Figs!

Figs! What do you do with them? Trader Joe's has large plastic boxes of figs replacing the big peach and nectarine boxes as summer fruits begin to fade. I find them very enjoyable and you can, too, with this easy snack or breakfast idea. Just slice a few figs, add a dollop of ricotta (or goat cheese), top with some toasted walnuts and a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

 

Prosciutto Eggs Cups

Prosciutto Eggs Cups are the perfect brunch entree and are a great gluten-free protein option. I made these for Easter brunch and often make them on the weekend to have in the fridge to bring to work for breakfast for the week ahead. They are so simple to make and use just a few simple ingredients!

Prosciutto Eggs Cups

• 12 thin slices prosciutto
• 12 eggs
• chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin lightly with non-stick spray. Gently lay one prosciutto slice into each cup. Crack an egg into the cup and sprinkle a few chopped chives on top. 

Bake for 11minutes for runny yolk or 13-15 minutes for more well cooked egg. You can also add cracked pepper but these don't need salt because the prosciutto is so salty!

Serve Prosciutto Eggs Cups with a fruit salad, marinated beets and roasted carrots for a delicious spring brunch!

Protein Poppers

Summertime in my house this year is full of working kids, while I have time off since I work for a school. They need to be up and out of the house very early each day, so they appreciate having a grab and go breakfast for a quick exit out of the house. I keep these tasty protein poppers in the freezer and they love taking a few along with a banana on their way out the door. Both of my daughters are living in an apartment at college and this is a perfect college-cooking recipe to make! Yum!

PROTEIN POPPERS

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup steel cut oats

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 cup rice crispy cereal

1 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter- which ever is your favorite)

1 cup ground flax seed

2/3 cup chocolate chips, optional (I like the mini ones)

3/4 cup raw honey

2 tsp vanilla

You can also add other items like coconut or chopped nuts- they opportunities are endless!

Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine. You can mix them by hand or in a stand mixer. Add chocolate chips if using or other desired mix ins. Chill the mixture in the fridge for an hour so that balls bind together. Roll the balls into about a 1 inch diameter and keep in freezer.

The line up of ingredients:

Roll the poppers into balls and put on baking sheet before putting into freezer

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Breakfast Frittata- Leftover Style!

When you have leftovers in the fridge you don't know what to do with, throw them in a pan with some eggs and bake them! We had leftover mini potatoes from fondue we served with friends, cooked bacon from a breakfast for my daughter and her sleep over buddies, and super greens from a salad. Saute them all in a pan, pour eggs over and bake for 10 minutes. A tasty breakfast (wth a cleaned out fridge) is served!

Breakfast Frittata - Leftover Style

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/2 rings

parboiled mini potatoes

cooked bacon (or any meat you have)

greens- whatever you have (spinach/chard/mini kale)

6 eggs whisked with 1/4 cup 1% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onions and potatoes in butter and olive oil over medium heat until onions soft and potatoes are slightly brown. Toss greens on topped and mix until wilted. Add egg/milk mixture to pan and let set. Gently lift edges to let runny eggs pour under set portion. 

Bake for 10 minutes until eggs are cooked. Enjoy!

Easy Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos

Sadly, winter break is coming to an end and my family is all headed back to work and school.  Our mornings can be rushed, so I made a batch of breakfast burritos the kids love to have in the freezer ready to go on those crazy mornings. You can tailor them to your liking by adding salsa, sausage, green onions... whatever makes your mouth happy!

 Easy Make Ahead Breakfast Burritos

8 eggs
10 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
8 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Scramble eggs over medium heat. Chop cooked bacon and make assembly line. 
Place spoonful of scrambled eggs on tortilla, top with grated cheese and a bit of bacon. Wrap both ends over egg mixture and then roll. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 6 hours. Take out of freezer and wrap each burrito in wax paper or saran wrap and place in freezer bag. 

Right before rushing out the door to school or work, take burrito out of freezer, remove from plastic wrap and wrap in damp paper towel. Microwave for 2 minutes, put in new paper towel and enjoy on the go! 

Garden Zucchini Pie

Quiches are the perfect one dish meal for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. Although this savory "pie" is great to make with all the zucchini you may grow (or neighbors give you!) in the summer, I find it to be a delectable meal even in the winter. I cut this recipe out of a magazine over 20 years ago, and still enjoy it every time I make it.

