Breakfast

I'm sure that there is someone thinking, "Breakfast? Who needs recipes for breakfast? And why post them now?"

First off, breakfast can be some much more than cereal or fried eggs. There are some many things one can have for breakfast.

Secondly, you can have breakfast anytime, even for dinner, as anyone who has followed this food blog, or my Confessions of a Foodie blog, has discovered, from my occasional breakfast posts, both here and on my Confessions... blog.

To that end, here are several breakfast recipes that are sure to please, no matter when they're fixed. Check out the Parisian-style Sweet Crêpes, the Pirate Eggs, or any of the other yummy breakfast recipes. Enjoy!

RED BERRY BAKED OATS

This is from Weight Watchers, and begins, "These morning treats are completely different from traditional baked oats. Because you blend the batter, the oats end up being ground into a fine “flour,” so the finished dish has the texture of a moist, creamy cake instead of oatmeal—and you still get the whole-grain benefits of oats in every bite. We use a combination of raspberries and strawberries, but you can use all of one or the other if you’d like. These bake in 6-ounce ramekins; if you don’t have those, you can bake in a muffin pan (you’ll probably get 8 or 10) and reduce the cook time to about 15 minutes."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Serves: 6; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/red-berry-baked-oats/608b0ef40db90e5f982bc6ee.

Ingredients

6 sprays cookin spray

2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats, or quick-cooking oats

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp table salt

4 medium bananas, ripe

4 large eggs

1 cup strawberries, raw, sliced

1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a blender, place oats, syrup, baking powder, vanilla, salt, bananas, and eggs. Blend on high speed until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let stand until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir berries into batter (do not blend). Lightly coat 6 (6-oz) ramekins with cooking spray; arrange ramekins on a sheet pan. Divide batter evenly among ramekins. Bake at 350°F until set and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm.

Serving size: 1 ramekin

RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE FRENCH TOAST

This comes from Vegetarian Times (May 2005 issue, page 95), in an article featuring Inn Serendipity in Browntown, WI. The recipes begins, "If raspberries are not available, you can substitute blueberries. Note: You must start this dish one day ahead." Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/raspberry-cream-cheese-french-toast/.

Ingredients

French Toast

12 slices bread, preferably raisin bread

4 oz. low-fat cream cheese

2 large eggs

2 cups low-fat milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

8 oz. raspberries

Raspberry sauce

1 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbs. cornstarch

8 oz. raspberries

Preparation

To make French Toast: Grease 9×13-inch baking dish. Place 6 slices bread evenly on bottom of pan, and dot with half of cream cheese. Layer remaining 6 slices on top, and dot with remaining cream cheese.

Whisk together eggs, milk, syrup and raspberries in mixing bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover baking dish with foil, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bake bread 1/2 hour covered; remove foil, and bake 30 minutes more, or until bread begins to puff up and brown.

To make Raspberry Sauce: Combine sugar, cornstarch and 1 cup water in saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 3 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in raspberries, and cook 3 minutes more, or until sauce has thickened again. Serve French Toast with Raspberry Sauce.

GOLDEN TOFU SCRAMBLE TACOS

This is from Vegetarian Times. It begins, "This meatless version of traditional tacos packs a generous dose of protein from the nutritional yeast, tofu, and pinto beans, plus iron from the spinach—nutrients often lacking in vegan diets."

Makes 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/golden-tofu-scramble-tacos-recipe/.

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup cooked or canned pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

3 cups baby spinach

8 small corn tortillas, warmed

1 avocado, thinly sliced

1 cup salsa of choice

Preparation

Place tofu on paper towel-lined cutting board or other flat surface. Top with more paper towels and another cutting board or flat item. Press down to extract as much water as possible. Using large holes of a box grater or the tines of a fork, grate tofu into bowl.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Add shallots and garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in red bell pepper, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and heat 1 minute more. Add tofu and nutritional yeast, and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add pinto beans and baby spinach, and cook until spinach is slightly wilted and everything is heated through.

Divide tofu mixture among tortillas and top with avocado and salsa.

PARISIAN-STYLE SWEET CREPES

This comes from the September 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 37. It begins, "Cafés and brasseries in the French capital sell passersby sweet crêpes slathered in butter, jam, chestnut purée, and (VT favorite) Nutella. The experience is easy to re-create at home for breakfast, Sunday supper, or a snack."

Makes 8 crêpes

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/parisian-style-sweet-crepes/.

Ingredients

Crêpes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup low-fat milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Fillings (optional)

Nutella

Jam

Butter

Chestnut Purée

Preparation

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Whisk in egg; mixture will be shaggy. Whisk in milk 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk in vanilla. Cover, and chill 30 minutes, or overnight.

Whisk 1/4 to 1/2 cup water into batter to thin. Lightly grease 9-inch nonstick skillet with canola oil. Heat skillet over medium-high heat.

Pour 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet, tilting pan to swirl batter so it coats bottom of pan. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until edges begin to brown and center is dry. Flip; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Transfer crêpe to plate, and repeat with remaining batter. To serve crêpes: Reheat 1 minute in lightly greased skillet. Spread with desired fillings, fold into quarters, and serve.

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 hole. 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!

CHICKPEA AND CHERRY FRITTATA

This is from the February 2014 issue of Runner’s World. It begins, “All runners (not just diabetics) benefit from the abundant carbs, protein, and antioxidants in this tasty dish. ‘It's big and bold-flavored,’ says (Sam) Talbot,” a runner, surfer, and type 1 diabetic who “makes this dish for a hearty pick-me-up breakfast after a morning workout.” Serves 4 to 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 eggs, lightly whisked

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped fresh cherries or 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup loosely packed, torn fresh mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix the eggs, chickpeas, cherries, goat cheese, almond milk, thyme, agave nectar, and cream of tartar. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes without stirring. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake till the eggs are puffed and set in the middle, about 20 minutes. Let the frittata cool for 5 to 10 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently work the frittata out of the pan and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve garnished with the mint. Serves four to six.

Nutrition Information: Calories Per Serving: 395; Carbs: 25 g; Fiber: 4 g; Protein: 22 g; Fat: 22 g