Sunrise Smoothie Shotz

These little morning glories are a great little addition to your brunch menu.

I don't measure anything but here's what I did:

Into the blender they go...
1 ripe banana
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored & sliced
small handful of frozen mango chunks
small handful of frozen peach slices
about a tbs honey

then add a bit less than 1/2 cup of each of the following liquids:
pear nectar
peach nectar
mango nectar
unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Blend. Blend. Blend. Fill shot glasses with smoothie mixture.
Skewer up some strawberries with toothpicks and balance the garnish on top of the shot glass.
This yielded about a dozen tall shot glasses.

Le Pain Perdu Cuit Cremeux

That's fancy Français for Creamy Baked French Toast. I created this recipe in reaction to the abundance of recipes out there for baked French Toast that include milk, butter, cream and sugar. So, this is a lower calorie & dairy-free alternative, but trust me, you won't even notice. All of my Sunday morning breakfast guests agreed - this was très delicieux!I loved this with pure maple syrup drizzled over the top - pure heaven!

FYI - I let this refrigerate over night before baking but you could probably let it soak for a couple of hours.

What You Need
1  16 oz loaf of cinnamon bread (I used Wegmans cinnamon swirl loaf)
6 eggs
1/2 cup liquid pure egg whites
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Almond Breeze)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (use more cinnamon if you use plain bread)
3 tsp Truvia (zero calorie sugar sub)
sprinkle of salt
2 tbsp Ideal Brown (zero calorie brown sugar sub)
6 tbs melted Earth Balance natural spread

The Process
Coat a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray (Pam)
Rip each slice of bread into several pieces and arrange them haphazardly in the pan. Use the whole loaf of bread.
Whisk all the ingredients except the Earth Balance in a large bowl.
Pour this mixture over the bread pieces.
Melt Earth Balance and pour it over the bread pieces.
Use a spoon and push the bread down into the liquid to coat all of it. All the bread should be soaked.

Cover the pan and refrigerate over night.
Take it out of the fridge an hour before baking.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup and/or sliced banana or berry preserves

This is Carole's original recipe. Enjoy!

You Say Frittayta I Say Frittata

Or, let's just call it quiche. Crustless quiche. This is a great brunch dish that's light & healthy.

Sauté fresh baby spinach, baby bella mushrooms & sliced tomatoes in a pan coated with canola spray. Add a little garlic & herbs.

In a pie pan (canola-sprayed if you like), add the sauteed vegetables. 

Pour in liquid pure eggwhites almost up to the top of the pan & mix it all together so veggies are spread around evenly.

Sprinkle Daiya dairy-free cheese shreds (pictured are the mozzarella style) over the top.

Bake at 375 for about 25-35 minutes, 'til golden brown on top.

I try and make some variation of this frittata a couple of times a week because it keeps really well in the fridge.  I get hungry very quickly and very often so if it's there, I just heat up a slice instead of going for junk food.  I'll often make it without the Daiya; with spinach & mushrooms or sauteed turnips.  Use whatever vegetables you want but cook them first.

The bottom line:  This is so much healthier & lower in fat & cholesterol than a typical quiche loaded with ham and cheese.  Eggwhites can always be substituted for whole eggs - they are pure protein.  The Daiya vegan cheese doesn't disappoint like soy cheeses do.  You'll still feel satisfied with it's gooiness & stretchiness and you don't feel cheated out of a real quiche. The lack of a crust keeps it carb-free.

Cheeseless Version
Tomato, spinach & eggwhites - that's it! Add some basil, salt & pepper.

Anytime Breakfast

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I say, "break the rules!" Breakfast food is just as good at lunch, dinner or snack time - any time of day or night. I love going out for breakfast especially on Saturday & Sunday mornings. The atmosphere at the local diner (ok, I'll plug the Charbroil) on the weekend is friendly, casual & un-hurried. Everyone knows everyone in this small-ish town of Brighton and you're always guaranteed to see people you know - there's a lot of waving & chatting & air-kissing going on. (I'm still not used to it 16 years post my transplant from Long Island). But I know that like any meal, preparing food at home is usually healthier and safer on the insides. It's so hard to resist the home-fries & french toast & pancakes & syrups and all things buttery. But, when I think about how quickly it takes to eat yet how long the seismic aftershock to my body lasts, it makes it easier to decide to eat the right way that works for me.
Here's one of my favorite home breakfasts:

Eggwhite 'n Un-Chedda
Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwich

100% Liquid Pure Eggwhites
Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds (non-dairy/vegan)
Arnold Sandwich Thins
Canola cooking spray
Optional:
spinach
fakin' bacon (Lightlife Smart Bacon - veggie protein strips)

Pour 1/2 cup eggwhites (60 cal) into a pan sprayed with canola oil spray.
Sprinkle 1/8 cup Daiya Cheddar Shreds (45 cal) over the eggwhites.
(You can optionally add some fresh spinach)
Cook & fold into an omelette.
Cut omelette in half and place each half on a toasted half multi-grain Arnold Sandwich Thin (50 cal each half).

If you want to McMuffinize it, cook up some fakin' bacon; meat-free Lightlife Smart Bacon in the pan first; before you make the omelette & add that on top of the omelette and have it as a closed sandwich.

Note: Daiya dairy-free cheddar & mozzarella style shreds are the best tasting, most addicting non-cheeses I've ever tasted. Really. It's the crack of vegan cheeses. It melts & stretches like cheese and it really tastes good. It's organic and it has no soy, casein, lactose or gluten. It's great to use as a sub for cheese if you're lactose intolerant, BUT be aware that it does contain fat (not much different from regular cheese) but in this case the fat comes from safflower & coconut oils instead of milk. All fats are IBS triggers so try this product in small quantities to see if you can handle it.

Note: I use Wegmans brand 100% pure liquid eggwhites and canola oil cooking spray.