Loaded Veggie Egg White Frittata

Not many would argue that brunch is a staple in New York - for both social and sustenance-related reasons.

I have had the pleasure of trying different brunch spots around the city and while Friedman's Lunch remains hands down my favorite (eggs with style; poached, chicken sausage, sub potato hash), some of my fondest memories are from homemade brunches enjoyed on the rooftops of my favorite Brooklyn dwellers. While my mom (of course) has always been up on the frittata scene, this recipe was introduced to me during one of the rooftop brunch gatherings. Love at first bite - I knew this was a recipe to request from the lovely hostess. Only a few minor adjustments to the cooking technique/ingredients.

It seems that regardless of the time that I make my way to brunch, I tend to exhibit familiar behavior...selecting eggs to start my day. So - this vegeful frittata is a great way to load up on veggies while still fueling the morning with some eggs. It packs a lot of flavor, not to mention nutrients.

The recipe:

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 small potatoes (like Trader Joe' potato medley), washed and thinly sliced
Broccoli, 1 cup
Cauliflower, 1 cup
½ cup carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 10 ounce pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Trader’s Joe’s Everyday Seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1 16oz. carton egg whites (you may need to add some additional egg whites depending on how generous you are with the veggies)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a 3 cheese blend)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a 12 inch skillet, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add broccoli, cauliflower, potato, carrot, and onion. Cover an simmer 6-8 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp and water is evaporated.

Add ~1 tbsp of oil to the skillet, add in garlic along with some Everyday Seasoning (~1tsp) and saute for about 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine egg whites, cheese, basil, salt, pepper, everyday seasoning (~1 tsp). Pour over the vegetables. Allow the mixture to begin to set, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the oven to finish cooking. This will likely take somewhere around 15 minutes, but could take longer so be patient (this will depend somwhat on the positioning of the oven rack).

If necessary, continue cooking longer than 15 minutes - until almost set but still glossy. Cut into wedges to serve.

Purely Granola

As far as summer discoveries go, here's one for the books; Purely Elizabeth = Pure Bliss. Allow me to explain. Having two close friends with celiac has turned me on to many things gluten-free. So when I noticed Purely Elizabeth Original Ancient  Grain granola on the shelf at Whole Foods (of course) I couldn't resist picking up a bag for one of my favorite glutards...and later I returned to get one for myself. 

This amazing product is not only gluten-free, but also made with coconut oil, which gives it standout flavor; quinoa; and chia seeds - a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants. 

Chia seeds may sound familiar - and even cause you to subconsciously sing the "ch-ch-ch-chia pet" jingle. After some quick googling to get to the bottom of the similarities, hit #2 revealed, "Don't eat your chia pet, but chia seeds are proving healthy." Bottom line, chia seeds are used to make chia pets, sans FDA standards. In addition to the benefits above, chia seeds actually prove to be energy and endurance enhancing - great news for a wannabe runner such as myself.

As I eyed up the final few grains in my first bag of Purely Elizabeth, on sale  for a not so budget friendly $6, I was determined to get my hands on a cheaper version. With this in mind, I made another important discovery - granola is incredibly straightforward to make at home. One quick trip to the grocery store and I was ready to tackle a new food project.

I offered the first test run of granola to one of my coworkers, a fellow Purely Elizabeth enthusiast. She keenly picked out that mine contained more cinnamon flavor and moisture than the original. I tried a few different variations and encourage you to dial ingredient amounts up and down to your liking. For a more cluster-y granola, try using some additional honey - drizzle on the granola once it is spread on the pan.

The recipe:
2 cups multi grain oats (for the gluten free version use gluten free oats)
3 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp uncooked quinoa
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, stir together coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, salt, oats, quinoa, chia, and sunflower seeds . Mix until evenly coated.

Spread in an even layer on a foil or parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Note: cooking times may vary by oven so be sure to keep an eye (and nose) on the granola.

Good Morning (Healthy) Muffins

The adventures of healthy/vegan muffins began for me during college with some neglected and consequently well-browned bananas begging me to eat them. While the overripe fruit would normally meet its fate in the trash can, I decided instead to find a way to incorporate them into a healthy snack. A few google searches later, I landed on a vegan banana muffin recipe that would quickly become an apartment favorite.

After moving out of my college apartment the muffin baking subsided, until I recently returned home over the holidays to find that my mom, by way of a friend, had discovered a kicked up version of the healthy muffin concept. I'm starting to think that I am my mom's informant, here to write about all her great recipes, but nonetheless, I couldn't resist making some of these muffins to bring back to NYC with me.

So how does this whole healthy muffin concept come together into a tangible baked good? Baking without the eggs, butter or sugar may sound counter-intuitive to some, but with the right ingredients to substitute the outcome is a moist, delicious, and satisfying snack. These deserving substitutes include apple sauce and agave which are incorporated with the other ingredients - parsnip, carrot, nuts, dried fruit and apple.

Now set your skepticism aside, and give them a shot!

The recipe:

2 c. white whole wheat flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c, parsnip, grated
1 c. carrot, grated
1/4 c. dates, chopped
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. toasted pecans, chopped
1 apple, chopped (Granny smith works well, but other varieties work as well)

3/4 c. oil, I used canola, original recipe calls for Sunflower or Safflower
3/4 c. agave nectar
1/2 c. apple sauce (used in place of 2 eggs)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (if not using eggs)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Measure and sift the flour. Add soda, cinnamon and salt to the bowl and stir together. Add in parsnip, carrot, dates, raisins, coconut, pecans and apple to the flour mixture and stir together.

In a separate bowl (or in a measuring cup) combine oil, agave, apple sauce, vanilla and vinegar, mixing until smooth.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Scoop the batter into muffin cups (an ice cream scoop works well for this). The muffins won't rise all that much so filling to close to the top of the cup is not a concern.

Bake until golden brown and the tops spring back to the touch. For regular size muffins ~30 minutes is a good start. Smaller muffins will only need ~18 minutes.

Variations: I substituted white whole wheat for the original 1 c. all purpose flour and 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour. The original recipe calls for a full cup of oil, but I substituted 1/4 c. of the oil for apple sauce, bringing the apple sauce used in the recipe to 1/2 c.

"Holy" French Toast

Every year my Mom attends Thanksgiving morning mass at our church, where they have made a tradition of distributing loaves of blessed "holy" bread to parishioners at the end of mass. After the third time Mom suggested I have some holy bread on Thanksgiving morning, I offered to take the fate of the loaf in my hands; I couldn't risk getting too full before Thanksgiving dinner! What was to come - a new take on one of my favorite french toast recipes, originally courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa.

Considering holy bread is a little difficult to come by, sticking to the original recipe, which somewhat ironically calls for Challah Bread, works just as well.
The dipping mixture harnesses the flavors of orange zest and honey to create a mouth-watering breakfast favorite. I also love adding cinnamon for a little extra spice.
One of the steps that sets this french toast apart is soaking the bread in the egg mixture for several minutes. However, use your discretion depending on the type of bread you choose, otherwise the result could be a disappointing, soppy mess.There's really no need to make this french toast post seem more elaborate and complicated than necessary, so let's get to the good part:

The recipe:
(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon good honey
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 loaf bread

Serve with:
Maple syrup
Orange pieces
Sifted confectioners' sugar (optional)

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the bread in (3/4-inch) thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for about 2 minutes on each side.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick (butter is also great). Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a plate and fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding spray, until it's all cooked.

Serve hot with maple syrup, sliced orange pieces, and/or confectioners' sugar.