Breakfast week day 2: Couscous with banana and a quick sugar-free berry compote

Breakfast: Couscous with sliced banana and a quick berry compote

Lunch: Leek and potato soup with hummus and bread

Dinner: A quinoa and veggie stir fry

I attribute my love of couscous for breakfast totally to Martini in Sydney, one of the best brunch places in the city and the only one to have wise-cracking servers that I absolutely loved. There, they serve couscous with yogurt and a rhubarb compote, and the first time I had this in my pre-vegan days, it blew me away.

Nowadays, of course, I do not eat yogurt and my only experience with soy yogurt - a warm, sloppy bowl of horribleness that formed the only blip on the otherwise fantastic gastronomic Glastonbury festival experience - has led me to sort of hate it.

So, what to use instead?

Banana of course!

As I'm making a concerted effort to reduce the amount of sugar I use, in my breakfast foods especially, I made this super-quick compote sugar-free, using only the sweetness of the berries and a little apple juice to brighten the meal right up. I also don't like to spend too much time in the morning cooking, as I am a bit of a lie-in person, so this whole breakfast can be made in just over ten minutes. Hooray!

You'll need:
Feeds 2:

1 banana, sliced
1 cup couscous
1 cup blueberries
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice

Method:

Place the blueberries, cranberries and apple juice in a blender and blend to a fairly smooth consistency
Place in a pan and heat on medium high for 10 minutes, until it has reduced to a compote-like texture
In the mean time, place the couscous in a bowl with just enough boiling water to cover it, cover with a tea towel and wait for 5 minutes,
Stir the couscous, divide between 2 bowls, then top with the banana and the compote
Voila! A fantastic breakfast!

I honestly can't tell you how much I love this meal. It's a great pick-me-up in the morning too, as couscous contains more protein than pasta, has a better vitamin set, and is in fact one of the healthiest grains you can eat. Plus the compote is super super tasty!