Hot breakfasts warm up February mornings

 

It’s February, time to celebrate what is undoubtedly an underappreciated month — National Hot Breakfast Month.

The month has been designated to encourage people to eat a warm, nutritious breakfast, and it fits in with the cold weather typical of February.

And after all, breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day.

Eating breakfast, especially a hot breakfast, is a great way to support overall health and to fuel up to start your day.

And while mornings are often rushed as parents scramble to get to work and children prepare for school, it’s good to slow down and have breakfast together once in a while — even if it’s just on a weekend.

A hot breakfast doesn’t have to take long to prepare. Eggs are a quick and easy entree, as is hot oatmeal, omelets and French toast.

But you can also switch things up. Instead of a ham and cheese omelet, try some different fillings, perhaps a veggie or two. Plain pancakes can be replaced by crepes, banana pancakes or even chocolate ones.

You can make a skewer of sausage bites and fruit and heat it up to cook the sausage and caramelize the fruit. And there are also breakfast burritos or wraps.

Following are hot breakfast recipes from www.tasteofhome.com.

 

Baked Blueberry Pancake

2 cups pancake mix

1-1/2 cups fat-free milk

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Butter and maple syrup

In a large bowl, combine pancake mix, milk, egg, oil and cinnamon just until blended. Batter will be lumpy. Fold in blueberries.

Spread into a greased 15-by-10-by-1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup.

Makes six servings.

 

 

Eggs and Chorizo Wraps

12 ounces fresh chorizo

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons 2% milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed

Optional toppings: Thinly sliced green onions, minced fresh cilantro and salsa

Remove chorizo from casings. In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook chorizo over medium heat six to eight minutes, breaking meat into crumbles, until cooked through. Drain and return to pan.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk until blended. Add egg mixture to chorizo. Cook and stir until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains. Stir in cheese. Spoon 1/2 cup egg mixture across center of each tortilla. Add toppings of your choice. Fold bottom and sides of tortilla over filling and roll up.

Makes six servings.

 

 

Hot Fruit and Sausage

12 ounces uncooked pork sausage links

3/4 cup pineapple tidbits

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pinch ground cinnamon

1 medium firm banana, sliced

In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook sausage according to package directions. Drain. Add pineapple, brown sugar and cinnamon and heat through. Stir in banana just before serving.

Makes six servings.

 

 

Apple-Cheddar Pancakes With Bacon

2 large eggs

1 cup 2% milk

2 cups biscuit/baking mix

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

2 large apples, peeled and shredded

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Butter, optional

Maple syrup, optional

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk until blended. Add biscuit mix and bacon and stir just until moistened. Fold in apples and cheese.

Lightly grease a griddle and heat over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto griddle, spreading batter with the back of a spoon as necessary. Cook until bubbles on top begin to pop and bottoms are golden brown. Flip pancakes and cook until second side is golden brown. If desired, serve with butter and syrup.

Makes 16 pancakes.

 

 

Ham and Egg Pockets

1 large egg

2 teaspoons 2% milk

2 teaspoons butter

1 ounce thinly sliced deli ham, chopped

2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

1 4-ounce tube refrigerated crescent rolls

In a small bowl, combine egg and milk. In a small skillet, heat butter until hot. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring, over medium heat until egg is completely set. Remove from heat. Fold in ham and cheese.

On a greased baking sheet, separate crescent dough into two rectangles. Seal perforations, then spoon half the filling down the center of each rectangle. Fold in ends and sides and pinch to seal. Bake in a 375-degree oven 10 to 14 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes two servings.

 

 

Cheddar Hash Brown Omelet

2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced fully cooked ham or Polish sausage

6 large eggs

1/4 cup 2% milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, saute potatoes, onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Sprinkle with ham. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, pepper and salt, then add to skillet.

As eggs set, lift edge, letting uncooked portion flow underneath. When eggs are set, remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and fold in half. Cover and cook one to two minutes, until cheese is melted.

Makes four servings.

 

 

Rabanadas (Portuguese French Toast)

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

4 large eggs

2 cups 2% milk

Oil for frying

1 8-ounce loaf  French bread, cut into 1-inch slices

In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon until blended. In a large shallow dish, whisk eggs and milk. Dip both sides of bread in egg mixture, soaking lightly.

In an electric skillet, heat one inch of oil to 350 degrees. Working with a few slices at a time, remove bread from egg mixture, allowing excess to drain, and fry two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Dip warm rabanadas in cinnamon-sugar to coat all sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes six servings.

 

 

Sausage-Egg Burritos

1/2 pound bulk lean turkey breakfast sausage

3 large eggs

4 large egg whites

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 8-inch whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Salsa, optional

In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat and break into crumbles for four to six minutes, until no longer pink. Remove from pan.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites until blended. In same pan, add eggs and cook, stirring, over medium heat until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains. Remove from pan and wipe skillet clean if necessary.

In skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach, tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring, two to three minutes, until spinach is wilted. Stir in sausage and eggs and heat through. Sprinkle with pepper.

To serve, spoon two-thirds cup filling across center of each tortilla. Fold bottom and sides of tortilla over filling and roll up. If desired, serve with salsa.

 

 

Scrambled Eggs With Cream Cheese

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons half-and-half cream

8 large eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon

2 tablespoons butter

Minced chives, optional

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and cream until smooth. Beat in eggs, Parmesan cheese, lemon pepper and salt. Stir in bacon.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture and cook, stirring, until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains. Garnish with chives if desired.

Makes four servings.