Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But let’s be honest, in the summer heat, it’s very hard to have new breakfast ideas – especially refreshing ones that can help our metabolism better cope with the weather.
So, what should we eat on summer mornings?
A healthy breakfast is made of the right balance between fruit, cereals, and milk (or yogurt), maybe enjoyed with a nice coffee, tea, or juice. This is the rule for every day of the year, but we can say that during summer it’s easier to give way to our creativity to prepare something light, energetic, and refreshing.
Here are our suggestions:
1. Hot summer? #1: Iced Coffee.
Yup, that’s it. Instead of usual espresso, even us Italians can’t resist iced coffee. The quickest way to make it is to take a glass jar with a hermetic lid. Put in it some ice cubes, sugar (as much as you like), and then, once your coffee is ready, pour that in too. Then, close the lid well, and shake the jar for a couple of minutes, until you can see some foam has formed. Serve it in a tall glass.
Posh iced coffee: instead of sugar, you can use a homemade syrup. To make this: melt the sugar in boiling water, letting the mix cool down.
2. Hot Summer? Iced Coffee #2: Iced Coffee for Almond Milk Lovers.
This iced coffee is actually called ‘coffee on ice’, and it’s even easier than version #1. It’s a tradition from Lecce, a town in Salento, Puglia. To make this delicious drink, put some ice cubes in a glass, and add some almond milk. Then add the hot coffee. You’ll notice that the drink will then have two separate layers: light almond milk at the bottom, and dark hot coffee at the top.Mix with a spoon, and enjoy it immediately!
3. Refreshing Lassi.
Lassi is a typical Indian drink made with yogurt. If in the morning you feel like using the blender, traditional lassi is ideal for a summer breakfast. There are quite a few kinds of lassi. The easiest one is the white one, which is prepared with yogurt, cold water, ice, cumin powder, a pinch of salt, and a couple of ground almonds. To make this yumminess: put 2 natural yogurt jars in a bowl, add salt, cumin, 250ml of cold water. Ready, steady, blend! Now add some ice cubes, and the almonds, and there’s your lassi. You can also prepare it in another version adding some lemon juice, fresh mint, and fresh fruit.Our favourite is Mango lassi.
4. Homemade Granita.
If you have some time to spare, and maybe you want to make something to eat, rather than to drink, for breakfast, or maybe something special (and very Italian) for someone who still needs to wake up… we advise you try homemade granita.
Fruit is the key to summer breakfast, as it can give you the right amount of fibres, minerals, and vitamins that your body needs to face the heat. Making a watermelon or a melon into a granita, makes all of this more fun, and way tastier.
Making homemade granita is not very hard, you just need time. You need to make a smoothie and add it to a syrup made of water and sugar. You’ll need time to make everything cool down in the freezer for a few hours, making sure you stir the mix every 30 minutes, so that your granita will keep creamy.
Here’s how to make lemon granita.
Melt 200g of sugar in 500ml of boiling water. Let it cool down (maybe prepare it the night before). Add 500ml of fresh lemon juice, making sure to filter it properly. Mix everything together and put it in the freezer for 2-3 hours, making sure to mix it every half an hour. Then your granita will be ready.
If then you’re in the mood for some cookies, we advise our Vegan Cookies with Red Fruits… for a light and yummy summer breakfast.