New Year New You Breakfast

Happy New Year! Today, some of you may not wake up in time for breakfast and might not feel like eating if you had a little too much fun! For those of you like me, who barely stayed up to “ring in the new year” and then awoke to very busy kids early, you might need a quick pick me up! If you saw my post yesterday about our New Year’s goals, you will see that one of mine is embracing my health issues and having a more positive outlook on them.  A couple weeks ago, I found out I was showing intolerances to almost every food. My major problems being gluten, dairy and eggs – which I was forced to give up immediately. The dairy and eggs have proven to be quite a struggle to give up. I was eating two eggs a day for breakfast. When I first started going through my diet change last summer I found a cute little blog, Peas and Thank You, and a cookbook by the same name. The author is very fun in her writing. They follow a vegan diet that includes gluten so I do have to make some modifications to her recipes but they are still great! In her cookbook I found a recipe for tofu eggs. I immediately thought, “no way am I eating tofu”. My sister is vegan. She eats tofu; I’ve tried it and hated it. However, I decided to give it another shot. I modified the recipe I found to add in my favorite veggies and I’m very surprised (and happy) to say that it works! This is a baked dish that tastes similar to a quiche or frittata. Tofu, when baked like eggs, has a very similar taste and texture to eggs. I challenge you to try the tofu as it does have many health benefits. However, I understand if you just can’t quite make that leap into the tofu world (it was hard for me!). If you can’t, I’ve added an egg substitution for you. Either way, this dish is healthy, tasty, filling and keeps well. Sometimes life brings us challenges that we aren’t prepared for but today is a new day, the start of a new year and I’m embracing a new “me” and I hope this little dish helps! This serves 4-6.

1 package of tofu (any firmness will work) or 8 eggs

¼ cup peppers, chopped

½ cup kale, chopped

¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup potato, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup shredded cheese (I used Daiya dairy free cheddar)

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sea salt

• In a large skillet, sauté kale, peppers, mushrooms and potato in olive oil until crisp tender (about 10-15 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare tofu. 
• If you are using a firm or extra firm tofu, you will need to puree it until smooth. To do this, just use a blender and a little bit of water until it is smooth. 
• If you are using a soft tofu, you won’t need to puree it, but you will need to drain the excess water out.
•  If you use the soft tofu, you can leave it a little chunkier and it gives the dish a scrambled egg like texture. If you use the firm pureed tofu, its smoother. Either way it tastes great! 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu, cheese, spices and vegetables; stir until well combined. 
• Pour mixture into a greased 9” glass pie plate or other baking dish. Bake at 375°F for about 20-25 minutes or until mixture starts to brown and is firm in the center. 
• You can also fill muffin cups with the mixture and make individual servings, just adjust your cooking time. 
• Serve this with some fresh fruit for a complete meal!

Apple Cinnamon Scones

Good Post Christmas Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Christmas yesterday! I know we sure did! Now comes the fun part, putting together mountains of toys, finding a home for the old ones and picking up paper… lots and lots of paper! I’m going to need a good breakfast to do all of that! That’s why I’m giving you this recipe today! These simple, yet delicious scones are perfect! Apples and cinnamon just go together and when you add them to a scone it’s magical! They really don’t take too long to make and you could even start the dough the night before and bake the morning of serving. Makes 8 scones.

1 cup white rice flour

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ cup almond flour

½ cup tapioca starch

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, softened

½ cup almond milk

1 egg

1 cup apple, finely chopped

1 Tbsp cinnamon

¼ cup coconut sugar

Glaze

1 Tbsp butter, melted (I used dairy free)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp almond milk (more or less for desired consistency)

• In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add in oil, milk, vanilla and egg. Blend over low speed until dough ball forms. Slowly add in apple pieces until well combined. 
• On a floured surface (or a counter with a layer of plastic wrap), form dough into a circle about 1” thick. Cut the circle into 8 pieces. 
• Place scones onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 325°F for about 20-25 minutes or until scones are lightly browned and cooked through. Let cool for about 10 minutes. 
• While scones are baking, combine glaze ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more milk if a runnier glaze is desired. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones and serve.

Orange Currant Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been thinking of brunch recipes we could have on Christmas morning and I knew I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls. However, you can’t just wing it on the day of – trust me, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t always work. These were actually supposed to be scones but I wasn’t paying attention and following my standard cinnamon roll recipe so once I got in the middle of making the dough I knew I had to commit! Good thing I was spacing because these are great! I’m sure they’d be awesome as a scone too but the cinnamon roll works so great, we may not try the scone! I was missing my "Granny Grunt" this morning and decided to use her plate for my picture. The holidays are hard when loved ones are gone but its little things that make you remember and enjoy their spirit! This makes 12 cinnamon rolls.

