Category: Breakfast

Crunchy Buckwheat Granola

Oh my, someone please take this granola away from me! This was my first try at homemade granola, and it came out so good that I can’t stop eating it. The crunch is incredible!

The recipe is originally from a Virginia inn, and was posted on Kath Eats Real Food. There are so many nutritious ingredients in the list. I used oats, almonds, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, canola oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut, and dried cranberries. Don’t be intimidated by this list though – I found just about everything I needed in the bulk bin at Whole Foods.
I baked the granola on a cookie sheet, so it browned a little more quickly. It doesn’t clump together as much as other granola, but that’s fine by me. I enjoy it with milk or yogurt, and I used it for another special recipe which I’ll post tomorrow.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)

When I was invited to a pumpkin party this weekend, I immediately started googling ideas for what to bring. After all, there was pumpkin infused vodka being served, so clearly snacks were required. This recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls jumped out at me, but I was a little nervous at first. Dough can be unpredictable, at least in my cooking experience, and I was worried they wouldn’t turn out well. But at the very least, it would make a good story, so I forged ahead, and was very pleased with the final result!

I used almond milk instead of soy milk, and used 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice in place of the nutmeg and ginger, but otherwise I followed the instructions exactly as they were written. And I have to say, it really wasn’t that hard. You do need to let the dough rise twice, but there was plenty to do around the house to keep me busy. When it came time for baking, I ended up placing 9 rolls in a 9″ pie plate, and the remaining 4 rolls in a small loaf pan.
Thanks to Don’t Eat Off the Sidewalk for posting such a great recipe! Wish I could stay home from work today and make another batch….

Ricotta Stuffed French Toast with Peaches

I’m baaaaaack. It felt really good to have no job or academic obligations last week. That said, I did have a long “to-do” list for the week. You might think it’s crazy to have a list while on vacation, but I really like to make sure I take advantage of the times when I don’t have to go to work or class.

Most things on my list were totally fun: getting a pedicure, going to a family picnic, playing with my nephew, heading to the beach when the monsoons finally stopped, and seeing a musical at a great community theater. I also shopped a few late season sales and did some necessary errands. I didn’t do any formal exercise, but took plenty of good walks and practiced yoga at home. And although I did eat out a few times, including my first visit ever to Chipotle, I cooked a lot of meals as well. There are a bunch of things I didn’t get to on my “to-do” list, but that’s the way it goes.

First, we have to take care of a horticulture issue! The flower that I thought was from a beach plum shrub is actually a beach rose (Rosa rugosa). A reader suggested this, so my Mom and I returned to the scene of the original photo to investigate. I felt like I was back in introductory biology class, comparing the leaves and flower petals to various pictures. But we’re fairly confident now that we have it right.

In fact, my Mom and I spent a lot of quality time together on my vacation. And I promised her that when we were together, I would do all the cooking. On the first morning where the sun was brightly shining on the deck, I made this ricotta stuffed French toast with peaches. It was an incredibly good summer breakfast – check.

2 slices Great Harvest Dakota bread
2/3 c. reduced fat ricotta cheese
1 t vanilla
Cinnamon
2 eggs
Splash of milk
2 t canola oil
1 peach, chopped

Mix ricotta cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon. Spread most of the mixture between the slices of bread, reserving a small amount of ricotta for garnish.

Beat eggs in a small bowl, and add a splash of milk. Submerge the ricotta ‘sandwich’ in the egg mixture for a few minutes, turning the sandwich over to ensure it is well coated.

Heat oil in a frying pan, and cook sandwich on both sides until golden brown. Cut the sandwich in quarters, and place two pieces on each plate. Garnish with remaining ricotta and peaches.

Breakfast Pizza

When I think about breakfast pizza, I imagine taking cardboard boxes out of the fridge from the night before, and lifting the lids to see what’s left. Maybe I’ll eat the leftover pizza hot, maybe I’ll warm it up in the microwave. It’s a lazy breakfast, but sometimes that’s what you need on a Sunday morning.

