Barley rusks like never before! This breakfast recipe is loaded with super-food ingredients and satisfies that sweet craving for days! We love this longevity, blue zones breakfast, because it’s full of goodness and tastes amazing at the same time. The secret lies in combining tahini, honey, greek yogurt and some oriental spices giving it that slightly Middle Eastern twist.
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In Greece you will find the traditional ”Paximadi”, which are rusks made of many different cereals. We always have a bag of Cretan barley rusks stored in our pantry, and we also love olive oil rusks form the island of Kythera. We usually use them to accompany our legume soups and stews like this Ikarian diet chickpea soup
But the Greeks have been eating rusks the sweet way for centuries now. The easiest approach you will come across is simply topping a rusk with some greek yogurt, sprinkling it with a few drops of honey and a handful of chopped walnuts and you’re ready to go! So, if you’re short of time during weekdays, make sure to try this basic approach out.
Inspired by this simple practice, we created a breakfast recipe that is tuned with some really nutritious, super-food ingredients. Cause we all need that extra energy boost in the morning, don’t we?
It’s guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth for days, and the best thing is that it’s actually super healthy and nourishing. You can eat it as a sweet snack/ dessert as well.
What Makes This Recipe Worth Trying Today:
- Perfect for sweet breakfast lovers
- Loaded with good-for-you longevity ingredients: tahini, honey, greek yogurt, dried fruits, nuts and spices
- Guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth
- Simple and easy to make
- Has that warm, oriental flavor thanks to mahlab, cinnamon and cloves- this is perfectly balanced by the freshness and the sour taste of greek yogurt and mandarins
- Can be served as a sweet/ dessert
What Will You Need:
- 6 barley rusks
- juice of 1 orange mixed with 1/2 a cup of water
- 6 tsp greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/3 a tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 a tsp ground cloves
- 1/3 a tsp mahlab
- 1 tbsp almond flakes
- 1 tbsp black raisins
- 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 3 dried dates diced
- 2 dried figs diced
- 1 fresh mandarin (optional)
How to Make BLUE ZONES Sweet Barley Rusks for Breakfast:
1.Bring the orange juice combined with water to boil over medium heat
2.Add honey and tahini and let it dissolve
3.Add the diced dates, diced figs, almond flakes, chopped walnuts and raisins
4.Boil for 5 minutes stirring from time to time
5.Add the spices: cinnamon, cloves, mahlab and boil for 2 more minutes
6.Give it a stir using a wooden spoon, and reduce the heat to low
7.Boil until it has a fairly thick, syrupy consistency
8.Serve 6 barley rusks on a serving plate and soak each with the warm syrup
9.Let it cool down completely
10.Garnish each rusk with some greek yogurt on top
11.Add a tsp of caramelized fruits & nuts on top of each rusk
12.Serve on individual plates accompanied with a piece of mandarin
Healthy sweet breakfast recipe: blue zones barley rusks
Serving and Storing
And VOILA! Your flavorful, blue zone sweet breakfast is ready!
We really like the sweet-sour combination, that’s why we used mandarins. But feel free to use any fruit you like. These guys taste amazing fresh, and since you’re using greek yogurt straight from the fridge, you want to enjoy it while it’s cold and refreshing. No storing here, eat them straight away (we are sure you will!) and ENJOY!
Other Delicious Recipes You Might Like:
Greek Bread with Oregano Olive Oil and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Anchovy Pasta from Greece | Easy Leftover Pasta Recipe
Greek- Style Oven Baked Anchovies| Gavros Ladorigani
Blue Zones Salad- The Ultimate Cabbage Salad Recipe
Healthy Sweet Breakfast Recipe You Need in Your Life! Longevity Blue Zone Breakfast
Ingredients
- 6 barley rusks
- juice of 1 orange mixed with 1/2 a cup of water
- 6 tsp greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/3 tsp ground cinammon
- 1/3 tsp ground cloves
- 1/3 tsp mahlab
- 1 tbsp almond flakes
- 1 tbsp black raisins
- 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 3 dried dates diced
- 2 dried figs diced
- 1 fresh mandarin (optional)
Instructions
- Bring the orange juice combined with water to boil over medium heat
- Add honey and tahini and let it dissolve
- Add the diced dates, diced figs, almond flakes, chopped walnuts and raisins
- Boil for 5 minutes stirring from time to time
- Add the spices: cinnamon, cloves, mahlab and boil for 2 more minutes
- Give it a stir using a wooden spoon, and reduce the heat to low
- Boil until it has a fairly thick, syrupy consistency
- Serve 6 barley rusks on a serving plate and soak each with the warm syrup
- Let it cool down completely
- Now garnish each rusk with some greek yogurt on top
- Add a tsp of caramelized fruits & nuts on top of each rusk
- serve on individual plates accompanied with a piece of mandarin
Heather says
This looks scrumptious! I’m just wondering if this type of sweet breakfast is okay for diabetics?
meggie says
Dear Heather thanks so much for your lovely feedback, as it also gives us an idea of things to consider in our future recipes!
This sweet breakfast recipe is designed to include as many nutrients as possible. At the same time it contains natural sugars deriving from honey, raisins, dates, figs, orange juice. Although it has been established , that the health risks of eating sugar are related to consuming too many “free sugars” in the diet, not from eating sugars that are naturally present in fruits or milk, for anyone with diabetes, we highly encourage to consult a doctor prior to consuming considerable quantities of any form of sugar. There will be other non-sugary breakfast alternatives presented on our blog coming soon! Sending our best wishes!!
Barbara McMillan says
It will depend on your treatment. If you’re on Insulin, you can often adjust it for the carbs, but other meds vary.
I personally would risk the fruits and change the honey for a Stevia sweetener, but I’m on Metformin and take other risks too.