Orange Currant Rolls

Dough

1 cup white rice flour

¾ cup amaranth flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup arrowroot starch

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp yeast (1 packet)

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup stevia

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

¼ cup applesauce

¾ cup almond milk

½ cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Filling

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup dried currants

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp coconut oil, melted (or butter)

Juice and Zest from one orange

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together water, almond milk and yeast for dough and let set for a few minutes. Add in applesauce, coconut oil, egg and vanilla to dry mix and blend well.
•  Pour in milk mixture and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
• This part is key. Put a large rectangle piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or tabletop to roll the dough on. Pour dough onto plastic wrap and spread into a rectangle. Place another sheet of plastic wrap onto dough. Roll out into a thin rectangle. Remove top layer of plastic wrap.
• Spread the coconut oil for filling over the dough. Sprinkle on coconut sugar, cinnamon and currants. Take the long side of the dough and roll over the rest. 
• A trick here is to roll the dough using the edges of the plastic wrap. The dough is sticky and hard to roll if you use your hands. Cut dough log into 1” pieces. 
• In a greased 9x13 pan, place rolls cut side down. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top. 
• Mix together icing ingredients and spread over warm rolls. 

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Who doesn’t love a throw together casserole recipe that can be made ahead?? I know I love them! This would make a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast or brunch recipe! I love baked egg dishes; frittatas, quiches, etc. However, they are time consuming in the mornings and I don’t like to wait on them so I don’t make them often. After Thanksgiving, I had some white GF bread that was just okay. No one really ate it but I hated to throw it away so I decided to make this casserole dish. I wasn’t exactly sure how it would turn out but it is great! It is very similar to a bread pudding type recipe. The nutrients come from all the veggies this dish is loaded with. If you prefer, you could use more egg whites than whole eggs.  You could also throw in some sausage or other meat for additional flavor. This serves about 6.

6 slices of GF bread, cubed

6 eggs (or an egg/egg white mixture to equal about 1 cup)
¼ cup milk
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp sage
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp sea salt
2 cups raw spinach
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup diced onions
½ cup cooked spaghetti squash or shredded potatoes
¼ cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup shredded cheese (I used dairy free Daiya cheddar style)

• In a greased 9x9 baking dish, place bread cubes.
• In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms, onions, carrots and spinach for about 10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk and seasonings together.
• Add mushroom mixture to eggs.
• Place the spaghetti squash over the bread cubes. Sprinkle shredded cheese over bread and squash. Pour egg mixture over dish.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning, bake at 375°F for about 35-40 minutes or until eggs are set in the center.

Cranberry Sweet Rolls - Gluten Free

I used to be a sucker for Hostess or Little Debbie snack cakes. It’s not something I’m real proud of now but I LOVED them. My favorites had to be the Oatmeal Cream Pies and those Cherry Sweet Rolls. Oh my gosh – so good! I don’t need to tell you about their nutritional values I’m sure. These Cranberry Rolls are my Christmas version of my old favorite breakfast treat! Plus a lot healthier… These can easily be made ahead and baked Christmas morning. This makes about 12 rolls. 

1 cup white rice flour

½ cup white sorghum flour
¾ cup tapioca starch
½ cup arrowroot starch
¼ cup stevia or sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup water, warm
½ cup milk, warm
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
1 Tbsp coconut oil
½ cup cranberry sauce (Here’s my homemade recipe)
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond milk

• In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and water and set aside for about 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining dry dough ingredients. Add in egg, applesauce, oil, vanilla and yeast mixture.
• Blend over medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• Place dough onto a clean, floured surface and roll out into a ¼” thick rectangle.
• Spread coconut oil over dough and top with sugar, cinnamon and cranberry sauce. Roll up dough lengthwise and cut into about 1” thick slices.
• Place rolls cut side down  in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
• While rolls are baking, mix together icing ingredients. Let rolls cool about 10 minutes  and drizzle icing over tops and serve.

Peach Raspberry Muffins

Not much to say about these little treats – except they are awesome! The tartness of the peaches and sweet raspberries really come together in this muffin. The coconut and almond flour mix keeps it light and gluten free but the other ingredients help give it a little crunch. Perfect for a Sunday morning breakfast or brunch.

1 cup almond flour

½ cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup almond milk
¼ cup honey or stevia
½ cup peaches, finely diced
½ cup raspberries

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs, almond milk and honey. Blend on medium speed for about a minute or until batter is well combined.
• Using a spoon, fold in peaches and raspberries. You don’t want to mix them in or they will end up mushy. Folding them in keeps their texture and shape better.
• Bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned and cooked completely through. Let cool about 10 minutes.
• These are best eaten right after baking. They will keep fairly well for one to two days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.