LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2018

TREND SPOTT ING

bowled OVER

From syrup-drenched waffles to cupcakes dis- guised as muffins, some breakfast foods feel like an excuse to eat dessert. Not anymore. Diners are embracing savoury pan- cakes from around the world including Japanese okonomyaki and Venezu- elan cachapas . Oatmeal has also gone savoury with toppings such as eggs, mushrooms and greens. Even the muffin is curbing its sweet tooth by dropping the sugar and adopting biscuit-like flavour profiles. Get in on the trend and bake off a batch of our Savoury Muffins with Ham, Asparagus and Gruyère (recipe page 94) for your next brunch. FUN SAVOURY

Peer into the modern breakfast bowl and you’ll find a lot more than just cereal and oatmeal.

➤ The sweetheart of social media, a smoothie bowl is essentially a very thick smoothie topped with a colourful arrangement of fruit, nuts, seeds and/or granola. Made with a purple berry from Central and South America, the acai bowl is a popular variant.

➤ A staple among the plant-based set, a basic Buddha bowl consists of a grain, green, bean and dressing. For breakfast, you might find brown rice topped with a poached egg, kale, black beans and ranchero sauce. ➤ Looking beyond cream of wheat, there is a world of alternative porridge from Chinese congee to cheesy grits to hot millet cereal enjoyed in parts of Africa and Asia.

Judging by the rise of the all-day breakfast, people are eating the first meal of the day for lunch, dinner and anytime in between. Eggs in particu- lar have shed their unhealthy stigma and can be found in a variety of guises ranging from bar snacks to pasta entrées. For your next dinner party, try our easy Parmesan Cloud Eggs with Arugula Salad (recipe page 94) as a first course, which will guarantee plenty of oohs, aahs and hmms. all day, every day

ONE IN FIVE CANADIAN CHILDREN are at risk of starting the school day without breakfast. Since 60 percent of learning hap- pens before noon, the repercussions run deep. Through programs in schools and communities, the Breakfast Club of Canada is helping reverse this unhealthy trend. To support this worthy cause, visit breakfastclubofcanada.org.

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