breakfast Archives - Page 10 of 11

Apple Cinnamon Oven Pancake

November 3, 2011 ·

I can still remember the first time I made this pancake. It was many years ago, after I moved into my very first apartment. I had purchased a Betty Crocker cookbook, and for whatever reason, out of all the recipes, the Puffy Oven Pancake jumped out at me. I was hosting a brunch to show off the new place, and thought it would be a perfect dish to serve. You know it’s a winner when after so many years, the memory of this pancake is fresh in my mind.

Over the years, I have made a few tweaks to the recipe. It is very easy to make and yields an impressive looking result. The pancake is light, and with the delicious cinnamon sugary apple topping, additional toppings are not necessary.

Apple Cinnamon Oven Pancake
2 tablespoons butter (I use light)
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium apple, thinly sliced (any variety, I used granny smith)
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put butter in a 9-inch pie plate and put in the oven to melt.
Mix sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk eggs. Add buttermilk, and whisk until blended.
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour until blended. Batter will be lumpy, be careful not to over mix.
Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over melted butter. Top with apple slices. Pour batter over apple slices.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until pancake has puffed up and is golden brown. Invert on to a serving platter and cut into wedges.

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: apple, brunch, cinnamon, easy, pancakes, quick

Pumpkin Gingerbread

October 28, 2011 ·

Evidently it has unofficially become pumpkin week here at Alida’s Kitchen. I had something else planned for today, but it just seemed fitting to close the week with a new favorite and continue the pumpkin theme. It does not get more seasonally appropriate for fall/winter than pumpkin and gingerbread. This Pumpkin Gingerbread is no exception.

I have not done a lot of baking with crystallized ginger, so it was fun to try something new. It definitely enhanced the flavors in this gingerbread. The original recipe did not call for cloves, but I like my gingerbread a little spicy. I thought the cloves were perfect addition. I love that this is made with whole wheat flour and not a lot of sugar. Healthy, delicious and perfect for the season, this Pumpkin Gingerbread makes a delightful breakfast, brunch or even dessert.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Yields 16 servings

1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup chopped crystalized ginger

2 eggs

1 egg white

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup molasses

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8″ square baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside
Combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking powder in a medium bowl. Stir in crystalized ginger.
Whisk eggs, egg white, oil, molasses and pumpkin in a large bowl.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, folding gently until just combined.
Pour mixture in prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Serve topped with crystalized ginger, if desired.

Adapted from prevention.com

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, dessert, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: brown sugar, brunch, fall, pumpkin, whole wheat

Pumpkin Banana Bread

October 24, 2011 ·

An overabundance of overripe bananas is never a bad thing. We all know those little black bananas mean that in the near future, some sort of banana treat will be made. Banana bread is always a safe bet, but this time of year I find myself wanting to make something with pumpkin as well. What better way to combine the two than to make Pumpkin Banana Bread.

This Pumpkin Banana Bread is very easy to make. Made with part whole wheat flour and less sugar, it becomes a healthier option. The bananas add natural sweetness, which along with the pumpkin, yield a moist and delicious bread. It’s not quite banana bread and not quite pumpkin bread, but a delightful combination of the two.

Pumpkin Banana Bread
Yields 3 small loaves

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon brown sugar (for topping, optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (for topping, optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 small loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the bananas, pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the banana-pumpkin mixture, and gently fold until combined.
If using, combine sugar and cinnamon for topping.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Low Fat Cooking @ About.com

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: banana, brunch, easy, pumpkin, snack

Spiced Pumpkin Molasses Muffins

October 17, 2011 ·

I am always looking for new and different recipes for muffins. They are an easy make ahead breakfast that Mike can take on the go, on his way to work or while traveling. They are also easy for me to grab while I’m chasing after Adam, who then insists (very persistently) that I share with him. Pumpkin season seems to be very popular with everybody these days, and our family is no exception. For this muffin, I was looking for something pumpkin, healthy and with a little pizazz. Enter Spiced Pumpkin Molasses Muffins.

These muffins fulfill all of the above requirements and then some. The pumpkin and molasses flavors are nicely balanced, with neither one outshining the other. I topped the muffins with a mix of chopped pepitas, oats and brown sugar, which added some nice texture and visual appeal. The muffins would be delicious without this optional topping, but I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend making these muffins!

