Breakfast starts here

Shanica Blair • Gleaner Writer

On Tuesday, January 21, Nestlé Jamaica rolled out its Nestlé Breakfast Starts Here campaign at a Gleaner Editors' forum held at Nestle's offices on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston.

While the importance of breakfast cannot be overemphasised, many persons are strapped for time in the mornings. "All of us benefit from a good breakfast, whether we are kids, teens or adults," Richard Dunbar, channel category sales development manger of Nestlé Jamaica, told Food.

"The Nestlé Breakfast Starts Here campaign is all about showcasing the importance of breakfast and to continuously drive our brand building and connect with our customers. Our aim is to become the world's leading nutrition company in health and wellness, and our quick, easy, nutritious breakfast options are affordable as well as quick and easy to prepare," Dunbar added.

Among their new breakfast ideas is a quick and easy yet nutritious shake. Dunbar explains that the shake is ideal because it is quick and easy and very nutritious.

Nestlé has diversified its breakfast menu to include some Jamaican favourite breakfast food items such as plantain, cornmeal, callaloo and cabbage to keep things local, but with a little twist on some of your favourite Nestlé products such as condensed milk, Milo, coconut milk and Maggi seasonings.

Nestlé will be officially launching its campaign this Saturday (January 25) at MegaMart on Waterloo Road from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with demonstrations, as well as a nutritionist on hand to give you all the nutritional values of these breakfast offerings.

Here are a few of their quick, easy and convenient breakfast options as demonstrated by Shelly-Ann Castello, culinary specialist for Nestlé Jamaica.

Plantain Surprise Porridge

Ingredients

1 cup plantain (green)

1 carrot

¹/⁴ cup oats

¹/⁴ tsp cinnamon

¹/⁴ nutmeg (ground)

1 pinch salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

6 cups water

¹/⁴ cup Maggi coconut milk

1²/³ cups Betty sweetened condensed milk

Method

1. Bring two cups of water to boil, then add the salt, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and Maggi coconut milk powder on low heat.

2. In the meantime, pour four cups of water into a blender, add plantain, carrot and oats, and blend until smooth.

3. Pour plantain mixture into the pot with the spices, stirring continuously (to avoid lumps) until the mixture thickens.

4. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes, then sweeten with Betty sweetened condensed milk. Adjust sweetness as desired.

Tropical Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup flour

¹/⁴ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

¹/⁸ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla essence

1²/³ cups Nestlé full cream milk

Method

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, add vanilla essence to Nestlé full cream milk then pour milk over dry ingredients while stirring. Stir until the flour mixture is completely saturated (there should be no lumps).

2. Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium low heat (skillet can be lightly greased). Pour a ¹/⁴ cup of the pancake mixture into skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until bubbles start to form on top and the bottom is golden brown. Flip pancake and repeat the process.

3. Garnish with fruits of choice and drizzle with Betty sweetened condensed milk.

Cini Minis French Toast

Ingredients

1 cup Nestlé low-fat milk

1 medium egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 slices of wholewheat brown bread

¹/² cup Cini Minis cereal (crushed)

Method

1. In a medium bowl beat egg, add the milk, vanilla and half of the crushed Cini Minis. Lightly grease a baking sheet with quarter teaspoon butter.

2. Dip one slice of the bread into the milk mixture, coat on both sides. Place bread on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle some of the remaining Cini Minis on top. Repeat the process using all the bread slices are used.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 Celcius for 10 minutes (5 minutes on both sides). Serve warm if desired with marmalade.

Coconut Cabbage

Ingredients

1tsp margarine

1 medium onion (chopped)

1 medium tomato (chopped)

1 small sweet pepper (deseeded and finely chopped)

2 gloves garlic (finely chopped)

2 Maggi vegetable cubes

¹/⁴ cup water

2 tsps Maggi coconut milk powder

1lb cabbage (shredded)

¹/⁴ cup carrots (shredded)

Method

1. Heat margarine in hot skillet. Stir in seasonings and saute for 30 seconds.

2. Crumble in vegetable cubes and stir.

3. Dissolve Maggi coconut milk into water and add to pot.

4. Stir in cabbage and saute for two minutes. Fold in carrots and allow to cook for another two minutes or until desired tenderness is obtained.

5. Serve with side of choice.