Breakfast – Kara Cooks and Eats

Pancakes

Recipe

Recipe Notes

This is my go-to pancake recipe. I love the nuttiness of the spelt flour and the texture from the wheat germ. They taste extra yummy with Nutella!

Sometimes I change up the grains – I also like ½ cup whole wheat, ¼ cup wheat germ, and ¼ cup cornmeal.

For extra fluffy pancakes, feel free to whip an egg white and fold into the batter just before you start to cook them. I had some extra egg whites left over from making pasta.

They reheat well in a toaster or toaster oven.

Photos

Spinach bacon strata

Recipe

Recipe Notes

I originally posted this recipe in 2012 and called it “Marathon strata.” Kendrin made it for a Marathon Monday brunch to at her Park Drive apartment, along with a bloody mary and mimosa bar and lots of other tasty treats to power us up to cheer on the runners on a very hot race day. That year, Wesley Korir (2:12:40) and Sharon Cherop (2:31:50) were the winners of the 116th Boston Marathon.

I recently made this recipe for a brunch, and made it again to use up some stale bread as part of #quarantinecooking. I’ve updated it a bit (hello bacon! hi, new photos!), but it’s also one of those recipes you can play around with. I do think the combination of Gruyere (or Comte) and Parmigiano are key though. The original adaptation was based on this Epicurious recipe.

Photos

Banana blueberry whole wheat muffins

Have I mentioned that I am picky about bananas? I don’t buy or eat them that often as there is a very narrow window of “ripeness” that I like. This week I let one get too ripe and decided it was a sign that I should make banana bread or muffins. Of course then I had to buy another banana to have enough for this recipe.

A heads up that this recipe requires three, yes three, mixing bowls — one for dry ingredients, one for butter and sugars, and one for the banana mixture. It also recommends using a mixer but I cheated on that part and mixed it by hand.

I made 16 muffins with this recipe instead of 12. Breakfast all week for me, and the rest in the freezer.

Banana blueberry whole wheat muffins
Makes: 12-16 muffins

Muffins for everyone!

Source: Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2009

Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line your muffin pan(s) with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a fork and then stir in milk and vanilla.

5. To the butter and sugar mixture, alternate adding flour mixture and banana mixture and mix until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

6. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Mini frittatas

This is so my kind of recipe — prep once, use what you have, and there’s breakfast for days. With a basic base of eggs and milk (I am obsessed with almond/coconut milk these days), you can get creative with whatever else you want to throw in. The original recipe had spinach, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and prosciutto. I went with spinach, red onion, shredded mozzarella, and crumbled bacon…the frozen, real bacon kind, not the bacon bits kind.

I am still always amazed by how much fresh spinach cooks down. You want to just wilt the spinach and then remove it from the heat. If you have time, let it cool a bit before mixing it in with the eggs. You don’t want the hot spinach to start to cook the eggs!

I used a 1/4-cup measuring cup to fill the muffin cups, which was just about the perfect amount. Unfortunately my muffin tin is pretty shallow so the cups were pretty pretty full when I put them in the oven, and then they puffed up and overflowed a bit while cooking. If you think your’re at risk of overflow, put the muffin tin on a baking sheet in the oven to avoid having to clean your oven afterwards! #themoreyouknow

Wilting spinach

Mini frittatas
Inspired by Good Housekeeping, January 2017
Makes: 12 mini frittatas

Ingredients

Filled muffin cups, pre overflow

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
5 ounces baby spinach
6 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
3 Tablespoons crumbled bacon (optional)
Salt and pepper

Directions

Breakfast, with a side of avocado toast

1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in spinach and cook until just wilted. Remove from heat.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk. Stir in cheese and spinach mixture and season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide egg mixture evenly into muffin pan cups (about 1/4 cup each) and top each with crumbled bacon. Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is just set.

5. Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes before removing from cups. Serve warm. To reheat leftovers, microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Related posts
Chard and ricotta pie
Marathon strata
Spinach bacon cheddar strata

Chard and ricotta pie

I love trying new recipes, but I also rely on some staples in the KCaE archives. So I’ve decided to occasionally repost some of the “classics” like this Chard and ricotta pie. I can’t believe I’ve been making this for more than four years!

This is one that really comes in handy when I have a plethora of greens and eggs. It really works for any meal. Feel free to substitute other vegetables for the chard, and if you don’t have green onions then a regular ol’ white or yellow onion works just fine. You can make this in a pie plate or a muffin tin. The muffin tin works great for breakfast or snacks on the go.

Flashback: March 13, 2012

Pie for dinner!

Chard and ricotta pie
Source: Good Housekeeping
Serves: 4 main-dish servings (or about 18 individual “pies”)

Ingredients
1 large head Swiss chard
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper
Red pepper flakes
4 large eggs
1 container (15 ounces) part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate (or muffin tins).

2. Cut off and discard bottom 2 inches of Swiss chard stems. Separate stems from leaves; thinly slice stems and coarsely chop leaves.

3. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add sliced stems and cook 4 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add green onions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes (to your taste), and cook 1 minute. Gradually add chopped leaves, and cook, stirring, until wilted and water evaporates, about 5 minutes.

