MOTHER'S DAY EASY BREAKFASTS
Thinking of taking Mom to brunch for Mother’s Day? This year, consider the gift of breakfast in bed instead. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for keeping Mom’s special day easy and breezy—for everyone.
Make-Ahead Butternut, Spinach and Sausage egg cups:
Ingredients
12 ounces precooked chicken apple sausage, chopped*
½ cup chopped red onion
2 cups chopped butternut squash
1 8-oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed very dry
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
12 large eggs
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 375F.
2. Place the sausage, red onion, and butternut squash on a rimmed sheet pans (you may need to use two sheet pans to avoid over-crowding). Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and toss to combine.
3. Place the pans in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir the mixture gently. Return to the oven and roast an additional 10 minutes, or until everything is golden and cooked through.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Turn the heat down to 350F.
5. Whisk the eggs together with the cooled, roasted veggies and the spinach in a large bowl along with ½ teaspoon salt.
6. Pour the egg mixture into a 12-cup muffin tin (use silicone liners to avoid sticking), dividing the mixture evenly between the cups. The mixture should come near to the top of each cup.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and cooked through.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve warm, or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days.
9. Alternatively place the cooled cups on a baking sheet in the freezer. Allow to freeze completely, then place in a zip top bag or tightly sealed container for up to a month.
Makes 12 Egg Cups.
One-bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes:
Ingredients
2 large eggs
½ cup mashed banana (from about 2 very ripe bananas)
¼ cup melted coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan
¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (such as almond, rice, or oat)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole rolled oats (not instant)
½ cup oat flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup dark chocolate chips plus, more for topping**
Pure maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
1. Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Add the bananas, oil, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract, whisking until combined.
2. Add the oats, oat flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir gently. Allow the batter to sit for 5-10 minutes for the oats to absorb some of the liquid.
3. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat. Add a bit of coconut oil, then ladle ¼ cup batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until small bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake, then flip and cook on the other side for an additional 3-5 minutes, until golden brown on both sides. Continue with the remaining batter.
4. Serve the pancakes warm, with additional chocolate chips and maple syrup if you like.
Makes 6 medium or 12 small pancakes.
Sweet Potato Hashbrown Eggs Nets:
Ingredients
2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
12 large eggs
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake the russet and sweet potatoes until they’re cooked through but not quite tender, about 20 minutes. The goal is just to pre-bake them a bit, so they should still be pretty firm.
3. Let the potatoes cool enough to handle, then peel and grate, using the largest grating size.
4. In a large bowl, toss the grated potatoes, olive oil, and salt.
5. Add the grated potato mixture to a 12-cup muffin pan, 1/3 cup at a time. The mixture will shrink significantly when baked, so it’s okay if there’s a lot of mixture in each cup. If you end up with extra potato mixture, feel free to use it to make additional egg cups.
6. Use your fingers to lightly press the center of each cup so the potatoes spill over the top a bit.
7. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, then bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Keep on eye on them so the ends of the potato shreds don’t burn.
8. Remove from the oven, let the nests cool a bit, then crack one egg into each cup and sprinkle with additional kosher salt to taste.
9. Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your eggs. Let cool slightly, then serve immediately.
Makes 12 egg nests.
Until next time,
Xxx Sydney
