When I was a kid, two of my friends – siblings – lived next door. I'd frequently run over to their house about 30-seconds before my mom would want me to set the table for dinner. (I may have timed it that way on purpose...)
Thursday evenings at their house was usually reserved for breakfast-for-dinner night: their dad was going to get paid the next day, the parents would take the family grocery shopping, and it was time to get rid of the extra half-empty cereal boxes, toaster waffles, etc. So the kids would be sitting around the table with boxes of cereal, a carton of milk, just chowing down on breakfast-for-dinner.
"Why can't we have breakfast for dinner?" I'd ask Mom when I got home. (This was frequently asked with a slight whine, especially if Mom had cooked fried liver for dinner.)
But no such luck.
These days, it's a little more permissible to have breakfast for dinner. To that end, here are six breakfast recipes to try out for dinner – or for breakfast – including Spanish Omelets and Cocoa Pancakes. Enjoy!
Mom and Dad
MAKE-AHEAD EGG, SPINACH AND FETA WRAPS
This is from Naz Deravian at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Naz wrote, "Packed with protein, enough baby spinach to make Popeye proud, and punchy umami from sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese, these wraps are ideal for make-ahead breakfasts. Feel free to customize by adding herbs like dill, parsley or cilantro, or a small handful of chopped roasted red peppers or pitted olives. The frittata-like egg mixture is baked in the oven in a baking pan and sliced into rectangles to fit easily on lavash wraps or burrito-size flour tortillas. If you don’t want to make wraps, you can simply serve the tender frittata by itself."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time:44 minutes; Yield: 5 wraps
To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026810-make-ahead-egg-spinach-and-feta-wraps. Also, if you haven't already subscribed to The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. Great recipes, guides, and more.
Ingredients
Cooking spray or neutral oil, as needed
1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, plus 3 tablespoons oil from the jar (see Tip)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
5 to 6 ounces baby spinach (5 to 6 cups packed)
10 large eggs
1/2 cup/3 ounces crumbled feta
5 lavash wraps (about 10-by-12 inches) or burrito-size flour tortillas, at room temperature (see Tip)
Cream cheese, fresh goat cheese or flavored soft cheese, such as Boursin, optional
Preparation
Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray, making sure to spray the sides well. (Alternately, you can lightly brush with neutral oil.) Line the baking pan with parchment paper with overhang on at least two sides and spray the parchment paper with oil. Heat the oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the center position.
In a large skillet, heat the sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt, add the sundried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the spinach, in batches if necessary, and cook, stirring frequently, just until wilted. (You don’t want the spinach to release any liquid.) Season with salt and pepper, keeping in mind you will also season the eggs. Remove from the heat.
Add the eggs to a large bowl, season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and beat with a whisk or a fork until combined. Add the spinach mixture to the eggs and mix to combine. (Wipe out the skillet and set aside.) Transfer the egg mixture to the baking pan, spreading it out evenly. Top with the feta cheese and bake until the eggs are fully set and the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
Slide the frittata onto the cutting board. Slice the frittata widthwise into 5 equal rectangles (each about 2-1/2 inches wide). Place a lavash wrap on a work surface and spread with cream cheese, if using. Place a slice of frittata on the lavash, leaving a 2-inch border from the bottom. Bring the sides of the lavash in and then fold up the bottom, rolling up the lavash like a flat burrito. Repeat with the remaining lavash and frittata.
Heat the same skillet over medium. Spray each lavash wrap lightly with oil on both sides. Place seam side down on the pan and cook until the lavash is warmed through and slightly golden on each side, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (Take care not to cook too long so the lavash doesn’t get crispy.) Slice in half, on the diagonal if you like, and serve. (To make ahead, wrap the pan-cooked egg wraps in foil and keep in the fridge for 3 days, or the freezer for 3 months. Reheat in the microwave, in a skillet over low heat, or in the oven at 350 degrees.)
Tips
Instead of sun-dried tomato oil, you can substitute olive oil.
Cold lavash is harder to wrap and can tear, so be sure to take the lavash out of the fridge for a few minutes before wrapping.
EVERYDAY PANCAKES
This is from Mark Bittman on The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Mark wrote, "The basic pancake is made from a simple batter of eggs, flour, milk and baking powder for leavening. You can use different types of flour if you want to experiment with whole wheat or buckwheat. And you can also add fruit to the mixture. You might also enjoy this video of the recipe, which walks through a few variations. The batter can be made from scratch in about the same time it takes to make toast. The most time-consuming part of making pancakes, of course, is cooking them. But that time is so short you should consider these an everyday convenience food, not a special-occasion feast. Cook this recipe a few times and it may become part of your weekly routine."
