Tag Archives: vegetarian brunch

Spring Quiche

Brunch, Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Courses, , , , , , , , ,

I got the idea for this quiche when I was searching around for quiche recipes that included greek yogurt.  (I thought I could reduce the number of eggs required for quiche by replacing some with yogurt.)  I stumbled across this recipe and thought it looked amazing.  Such a beautiful presentation for something so easy!  I made a few modifications (including adding more eggs).  🙁  I like a thicker quiche, and I wanted to amp up the presentation by making this in a springform pan and serving it on a pedestal.

You can use whatever vegetables you like in this.  I used zucchini, artichokes and baby spinach, but asparagus, leeks or arugula would all work well too.  A summer version of this would be excellent with zuchinni, corn and tomatoes.  

Served with a salad, this makes for a perfect spring brunch.  This is a small recipe that serves 3-4, but you could make it for a larger group by using a full sheet of puff pastry and doubling the rest of the ingredients.
spring quiche
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Brunch Pizza with Swiss Chard and Baked Egg

Brunch, Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Courses, , , ,

One of my Sunday rituals is to start the morning with a “bootcamp” workout at my gym, and follow it up with a delicious brunch.  Pain followed by pleasure.  My husband and I have our handful of favorite brunch spots, but when we aren’t feeling like the usual few dishes we gravitate toward, I like to make brunch at home.  When I do, I try to incorporate more vegetables than what you find in the usual restaurant brunch or breakfast.  

This recipe is unique and delicious.  The flavors of the swiss chard and smoked mozzarella, and the richness of the egg make this dish really special.  When I made this last weekend my husband called it the best brunch he had ever eaten.  Once you have your pizza basics down, it’s also very easy to make.  

Brunch Pizza

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Brunch Pizza With Garlicy Swiss Chard and Baked Egg

A brunch version of one of my favorite pizzas. I make these as individual pizzas, but you could make a single large pizza as well. I use a bit of smoked mozzarella in this dish because I love how it goes with the chard. The egg adds a lot of richness, so I use a modest amount of cheese.
Servings: 3

Ingredients

  • 1/4 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bunch swiss chard leaves and stems finely diced
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 batch pizza dough*
  • 1-2 veggie sausages** crumbled
  • 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup shredded smoked mozzarella or more regular mozzarella
  • 3 eggs
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees (or as high as your oven will go).
  • Heat 1 TBSP olive oil to medium heat in a large pan.
  • Add chard stems, onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until onions and stems are softened.
  • Working in batches, add chard leaves and allow to cook down until there is room to add more chard. Continue until all chard leaves are wilted and tender.
  • Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
  • Divide pizza dough into three equal parts and shape each part into a small round or oblong pizza shape.
  • Place a piece of parchment on a pizza piel or an overturned large baking sheet and place all three pieces of dough on the parchment.
  • Transfer the dough to the oven by carefully sliding the parchment off the piel or baking sheet and onto the pizza stone. The parchment paper is oven safe and the dough can be cooked directly on it.
  • Cook the pizza dough for ~5 minutes, then remove it from the oven by carefully sliding the parchment paper back onto the piel or baking sheet.
  • Turn each crust over***, and brush remaining tbsp of olive oil on the dough.
  • Top each pizza with 1/3 chard mixture, 1/3 sausage (if using), and 1/3 cheese.
  • Crack one egg into a bowl and gently pour the egg onto one of the pizzas. Repeat with remaining two eggs.
  • Season pizzas with salt and pepper and return to oven (still on the parchment paper).
  • Cook pizzas for another 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and egg whites are just set.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

* I like the Whole Foods pizza dough (both the whole wheat and the white are great).
**I like Field Roast Italian sausages, but Morningstar breakfast links or patties would work well too.
***This method of par-cooking the dough creates a crispier crust.

Late Winter Hash

Low Calorie, Main Courses, Vegan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hashes are popping up on brunch menus everywhere.  They are a great way to showcase the vegetables of the moment before noon.  Breakfast is the most difficult meal to load with veggies.  Vegetables juices pack a lot of vitamins and nutrients, but they lack fiber and frankly, they aren’t very satisfying.  Prior to this hash, my best vehicles for getting veg into breakfast were a veggie BLT or an omelette or quiche.  Hash allows the vegetables to be the star of breakfast.  The eggs take the backseat in this dish, the runny egg yolk as a light sauce and the white as a light binder.

This hash uses late winter vegetables: squash, parsnips, kale, potatoes.  The vegetables are cooked until tender and seasoned with winter herbs.  You can easily omit the dairy if you like.  To make this vegan, omit the cheese and egg, then double the veggie sausage and add 2/3 cup of tofu.  You can skip the oven step with the vegan version, just toss the mixture to combine and heat the tofu through.

 late winter hash

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Late Winter Hash

A delicious dish for a cozy winter brunch. This dish serves 2 generously and 3 moderately.
Servings: 3

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut acorn, carnival or delicata squash* (1"-2" pieces work best)
  • 2 parsnips peeled and diced
  • 1 large red potato diced
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 TBSP fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 TBSP margarine or butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped kale or chard
  • 3 veggie sausage links
  • 1 TBSP minced fresh sage
  • 1/3 cup shredded smoked mozzarella optional
  • 3 eggs

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Toss squash, parsnips and potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Arrange vegetables on a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure that the pieces are evenly distributed and not touching (this will help them brown better).
  • Allow squash to cook for ~20 minutes, then check for doneness. Vegetables should be tender and easily pierced with a knife.
  • Heat margarine in a cast iron or other oven-proof pan on medium heat.
  • Add onions and garlic and sautee for 4 minutes or until onions are just beginning to soften.
  • Add kale and sautee for 3 more minutes.
  • Add squash mixture, veggie sausage and sage and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Remove pan from heat, check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
  • Top mixture with cheese (if using).
  • One by one, crack eggs into a small bowl and gently pour on top of hash.
  • Season eggs with salt and pepper and return pan to oven and cook for 5-7 minutes until eggs reach your desired level of doneness.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

* If you are using a larger squash, you can reserve the rest of the squash for another use. I like to dice up and roast the entire squash, then save the remaining squash to toss into salads.