Breakfast Ideas for the Holidays

  in Blog

If you need inspiration for what to make for breakfast this Christmas break, try one of these simple and basic but good recipes. These recipes will feed 3-4 people.

Tofu Scramble

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 block firm tofu, about 1 pound
1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried herbs or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs such as chives, dill, parsley, etc.
1⁄4 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos, or more to taste

  1. Mash the tofu in a bowl until crumbly.
  2. Sauté the onion and pepper in oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat about 5 minutes. Stir in tofu, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, yeast, and herbs, and cook a few more minutes. Stir in water and Braggs and cook 1 or 2 minutes. Add more Braggs if necessary. Serve immediately.

Be sure to store your tofu completely submerged in water or it will become slimy. Change the water daily and use fresh tofu within a week.

You can experiment wildly with this recipe. Try one of the following variations.
Veggie variations:
1.  Half a bunch of asparagus, cut into 1⁄2 inch pieces and a handful of chopped mushrooms
2.  1⁄2 cup red onion, chopped, 1 small zucchini, diced, 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
3.  4 green onions, chopped, 1⁄2 cup corn, 1/2 cup black or red beans
4.  1 small onion, chopped, leftover cooked potatoes, diced

Spice variations:
1.  1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon, cumin, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika, salt
2.  1 teaspoon curry powder, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, salt
3.  2 teaspoons dried soup seasoning, 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon paprika, black pepper
4.  2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Apple Cheddar Frittata

10 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Sea salt and white pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
Optional: 2-3 slices cooked, crumbled bacon

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together the eggs, half the cheese, bacon, if using, and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. In a medium cast iron skillet, heat butter over medium heat and swirl to coat the sides of the pan. Pour in egg mixture.
  3. While it cooks, 1 to 2 minutes until edge is set, arrange apples on top in a circular pattern, starting from the outside edge, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place skillet in oven. Bake until frittata is set in the center and cheese is browned, about 15 – 20 minutes. Loosen edges with a spatula and release frittata onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges. Serve hot.

Swiss Chard Bacon Crustless Quiche

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 packed cup, chopped swiss chard (remove stems before chopping)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and spray a glass pie dish with cooking spray.
  2. Cook bacon in a cast iron pan until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off bacon fat and reserve for another use. Return pan to medium heat and saute sliced onions, until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove onions from pan and let cool.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a bowl. Layer the onions, bacon, swiss chard, and cheddar cheese evenly in the pie plate. Pour the egg/cream mixture over filling and bake for about 45 minutes or until center is set and top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make this with crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup lard or 1 stick cold butter
4 tablespoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

To make crust: place flour, lard or butter, and salt in a bowl. Mix together with a fork until lard is well distributed and there are pea sized pieces of flour/lard. Or pulse in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cold water and stir (or pulse in the food processor) just to bring the dough together. Gather together into a smooth ball. Roll dough out on a floured surface and place in a glass pie dish. Trim and flute the edges. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

1 green pepper, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices bread, cut in cubes
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup ham, cubed, or chopped cooked sausage
8 eggs
2 cups milk
sea salt and pepper to taste
paprika

  1. Saute the onion, pepper, and mushrooms in oil over medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened. Remove from pan and let cool a few minutes. While vegetables are cooking, cut up the bread, grate the cheese, and whisk the eggs, salt, pepper and milk in a large bowl.
  2. Add the cheese, ham or sausage, pepper, and onion to the egg mixture. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add the bread cubes to the pan and pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, cover with foil and refrigerate.
  3. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Remove the foil and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until set and browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Torn Tortilla Casserole

Adapted from Honest Pretzels, Molly Katzen

12 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (1/2 pound)
4 eggs
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 cups buttermilk*
Paprika
Optional: canned chopped green chili
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, salsa, and sour cream or Greek yogurt

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
  2. Spread half the tortilla pieces over the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese and half the spinach. Sprinkle with the remaining tortilla pieces. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Sprinkle remaining spinach over cheese.
  3. Whisk eggs and add buttermilk and salt and beat again. Pour this over the casserole. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake 40 minutes until lightly browned and eggs are set. Serve with your choice of toppings.

*If you have no buttermilk on hand, try thinning plain yogurt with milk to the consistency of buttermilk.

Bacon Broccoli Mushroom Scramble

2 slices thick bacon, chopped
¼ cup chopped red onion
6 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets or chopped broccoli
6 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
salt and white pepper to taste

  1. Cook the bacon and onion in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until bacon is crispy and onion is browned, about 5 minutes.
  2. While bacon is cooking, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt and pepper. Remove bacon and onion from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. At this point you can pour off the excess bacon fat and reserve for another use or leave in skillet.
  3. Add mushrooms and broccoli to skillet and saute until broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the bacon and onion back to the pan and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring, just until egg is set. Scoop out of pan and serve immediately.

Soaked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

By soaking the oats overnight, you break down the antinutrients (phytic acid), making the oats more digestible.

2 cup rolled oats + 2 cups filtered water
1 cup milk of your choice or water
pinch sea salt
2 apples, chopped fine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
optional: chopped nuts

  1. Soak oats in water overnight. Drain in a sieve.
  2. Saute apple in butter in a medium saucepan until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in soaked oats, milk or water, cinnamon, and sea salt. Bring to a simmer and cook  over low heat for about 5 minutes or until thickened to your liking. Serve with more butter, maple syrup, and chopped nuts.