Garden Zucchini Pie

3 cups refrigerated loose-pack hash brown potatoes (I used the whole bag of Simply Potatoes which has   3 1/2 cups, so the crust was nice and thick)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (2 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese OR Swiss cheese(3 oz.)
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. snipped fresh oregano OR 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the 1 egg, onion, and Parmesan cheese. Stir in potatoes. Transfer potato mixture to a 9-inch pie plate or a 10-inch quiche dish. Pat the mixture in the bottom and up the sides of the dish (to form a crust).

Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, cook zucchini and garlic in the margarine or butter until zucchini is crisp-tender; cool slightly. Arrange zucchini mixture atop the crust.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3 eggs, cheddar or Swiss cheese, milk, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour atop the zucchini mixture in the crust.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling appears set when gently shaken. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Polenta Breakfast Bake

I love having my kids home for the holiday break and with our long leisurely mornings, it's fun to throw together an easy breakfast bake that we can nibble on all day long. This dish is gluten free and  can be made and cooked in under an hour. Try it with your family!

A few of the simple ingredients:

 Polenta squares, bacon, eggs and cheese ready to bake

Polenta Breakfast Bake
2 tubes precooked polenta
8 slices cooked bacon, diced (I use Kirkland precooked bacon)
8 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
chopped basil for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
Cut polenta into cubes and place in bottom of dish. Sprinkle diced bacon and gruyere on top of polenta. Whisk eggs, milk, Dijon, salt and pepper in bowl. Pour over polenta, bacon and Gruyere cheese and top with Parmesan.  Bake for 35 minutes or until eggs are set and browned a bit. Enjoy!

Egg Breakfast Squares with Veggies and Sausage

Savory protein-filled breakfasts are my favorite! One easy way to make a portable healthy breakfast is to make egg cups like these. Although I love the perfect serving-size of these eggs cups, washing the darn muffin tins is always a bother for me. No matter how much non-stick spray I use, the pan always seems to need a long scrub to get it clean!

This breakfast recipe combines the best of egg cups with the ease of cleaning one dish. I cut these tasty portable protein and veggie filled bites into squares, refrigerate them and bring one with me to work in the morn  (I even like them cold!) The beauty of this recipe is that you can add whatever veggies you like or have on hand, as well as change up the meat or eliminate it, and add cheese if your diet allows. It is such an adaptable recipe!

Some of the ingredients ready to be chopped

I like to saute all the ingredients together before mixing with the eggs

Bake the egg/veggie/sausage mixture in a 9 x 13" pan

Top with fresh cherry tomatoes and a tasty breakfast is ready to enjoy~

 Egg Breakfast Squares with Veggies and Sausage        

3-4 cups of chopped vegetables—some of my favorite combinations are:

1)    ½ diced yellow onion, 2 chopped zucchini , 4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms and 1 cup fresh spinach

2)    ½ diced yellow onion, 2 cups broccoli florets and 1 diced red bell pepper

3)    ½ diced red onion,1 bunch cut asparagus, handful cherry tomatoes

4)    4 chopped scallions, 5 leaves chopped kale, ½ shredded sweet potato

5)    4 chopped scallions, 2 cups fresh spinach, ½c feta, 1 diced red pepper

2 cups of meat (or cheese), if desired—some of my favorites are:

1)    2 links  aidell's Chicken Apple Sausage, chopped into cubes

2)     several slices ham or Canadian bacon, cut into cubes

3)    ½ - 1 lb pork or turkey sausage, cooked and crumbled

4)    1 cup shredded cheddar

5)    ½- 1 cup feta

6)    ½  cup grated Parmesan

12 eggs

½ cup milk (not necessary if you do not want to add dairy)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Olive oil

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 350º

Cut vegetables into bite sized pieces as well as meat. Spray bottom of 9 x 13” pan with olive oil spray. Sauté vegetables for 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add pre-cooked meat to veggies and sauté for 5 minutes more.

In large bowl, mix eggs, milk, Dijon mustard, kosher salt and pepper.

Add sauteed vegetables to raw eggs and stir to combine. Pour egg/vegetable mixture into greased baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until set and brown around the edges. Cut into squares and serve. Enjoy!

