Tag: eggs

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole

Sarah

Happy Leap Day! Speaking of holidays, my family always has the same egg casserole, Easy Cheese Souffle, on Christmas morning. [Yes, I know it’s February, and I’m talking about Christmas. So what? And is Leap Day a holiday? I’m pretty sure it is, right?] It’s a pretty simple make ahead egg casserole dish–full of layers of cheese, eggs, and bread with a little bit of spice. There’s so much cheese in Easy Cheese Souffle that it rivals the eggs for prominence in the name. In fact, cheese is such an integral part of my Christmas breakfast experience that I have a hard time reconciling breakfast casseroles that include meat and do not include cheese. Even if I’m eating said egg casserole and it’s not Christmas.

So it came to me as a shocking surprise that I was drawn to this recipe for Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole.

No cheese? Whaaaaat?

Did I read that right?

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole #breakfast #brunch /// thepajamachef.comI had to check myself from throwing some cheese in there out of habit when I was prepping it on a Friday night for Saturday’s brunch with friends. And you know what? I am so glad I didn’t add any cheese.

[Cue another “whaaaaat?”]

See, not adding cheese allowed the other flavors–bread, sausage, apples, eggs, onions, milk, and pepper–to stand out. And with only seven ingredients [and no cheese], everything had a chance to shine in every bite. The maple sausage added an extra level of wow to this dish, and it’s definitely going to be a keeper in my breakfast repertoire–even without cheese!

Question of the day ~ Are there certain recipes you feel just have to be so, like me and egg/cheese casserole?

Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole

  • Servings: 8
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from The Brunette Foodie [blog disabled now]

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground maple sausage
  • 1/3 baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup onion, minced
  • 2 Gala apples, diced
  • 1/2-1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 8 eggs
  • freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the sausage as it cooks. Meanwhile, place the baguette cubes in a single layer in the baking dish, then evenly add onion and apple on top.

After sausage is cooked, drain grease then add sausage to baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk and eggs, making sure that yolks break. Pour mixture over top everything else, and add up to 1 additional cup milk if needed. I used more of a softer baguette [which is more like Italian bread], but if you use a true baguette you probably won’t need the extra milk–mine just needed more moisture.

Top with some freshly ground black pepper, then cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

10 Minute Lunches, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

10 Minute Lunch #2: Avocado Egg Salad

Sarah

Judging my the comments and messages I’ve received regarding my first 10 Minute Lunch post about Fried Eggs on Pesto ParmesanĀ Toast, it seems that there are lots of us who want quick, tasty, non-boring lunches. Some need packable lunches, others, not so much. My latest take on egg salad [and I just realized as I typed ‘egg’ that this is the second 10 Minute Lunch that features eggs… totally unintentional] is packable but of course can also be enjoyed at home. I was inspired to try Avocado Egg Salad by a post on We Are Not Martha, but was a) too lazy and rushed to look up the recipe as I was making my lunch right before I needed to leave and b) had a slight recollection that their recipe called for many more eggs than I had hard boiled the night before. So, alas–I just took the idea and ran with it.

Avocado Egg Salad is like regular egg salad… but it’s not. It’s creamier and smoother thanks to the avocado [duh] but still has a bit of tang from the mayo. I want to try it with Greek yogurt instead of mayo, but I didn’t have any plain on hand at the time. Unlike other egg salads, this one doesn’t incorporate tons of herbs or spices, just a sprinkling of lemon pepper for a little kick. It was a delicious new take on egg salad that rocked my Monday lunch. Hope you love it too!

In the spirit of full disclaimer, I must admit that this is not truly a “10 Minute Lunch” because it takes longer than 10 minutes to hard boil the eggs. But… simply prepare them the night before, as you’re eating breakfast, or getting ready, then pop them in the fridge. When lunchtime comes around, you’ll be good to go!

Avocado Egg Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices wheat bread, or crackers for serving
  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • 1/6 of an avocado
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
  • lemon pepper
  • romaine lettuce

Non-directions:

  • Toast bread lightly in toaster, if desired.
  • Peel eggs and place them in a small bowl, then roughly chop them.
  • Add avocado and mayonnaise, then mash well with a fork.
  • Add a pinch of lemon pepper and stir to combine.
  • Top one slice of bread with lettuce, and load the other slice with egg salad, put together and enjoy!

Time: 10 minutes or less, not including time to hard boil eggs.

Yield: 1 delicious lunch.

10 Minute Lunches, Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

10 Minute Lunch #1: Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast

Sarah

10 Minute Lunches. The solution to my problem and yours–the ever-challenging quest of finding a quick, tasty lunch to eat at home during a busy day. A lunch that is better than those mystery leftovers or that boring sandwich you could make. A real lunch, instead of random handfuls of cereal and trail mix. [Or spoonfuls of peanut butter or “small” bowls of kettle chips (just one more) or xyz that is okay in moderation, just not as standard lunch fare.] 10 Minute Lunches is a new series here that I hope is helpful, and can of course be adapted for quick meals any time of the day. Don’t expect complex, 15 ingredient recipes or long preparation/cooking time. These lunches will be things you can really make during a break from the workday. Most are so simple that they are non-recipes. Pictures will be complements of Instagram… cause I gotta get back to work too! So if that sounds good, read on, friends!

Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan ToastFried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast. Sounds like a mouthful… and while it is [yup, no denying it], it is really easy to assemble and contains lots of fresh ingredients for a filling, healthy break to your day. Much better than regular eggs and toast, without much more effort. Simply make some whole grain toast and fancify it beyond butter with parmesan and pesto. Add some leafy greens like spinach, top with protein-packed eggs and sit down to enjoy your meal. Spilling several spoonfuls of parmesan on the floor, flinging a pesto-covered knife across the kitchen, and breaking an egg yolk while flipping are completely optional.

