Heather's Mini Red Pepper and Turkey Sausage Quiche

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While I agree with this, I also think it is the most boring meal of the day. On weekends, when I have the time to go all out I love creating interesting breakfasts, but eating breakfast at school is anything but creative. You can usually find me scarfing down a banana and an English muffin with peanut butter on it as quickly as I can during second period. I love to enjoy my food, so when Cooking Light BB member Kim (VAcooker) suggested that I try Eating Well's recipe for Mini Quiche I thought I might have a solution to my disappointing breakfasts. In order to adapt the recipe to our tastes I had to make some changes. Here is my recipe for Heather's Mini Red Pepper and Turkey Sausage Quiche which is adapted from Eating Well's Sausage and Mushroom Mini Quiche.

Heather's Mini Red Pepper and Turkey Sausage Quiche
Adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients
8 oz turkey turkey smoked sausage
1/2 a large red bell pepper diced
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup milk (I use skim)

Directions

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick spray and add turkey sausage, cooking until browned around the edges, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Spray the pan again with cooking spray and add the red peppers and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Transfer red pepper to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese, and pepper.

3. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.

4. Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiche out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Makes 1 dozen mini quiche

Cooking Tips (By Eating Well)
Individually wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray.

Heat turkey sausage through until browned, remove from pan and reserve in a mixing bowl.

Heat red peppers through until softened.

Reserve softened peppers in the same bowl as the sausage.

Add the sliced scallions to the bowl. Allow the contents of the bowl to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the shredded swiss cheese, and pepper to the bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites and milk.

Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

Stir the sausage mixture to combine the ingredients.

Spoon heaping tablespoons full of the sausage mixture into each muffin cup.

Cook at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Place a wire rack on top of the muffin tin.

Invert the pan so that the Mini Quiche fall onto the wire rack.

Turn them so they are browned side up and allow to cool completely.

I have been enjoying my version of Eating Well's Mini Quiche all week for breakfast. Pressed between two halves of a whole wheat English muffin, this is the best school day breakfast I have ever had. Heather's Mini Red Pepper and Turkey Sausage Quiche is packed full of flavors that are perfect for the morning. They are very savory and can hold their own up against an English muffin, nothing else needs to be added to make a perfect breakfast sandwich. These can be frozen and quickly reheated for mornings on the go. I plan on experimenting with different ingredients, this is a great and versatile recipe.

-Heather

Breakfast Tortilla Strata

Sitting down to a relaxing weekend breakfast is something I cherish. I am not sure if it is because I have such limited time for breakfast during the week, or if it is the nostalgia of Sunday morning breakfasts with my family. Dad would make the bacon, mom would make the eggs, they would toast up English muffins and we would all share breakfast together at the table…those were truly special times at the Smets house. Lately I have been looking for make-ahead breakfasts so that I can relax with a cup of coffee in front of the fire with Terry and the pups instead of making a mess in the kitchen. While I was reading the “Hits and Misses” post on the Cooking Light Bulletin Board I found that nylucy4 had rated Cooking Lights Breakfast Tortilla Strata, posted by Bobmark, as excellent. Terry and I prefer to start off our day with a healthy breakfast, and CL rarely lets us down. On Saturday, while all the boys were at the UCLA vs USC football game, I prepared this meal so that we could enjoy it Sunday morning…I figured Terry might be moving a little slow…

Breakfast Tortilla Strata

Adapted from Cooking Light


Serving Size : 6



Ingredients

1 cup bottled salsa

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

10 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut in 1-inch strips

cooking spray

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat Mexicanblend or Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1 cup fat-free milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions



Directions

Combine salsa and beans in a bowl.



Place 1/3 of the tortills strips in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/3 cup cheese and about 1 cup salsa mixture.



Repeat procedure with 1/3 of tortilla strips, 1/3 cup cheese, and remaining salsa mixture; top with remaining tortilla strips.



Combine sour cream and next 4 ingredients (sour cream through egg whites); stir with a whisk. Stir in onions. Pour over tortilla strips; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese.



Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Remove dish from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned.