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This was featured in "For the Unitiated, a Pancake Primer," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1893-everyday-pancakes. While you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. Great recipes, guides, and more.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
2 eggs
1-1/2 to 2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use neutral oil
Preparation
Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1-1/2 cups milk, then stir in 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter, if using it. Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don't worry about a few lumps. If batter seems thick, add a little more milk.
Place a teaspoon or 2 of butter or oil on griddle or skillet. When butter foam subsides or oil shimmers, ladle batter onto griddle or skillet, making pancakes of any size you like. Adjust heat as necessary; usually, first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.
Cook until second side is lightly browned. Serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.
COCOA PANCAKES
This comes from Vegetarian Times (May 2005 issue, page 95), in an article featuring Inn Serendipity in Browntown, WI. The recipes begins, "Not only does Inn Serendipity in Browntown, WI feature hearty vegetarian breakfasts (and bedside cordials in the evening), but the owners try to meet any special dietary needs, especially those of vegans. Their vegan cocoa pancakes are among the recipes most requested by vegan and nonvegan visitors. This recipe makes 18 to 20 pancakes—and they can be prepared in just 30 minutes or less!" Makes 6 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/cocoa-pancakes/.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups chocolate soymilk
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup carob chips
Preparation
Sift flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into mixing bowl. Whisk in chocolate soymilk and oil until just combined. Stir in vanilla extract. Let batter sit 5 minutes before cooking.
Spray large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. When hot, ladle on 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Sprinkle pancakes with several carob chips. Cook 2 minutes, and turn when tops begin to bubble and edges start to look dry. Cook 2 minutes more, and remove to plate. Serve with maple syrup or vanilla soy yogurt and fresh fruit.
SPANISH OMELET
POINTS® value | 5
Servings | 1
Preparation Time | 8 min
Cooking Time | 10 min
Ingredients
2-1/2 cup spinach, coarsely chopped (do not dry)
2 large egg(s)
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp olive oil
Directions
In a medium saucepan, cook spinach with just the water that clings to it until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out all liquid. Cool, then chop finely.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon water.
In a small nonstick skillet, heat oil. Pour egg mixture into pan; reduce heat and cook until base is set and top is still a little creamy, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle spinach over one half of eggs; fold omelet in half and cook until eggs are completely set, about 1 minute longer. Serve at once.
PIRATE EGGS
When my sister and I were kids, my mother used to fix this for us on a regular basis, except that she called them Gypsy Eggs. Once my brother came along, though, they became Pirate Eggs. The name stuck. Most people from the Northeastern U.S. tend to call them Eggs-in-a-Hole or some variation of that. But whatever you call them, they're good.
The instructions are for one person. Adjust for the number of people you're feeding.
Ingredients
1-2 eggs
1-2 pieces of bread
margarine for the pan
Directions
Melt the margarine in the pan over medium heat. Take the bread and cut a round hole in the middle. Place bread in pan, then crack the egg and dump onto the bread so that the yolk is in the hold. If you prefer non-runny yolks (my preference), crack the yolk with the corner of a spatula. Cook on the first side for several minutes, then flip over and cook the other side. You can flip it several times until the egg looks cooked. Enjoy!
BREAKFAST BURRITO
This is from Ellie Krieger on the Food Network. Active Time: 38 minutes; Total Time: 38 minutes; Yield: 4 servings, serving size 1 burrito; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/breakfast-burrito-recipe-1953146.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 small red onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup drained, rinsed canned black beans, preferably low-sodium
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs and 4 egg whites
1/3 cup (about 1-1/2 ounce) shredded pepper Jack cheese
Nonstick cooking spray
4 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas (burrito size)
1/4 cup reduced fat-free sour cream or 2 percent plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup salsa
1 large tomato, (4 ounces) seeded and diced
1 small avocado (4 ounces), cubed
Hot sauce
Directions
Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers until onions are softened and peppers are slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Add black beans and red pepper flakes and cook until warmed through, another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a dish.
Whisk together the eggs and egg whites then stir in the cheese. Spray the skillet with cooking spray, and reheat the skillet over a medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add eggs, scrambling until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon each sour cream (or yogurt) and salsa, then layer with 1/4 of the black bean mixture, 1/4 of the scrambled eggs, some diced tomato and 1/4 of the avocado. Season, to taste, with hot sauce. Roll up burrito-style and serve.
Cook’s Note
Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Good source of: Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iodine, Iron, Potassium, Selenium
