Morning Hash

By the way, in case you were wondering, the Root Vegetable Hash with Horseradish Cream tastes excellent the next morning with a Fried Egg on top and Crispy bacon on the side. Finish it off with a half a banana and a glass of Orange Juice. The breakfast of champions!

Breakfast Fit For a Queen

I have been swimming 3 to 4 times a week and been starving since I started. I don't know what it is, but I'm burning so many more calories now and my body is craving good food that has some carbs. I've also been craving french toast but a healthier version, one that's not sitting in fat and butter for minutes on end. I turned to MyRecipes and found this recipe that was completely satisfying. It's a great brunch recipe and would taste fantastic with bacon (not so healthy) and mimosas (be sure to drink water too!) When I own a B&B someday, this will definitely be on the menu!

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French Toast For A Queen

from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cooking oil spray
8 slices sweet French or challah bread, about 1 inch thick
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup
Orange wedges

Directions:
1. In a shallow bowl, whisk to blend eggs, egg whites, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. Lightly mist a 10- by 15-inch nonstick pan with cooking oil spray.
3. Soak bread thoroughly on each side, a few pieces at a time, in egg mixture.
4. Place slices slightly apart in a single layer in baking pan.
5. Bake in a 500° oven until toast is golden on bottom, about 5 minutes. With a wide spatula, turn slices over and bake until other side is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer hot French toast to plates.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with maple syrup, and serve with orange wedges, squeezing juice onto toast.

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CKS Note: I didn't have any oranges or powdered sugar, and frankly, you don't need them. I also realized I was out of vanilla extract so I used almond extract instead and it gave the dish a really nice flavor.

Purrrfect Pancakes

Matt is not a pancake fan, and yet it is a breakfast staple of mine. Growing up, Sunday mornings were my favorite because Mom made either homemade pancakes or waffles, sometimes served with homemade raspberry or strawberry jam (there's only a few left now in the freezer). Sometimes she'd even surprise us with bacon or sausage as a side, and as always, orange juice to drink (they didn't have organic juice in those days). It's one of my favorite memories and many emotions are tied to them, happy ones of course. The house was always so warm and snuggly on those mornings, and Mom, Dad and I (and Katie too when she finally arrived) would talk about the week that we had and the week that was coming up.

But I digress...

In search of more breakfast recipes, I came across one for Lemon Ricotta Cheese pancakes. What really got me excited was that this was not a standard pancake recipe. Sure, it involves buttermilk, but the flavors are totally different and the buttermilk adds a nice tartness that balances out the lemon. The ricotta adds depth and texture. I reccomend serving these on warm plates with strawberry or raspberry jam and a side of bacon never hurts!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
from Sunset Magazine

Notes: This is our adaptation of Crest Cafe's (San Diego, California) lemon-ricotta pancakes, which are served with fresh strawberries and bananas. Top the bananas with a sprinkling of grated lemon peel and offer warm maple syrup to drizzle over the fruit and cakes.


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
Salad oil (I used Canola oil which worked just fine)

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg yolks, and lemon peel to blend. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Gently stir in ricotta cheese.

2. In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. With a flexible spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter just until they are incorporated.

3. Place a nonstick griddle or a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat (350°); when hot, coat lightly with oil and adjust heat to maintain temperature. Drop batter in 1/2-cup portions onto the griddle and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes; turn cakes with a wide spatula and brown other sides, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Coat pan with more oil as necessary to cook remaining pancakes.

4. Serve pancakes as cooked, or keep warm in a single layer on baking sheets in a 200° oven for up to 15 minutes.

Yield: Makes about 8 pancakes; 4 servings

CALORIES 318 (21% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 2.6g); CHOLESTEROL 116mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48g; SODIUM 759mg; PROTEIN 13g; FIBER 1.4g

Fabulous Crepes

Since I want to run a B&B someday, I've now made it part of my meal plan to have a nice breakfast on Sunday mornings. I need to branch out from egg mcmuffins and cheesy toast. So, with that in mind, this Sunday I'm making Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (recipe to be posted next week). Last week, I made these fabulous crepes using seasonal strawberries from the local farmer's market. They were so good, and I loved making something sweet and healthy at the same time.

These recipes are from Master Cook, and unfortunately I don't have pictures. I guess I'll just have to make them again (darn) and take pictures next time!

Low Fat Honey Crepes

Ingredients:
2 cups nonfat milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Rub 8-inch nonstick skillet with oiled paper towel or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons crêpe batter into skillet, tilting and rotating skillet to cover evenly with batter. Cook until edges begin to brown. Turn crêpe over and cook until lightly browned. Remove crêpe to plate to cool. Repeat process with remaining batter. Crêpes may be refrigerated 3 days or frozen up to 1 month in airtight container.