This is so different. I admit, when I saw this breakfast pizza with an egg over on Smitten Kitchen, I didn’t think it would work. But it does work, and makes a dish suitable to serve to company or just to enjoy on your own. I stretched the dough very thin to make sure the pizza base was large enough to support the egg; you can see I ended up with a pizza almost as big as the plate. I like my egg yolk cooked, and it was just firm enough for me here. But if you like your egg over easy, you could take it out of the oven sooner. Either way, it’s a novel idea and changed the way I think about breakfast pizza.

4 oz. whole wheat dough (such as from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1 egg

Stretch dough into a circle on a greased cookie sheet. Top with spinach, tomato, and cheese. Crack egg gently in the center of the pizza. Bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes.

Basil Parmesan Scrambled Eggs

I wish I could show you a beautiful pesto omelet, but the truth is that I don’t really know how to do omelets very well. And I don’t have much incentive to learn, since I think scrambled eggs taste just about the same! So here’s my low key version, which is fast enough to make that you’ll have plenty of time to get outside and enjoy your day.

5-6 leaves fresh basil
1 T shredded Parmesan
1 T milk
2 eggs, well beaten

Put basil, cheese, and milk in a food processor, or chop basil by hand and mix with cheese and milk. Add to eggs and mix well. Cook in a small skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.

Strawberry Pecan Oats

I don’t post in real time very often, but here is the amazing breakfast I just made – old fashioned oats with strawberries from the freezer and pecans from the pantry. It’s been a crazy week, and I didn’t get a chance to prepare any interesting meals once my bowl of Panzanella was gone.

When I start my day with a healthy breakfast, I feel better all day long. So here’s to a good Friday!

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Oh, I’ve posted plenty of pancake recipes, like the banana pancakes with chocolate swirls. But there’s always a new variation to try, like these Banana Sour Cream Pancakes. I used whole wheat flour and skim milk, and they were still light and fluffy. I am often tempted to take shortcuts, but the lemon zest really does add something here, and to be fair, one of my cooking elves zested the lemon for me. It was a beautiful breakfast!

Mini-Quiches

For my cooking club’s “Mini-Foods” theme, I also made these mini quiches. I loosely based my recipe on this one. I don’t usually buy frozen hash browns, and found them very difficult to use. I started with a big clump of frozen potato, and when it finally thawed it kept burning and sticking to the pan. Next time I might try something simpler, and perhaps use mashed potato for the bottom crust. The quiche was also fairly dense so I might try beating the eggs with a hand mixer to make them a little fluffier. Still, this is a fairly simple recipe which makes a good appetizer or portable breakfast.

2 c. frozen hash browns, cooked in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 onion, diced and sauteed
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8 eggs, beaten well
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Divide potato mixture and place in 12 muffin tins coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375F for 5 minutes.

Mix onions and spinach together, and divide among muffin tins. Divide egg mixture among muffin tins. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on each mini quiche. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Spelt Blueberry Pancake

I really like to eat breakfast at home whenever I can. There’s nothing better than a nice hot bowl of oats and the start of the TODAY show. It’s worth getting up just a little bit earlier, especially if I have a long and hectic day ahead. But yesterday morning, I spied some leftover spelt flour from the veggie burgers, and decided to make a spelt blueberry pancake. Who says I can’t be spontaneous?!?

It really didn’t take long to pull this together. I mixed the ingredients in a bowl within a couple of minutes, and then dried my hair while the pancake was cooking on one side. I hopped back to the kitchen to flip (this is where it helps to have a small house) and then put on a little makeup while the other side was cooking. A quick photo later, I was watching Matt, Meredith, Ann, and Al, and eating a really delicious pancake!

1/3 c. spelt flour
1 T old fashioned oats
pinch baking powder
pinch Splenda
1 egg
1/3 c. skim milk
1/3 c. blueberries
Coat small skillet with cooking spray, and heat on medium-high. Mix dry ingredients, then add egg, milk, and blueberries. Stir just until combined. Pour batter into skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear, flip, and cook until brown on the other side.