turmeric. Add the tofu and then a small tin of black beans. Put the mixture in a tortilla wrap with fresh slices of avocado.

Tasty! Enjoy your wonderful hot breakfast