Strawberry Brunch Crepes with Honey Suzette Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Low-Fat Honey Crêpes, see recipe
2 cups low-fat lemon yogurt
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions:
To prepare sauce, whisk together honey, orange juice, lemon juice orange peel, lemon peel and cornstarch in small saucepan until well blended and cornstarch is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally; cook until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use. To assemble, press 1 crêpe into each of 6 ramekins or bowls to form a cup. Fill each with 1/3 cup yogurt. Top each with 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 2 to 3 tablespoons sauce.

CKS Note: I would recommend not using so much yogurt. You could leave it out entirely, but it does give the filling a little more substance.

Breakfast for Dinner

My sister's good friend Roxy came to visit and I was concerned that since she's young and energetic, she'd want to go out and eat and fancy/hip restaurants. This was certainly not in our budget! Luckily she was fine with whatever we wanted to cook at home, so I came up with a few tasty dishes that all of us were pleased with.

Last night it was hot, and Roxy and I had spent the afternoon walking around in the sun in Downtown L.A., perusing Little Tokyo and Olvera Street. I wanted to make something simple that involved minimal prepration but didn't mean ordering in.

I had bought some lovely fresh dill at the Glendale Farmers Market a few weeks ago and needed to use it up before it went bad. So I went to My Recipes and typed in "fresh dill". I saw a recipe for Smoked-Salmon, Goat-Cheese, and Fresh-Dill Fritatta. Just reading the recipe made my mouth water! It was as delicious as it sounds and I can't wait to make it again. This was also part of my research in breakfast recipes, and it was a huge hit.

Serving Suggestion - pair this with fresh fruit, such as strawberries or grapes, and a light white wine, such as the Dry Gewurztraminer from Claiborne and Churchill.

Smoked-Salmon, Goat-Cheese, and Fresh-Dill Frittata

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

2 1/2 cups shredded peeled baking potato or refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 large egg whites

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

3 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add potato; sauté 5 minutes or until golden brown, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Combine the egg whites, eggs, goat cheese, and smoked salmon in a medium bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Spread the egg mixture evenly over the potato in skillet, and cook 2 minutes or until edges are set and bottom is lightly browned. Sprinkle the top with dill.

Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Broil 3 minutes or until center is set. Carefully loosen frittata from skillet with a spatula; gently slide frittata onto a platter. Cut into 4 wedges.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)CALORIES 202 (30% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.7g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 128mg; CALCIUM 100mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.5g; SODIUM 589mg; PROTEIN 16.2g; FIBER 1.6g

Cooking Light, MAY 1998

A Hearty (and healthy) Breakfast

Today I went to bootcamp for the first time in over a week and Matt went swimming this afternoon. I don't eat much before exercising - I find it helps keep the nausea at bay when I am pushing myself so hard. However, Matt likes to eat before his swims, it makes for stronger strokes.

We're also leaving on Monday for Seattle for the holidays.

Last night as I was somewhat meal planning and trying to keep both of these elements in mind, I was searching online recipes that could use up what we have in the fridge. Like those 12 dozen eggs that expire on Christmas Eve.

I found a wonderful recipe from Cooking Light. It's got everything you need to start your day or replenish what you've lost during that tough morning workout! Matt doesn't like to combine strong salty and sweet flavors, so unfortunately we left out the mango chutney. But I think you could use that, or even some apricot or raspberry jam instead. I don't like soy ham, so we used canadian bacon instead, and I scrambled the eggs because that's the way Matt & I like our eggs. All in all this recipe was a huge hit and kept me full for most of the day. Matt even commented that it's a much healthier (and tastier) version of a certain breakfast sandwich at a certain fast food restaurant. Bonus: It's from Cooking Light so you know that a) it's going to taste good; b) it's not bad for you and c) Cindy will be totally intrigued! :)

And yes, I will definitely be making this again, probably as soon as tomorrow morning!

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich with Mango Chutney

This sandwich packs protein from egg and soy ham, calcium from cheese, and fiber and B vitamins from the whole-grain muffin. If you can't find soy ham, use Canadian bacon or ham.

Cooking spray

8 (1/2-ounce) slices soy ham (such as Lightlife) or Canadian bacon

4 large eggs

4 whole-grain English muffins, split and toasted

8 teaspoons mango chutney

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat broiler.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add ham; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium; recoat pan with cooking spray. Break eggs into hot pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Place muffin halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Spread 2 teaspoons chutney over bottom half of each muffin; top with 2 ham slices, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon cheese. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over top half of each muffin. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until bubbly. Place top halves of muffins over the bottom halves.