4. In large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix eggs, ricotta, milk, Parmesan, and cornstarch until blended. Stir in Swiss chard mixture.

5. Transfer mixture to pie plate (or muffin tins). Bake pie 40 minutes or until knife inserted 2 inches from center comes out clean. Bake about 13 minutes if using muffin tins.

6. Enjoy!

Lemon poppy seed muffins

These muffins might feel like a special treat, but believe me when I tell you they are super easy and delicious. With oats and whole-wheat flour, they are also relatively healthy!

The only thing I didn’t have on hand was the lemon and lemon curd. I put them both on my grocery list and somehow still managed to forget to pick up the lemon curd. I substituted raspberry jam, which was just ok. I probably wouldn’t do that in the future.

I also forgot to take a photo of the finished product…next time!

Ready to bake

Lemon poppy seed muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Source: a magazine that I don’t have the name of 😦

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, slightly beaten

3/4 cup nonfat milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup lemon curd

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups, or spray with canola oil.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together both flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, poppy seeds, lemon zest, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

3. Add egg, milk, and oil, and stir until just combined.

4. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds of the way. Spoon about 1 teaspoon lemon curd on top of batter in each.

5. Bake until tops are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Corned beef hash

Hello and good morning Saturday! I thought I’d share this corned beef hash recipe in case you are looking for a good brunch idea and you just happen to have some leftover corned beef hanging around. I can’t even begin to predict what the chances of that might be, but hey, you never know.

I have recently re-discovered my cast iron skillet, which was actually my grandmother’s cast iron skillet, so I’ve been trying to think of fun things to make in it. Unfortunately, this was a semi-failed attempt because it got kinda burned and I was not able to flip it as a patty, per the recipe instructions. My advice, don’t skimp on the butter. Next time I might try half butter, half canola or olive oil since it is hard for me to use that much butter in anything other than baked goods.

Mise en place

Corned beef hash
Source: adapted from Saveur
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cups roughly chopped boiled potatoes (Yukon gold or red skin)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked corned beef
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small yellow onion, grated

Before the failed attempt to flip

1/2 bell pepper, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
1. Mash half of the potatoes with a fork in a large bowl until smooth; add the remaining potatoes and all of the rest of the ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.

2. Heat the butter in a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corned beef mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Press the corned beef mixture into a flat cake, and cook until the mixture is browned and crusty on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Flip the cake, and continue cooking until the mixture is browned and crusty on the other side, about 8 minutes.

3. Transfer to a serving plate and cut hash into wedges to serve.

Zucchini muffins

One zucchini per week feels pretty manageable, especially when it’s a ‘normal’-sized one and not a super-sized one. I decided to prep breakfast for the week with these tasty zucchini muffins. And this recipe made a perfect little six pack of muffins.

The batter will feel really dry and lumpy after adding the egg and oil in step three. Don’t panic! The liquid from the zucchini will make it more batter-like…I promise. And bonus, you don’t have to do creative things to squeeze the liquid out of the shredded zucchini, a step that is often included. I am all about the short cuts!

Also, I accidentally doubled the baking powder, which did not have an adverse effect..probably because it was such a small amount to begin with. But according to this article, too much baking powder can cause baked goods to rise too high (then collapse) and taste metallic. GTK (good to know).

Muffins!

Zucchini pecan muffins
Makes: 6-7 muffins
Source: adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (it will feel dry and lumpy). Stir in the zucchini just until combined. Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until about three-quarters full. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan, then cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Spinach bacon cheddar strata

I got to spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Florida…turkey and palm trees are a pretty nice combination! My friends Susie and Robby came over for brunch one day and I decided to make a strata. Stratas are nice because it’s an all-in-one dish (eggs! bread! cheese!) that tastes great whatever you add to it, and you can prep it the night before. With inspiration from Kendrin’s marathon strata and Pinterest, I decided to go with spinach, bacon, and cheddar. I made this in two square baking dishes, so this recipe could easily be halved for a smaller crowd.

Bread cubes

Spinach bacon cheddar strata

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Cooking spray

8 cups cubed crusty bread (1-inch cubes)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 packages (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, drained well

8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled

12 large eggs

2 1/2 cups 1% milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Brunch is served

Directions

1. Spray a 13″x 9″ baking pan with cooking spray and layer the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan.

2. Layer 1 cup of shredded cheese on top of the bread, then spread spinach and bacon on top of cheese.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly into the pan, then top with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. In the morning, remove pan and allow to come to room temperature for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for about 1 hour.

Banana-oat smoothie

Mise en place

It’s been awhile since I used the Ninja, and this made a great post-run snack. I also made it for a weekday breakfast on-the-go, prepping the milk, yogurt, cinnamon, and vanilla in the Ninja cup the night before.

The original recipe came out way too thick, which may have been because I used Greek yogurt and a pretty starchy banana. The recipe below reflects the adjustments I would make…decreasing the yogurt and increasing the almond milk.

I liked the use of oats and might have to give that a try with my usual fruit smoothies.

Banana-oat smoothie
Serves: 1

Smoooothie

Source: adapted from Everyday Food, November 2008

Ingredients
1 banana, cut into thirds
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.