292 cal, 9.2g fat, 17.7g pro, 36.5g carb, 93mg chol, 755mg sod.

Ingredients.



Black beans, after being rinsed with cold water in a strainer.

The combined rinsed black beans and salsa mixture.

Tortillas, cut into inch strips.

The first layer of tortillas, layed into an 11 by 7 inch pan coated with cooking spray.

The first layer of 1/3 cup cheese, sprinkled over the tortilla layer.

The first layer of the black bean and salsa mixture.

Two eggs, two egg whites, salt, sour cream and milk in a mixing bowl.

Whisked egg mixture.

1/4 cup of chopped green onion added to egg mixture.

Egg and green onion mixture poured over tortilla strips.

Breakfast Tortilla Strata covered before refrigerating for 8 hours to overnight.

Breakfast Tortilla Strata after refrigeration, sitting out for 10 minutes before baking.

Breakfast Tortilla Strata after baking at 350 for 20 minutes covered by tin foil.

Thank you to nylucy4 for reviewing this dish, if not for her, I wouldn’t have found my new favorite savory breakfast. The Breakfast Tortilla Strata is outstanding, I have never had an egg based breakfast dish without meat that was so satisfying. Terry didn’t even miss the meat, which was a concern of mine when choosing to try this recipe. Having just bought a huge package of flour tortillas, I subbed them for the corn. Besides that, the only change that I made was in the cooking time. Keep in mind that my oven runs cooler for some reason, but I had to cook this an additional ten minutes, uncovered, past the allotted time. This was sure worth the wait, the salsa adds a kick and the black beans round out the flavors. It is not too “eggy” which can throw me off. Kevin dropped by Sunday morning and was also a fan. Leftovers of Breakfast Tortilla Strata are just as good if not better than the dish right out of the oven. I urge you to try this meal, you will have a new wonderful option for Sunday morning breakfast!!

-Heather

Savory Breakfast Muffins

Weekday breakfast is the ultimate quandary, as teachers we need something that is portable and can be quickly eaten. I have experimented with several different types of sweet muffins, but recently came across a unique Savory Breakfast Muffin recipe. It was posted by Canice, a long time member and extremely wise voice on the Cooking Light BB. It has an interesting combination of flavors and is a great change of pace from the norm.

Savory Breakfast Muffins

Serving Size : 12

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 ounces Canadian bacon -- diced
2 ounces cheddar cheese -- grated
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper -- finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400° F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in scallions, bacon, cheese and bell pepper. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (the cups will be very full).

Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

These Savory Breakfast Muffins are very dense and have an unusual, yet pleasing texture. I enjoyed them spilt open with a bit of butter. Deli ham was subbed for the Canadian bacon. Next time I will try the recipe as written because I felt like the ham was so thin that it was lost among the rest of the ingredients. I will use this recipe to break up the monotony of the “school” breakfast. Move over store bought English muffins and peanut butter, I’ve found something better!

-Heather

Classic Waffles

School is back in full swing and my life has fallen into that familiar organized pattern that the fall seems to bring with it. August was a wonderful time, we packed an entire summer vacation into that single month. I attempted many different dishes but never found the time to post them, so September is officially my “catch up” month.

Breakfast is a meal that I enjoy making and eating when I actually have the time. School breakfasts for me usually consist of something that is easily transported and eaten because I am usually wolfing it down during the middle of class or between class periods. When I saw that SheRa (Ashley) on the Cooking Light BB had posted a waffle recipe I knew I needed to try it. Recommendations by SheRa always seem to lead me in the right direction. This time was no different, we really enjoyed this recipe for Classic Waffles which was posted on Allrecipes.com by Megan.

Classic Waffles
allrecipes.com - Megan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups warm milk
⅓ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 25 Minutes
Servings: 5

"Simple waffles made with flour, egg, butter and sugar."

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.

3. Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

These waffles were wonderful and a nice change from breakfast sandwiches. I subbed white whole wheat flour for the regular flour and it worked out well. Terry was excited that we finally had a chance to use the waffle iron that he rescued from the old home economics room at his school. The Classic Waffles recipe has already been repeated and I would assume it will make an appearance at least once a month in our home.

-Heather