Morning meals start the day off right
When it comes to cooking, the one meal I often neglect is
breakfast. See, even though I get up early in the morning, I am not
a morning person. I try to get to the gym first thing and I work
out on an empty stomach so that by the time I get home, I just want
to eat something quickly. I usually opt for toast with jam, a
hard-boiled egg and a glass of fat-free milk. In fact, for months
that has been my go-to breakfast six days a week. And the only
reason I eat pancakes or scrambled eggs on the seventh day is
because someone else cooks it for me.
Morning meals start the day off right
When it comes to cooking, the one meal I often neglect is breakfast. See, even though I get up early in the morning, I am not a morning person. I try to get to the gym first thing and I work out on an empty stomach so that by the time I get home, I just want to eat something quickly. I usually opt for toast with jam, a hard-boiled egg and a glass of fat-free milk. In fact, for months that has been my go-to breakfast six days a week. And the only reason I eat pancakes or scrambled eggs on the seventh day is because someone else cooks it for me.
But once in a while I do like to cook up a good breakfast meal. Sometimes that means cooking it on a weeknight instead of in the morning as we did with the scrambled eggs with ricotta and broccolini.
Other times, I find myself with some extra time on a weekend morning to do a more elaborate meal, such as the cheesecake pancakes below or the breakfast pizza.
It’s nice to mix up the morning meal once in a while when I have time.
Scrambled eggs with ricotta and broccolini
Recipe courtesy of Food Network
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large bunch broccolini, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs, beaten
1/3 c. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
Crusty bread, for serving (optional)
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the broccolini, 2 tablespoons water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the eggs are just barely set, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the broccolini and ricotta. Sprinkle with the parmesan. Serve with bread, if desired.
Per serving: Calories 335; Fat 25 g (Saturated 8 g); Cholesterol 451 mg; Sodium 633 mg; Carbohydrate 8 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 19 g
Almost famous pancakes
Recipe courtesy of Food Network
1 1/2 c. strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tbsp. seedless strawberry jam
11/4 c. all-purpose flour
11/4 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 c. chopped frozen cheesecake
Cooking spray
Butter, confectioners’ sugar or whipped cream, for topping (optional)
Mix the strawberries, jam and 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl; set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Pulse the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheesecake pieces, keeping them whole.
Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the skillet for each pancake. Cook until bubbly on top, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the finished pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Serve the pancakes topped with the strawberry sauce; top with butter, confectioners’ sugar or whipped cream, if desired.
Breakfast pizza
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
Pancakes:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
Pinch salt
2 eggs
2 c. milk
1 tbsp. vegetable oil, for griddle
Marinara sauce:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
Scrambled eggs:
5 large eggs
1 tbsp. sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. butter, for skillet
7 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
Assembly:
1 c. shredded mozzarella
2 tbsp. chiffonade fresh basil leaves
Butter
Maple syrup
For the pancakes:
Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat while you prepare the pancake batter.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk eggs and milk together in another bowl until combined.
Whisk the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix until incorporated.
Add the oil to the hot griddle and spread evenly to coat the bottom of the pan. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter to the pan and cook the pancake for about 2 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook until brown on the other side, roughly 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer pancake to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter and set pancakes aside for assembly.
For the sauce:
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes and cream cheese. Set aside until assembly.
For scrambled eggs
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute.
Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk in sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Add butter to the hot skillet and allow to melt.
Add the eggs and reduce heat to medium-low. Scramble until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the bacon and set aside for assembly.
For assembly:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the pancakes on a sheet pan. Spread marinara sauce on each pancake and top with scrambled eggs and bacon. Sprinkle with basil and mozzarella cheese and place in the oven for 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Transfer to individual dishes and serve with butter and maple syrup.
