Spice up breakfasts with a spoonful of baked sweet plums and the flavours of cinnamon and star anise in the morning. Or spoon them over yogurt for a quick and simple dessert. These versatile baked plums are a savior to have in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Baked Plums:

Baked Plums Ingredients:

• 8-10 plums

• 3 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2-3 cinnamon sticks

• 2-3 star anise

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

 Quinoa porridge ingredients:

• ½ cup quinoa flakes

• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ cup milk (or nut milk)

• ¾ cup water

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

To serve:

• Cream or yogurt

• Pistachio nuts roughly chopped

METHOD:

For the baked Spiced plums:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

2. Slice the plums in half and remove the pips.

3. Add the plum halves to a large baking dish, along with all of the other ingredients. Gently toss to coat the plums in the spices and honey.

4. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or un till the plums are soft.

5. Allow to cool slightly before serving or keep them in the fridge to spoon over breakfast.

For the Cinnamon quinoa porridge:

1. Combine the quinoa flakes, flaxseed, ground cinnamon and water into a medium saucepan on medium heat. Allow to simmer for a few minutes while stirring before adding in the milk.

2. The trick with quinoa porridge is not to over cook it; it only takes 3-4 minutes while lightly bubbling until the porridge is fluffy and ready to serve.

3. Stir in the maple syrup.

4. Serve with a good spoonful of baked spiced plums, a drizzle of fresh cream or yogurt and a sprinkle of chopped pistachio nuts.