Quinoa Egg Bake with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Avocado

October 22nd, 2012…the LAST time I blogged…what is going ON?!?

I guess life!  Football season, holidays, Super Bowl, dance competition season…leaves little time for blogging!

Anyway, I’m back (I’ve still been cooking plenty…if you follow me on insta you know that!).

And lately, I’ve been on a savory breakfast kick…not craving sweet yogurt or overnight oats as much.  At Magpie they serve two things for breakfast that I LOVE LOVE LOVE…different types of quiche and the most amazing breakfast casseroles (ham and cheese is my fave). 

I wanted to find a way to make something similar…with 3 requirements: it needed to be a make-it-for-the-week kind of dish, incorporate vegetables, and contain minimal starch. 

Something like a crustless quiche?  But heartier and more casserole-like?  Bingo.

I made this Quinoa Egg Bake as is…cheese and all…then tried it sans cheese adding the fat back in the form of avocado.  I love it both ways.  Hil not so much (although she’s not much of a breakfast eater)…you be the judge.  It’s completely customizable.  And it reheats pretty well too!  Just note that if any of the vegetables you decide to use have a lot of water, you should first cook them separately. 

Quinoa Egg Bake with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Avocado
adapted from Whole Foods

makes 5-6 servings

8 ounces (or more!) mushrooms, sliced…button, cremini, etc.
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa*
8 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release liquid, about 5-10 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper, increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 5 minutes longer.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch x 8-inch glass baking dish with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil and set aside.

Put quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse until cold running water until water runs clear; drain well.  Spread rinsed quinoa evenly over the bottom of the greased baking dish.  Spread cooked mushrooms, halved tomatoes, and cubed avocado over the quinoa.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper; pour mixture over quinoa-vegetable mixture in prepared dish.

Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking, until center is set (when it doesn’t move much when the dish is jiggled), 10 to 15 minutes more. Set aside to let cool briefly, then slice and serve.

Per serving (based on 6 servings): 235 calories, 13 g fat (3.7 g saturated), 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 14 g protein (2 1/2 fat, 2 protein, 1 veg, 1/2 starch)…FYI…5 servings would make it 282 cals…that’s probably what I end up eating

* Although I haven’t tried it, I imagine you could omit the quinoa…just make sure the egg mixture gets under the vegetables a little so they don’t stick to the bottom.

** I used whole milk because that’s what I buy.  So that’s what I calculated the nutrition info with too.

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit

Apparently it has been a while since I blogged…24+ days and counting according to my cousin Aimee…so here we go…back in business : )

I first had this baked oatmeal one morning at Adam and Jess’s (my brother and his wife).  It was delish…cold and hot (yes, I took a bite straight from the fridge before I heated some up in the micro).  Adam would say that it’s “nutritious and delicious” in an annoying voice (mocking me of course)…and it is!

I made my first go-round with apples and walnuts (that’s one of the best parts of the recipe…the fruit and nuts are totally interchangeable).  I had bought some apples that were too mealy to eat out of hand…but I couldn’t stand the thought of throwing them away.  They worked perfectly here.

   

It’s not overly sweet (just a 1/4 cup of maple syrup for the whole thing…which is about 2 tsp added sugar per serving…and I’ll probably try it with even less next time).  The egg-milk mixture makes it almost custardy…in a good way.  The apples get soft, nearly melting into the oatmeal.  The toasted walnuts add a welcomed crunch.  ALL a good thing!

I’ve made baked oatmeal in the past, but this version is FAR better.  Give it a try…perfect way to get back on track post holiday!

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit
adapted from Heidi Swanson via Annie Eats

makes 4 - 6 servings

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted, divided
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2-3 apples, cored and sliced

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. 

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Stir with a fork to combine. 

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. 

Spread half of the apple slices in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish.  Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer.  Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats.  Sprinkle the remaining nuts and apples over the top, pressing the apples down into the liquid.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set.  Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Per serving (based on 6 servings) - 210 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated), 29 g carbohydrate, 3.4 g fiber, 5g protein (exchanges: 2 fat, 1.5 starch/sugar, 1/2 fruit)

Overnight Oats

I have a few “requirements” for my everyday breakfast…it needs to have a fruit, something with fiber (from the fruit and possibly something else), fat and/or protein, and it must be filling.  And delicious (sometimes I go to bed thinking about what I get to eat in the morning!). 

It might be a smoothie (green or not…usually this is a summer, post-run breakfast).  Or oatmeal with fruit and nuts (in the winter).  And lately its been overnight oats, which aren’t all that different from muesli.  I’m more of a fruit, yogurt, and whole grain breakfast kind of girl.  I LOVE eggs…just not at breakfast.

 

In my “easy” method I just combine oats with unsweetened Greek yogurt and let them soak overnight.  In the morning I add a little milk to thin it out and the toppings, the best part!  Fruit, nuts, sometimes maple syrup or another sweetener.  Or I’ll mash a banana into the yogurt and oats the night before (which doubles as the sweetener and the fruit). 

Sometimes I take it a step further and do a batch for the whole week.  I shred a couple of apples and then add them to the yogurt and oats to soak overnight. 

Or if I’m really fancy I use this method.  I pulse oats, nuts, shredded apple, and coconut all together in a food processor.  Sometimes I’ll do a few bananas instead of the apple.  You can keep this mixture separate from the yogurt (which I do sometimes) or go ahead and mix it with the yogurt (I typically do that and then portion it into my little class storage containers…breakfast ready for the week!). 

    

The possibilities are endless…sometimes I do a mixture of Greek yogurt with vanilla Wallaby.  Sometimes instead of using milk to thin it out I do coconut milk.  You can vary the nuts and the fruit.  You could add cinnamon.  Or peanut butter (PB&banana is sooo good!). 

Kath has a bunch of variations (she’s the one who got me hooked).  The basic proportion for me (her’s is a little different) is 2:1…4 cups of yogurt (the entire container of Fage…the 35 oz size) and 2 cups oats.  This lasts me the whole week…6 - 7 servings.  For a single serving I’d do 2/3 cup yogurt and 1/3 cup oats.  Plus the toppings!  Don’t forget the toppings! 

Pumpkin Muffins

Okay...I'm officially the worst CEiMB member! I can not keep up with life, much less blogging. Needless to say, it has been yet another month since I've participated...but today when I realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand for this week's recipe (chosen by Oddball Oven Mitt) and a little extra time, I jumped at the chance.

The muffins are a perfect match for a cool fall morning and a warm cup of coffee. They aren't overly sweet, making them a great breakfast option...but I bet if you topped them with a little cream cheese frosting they would make delicious cupcakes.

Pumpkin Muffins

• Per serving - 205 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 32 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein (exchanges: 2 starches, 1 fat; WW points: 4)
• Notes - I doubled the cinnamon, used maple syrup instead of molasses, swapped Greek yogurt for the buttermilk, and omitted the pumpkin seeds...the reviews said the spices were a little muted...the other changes were because of what I had and didn't have in the house; the recipe is supposed to yield 12 muffins, but after filling 12 I still had leftover batter...so as you can see in the pictures I filled 2 ramekins with about 2 muffins worth of batter...I guess I would have gotten about 16 regular muffins; if you have been reading this blog for a while you already know that my leftover muffins are now in a zip-top bag in my freezer

Breakfast Cookies

Two words that normally don't go together...breakfast and cookies! I was excited to make these treats, which were chosen by What's for Supper? as this weeks CEiMB recipe. My hopes were high after reading the reviews on the FoodNetwork website (a five star rating is usually a good sign).

I made a few changes so that I could incorporate ingredients I already had on hand (or flavors I prefer), none of which should have had much of an effect on the final product:

1 tsp cinnamon & 1/2 tsp nutmeg -----> 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup carrot baby food ----> 1/4 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla ----> 1/2 tsp vanilla & 1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup oats & 1/2 cup bran cereal ----> 1 cup oats

1/3 cup raisins ----> 2/3 cup fresh blueberries

1/3 cup walnuts ----> 1/3 cup almonds

The result? I'm not sure what I think...I've eaten a few of them and they definitely aren't bad, but I'm not about to add them as a regular to my breakfast menu. They aren't decadent enough to qualify as a dessert (but they really aren't supposed to be), and they aren't good enough to replace the usual things I eat for breakfast (oatmeal with fruit and nuts, English muffins with pb, smoothies, yogurt, etc).

That being said, I am not an on-the-go breakfast eater. I have time in the mornings to think about what I want to have for my first meal and then make/eat it at my leisure.

In contrast, I'm sure most of you, if you are lucky, grab something quickly while rushing out the door on your way to school or work...or you drive-thru Starbucks/McDonalds...or you skip breakfast entirely. So maybe this would be a good option for you! They are relatively healthy after all...and if you add a glass of milk or a tall latte for a little extra protein, even better.

Breakfast Cookies

• Per serving (1 cookie) - 190 calories, 9 g fat (2 g saturated), 23 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein (exchanges: 1 1/2 fat, 1 1/2 starch; WW points: 4)
• Notes - Whole wheat pastry flour is something I keep on hand to bake with...it is less processed than AP flour (so it has more of the natural fiber/vitamins/minerals) but is "softer" than regular whole wheat flour (so your baked goods aren't so dense)...I know you can find it at Whole Foods or order it online, but I bet Fresh Market carries it and maybe some locally owned grocers do too (Rouses? Acquistapace's in Covington? Calandro's in Baton Rouge?); I love using my (small) ice cream scoop for portioning cookies and cupcakes; If you use fresh berries like I did, fold them in VERY gently at the end
• My thoughts - Mostly, I've already told you what I think of these, but here's a little more...they are slightly sweet, cake-like cookies packed with healthy fats (nuts and canola) and some whole-grains and fruit...might be perfect for a quick grab-and-go breakfast (after they bake, store them in a zip-top bag in the freezer and when ready to eat, pop them in the microwave for about 45 seconds); the serving is one cookie (for around 200 calories), but I would be tempted to eat 2 (plus a glass of milk - can you really have cookies without milk?)...and for some people, a 400+ calorie breakfast might be too much; and just as a comparison, a whole wheat English Muffin plus 1 tbsp peanut butter = 230 calories, 9.5 g fat (2 g saturated), 30 g carbohydrates, 4 - 5 g fiber, 10 g protein

Cereal, It's What's for Breakfast

Whenever I take a client on a grocery store tour, one of the first things we look at is cereal.  It provides such a great teaching opportunity and everyone eats cereal, right?

What can you learn from a box of cereal?  Lots!

1.  Is it whole grain?

Just like the bread you buy should be, your cereal should also be made with whole grains...and a 100 percent whole grain cereal would be the best choice.  How can you tell?  Read the ingredient list.  

If the first ingredient reads whole something (wheat, rice, corn, etc) then you are off to a good start.  But keep reading...is there another grain further down the list?  It should be whole too!  One exception to this rule is for oats...even without the word whole, rolled oats and oat flakes are always whole grains.

Don't be tricked by claims on the front of the box.  General Mills claims that Lucky Charms (and most of its other cereals) are "made with whole grains", and sure, the first ingredient is whole grain oats, but what follows is not so convincing...see for yourself (I've underlined the grains that aren't whole):

Ingredients:  Whole Grain Oats, Marshmallows (Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Gelatin, Calcium Carbonate, Yellows 5&6, Blue 1, Red 40, Artificial Flavor), Sugar, Oat Flour, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Salt, Trisodium Phosphate, Color Added, Artificial Flavor, Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamin and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), A B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), A B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D.

2.  Is it a good source of fiber?

A good breakfast cereal should have at least 3 grams of fiber per 100 calories.  So if your favorite cereal is around 200 calories per serving, it needs to be closer to 6 grams of fiber.

And I'm not talking about added, processed fiber either; I'm talking about fiber that is naturally found in the whole grains your cereal should be made with...let's call it whole fiber.  Food companies are smart, and they know that fiber is a "selling point" these days.  So they add lots of isolated fiber to their cereals to confuse the unknowing shopper.  What's the problem with isolated fiber?  It is unknown whether or not is has the same health benefits as whole fiber.

Isolated fiber sources that may be listed include inulin, chicory root extract, oat fiber, soy fiber, maltodextrin, starches (such as corn, wheat, tapioca), polydextrose, psyllium, and gums (such as arabic, guar, acacia).  It's not that these are ingredients to be avoided, it's just better for the fiber to be whole.

3.  Is it loaded with sugar?

Breakfast does not equal dessert...unless you work for any of the cereal companies that market their sugary cereals to children.  Even some adult cereals have WAY too much sugar.  One teaspoon of sugar weighs 4 grams.  So if your favorite breakfast cereal has 12 grams of sugar or more, you are consuming at least a tablespoon of sugar with your breakfast (3 tsp = 1 tbsp).

So I would stick with cereals that have less than 8 grams of sugar (or 2 teaspoons) per serving for adults and kids alike.  In most cases, if sugar (or any of its other forms...corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, cane juice, fruit juice concentrates, any word ending in "ose") is the second ingredient listed, put the box down and keep looking.

One exception to this rule are cereals with REAL fruit; the sugar amount listed on the nutrition facts panel does not distinguish naturally occurring sugar in fruit (such as raisins) from added sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.  So although Kellogg's Raisin Bran has 19 grams of sugar, some of it is from the raisins.

And if your new cereal isn't sweet enough for your taste, add your own fruit...I love bananas or berries sliced in my cereal.  Or buy an unsweetened cereal (i.e. 0 - 1 grams of sugar) and sweeten it yourself with no more than 2 teaspoons of sugar.

There are other things to consider when choosing a breakfast cereal (sodium content and the presence of partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners), but these 3 things are a good starting point:  1) first ingredient as a whole grain, 2) at least 3 grams of fiber per 100 calories, and 3) less than 8 grams of sugar per serving.

So what are some of the best choices?

Kellogg's - All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes, Raisin Bran, Mini-Wheats (unfrosted)

General Mills - Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters, Cheerios, Wheaties, Total Whole Grain, MultiGrain Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Total Raisin Bran

Nature's Path Organic - Smart Bran, Flax Plus Multibran/Pumpkin Raisin Crunch/Raisin Bran, Synergy, Optimum Slim, Heritage Bites, Multigrain Oatbran, Heritage, Millet Rice Oatbran, Heritage O's, Whole O's...there may be others...this is a good brand!

Barbara's Bakery - Ultima Organic High Fiber or Pomegranate, Organic Crispy Wheats, Shredded Spoonfuls, Organic Breakfast O's

Kashi - Honey Sunshine, Heart to Heart Honey Toasted, GoLean, Organic Autumn Wheat, 7 Whole Grain Flakes, 7 Whole Grain Nuggets

Post - Bran Flakes, Original Shredded Wheat (including spoon size Original and Wheat n' Bran), Trail Mix Crunch Raisin and Almond, Raisin Bran

Other lesser known/found brands that have some healthy options:  Weetabix, Uncle Sam, Healthy Valley, Cascadian Farm, Arrowhead Mills

Lagniappe...

Here are two articles (1 and 2) on sugary cereals and kids...the info can be applied to adults as well!