Floating on a cloud

With a restless body and a head full of thoughts, it's time for yoga. New recipes from The Sunlight Sets, simple set menus that are light and easy to digest.

Your body is restless, your mind too full. You haven’t moved much lately, so you book a slow flow yoga class to stretch your limbs and shake your ideas loose. A light but substantial snack will provide the fuel you need, without weighing you down. You grab a banana muffin from a batch you made this morning, soft and gently sweet from the ripe fruit. Chamomile tea infused with ginger warms you from the inside out.

At the end of class, it’s finally time to relax. Your yoga mat feels like a fluffy cloud, and your body sinks into it. Your thoughts slow down. This is the reward.

Back home, you whip ricotta into a cloud of its own, spreading it thick on sourdough. One slice with blackberries; a second with little yellow tomatoes, bursting with tangy sweetness. Now, your mind can find order in those ideas. You’re on the verge of something exciting…

• Fluffy banana vanilla muffins

• Warming chamomile and ginger infusion

• Whipped ricotta toast with yellow tomato burst

Fluffy banana vanilla muffins

Makes 6 jumbo muffins

Ingredients: ¾ cup white plain flour ¾ cup wholemeal plain flour ·1 cup rolled oats · ¼ cup brown sugar, or honey · 2 tsp baking powder · 1 tsp baking soda · ½ tsp salt · 1 egg · ¾ cup milk · ⅓ cup mild-flavoured vegetable oil · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 cup mashed ripe banana

Method: Preheat the oven to 220c. Combine both flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Let this sit for 30-45 minutes for the rising agents to work.

Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin. To make muffin liners, cut baking paper into 15cm squares, one for each muffin. Cut about 5cm into the paper at the midpoint of all four sides. Press the cut paper into each muffin cavity. You can use a standard 12-cup muffin tin if you prefer.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Whisk in the milk, oil and vanilla, then stir in the mashed bananas. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into the lined muffin cups. Fill to the top for café-style muffins. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200c and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes.

Warming chamomile and ginger infusion

Ingredients: 1 tbsp loose chamomile tea (or 1 teabag) · 2-3cm ginger root · 1 lemon · honey to taste

Method: Peel the ginger root with a small knife or a teaspoon. Grate half of it, slice the rest thinly and put it into a small teapot. Add the chamomile tea, and pour over 1 cup of boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain the tea into your favourite mug. Stir in lemon juice and honey to taste.

Whipped ricotta toast with yellow tomato burst

Ingredients: 2 tbsp light smooth ricotta cheese · 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt · 1 tsp olive oil · black pepper and salt to taste · 2 tbsp fresh berries · 1 tsp olive oil · 8 yellow cherry tomatoes · 1 tsp dried oregano · 2 slices spelt sourdough bread

Method: Whip the ricotta, yoghurt, oil, pepper and salt in a food processor until smooth.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small frypan over medium-high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes, gently squashing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.

Spread or pipe the ricotta mixture onto toasted bread. Scatter one piece with berries, and spoon the burst tomatoes over the other.

---

Make it work for you

You can substitute gluten-free flour and bread, and lactose-free milk if you like. This recipe uses only small quantities of tomatoes, ricotta, banana and yoghurt, so is suitable for most people on the low FODMAP diet. Try a ginger, lemon and honey infusion if you are sensitive to chamomile tea.

The ritual

Lie on your yoga mat and do nothing for a full five minutes. Let any thoughts or worries drift away on a cloud. Your yoga mat has your back.

Author: Kym Lang. Photography: Kym Lang; AI.