Weekend Brunch: Salmon Frittata, Potatoes and Strawberry Bread

For Mother's Day I wanted to plan a special, delicious (and somewhat healthy) brunch for my mom. I knew right away that I would be making a frittata with some of her favorite ingredients and along with that I made strawberry bread and rosemary potatoes. I made the bread the night before so it was ready to go and the potatoes and frittata were pretty quick to throw together in the morning and are perfect for a homemade brunch!

Salmon, Asparagus & Goat Cheese Frittata

This is definitely a "use what you have in the refrigerator" kind of recipe with no strict recipe or measurements to follow. For this combo I used the below ingredients, but you can really use any combo of ingredients that you want to use up!

Ingredients:
- Eggs (2 eggs per person) mixed together in a separate bowl
- Asparagus, chopped
- Red onion, chopped
- Smoked salmon
- Goat cheese

Directions:
Throw the asparagus and onion (or whatever vegetables you are using) into the pan and saute for a few minutes with olive oil, salt and pepper until they begin to get tender. Next add in the smoked salmon and saute for a few more minutes to combine the ingredients. Add the egg and do not stir. Let the frittata cook until the bottom is light brown (check by lightly lifting with a spatula). Once this happens, the top should still be pretty "eggy" and add in crumbles of the goat cheese. Once the egg starts to set transfer to the oven and broil for a few minutes to brown and cook the top. The broil will happen very quickly so watch it closely so it doesn't burn!

Rosemary Potatoes 

For this I used a small bag of fingerling potatoes that I had on hand and simple chopped, coated with olive oil, salt & pepper, and dried rosemary. Mix together and spread out on a greased cookie sheet. Cook time will vary for the amount and size of potatoes you use but at least 20 - 30 minutes. Watch and stir them every ten minutes or so until they become golden brown and tender.

Strawberry Wheat Bread

I was so excited when I saw this bread on a great blog, Cate's World Kitchen. It's such a fun, summery idea to use fresh strawberries in bread. This was the perfect pairing to the egg and potatoes, but I will also be making this on Sundays to have for breakfast or snacks during the week :).

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups fresh diced strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 4″ loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until the evenly yellow, but not so much that it turns frothy. Stir in the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and stir until evenly mixed.

Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until there are no longer traces of flour. *Note: this will be rather sticky and you'll be wondering if you missed an ingredient b/c it seems to dry... not to worry though, this is normal!

Gently fold in the strawberries, then pour into the prepared pan.

 

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before slicing.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and would love to hear what you like to make for brunch!

Baby Shower Brunch

I helped host a baby shower for a friend today. It was so much fun to get the menu together and spend the morning cooking! We wanted to have a good mix of food, sweet and savory, and something that everyone could enjoy but of course that was "mommy-to-be" friendly!

The menu ended up being:
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Egg Casserole
- Fruit Salad
- Parmesan Potato Pancake

My two favorite dishes ended up being the bread and the egg casserole. The peanut butter banana bread was featured in the October issue of Cooking Light (one of my favorite foodie mags). It was the second time that I've had it and it is delicious yet simple to bake. I love having it around the house to pair with a smoothie for breakfast.

The egg dish was a recipe I got from a friend and it is all all-time favorite. The nutmeg and thyme make it very unique and flavorful. The best part is you can make it the night before you are hosting a brunch and just throw in the oven. Recipes for both of these dishes are below!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe
(From Cooking Light)

Ingredients
Bread:
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray
Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation 1.

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Florentine Brunch Casserole Recipe

4 cups cubed french bread or italian bread, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 10 oz pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup chopped onion
8 italian sausages chopped and cooked (use whatever breakfast meat you prefer)
2 cups shredded 2% milk sharp cheddar cheese
8 eggs
2 cups skim milk
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 by 13 in pan with cooking spray. Place bread pieces, spinach, onion, sausage, and cheese in casserole dish. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, thyme, salt, nutmeg and mustard until well blended. Slowly pour in egg mixture. Bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove cover before baking. Bake 25-30 minutes until casserole is golden and puffy and center reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings.