Tomorrow is National Waffle Day! I know I’ve been mentioning a lot of these national food holidays around here, but it’s hard to ignore a day that celebrates waffles!

Waffles hold a special place in my heart because a) they are delicious, b) they remind me of breakfasts with my Dad and, c) they make me think of Shrek, which seeing that in theaters is a whole other classic family memory that I won’t get into right now.

Waffles are usually sweet and if that’s what you’re in the mood for I have my Triple Berry Waffles and Churro Waffles with Raspberry Sauce recipes posted on the blog. However, savory waffles are equally as delicious, as I discovered with my eggs benedict cheddar scallion waffles. Since I’ve been busy making a lot of dessert recipes lately I figured Matt and I should celebrate National Waffle Day with something savory. I dug into my Food Network Magazine binder archives and found the recipe for these Cornbread Cheddar Waffles with Scrambled Eggs from Kelsey Nixon.

I love the addition of cornmeal in these waffles! It’s so smart and such a perfect way to help waffles cross over into the savory category. I’m even thinking of going back to my eggs benedict waffle recipe and experimenting with adding cornmeal. The cornmeal also adds a nice texture to the waffles. Sharp cheddar gets mixed into the waffle batter as well, although we are setting aside some for the top of the waffle to get all melted and gooey under the scrambled eggs.

The scrambled eggs are soft with scallions cooked in to give them some extra flavor. I also like to add a little milk or cream cheese when I’m scrambling eggs to keep them moist and fluffy. If you have never had eggs piled high on a savory waffle then you are missing out! What’s your favorite way to eat waffles?

Cornbread Cheddar Waffles with Scrambled Eggs

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 10 large eggs
• 1¼ cups buttermilk (see note)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream cheese, optional
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. In a medium mixing bowl, beat 2 of the eggs until small bubbles form. Whisk in the buttermilk and vegetable oil. Add the wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl with the flour and stir until just combined.
2. Coat waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Pour enough batter to fill the waffle iron without it overflowing and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. Place cooked waffles on a wire cooling rack so they don’t get soggy.
3. When the waffles are almost done, make the scrambled eggs. Whisk the remaining eggs in a large bowl until small bubbles form. Whisk in the milk or cream cheese, if using. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the beaten eggs and the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stir and flip with a spatula until just set. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
4. When the waffles are done, preheat the broiler. Place the waffles on a baking sheet then scatter the remaining cheddar cheese over top. Broil until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Remove from the oven and top with the scrambled eggs. Serve warm.

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 Recipe from September 2017 issue of Food Network Magazine.

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Lauren Uncategorized 6 Comments

I wanted to make Matt a special breakfast treat during his birthday week so I dug into my Brunch at Bobby’s cookbook to get the recipe for these Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes. Ironically, after I had already scheduled these in my Lemon & Mocha calendar, Matt picked this cookbook and this recipe as what we should make in March for our monthly new cookbook challenge.

I guess I was spot on when I thought he would like the recipe! I’ve actually already cooked from Brunch at Bobby’s though (check out these Cast Iron Home Fries with Creamy Garlic Dressing!), so I had Matt pick another cookbook anyways.

These are fluffy pancakes that have little chunks of caramelized pineapple inside and get topped with a warm pineapple maple butter syrup. Yum! When you pour the pancake batter onto your frying pan or skillet you then add a couple pieces of pineapple and a sprinkling of sugar so that when the pancake gets flipped, the sugar caramelizes right on the exposed pineapple chunk.

I did have to adapt this recipe from Bobby Flay’s cookbook version because his pancake batter recipe let me down. The batter was too thin and as soon as I put it in my frying pan I knew it wouldn’t make the big fluffy pancakes that I wanted. So instead, I used the sour cream pancake base from my The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, which have the perfect pancake texture and taste. Don’t worry – they don’t taste like sour cream! It just helps to keep the pancakes moist and light.

The best part of the whole recipe, though, was the simple pineapple maple butter syrup. Butter, maple syrup and pineapple chunks get cooked together to make a velvety sauce that you will want to drizzle over all your pancakes. And your waffles. And even your french toast. Maybe even on an actual pineapple upside down cake! Which I’ve never made before, but after having these Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes taste so good it’s on my list to try soon! Enjoy!

Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons butter, diced and chilled in the freezer
• 2½ cups finely diced fresh pineapple, divided
• 1 cup sour cream
• 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter, for cooking the pancakes (alternatively you could use cooking spray)
• Fresh cherries and mint for serving, optional

Directions

1. Heat the maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Once simmering, add the cold butter, one piece at a time, and whisk until the butter has melted and the syrup has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat. Add ½ cup of the diced pineapple, stir to combine, then cover and keep warm.
2. Put the sour cream in a medium mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir together until just combined. The batter will be lumpy.
3. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs with the vanilla. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
4. Place a frying pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Once the pan is hot melt just enough butter to lightly coat the pan or griddle and wait for it to bubble. Pour a scant ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Try not to overcrowd your pan; the amount of pancakes you can fit will depend on your pan's size. Leave some space between the pancakes as they will expand when you add the pineapple. Once the pancakes start to bubble, about 2 minutes, add some chopped pineapple over top then sprinkle the pineapple with sugar. Flip the pancakes and cook until set, about another 1-2 minutes.
5. Add some more butter and repeat with the remaining batter until you have cooked all your pancakes. Keep pancakes warm in a single layer on a baking sheet in a warm oven. Serve the pancakes, caramelized pineapple side up, with the pineapple maple butter sauce and garnished with fresh cherries and mint, if using.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Friends, we have another epic sandwich on our hands and I’m having trouble containing myself yet again. This little breakfast sandwich is savory, creamy, tangy and a whole lot of deliciousness.

My inspiration for this sandwich came from a little weekday date Matt and I had. There is a cafe near Matt’s office and a couple months ago we had lunch there together. I got this crazy delicious egg sandwich with spinach, pesto, goat cheese and pickled red onions on a buttery roll. I’ve been craving it ever since so I decided to re-create my own.

Instead of keeping all the components separate I made the pesto with spinach and goat cheese. I’ve made spinach pesto before, but I’ve never used goat cheese in my pesto. Oh my goat cheese heavens! It made the pesto so creamy and gave it the consistency of almost a pesto spread. Which could not be more perfect since it gets spread right onto these toasted kaiser rolls. These are the same rolls from the Barbecue Meatloaf Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions and I used the same egg wash method with everything but the bagel seasoning since I’m channeling breakfast. You really could eat this sandwich for any meal, but I wanted to include some of those breakfast flavors since we’re working with eggs.

Next, we have the scrambled egg patty. You could scramble your eggs in a pan, but if you cook the egg in a ramekin in the microwave then it will be the perfect shape for egg sandwiches. Finally, after being slathered with goat cheese spinach pesto, it gets topped with some tangy Quick Pickled Red Onions and some additional creamy goat cheese. Yum!

Okay, back to the goat cheese spinach pesto because I’m still not done talking about it. The recipe below makes more pesto than you will need for the sandwiches, which is amazing because then you can either a) make even more sandwiches with it or b) use it on everything for the next few days. I had the pesto on chicken, mixed in with rice, on turkey sandwiches and stirred into pasta with shrimp. I couldn’t get enough of it and was very sad when we used it all up. I guess that just means I have to make it again soon!

Goat Cheese Spinach Pesto Egg Sandwiches

 

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Yield: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 cups spinach leaves
• ⅓ cup nuts, see note
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 ounce goat cheese, plus more for topping
• 2 kaiser rolls
• 3 eggs
• Everything but the bagel seasoning
• Pickled red onions, for topping
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Puree the spinach, nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor. Add the olive oil and continue to pulse until smooth. Add the goat cheese and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
2. Beat 1 of the eggs in a small bowl then add 1 tablespoon water. Brush the tops of the buns then top with everything but the bagel seasoning. Toast in your toaster oven or oven.
3. Spray 2 small ramekins or microwave-safe bowls with cooking spray. Beat each of the remaining 2 eggs in their own ramekin and season with salt and pepper. I usually add a splash of milk. Lightly cover and microwave for 1 minute.
4. To make the sandwiches, spread the bottom of each bun with some of the goat cheese spinach pesto. Carefully remove the egg from the ramekin and place on top along with the pickled red onions and additional goat cheese, if desired.

Notes

You can use whichever type of nut you prefer in pesto; I would recommend toasted pine nuts, almonds or walnuts. Alternatively, you could use 3 tablespoons of pumpkin seed butter instead as that is what I used for this recipe.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Happy Friday, everyone! I don’t know about you, but this has been a long week. Both Matt and I were sick and all the snow, ice and cold didn’t help. Having lived in New England my whole life I’m never surprised when we get bad winter weather, but that doesn’t mean we can’t complain about it, right?! This healthy breakfast dish is perfect for those cold winter mornings because it’s warm and full of bright berry flavors.

I’m always on the hunt for warm breakfast ideas since I am allergic to oats so oatmeal is out. A while back I stumbled across a recipe in Giada’s Feel Good Food cookbook for a breakfast bulgur. Bulgur wheat is a whole grain that is a smaller grain than rolled oats, but it has a similar chewy texture. I cook it up with some vanilla and cinnamon then pour berries that have been cooked down with maple syrup over top.

As with most of the recipes on Lemon & Mocha, this breakfast bulgur is ideal as a make-ahead meal. Usually I make a big batch of the bulgur and the berries then divide it all between eight small reusable containers. That way Matt and I can each just microwave our little container for one minute for a quick and healthy breakfast without having to guess at the serving size.

I’ve also frozen the little containers once when we were going to be away and they still tasted good when we defrosted and ate them the next week. If you didn’t want to make quite so much you could easily halve the recipe. I’ve been wanting to try other variations of bulgur wheat for breakfast, but I’m so hooked on this original berry version that in the few years I’ve been making it I have yet to try it any other way. Do you ever have bulgur for breakfast? What’s your favorite way to eat it?

Also, in case you are new to bulgur and are looking for a visual for when you’re at the grocery store, I buy this Bob’s Red Mill version. Whole Foods also sells it in the bulk bins if you wanted to try it first; that’s what I did when I first made it before I graduated to buying the Bob’s Red Mill bags in bulk from Amazon!

Breakfast Bulgur with Warm Berries

 

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Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

for the bulgur

• 2 cups golden bulgur wheat
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

for the berries

• 10 ounces frozen strawberries
• 16 ounces frozen mixed berries
• 6 ounces fresh blackberries
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

for the bulgur

1. Add 4 cups of water, the bulgur, vanilla, cinnamon and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes. Stir together; the water should be absorbed.

for the berries

1. Heat all the frozen berries over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Let cook for 8 minutes, or until the berries are almost thawed. All the fresh berries, maple syrup and the cinnamon. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and lightly smashing the strawberries as you stir. Remove from the heat and eat over the bulgur.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Welcome to another healthy breakfast Friday! You may have noticed that a lot of the meals this month can either be partially or completely made ahead. Well, I’ve been posting some of our favorite go-to meals and in addition to liking healthy dishes, we’re also big fans of meals that can be made ahead. When hunger suddenly strikes we have no patience so make-ahead is key! Does anyone else have this issue?!

One of my favorite make-ahead breakfasts is egg muffins or mini quiches. My Mini Broccoli, Ham and Cheddar Quiches are the best breakfast for busy weekdays or mornings with house guests, but I wanted to make a lightened up version.

The original mini quiches use flour and are loaded with cheese and ham so instead we’re keeping them vegetarian and using cooked quinoa, a small amount of goat cheese and plenty of spinach. Between the eggs, quinoa and goat cheese, there’s plenty of protein in these little muffins to keep you full.

My favorite part about these egg muffins is that just like the mini quiches, all you have to do is bake them in a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. When they’re warm out of the oven, the goat cheese is gooey and the quinoa provides a great texture throughout the egg muffin.

Matt and I have to get going early tomorrow morning and these Healthy Spinach, Goat Cheese and Quinoa Egg Muffins are the perfect quick breakfast. We’re headed to New York City with Matt’s family to see Wicked and celebrate my mother-in-law’s, Theresa’s, birthday! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Healthy Spinach, Goat Cheese and Quinoa Egg Muffins

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• ½ cup nonfat milk
• 10 ounces spinach, steamed, strained and water squeezed out
• 3 ounces goat cheese
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until frothy. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Divide the egg mixture between the 12 muffin cups. There might be a little leftover - do not overfill. Then bake for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the eggs are cooked through.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments