Easter Breakfast Ideas

With Easter fast approaching and family arriving for the weekend. I thought I would share with you two recipes I recently tried. For those of you who want to prepare breakfast the night before the cinnamon rolls are a perfect choice. I was so impressed with how great they turned out. Plus, I didn't use any sugar! Instead, I used agave and cinnamon and honestly, they were just as good. I think next time I might try to use jam for the filling instead of cinnamon and sugar for a nice twist.

The second recipe for today is French Toast Waffles, yep that's right. This inspiration is from Bobby Flay, I recently caught his new show Brunch @ Bobby's and he made French Toast Waffles, that I just had to try. No need for a lot of prep or time, these are simple and easy to make, top with some good maple syrup and fresh berries and you are good to go.

For those of you who don't know me, I am not a baker. I do not do well with exact measurements and long waits, so baking has never been my strong suit but once in awhile I'm in the mood for a sweet treat, so I pull out the measuring cups. This happened to me a few Saturday mornings ago and I decided Cinnamon Rolls was the perfect fit. Though no Cinnamon Roll is diet friendly, whenever possible I try adapt my recipes to make a lighter version. So here you go my take on the ever loved favorite, the sticky Cinnamon Roll.

CINNAMON ROLLS
1 cup milk (heated)

1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)

1 teaspoon maple extract
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Blue Agave
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon (Or More)
5 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Pre-Heat oven to 350 Degrees F

In a small bowl or measuring cup put the water and yeast together. The water should be at 110 degrees, if you have a candy thermometer great. If not I microwaved it for about 1 minute, before adding the yeast. Do not stir the yeast. After about five minute the yeast should start bubbling or foaming, this is how you know the yeast is good.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine water, eggs, milk, salt maple extract and beat together. Once combined begin adding the flour, one cup at a time. Using a dough hook mix until the mixture is combined and begins to form a ball.

Lightly flour your working surface, turn the dough out and knead until stretchy and soft, approximately 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise, should almost double in size. After dough has risen, roll and stretch the dough into a rectangle.

Cover with melted butter, then layer generously with blue agave and then cinnamon, covering the entire surface. (If you would like to add brown sugar this is the time to do it, nuts or raisins would be perfect as well), Roll the dough into a log or long roll. Using a greased or floured knife, cut off slices about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick.

Grease a cake pan and place roll in the center and the rest around the roll. I didn't have a cake pan and baked mine on a regular sheet pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not over bake, if the rolls begin to brown quickly, cover with a lid or tinfoil for the remainder of baking.

Simple Frosting Options:
Vanilla Frosting:
In a medium bowl, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted better and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Then stir in enough milk or water to reach consistency you like.

Since I was being mindful of my calories, I simply drizzled a mixture of Blue Agave (few tablespoons) and Vanilla Stevia liquid drops (few drops) over the top of the hot Cinnamon Rolls.

This was my first attempt to make Cinnamon Rolls, I did change the amount of butter and sugar but still achieved the sweet treat I was craving. Though, they turned out delicious, they could have looked better. Here is a tip for all those first timers out there, roll the log as tight as possible. Rolling the log too lightly will result in the centers popping up, which is what I achieved but thankfully they taste all the same.

FRENCH TOAST WAFFLES

4 Slices of Texas Toast

4 Eggs

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Waffle Iron

I typically use Challah or Brioche bread but any good sturdy bread will do. My mom had Texas toast on hand so that was the winner this time. If the bread is not already sliced, slice into thick slices about 1 inch.

Turn on the waffle iron, medium to high heat. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Submerge bread slices into the egg mixture, until every ounce of the bread is covered. Place each soaked piece of bread aside in a small casserole dish. Repeat until every piece of toast is covered. Pour any remaining egg mixture over the top of your saturated toast. Once the waffle iron is hot, place the toast in the waffle iron and close. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with maple syrup and fresh berries.

This recipe serves four, add 2 pieces of bread, 2 eggs and 1/4 of milk for every additional person. This was a great break from normal pancakes and was so easy, I'm sure we will be trying this one again. I hope everyone enjoys their Easter and spends some good quality time with family.

Pumpkin Ravioli

With swimsuit season fast approaching I'm definitely looking for tasty low calorie options of my favorite meals. As the pasta lover that I am there is no way I cannot have pasta at least once a week, so I came up with this quick ravioli recipe that is not only a breeze in the kitchen but also easy on the waistline.

Wonton Wrappers are a great way to make easy, fast pasta dishes. They are found in your local grocery store, are very reasonable in price and only have 160 calories for 8 wrappers. I purchase them whenever they go on sale and throw them in the freezer until I need them.

Tonight's recipe  has a total of 313 calories per serving and is full of protein. This is a great option for a meat free, vegetarian based meal. To keep the sodium down and the flavor amazing I have used organic pumpkin pie filling and dried beans not canned. I know dried beans can sometimes seem like a time consuming option but it really isn't. Here is a great tip to help get you in and out of the kitchen. Cook the whole the bag of beans at one time (follow the instructions on the bag) after they are cooked, cooled and dried portion them out into 1 cup freezer bags and place in the freezer. That way they are just as easy as grabbing a can but are so much better for you and offer much more flavor.
 

Pumpkin Ravioli
1 Package of Wonton Wrappers
1/2 Cup of Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups of Pumpkin Pie Filling 
1/2 Cup of  Cannellini Beans
1 Garlic Clove
Salt & Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 250 degrees, since the ravioli cook in batches placing them in the oven in between will keep everything warm until they are ready to be served.  Place all filling ingredients (minus seasonings) into a food processor or blender. Mix until completely smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill a small bowl with water and place a damp paper towel over the open wonton wrappers. I prefer to work as an assembly line, placing numerous wonton wrappers on the working surface, putting a small spoon full of filling into the center of each wrapper and then wetting all corners of the wrapper . Fold the wrapper in half, sealing the filling inside. Set aside on a sprayed/oiled cooking sheet. After you have made the desired amount of ravioli place in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes. You can skip this step but I find the ravioli stick together (do not open while cooking) if they have rested in the fridge first.

While the ravioli rest in the fridge, bring your water to a boil. Season the water with salt and cook 5 to 8 ravioli at a time, cooking 4 to 6 minutes until they float to the top. Make sure you do not over crowd the pot. Once the raviolis are ready to be removed us a large slotted spoon and gently remove ravioli. Place the cooked ravioli on your baking sheet and pop into the warmed oven.

While your ravioli is cooking start your sauce. I would usually pair this with a browned butter sauce but since this is a waistline friendly meal I have created a lighter option.

Balsamic Sauce
1/2 Cup of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1/4 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar

Pour balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan, on medium to high heat and cook sauce until it begins to thicken. You must continually whisk sauce as you do not want it to burn. Once the sauce has reduced (almost in half) begin to add your broth, add the broth a little at a time until you reach the desired taste and consistence. If you prefer a thicker sauce you could always thicken with cornstarch.

For those of you wanting the Brown Butter Sauce here you go:
Brown Butter Sauce
3/4 Cup of Butter
1/4 tsp of Sea Salt
1/4 tsp of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

In a large, heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add butter and cook until the butter starts to brown, approximately 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Once all the ravioli are cooked, plate the ravioli and drizzle the desired amount of sauce.
Optional - Finish with a drizzle of very good extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Pecorino cheese.
Since there are only two of us in my house, I usually freeze half my ravioli for another quick meal when I'm in a pinch for time. Instead of making another batch of ravioli, this time I made tortellini so the hubby doesn't feel he is getting the same meal next week. 

Hope everyone has a great week. I would love to hear your comments about the recipes, please feel free to post comments and or questions.