Category: Breakfast

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche

Sarah

Quiche is one of those dishes that I love but find difficult to make well at home. I don’t know what it is, but it always seems like my quiches burn, don’t cook through all the way, or are bland. Not this time though. I improvised off a recipe from a fun blog that I read regularly, The Runner’s Plate, and was oh-so-satisfied after this baby popped out of the oven on Monday evening for dinner.

The combination of spinach, tomatoes, and asiago cheese paired with eggs and cottage cheese and seasonings on a light tortilla shell crust was just right. Sometimes savory pie-type dishes with thick crusts are a little too much heavy, so I loved using whole wheat tortillas as the crust, and will definitely be replicating that technique again. The addition of asiago cheese was purely spontaneous, and a little goes a long way in making this dish utterly rich and decadent without being overwhelming. This Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche was a filling dinner, but I could also see it being perfect for a special breakfast or holiday brunch. Yum!

Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche [based from a recipe by The Runner’s Plate]

Ingredients:

  • 3 whole wheat tortillas
  • 1 cup Egg beaters [or 4 large eggs… I used Egg beaters because I had a free coupon]
  • 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 – 14.5 ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, drained
  • heaping 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
  • 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • generous amount of freshly ground black pepper [maybe 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon?]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9″ deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. Line with tortillas. In a large bowl, stir together eggs, spinach, tomatoes, asiago cheese, cottage cheese, and paprika. Season with pepper as desired. Pour into tortilla “crust” and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. [If necessary: Cover with foil, increase heat to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.] Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Click here for the printable version: Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche

Breakfast, Granola, Recipes

My Latest Obsession

Sarah

So, I love granola bars. I used to live on them in high school, for serious. I had a big box in my locker at school, another stash in my gym bag, random granola bars floating around in my purse just so I was never hungry… it was a bit ridiculous. Needless to say, I tired of granola bars by college, but in recent years they’ve made a comeback in my pantry because they make such a great, filling snack before a workout or during a day at school. I’m a big fan of Kashi’s all natural granola barsgranola bars, particularly their Chewy Dark Chocolate Cherry and Trail Mix varieties. What I’m not a big fan of is their hefty $4/box price tag. Sure, you can sometimes score a few boxes for $2.50 on a good sale, but still, that’s pretty pricey for 6 small granola bars.

One recent Sunday as I was avoiding homework seeking out some yummy snack recipes for school days, I happened across Megan’s recipe for Chewy Granola Bars. I couldn’t stop thinking about them, try as I might, so I dropped everything and whipped a batch up, much to the dismay of my husband [he had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and there I went, dirtying it up again]. All was forgiven though once he had a taste of the sweet, chewy granola bar that popped out of our oven bursting with tart cranberries, rich chocolate, and nutty goodness.

I did use corn syrup in these granola bars, per the instructions, mainly because I had some that I wanted to use up. I’m a little iffy on corn syrup but I basically believe that sugar is sugar and most anything is okay in moderation… especially if you’re making it from scratch at home! I think I might try these next time with honey, but regardless of the sticky sweetener, as Michelle calls it in her tutorial, these are some fabulous granola bars that are sure to become a regular portion of my baking repertoire. I look forward to customizing them more in the future, such as next week during spring break. Enjoy!

Chewy Granola Bars [from What Megan’s Making]

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup+ 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 5 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Craisins
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ [toast in a baking dish in a 350°oven for about 5 minutes, tossing once]

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir together oats, chocolate chips, Craisins, sunflower seeds; add to peanut butter mixture and stir to coat. Press into a greased 13×9 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Don’t overbake or they will get crispy. I took them out when they still looked a little under baked, they firm up in the hot pan as they cool. Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the bars up a little. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Store in an airtight container or wrap individually in plastic and store in the freezer in a freezer bag for easy grab and go breakfasts or snacks.

Click here for the printable version: Chewy Granola Bars

***Don’t forget to enter my giveaway by Sunday, March 13!

Question of the Day: What’s your latest food obsession?

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Sarah

Happy Mardi Gras! Happy Shrove Tuesday! Happy Fat Tuesday! Happy Pączki Day! Happy Pancake Day! Pączki Day? Pancake Day? Wait, what?

So, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday… all pretty common names for the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent and is 46 days before Easter [40 if you don’t count Sundays]. Most people have probably heard of them and celebrate them by indulging in favorite fried foods that traditionally were abstained from during Lenten fasting.

You’re probably wondering what Pączki Day and Pancake Day have to do with all of this. Well, pączkis and pancakes are two of the best ways to celebrate the day before Ash Wednesday!

Pączkis are Polish doughnuts and are so delicious! They don’t taste like regular doughnuts and I highly recommend that you hightail it to the grocery store or bakery if you’re lucky to pick up some before they’re gone til next year! We bought ours yesterday and enjoyed them while watching the final episode of LOST [again]. I’m sure you could make them, but they seem pretty difficult to make.

In the meantime though, these Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes are calling your name. I know I say this frequently, but these are some of the whole wheat apple pancakesbest pancakes I have ever tasted! Whole wheat is often stereotyped as dense and hard, but these pancakes are anything but. Ben and I literally inhaled about 3-4 big pancakes each last week after a hard workout and they totally hit the spot. Each pancake is chock-full of cinnamon apples and buttermilk goodness. Sweetened only by honey, these pancakes aren’t so over the top sweet that the apple gets lost. For a little something different we topped our pancakes with honey instead of syrup. These pancakes will definitely be making an appearance on my plate soon–maybe on Saturday after my 20 mile marathon training run! Woohoo!

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes [from Ellie Krieger’s So Easy]

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium apple, chopped [Golden Delicious is suggested, I used Pinata]
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • cinnamon
  • olive oil

Directions:

Put the apple in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until softened, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon [if desired] and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flours, powder, soda. In a small bowl, whisk together milks, eggs, and honey. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.

Heat a large skillet drizzled with olive oil. Once hot, scoop batter by 1/4 cup increments. Top with about 1 tablespoon apple. Cover with a little more batter. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 4-5 minutes total since these are thick pancakes. Serve with butter and honey, or maple syrup if that’s more your flavor!

Click here for the printable version: Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

***Don’t forget to enter my giveaway by Sunday, March 13!

Question of the Day: Do you have any Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/Pączki Day/Pancake Day traditions?

Breads, Breakfast, Recipes

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Sarah

I love quick breads. They’re usually filled with fruit and/or yummy spices, so they have the appearance of a healthy treat… yet they’re sweet enough to masquerade as a dessert. Plus they are [by condition of their genre] quick. They only take a couple of minutes to mix up and after a turn in the oven, bake up nice and fluffy. This Lemon Blueberry Bread is no exception.

Lemon Blueberry Bread: Plump, sweet blueberries are accented by the light, tartness of fresh lemon… divine perfection!

Each slice is reminiscent of a warm summer day. Plump, sweet blueberries are accented by the light, tartness of fresh lemon… divine perfection! Though it’s March, spring isn’t quite here yet [at least not in Bloomington], but this bread will help ease the burden of late winter for just a little while longer.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

  • Servings: 12
  • Print

from the kitchen of Becky Bennett, Vera Bradley Product Development

Ingredients:

For bread

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 cup blueberries [frozen works just fine, but keep them in the freezer until ready to mix in]

For glaze

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

Stir together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. In the bowl of stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one by one, then mix in flour and milk alternately. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries, then pour into pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Whisk together lemon juice and sugar, then heat in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves.

After bread has cooled for a few minutes, pierce with a fork all over. Pour glaze over the top. Cool completely before cutting bread.

Lemon Blueberry Bread: Plump, sweet blueberries are accented by the light, tartness of fresh lemon… divine perfection!
This is what happens when you do NOT wait to cut the bread. It falls completely apart and big chunks break off. Please, do yourselves a favor and wait to cut it! But if you do indulge earlier, leave it in the pan while cutting. 🙂

 

Breakfast, Recipes, Scones

Cranberry Scones

Sarah

cranberry scones under the Christmas treeIn my family, Christmas breakfast is a big deal. Every year since I can remember, we’ll take a pause from present-opening to have a delicious breakfast of egg souffle, fruit, sausage and a special breakfast sweet bread. Growing up, our tradition was to always have an apple coffee cake. Same recipe every year. Absolutely delicious. In more recent years though, we’ve altered that strategy, experimented a little more, and have tried out new recipes.

This year is no exception. I’m not entirely sure what my mom’s plotting for our Christmas breakfast bread, but I’m sure that it will be great. [I heard rumors of cinnamon rolls, but I won’t know until we arrive home later today…] With that in mind, please consider these cranberry scones as an option for your Christmas breakfast table.

These Cranberry Scones are perfect in so many ways. Their texture is light and fluffy. Each bite is buttery and rich, with a sweet-tart kick from the cranberry and lemon zest to balance out the richness. They are incredibly easy to make and shape [at least for scones], and look fancy for guest or family without requiring an excessive stint in the kitchen. Finally, they can be frozen and baked [or rebaked]… which is a plus for any holiday morn!

Cranberry Scones [from Annie’s Eats]

Ingredients:

  • zest of one lemon [approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons]
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces [I like to place the pieces in foil and stick them in the freezer until I’m ready for it.]
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk [save the white for breakfast!]
  • 1 cup heavy cream or half and half

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, mix lemon zest, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder. Pulse several times to combine. Add the butter piece by piece, and pulse in between each addition. The texture should resemble coarse crumbs; continue to pulse until it does. Remove to a mixing bowl.

Place cranberries and sugar in food processor. [Don’t worry about cleaning out the bowl because the cranberries will be blended with the dough soon.] Pulse a couple of times to chop the cranberries and mix with the sugar. Stir cranberries into dough.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, yolk, and heavy cream. Pour into the dough and stir until just combined. Form into a ball and knead together several times in the mixing bowl.

Shape dough into 3 inch balls. Place several inches apart on a baking sheet and press down slightly to flatten dough.

Bake until golden brown, approximately 15  minutes. Serve warm.

Note:

If you don’t have a food processor, feel free to use a pastry blender or two knives to mix the dough and a sharp knife to chop the cranberries.

Click here for the printable version: Cranberry Scones

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Chicago Metallic.

Question of the Day: Do you have a special Christmas breakfast tradition?