What do you like for lunch at home? What about at work? I need ideas!

Fried Eggs on Pesto Parmesan Toast

  • Servings: 1
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Ingredients:

  • 2 slices thick multigrain bread
  • 2 eggs
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • butter
  • grated parmesan cheese
  • pesto
  • fresh spinach

Non-directions:

  • Toast bread lightly in toaster.
  • Prepare fried eggs as desired–I like mine just over medium, topping with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper on top while cooking.
  • Butter toast and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Pop under the broiler for a minute or two, until golden. Then spread with pesto.
  • Top toast with spinach, and place egg on top.
  • Enjoy!

Time: 10 minutes or less.

Yield: 1 delicious lunch

 

 

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata

Sarah

It’s Christmas week. And we all know what that means. Lots and lots and lots of cookies. And I’ve been cookie baking up a storm lately. So… yeah. I’ve been enjoying a few too many cookies as of late. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snacks. And desserts. Basically, all the time. However–yes, there’s a however, even with cookies involved–real meals are still important. Real quick meals so there’s more time for making cookies. Yep, that’s how I’m thinking nowadays.

My favorite quick meal of the year 2011 has been the frittata. Therefore, I thought a frittata was a relevant and delicious meal for this busy time. This frittata is a little fancy and rich tasting, with gooey cheese, special mushrooms [not that kind of special], and bacon yet still healthy enough thanks to an abundance of spinach to count as a real meal during cookie season. Yes! Win-win. Everybody [and every meal, and cookie] is happy and a winner. Enjoy!

Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata [inspired by Life’s Ambrosia with technique from my Kale Frittata for Two]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 cup Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup spinach, tightly packed, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • scant 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or torn [I used one thick slice of deli Swiss cheese and tore it up]

Directions:

Cook bacon to desired crispness on a skillet over medium heat. Set aside to degrease between paper towels on a plate. Reserve 1-2 teaspoons bacon grease.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add bacon grease to a small (8 inch) oven proof skillet set over medium heat. Cook mushrooms for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until spinach just begins to wilt.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together eggs, water, and rosemary. Season with black pepper as desired [I like a lot of black pepper, but do what you like best]. When spinach has wilted a bit, add bacon to pan and then pour egg mixture over top and gently stir to incorporate eggs with mushrooms, spinach, and bacon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom of the frittata begins to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the center is set. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Kale Frittata for Two

Sarah

So, we left town for vacation on a Thursday. Since Wednesday is our CSA Day, not only did I have the task of packing and cleaning out the fridge that evening before we left, [because nothing is worse than coming home to half a rotten, mushy cucumber…ask me how I know] but I also had to figure out what to do with a pound of potatoes, three bell peppers, a bag of kale, two heads of garlic, and three sweet onions from that day’s CSA pick-up. Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it again. But it was necessary… I already gave up a week of my CSA while we were gone [a friend got to enjoy it]; I didn’t want to miss out on another week, too. I am happy to report that I was able to deliver on this very important task. Read on to see how.

In order to guarantee success, I did what any good blogger/blog reader would do–take to the interwebs! After perusing posts I had saved in my Google Reader, I came across a lovely little recipe that was sure to satisfy our packing-induced hunger and our abundant amount of produce.

Introducing… Kale Frittata for Two! This little gem can be prepared in about twenty minutes and is packed full of veggie goodness, but a healthy dose of cheese makes everyone happy–even those who aren’t the biggest bell pepper fans, like a certain husband ‘o mine. We loved that each bite contained a variety of textures and tastes–from cheese and eggs to veggies and herbs, each bite was flavorful and simply delicious to behold! And a bonus–since it’s sized “for two,” you won’t even have any leftovers! Well, on second thought–that’s not exactly a bonus if you want leftovers, so adjust comment in your mind accordingly. šŸ™‚

In my book, the no-leftovers was a great thing and was a huge help in finishing all the produce. For the record, here’s what I did with everything:

  • pound of potatoes–roasted about half in the oven for dinner, saved the rest in the pantry
  • three bell peppers–used one in the frittata, flash froze the rest for future meals
  • bag of kale–used 1/3 in the frittata and made a marinated kale salad with the rest
  • two heads of garlic–used some in the frittata and refrigerated the rest
  • three sweet onions–refrigerated

I’d call that a victory, especially when you look at all the pretty colors on our plate… since color = nutrients, I’d say we passed the test for our last homecooked pre-vacation meal with flying colors!

And in case you’re worried about making a frittata, like I was… you’ve have no reason to be nervous. They really aren’t as complicated as you think. This was my first time making a frittata and so I wasn’t exactly sure to what to expect, but Megan’s directions were super clear and concise to guide me through the process. This is definitely a recipe that I’ll be making again and again, perhaps next time with different variations–spinach, tomato, and feta, anyone? Enjoy!

What’s the most creative pre-vacation-use-up-the-fridge meal you’ve made? Creative does NOT have to equal artsy-fabulous like mine. I must say, I was quite impressed with this meal… usually our finish-the-fridge meals are crazy random concoctions like yogurt with soup and the odd carrot or two.

Kale Frittata for Two [adapted from What Megan’s Making]
printable version

Ingredients:
  • olive oil
  • about 1 cup chopped kale leaves, washed and stems removed
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4-1 cup shredded cheese [I used a combination of cheddar and colby jack]
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a small oven safe skillet on medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and garlic to skillet and saute until just softened. Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt [it may be helpful to cover the pan to help the process].
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir in pepper and tarragon. Mix in water and 2/3 cup cheese. Add eggs to the pan, using a spatula to evenly distribute the vegetables. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the frittata starts to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer to the below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with remaining cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.