Another version of breakfast squares with broccoli, asparagus and sausage~

Spinach Cheddar Strata

Addison Elementary School is an amazing place to work. We have an awesome teacher/staff community who are very close to our incredibly involved parent group. I love working at this wonderful school! 

We have a lovely teacher lounge that the PTA community upgraded in the past year and all of us on staff sign up for a week to clean the kitchen area and provide a snack to our fellow co-workers on Friday of our assigned week.

Having little snacks in the staff kitchen to look forward to at the end of the week are a treat! For my "kitchen duty" week I brought a Spinach Cheddar Strata and a make-your-own Yogurt Fruit Granola parfait. Yum!

Spinach Cheddar Strata

8 cups cubed French or Italian bread
1 medium onion, finely chopped 
12 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1  teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 lb fresh spinach, sauteed with a bit of olive oil until wilted and then drained
12 ounces shredded cheddar

Cook onion over medium heat until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add spinach, kosher salt and pepper to taste and sauté until wilted.
Spread 1/3 of bread cubes in buttered 9 x13" casserole dish and top with spinach mixtue. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with the cheese.

Whisk together eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper in large bowl and pour over strata. Chill covered in refrigerator overnight so eggs can soak into bread.

Let strata stand at room temp for 30 minutes and then bake at 350° until golden brown and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Easy Coffee Cake

My good friend Abbie recently made the Pioneer Woman's Coffee Cake and shared a piece with me-- and it was awesome! She inspired me to make coffee cake this morning for my daughters and their sleep-over buddies, but when I looked in my fridge, I only had one stick of butter (and Ree's recipe calls for three). 

I found the recipe below some time ago and thought it was the perfect time to try it since I was butter-challenged. This coffee cake recipe turned out to be a keeper- it was very easy to make (no creaming of butter or whipping of egg whites required, so I didn't have to pull out the mixer) and my daughters and their friends said the cake part was just as good as the topping! Try it!

Tyra Bank's Great Grannie's Old-Fashioned Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 11/2 t. salt 1 teaspoon nutmeg (I didn't have nutmeg, so I used Pumpkin Pie spice- cinnamon would  work, too) 11/4 cups canola oil 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I did not have buttermilk, so added 1 1/2 T lemon juice to 1 1/2 cups       milk and let it sit for 10 minutes) 2 teaspoons cinnamon for topping

Directions:

1. In large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, packed brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt  and nutmeg until no lumps remain.  2. Whisk in vegetable oil until the oil is incorporated with the dry ingredients.    3. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of this mixture for the topping. Add cinnamon to topping; set aside. 4. To the remaining mixture in the large bowl add baking powder, baking soda, eggs and buttermilk. Mix completely. 5. Spread batter in greased 13" x 9" pan; sprinkle with topping.  6. Bake 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Enjoy!

Parmesan Rice Cakes

Our family loves to mix an egg with left over pasta in a bowl, sprinkle with parmesan and zap in the microwave for a quick breakfast or snack (see here for how we do it!) My husband gave me a rice cooker for Mother's Day and my daughter made a huge batch of rice last night, so we had lots of leftovers. I thought it would be tasty to make rice cakes in a similar fashion to our egg pasta, but instead of microwaving a bowl, I lightly fried them as little cakes and they turned out great! Perfect way to use up left over rice~

Parmesan Rice Cakes

1½ cups precooked rice

2 eggs

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 green onion, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk eggs in medium bowl and add rest of ingredients except oil. Add 1 tablespoon of oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Add large spoonfulls of rice mixture in pan and press lightly. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until brown. 

Serve with additional green onions and sour cream if desired (my daughter loved eating them with apple sauce, like she does with lattkes!)

Baked Vegetable Frittata

Eggs and veggies are wonderful combined together and make a perfect meal any time of the day. Last time I made a spinach and cheese frittata, I baked it in the saute pan. This time I transferred the sauteed veggies into a buttered glass pie dish, and which was thicker and just as delicious!  The beauty of this recipe is that you can use any vegetables you have in your fridge- I had a HUGE zucchini that my friend gave me from her mother-in-law's garden. I sauteed it with a small amount of red onion and seasoned it with thyme, kosher, salt and pepper and sprinkled a little bit of Jarlsberg on top. Delish!

