Breakfast

When I was growing up, my mom had plenty of rules when it came to meals. One of the biggest was that breakfast could only be eaten in the morning at (of course) breakfast time.

I used to have issues with that, especially when I'd notice one of the neighbors letting my friends have something breakfasty at dinner time.

"Why can't we have cereal for dinner?" I'd ask. "Or, maybe, pancakes or an omelet?"

But it was always a no-go on that. This really bugged me, especially if Mom was fixing liver-and-onions for dinner.

Mom

Dad and Mom, New York

Once moving out on my own, I had no problems with breakfast for dinner (or any other time, for that matter). To that end, here are six yummy breakfast recipes, including Ham and Pepper Frittata and Creamy Bacon and Egg Breakfast Enchiladas. Enjoy!

BAKED STEEL-CUT OATS WITH NUT BUTTER

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Melissa wrote, "For a simple, filling breakfast, baked steel-cut oatmeal, enriched with almond butter and cinnamon, is a go-to recipe. This version is particularly adaptable: Use peanut butter or almond butter, steel-cut or cracked oats, or any number of warming spices that might be in your cupboard. Then, garnish as you wish."

Time: About 1 hour; Yield: 3 to 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020948-baked-steel-cut-oats-with-nut-butter.

Ingredients

1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter

1 cup steel-cut or cracked oats

Pinch of salt

Cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom, for sprinkling (optional)

Sliced bananas, raisins or dried fruit, chopped apple, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar or heavy cream, for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bring a kettle of water to a boil.

In a medium shallow casserole or baking dish, combine 3 cups boiling water and the nut butter and stir until smooth-ish. (Don’t worry about a few lumps.) Stir in oats. Season the mix with a big pinch of salt, and some cinnamon or nutmeg if you like.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour, stirring halfway through. Taste and if the oats aren’t cooked enough, let it bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Garnish with whatever you like, and serve.

FRIED EGGS AND POTATOES

This is from Naz Deravian in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Naz wrote, "This quick one-pan meal of fried eggs and potatoes hits the spot any time of day, and especially if you like breakfast for dinner. Golden onion, turmeric and tomato paste make a savory and rich bed for the potatoes and eggs to nestle in. Make sure to chop the potatoes evenly into small, 1/2-inch cubes and add a little water to speed up their cooking time. You can cook the yolks to your liking – just cover and check on them every minute. Serve with bread or a green salad, or both, for a complete meal."

Time: 30 minutes; Yield: 2 to 4 servings

To view this yumminess online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023911-fried-eggs-and-potatoes. While you're there, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend doing so. If you're like me when it comes to food, you won't regret it.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 large Yukon Gold potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

4 large eggs

Fresh herb of your choice, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

In a large (12-inch) nonstick pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Season with salt, add the turmeric and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook just to take off the raw taste and deepen its color, stirring and taking care not to burn the paste, about 1 minute.

Add the potatoes, season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often, just until the potatoes are no longer raw. Add 1/4 cup water, stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally and adding a tablespoon or two of water if the potatoes are browning too much, until the potatoes are just tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Taste the potatoes and add more salt and pepper to taste, being mindful that the eggs will also be seasoned.

Make four wells in the potatoes and crack an egg in each well; season the eggs with salt and pepper. With a wooden spoon, gently poke the egg whites (without disturbing the yolk) to make them spread and cook faster. Cover and check every 30 seconds to a minute, until the whites are cooked and the yolk is to your liking, 3 to 5 minutes for a softer yolk. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with herbs, if using, and serve.

CREAMY BACON AND EGG BREAKFAST ENCHILADAS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "We’re giving the classic bacon and egg scramble a big twist by rolling it up in tortillas and covering them with a green chile sour cream enchilada sauce. Our 'twist' is sure to make you shout. See what we did there?"

Prep Time: 50 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes; Makes 4 servings

View this online at https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/creamy-bacon-and-egg-breakfast-enchiladas.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 package (0.85 oz) Old El Paso™ chicken taco seasoning mix

1-1/2 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles

15 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

10 eggs

1/4 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for burritos (8 inch)

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)

Cilantro leaves, if desired

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add flour and taco seasoning mix; cook 2 minutes. Beat in chicken broth with whisk; heat to boiling. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and green chiles. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook bacon 6 to 7 minutes over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat eggs, half-and-half, salt and cumin with whisk until well blended. Cook in same skillet with drippings over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until eggs are set.

Spread 1 cup of the sauce over bottom of baking dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup eggs, 1 tablespoon bacon and 2 tablespoons cheese; roll up. Place seam side down on sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas. Top with remaining cheese and bacon.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Expert Tips

Diced red onions and avocado make a nice garnish in addition to the cilantro.

If would like to add a little more heat to your breakfast enchiladas, finely chop a serrano chile, and add to the onion in the sauce.

HAM AND PEPPER FRITTATA

Recipe Yield: Yield: 4 servings, Serving size: 1/4 of recipe

Source: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

Book Title: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/ham-and-pepper-frittata.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup diced, lean, reduced-sodium ham

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 cups fat-free egg substitute

1 cup shredded, reduced-fat, white Cheddar or Swiss cheese

Directions

Coat a large ovenproof skillet with the olive oil and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, ham, parsley, and black pepper and saute for several minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the ham is beginning to brown. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet.

Pour the egg substitute over the skillet mixture and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook without stirring for about 6 minutes, until the eggs are almost set (the edges will be cooked but the top will still be runny).

Remove the lid from the skillet and wrap the handle in aluminum foil (to prevent it from becoming damaged under the broiler). Place the skillet under a preheated broiler and broil for a couple of minutes, until the eggs are set but not dry. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and broil for another minute to melt the cheese. Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve hot.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 222; Fat: 8.3 g; Sodium: 690 mg; Cholesterol: 32 mg; Protein: 28 g; Carbohydrates: 7 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat

SAUSAGE-PEACH BAKE

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick

1 (16 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained and juice reserved

1 package brown-and-serve sausage links

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Mix Bisquick, egg and milk, then spread into prepared pan.

Slice each sausage link into four or six pieces. Lay over batter, and top with peach slices. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

While mixture is baking, combine 1/2 cup of the peach juice, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, then cook until mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in syrup and butter. Remove baked mixture from oven, and cut into squares.

Serve with warm cooked sauce.

SALSA VERDE SCRAMBLED EGG TACOS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "Enjoy your scrambled eggs in a mini soft tortilla bowl with these delicious breakfast tacos, perfect for kids and adults! They’re topped with shredded cheese, fresh pico de gallo, avocado and Old El Paso™ Creamy Salsa Verde sauce."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Makes 6 servings

View this online at https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/salsa-verde-scrambled-egg-tacos.

Ingredients

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 package (12 count) Old El Paso™ Mini Soft Tortilla Bowls, heated as directed on package

1/2 cup Old El Paso™ shredded Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend

1/2 cup pico de gallo

1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, diced

1/3 cup Old El Paso™ Creamy Salsa Verde sauce

Preparation

In large bowl, beat eggs with whisk. Add milk and salt; beat well.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook 3 to 5 minutes, scraping cooked eggs up from bottom of skillet occasionally, until mixture is firm but still moist.

Divide eggs evenly among warm tortilla bowls. Top with cheese, pico de gallo and avocado; drizzle with sauce.

Expert Tips

Try chopped tomatoes in place of pico de gallo.

Kids love to help in the kitchen. After filling tortillas with eggs, let the kids top with their favorite cheese and fresh toppings!

Add cooked breakfast sausage to tacos for a flavor twist.