Spiced Pumpkin Molasses Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup flaxseed meal
¼ cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ pepitas, chopped (optional for garnish)
2 tablespoons rolled oats (optional for garnish)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin cups with liners (or sprady with cooking spray). In a small bowl, mix together chopped pepitas, oats and sugar for garnish, if using. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the flours, flax seed meal, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
In another large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, yogurt , eggs, molasses, oil, and vanilla until well-blended.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, folding until just combined (do not over mix).
Divide the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, and sprinkle each muffin with the pepitas-oats mixture.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Adapted from All Recipes

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: brown sugar, brunch, fall, molasses, muffins, pepitas, pumpkin

Brown Sugar Coconut Blueberry Muffins

September 23, 2011 ·

The hunt for tasty ways to use the remainder of our blueberries continues. It’s not a bad problem to have, that’s for sure. We have been happily enjoying Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, lots of blueberries in Greek yogurt, and many other treats. But it was time to make something new. I already have several blueberry muffin recipes that I love, but when I found a blueberry muffin recipe using brown sugar and buttermilk, I knew it would become an instant favorite.

While the recipe looked nearly perfect as-is, I decided to add a little twist and use coconut oil instead of canola oil. This was my first time using coconut oil, but I had high hopes it would be the perfect addition to these muffins.

The coconut oil imparts a delicious coconut flavor to the muffins, which works beautifully with the tangy blueberries. The muffins are incredibly moist as well. Score for the coconut oil, and score for another fantastic recipe for blueberry muffins!

Brown Sugar Coconut Blueberry Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
⅓ cup coconut oil (or canola oil)
⅓ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 teaspoons brown sugar, for topping
2 teaspoons sweetened flaked coconut, for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar and baking powder.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
Add wet ingredients to flour mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of brown sugar and a sprinkle of coconut.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Coconut Blueberry Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/3 cup coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 teaspoons brown sugar, for topping
2 teaspoons sweetened flaked coconut, for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar and baking powder.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
Add wet ingredients to flour mixture, stirring gently until just combined.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of brown sugar and a sprinkle of coconut.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then move to wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Babble

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: blueberries, blueberry, brown sugar, brunch, buttermilk, coconut, coconut oil, muffins, snack

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins

September 8, 2011 ·

If there is one thing we always have plenty of in this house, it’s bananas. Whenever we run low, Mike is quick to run to the store to replenish our stash. It didn’t take him long to learn that there is no such thing as too many bananas. A surplus of bananas means baking bananas, which means treats! As I write this, I have a bowlful of overripe bananas waiting to be mashed, whipped, mixed, baked into something delicious.

To completely change subjects – have I told you about my baking chip collection? I have a thing for baking chips. I love buying chips in anticipation of creating new and exciting treats, but life (i.e. a busy toddler) usually gets in the way of those plans. I decided it was time for a self-intervention. I must begin baking my way through this collection,…starting with these cinnamon chips.

So the two stories come together…in the form of Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins. These muffins are a delicious and healthy option, made partly with whole wheat flour. They are also made using 3 bananas, which means you can use less oil. The cinnamon chips add just a little extra something that make these muffins special. But if cinnamon is not your thing, these would be great with chocolate chips (mmm, or even peanut butter chips!).

These muffins are moist and delicious. They are all I hoped for and more…yet I ended up doing more with them. I made half of the recipe as just Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins. Tomorrow I will share with you what I did with the other half of the recipe! 😉

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins
Yields 12 standard muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 ripe mashed bananas
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line 12 standard muffins cups. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the bananas, oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until combined.
Fold banana mixture into flour mixture until just blended (do not over mix). Add cinnamon chips, and fold gently until combined.
Distribute batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Keep Your Diet Real

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, Recipes Tagged With: banana, cinnamon, muffins, peanut butter

Zucchini Bread

August 24, 2011 ·

Childhood summers, playing in the vegetable garden, my 3rd birthday “cake”, that’s what this zucchini bread tastes like.

Throughout my childhood, my parents had a vegetable garden. I remember they grew cucumbers, green beans, various other vegetables, and of course zucchini. Zucchini plants are the gift that keeps on giving. Even better, lots of zucchini meant lots of delicious zucchini bread!

My mom said she got this recipe from an old relative of my dad’s. Isn’t that the way it is…the greatest recipes are the old tried and trues? Classic zucchini bread…one of the best simple pleasures.

Zucchini Bread
Yields 4 small loaves

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (with peel)
3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups all-purpose and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 4 small loaf pans with cooking spray (or grease/flour). Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add zucchini and stir until combined.
Fold the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients until combined (do not over mix).
Evenly distribute batter among 4 small loaf pans and bake for 60-70 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, Recipes Tagged With: baked, brunch, easy, snack, zucchini

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

August 22, 2011 ·

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins are a healthy muffin that tastes good too! They are made without any butter or oil, yet the are moist and delicious due to the zucchini and banana.

New magazine day is one of my favorites days of the month. Since I subscribe to several magazines, this translates into several favorite days a month! Actually, I think Mike might like new magazine day more than I do. Especially when after just one quick perusal, it looks like this…

10 flags after just a quick glance. Not bad, eh? Just wait until I get a chance to be more thorough!

It was hard to choose what to make first, but there was clearly no better way to kick off zucchini week here than Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins! Good thing too, because these might be the tastiest muffins ever! I know, I know, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. But this time I mean it!

After one bite, you will never guess that these are healthy and low fat! Sure there is zucchini and banana, but I’m sure you’ve noticed a lot of times muffins find some way to become glorified cupcakes. Not these. There is no butter and no oil added to these muffins, yet they are incredibly moist and delicious. For an additional nutrition boost, I subbed in some whole wheat flour. I also replaced whole milk with buttermilk since it seems everything is made better with buttermilk.

This week I will be featuring several zucchini recipes throughout the week. I hope you will all enjoy them as much as we have!

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ cups coarsely grated zucchini (I used 1½ zucchinis)
1 mashed ripe banana (approx ⅓ cup)
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, stir zucchini and mashed banana together. Add to flour mixture and stir to combine.
In medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently until combined (do not overmix).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Notes

Adapted from Everyday Food, September, 2011

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: banana, brunch, everyday food, flaxseed, low fat, muffins, zucchini

Mushroom and Spinach Frittata with Smoked Gouda

August 17, 2011 ·

On Monday, I shared with you a summery dessert that uses 4 egg yolks. I also promised you a healthy way to use up those remaining egg whites. A promise is a promise! This Mushroom Spinach Frittata with Smoked Gouda uses exactly 4 egg whites. How is that for even-steven!

Now I’m not normally a ‘smoked’ fan, but smoked gouda is truly the perfect complement to the earthy mushrooms in this frittata. The spinach gives beautiful color and flavor to the dish as well. From the original recipe, I increased the onion and added garlic. To compensate for these additions, I increased the olive oil by 1 teaspoon.

The result is a delicious protein-packed veggie-filled dish that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a light dinner served with a side salad (saving room for Lime Tart for dessert, of course).

Mushroom and Spinach Frittata with Smoked Gouda

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups packed baby spinach leaves
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
½ cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, divided
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook 2 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until tender (approximately 5 minutes). Add spinach, cover and cook until wilted (1 minute).
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, ¼ cup cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture to egg mixture, mix well.
Pour mixture into cake pan and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese.
Bake 30 minutes or until eggs have set. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1/4 frittata)

Calories = 177 ~ Fat = 9.6g ~ Carbs = 8.8g ~ Fiber = 1.5g ~ Protein = 13.5g

Adapted from Health Magazine, March 2007

Filed Under: breakfast, gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, eggs, frittata, mushrooms, spinach

Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes

August 8, 2011 ·

My Adam is a pancake-eating machine. Though he is pretty set on eating his favorite Cottage Cheese Pancakes every morning, I like to encourage a little variety. So when I had some extra strawberries, I decided to give strawberry pancakes a whirl. I figure Adam loves strawberries. Adam loves pancakes. It just might work. I scoured the internet, found some inspiration, and crafted this recipe with fingers crossed it would be a success.

I had Mike test the first pancake. After one bite, he asked for another. 🙂

I gave a pancake to Adam…instead of pushing away the new pancake, he ate the whole thing. Success!

Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes are packed with an abundance of juicy strawberries and simply delicious. I used whole wheat pastry flour, but you can definitely substitute all-purpose flour if that’s what you have. I diced the strawberries (in eighths), though sliced strawberries would work just fine and yield a beautiful result. Using orange zest is optional. You could substitute any other citrus zest or simply omit the zest if that’s your preference.

There is no question that Cottage Cheese Pancakes are Adam’s favorite, but these Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes may someday rival that top spot. Mike and I definitely love them, so here are tasty fruit-filled pancakes that will please everyone at the table, big and small.

Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes
Yields 32 small pancakes

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries, diced or sliced
1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar
zest of 1 orange (optional)
powdered sugar or maple syrup, for serving (optional)

In a small bowl, mix strawberries and orange zest (if using) with 1-2 teaspoons of granulated sugar (adjust the sugar based on the sweetness of your berries).
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar and baking powder. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla until combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Fold in strawberries and orange zest, if using.