Baked Vegetable Frittata

3-4 cups diced vegetables (ideas: zucchini, mushrooms, red, yellow or green pepper, spinach, kale, tomatoes, squash, asparagus, broccoli, potatoes)
1/4 red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
6-8 eggs, beaten 
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar, Jarlsberg, crumbled feta, parmesan)
kosher salt
pepper
whichever herbs you like- fresh basil, dried thyme, oregano

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add vegetables and saute until softer, but still firm (I cooked the zucchini for about 5 minutes) and season with salt, pepper and herbs. Put vegetables in buttered glass pie dish. Pour beaten eggs over veggies and spinkle top with grated cheese. Bake in 350° for 25-30 minutes until set. Enjoy!

Scrambled Eggs with Cream Cheese and Chives

 I used to love when my mom made scrambled eggs with a little dollop of cream cheese for me when I was a kid and had a hankering for them this morn- top them with fresh chives and it's a perfect breakfast treat!

Scrambled Eggs with Cream Cheese and Chives

2 eggs (I used 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
1 tablespoon light (or regular) cream cheese (break it into little bits)
nonstick spray
1/4 teaspoon chopped chives
sprinkle of salt and pepper

Whisk together eggs, cream cheese, salt and pepper. In a small frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, cook eggs over medium heat, stirring constantly until set but still soft. Put onto plate and sprinkle with fresh chives. Enjoy!

Savory Loaf Cake with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pistachios and Chorizo

Have you ever tried a savory loaf kind of like zucchini bread except not at all sweet? The French serve this savory cake (pronounced kek) at buffets or lunch, they bring it along for picnics or even serve it alongside aperitifs.  I was first introduced to this delicious loaf cake while in Provence with my sweet mom last September where we enjoyed it for lunch accompanied with a tossed salad. We recently had friends over for drinks on the deck, and I thought it would be perfect to serve with cocktails.

It is a very versatile "cake" that can be sliced to serve as an appetizer, as a hearty piece of savory bread with soup or salad for lunch, or even as part of a delicious breakfast with sauteed spinach and scrambled eggs. Not only does Clotilde Dusoulier have several recipes for savory cake in her Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook, but I also discovered another cookbook full of great recipes by Sophie Dudemaine called  Sophie's Sweet and Savory Loaves. Sophie says the recipe most people ask for is the Ham and Olive loaf- I am trying that one next time!

Savory Loaf Cake with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pistachios and Chorizo

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sesame seeds- one for the pan, one for topping

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt, preferably whole milk, greek style

3 1/2 ounces Spanish air-dried chorizo, chopped 

12 sun dried tomato halves packed in oil, drained and finely diced

3/4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted

3/4 cups loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350° Butter a 9-inch  loaf pan and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, tilting the pan to distribute them.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs and yogurt. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, stirring until barely incorporated. Don’t overmix. Gently fold in the chorizo, tomatoes, pistachios, and parsley. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

 Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cake just feels set in the center. Let cool for 15 minutes, then tilt it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.

Serving and storage: Once cool, cut the cake into thin slices and serve as is. Leftover cake should be wrapped snugly in plastic and will keep up to five days at room temperature.  Or you can freeze half the loaf and save it for unexpected guests!

Recipe from Chocolate and Zuccini by Clotilde Dusoulier

Spinach and Cheese Frittata

This is a great weekend breakfast full of protein from the eggs and green goodness from the spinach. You can even enjoy a slice cold the next day for lunch. Yum!

Spinach and Cheese Frittata

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 scallions
5 ounce package baby spinach
kosher salt and pepper
8 eggs
4 tablespoons panka bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450°. Heat olive oil in a nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and spinach and cook until wilted. Add 1/2 teaspoon slat and pepper to taste. Whisk eggs in bowls with 3/4 cup water and add 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Add egg mixture and cheese to skillet and stir to combine. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until frittata is set and top is golden, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

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Tasty Banana Blueberry Bread

I saw Giada making this bread on her show and since I had ripe bananas and fresh blueberries, I thought I would try it. It is sweet and moist because of all the fruit and tasty if you love blueberries. Unfortunately, my kids prefer their banana bread with chocolate chips, but my husband and I sure enjoyed it.

Banana Blueberry Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Spray three mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray or one large 9x5x3inch loaf pan.

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice.  In large bowl, beat whisk sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until blended. Stir in the mashed bananas and blueberries. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended.

Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan(s). Bake large loaf for about 1 hour or mini loaves for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and remove from loaf pan and cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Giada

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