Category Archives: Brunch

Breakfast / Brunch / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free / Savory / Stay Healthy / Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Vegetable Hash

January 15, 2014

Ugggghhhhhh… You guys. I’m on week 2 of “eating healthy” and it’s officially the worst. I mean, it’s not — but it is. I’m not even doing anything drastic like giving anything up. I’m not eating “paleo,” or “gluten free” (God forbid), or “vegan,” or anything particularly even that limiting — I’m really just being conscious about what I’m eating — cooking at home, bringing my lunch, stopping before I’m full…

And it’s fine. I think a week and a half from now it will be more than fine. However, right now — a week and a half in — a week and a half after eating anything and everything whenever I wanted (an entire loaf of bread + beer + chocolate + treatsomgallthetime!), my brain is a little bit like, “this is way less fun than December was.”

Totes.

Anyway, I made this hash over the weekend as a stay-at-home lunch for KC and I, and it ended up being breakfast the next morning as well. It was a means of using up a lot of veggies from our CSA box (I’m currently overloaded with sweet potatoes). It’s very adaptable and you can sub in whatever veggies you have on hand. Celeriac came in the CSA this week, hence why it’s making an appearance. Feel free to sub in turnips, carrots, parsnips, or more potatoes in its place.

Sweet Potato Vegetable Hash

serves 4-6

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
handful of small potatoes (or 1 russet potato), diced
1 head green cabbage, core removed, chopped
1 small bunch green kale, stems removed, chopped
1 head celeriac (celery root), peeled, diced
2 leeks, white part trimmed and sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
optional: eggs for serving

Place potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until just cooked (5-8 minutes).
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, onion and celeriac and saute until softened and very fragrant. Add in garlic and saute 1-2 minutes until very fragrant. Add in cabbage, kale, red pepper flakes (to taste) and salt and pepper, turning to coat. Add in water, then cover pan and heat through until cabbage and kale are wilted and cooked to your desired consistency (about 10 minutes — turning occasionally).
Once the veggies are cooked, move them out of the pan into a large bowl. Add some more olive oil to the pan and add the cooked (and drained) potatoes to the skillet, over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus 1 tbsp butter. Stir until butter is melted and distributed and potatoes are just starting to break down (about 2 minutes).
Add potatoes to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to combine. Spoon into shallow bowls and top with an egg, if desired. (Oh yeah, and hot sauce!)

Breakfast / Brunch / Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Stay Healthy / Vegetarian

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

November 19, 2013

KC and I started getting a CSA box a few months ago, and opted to tack on a dozen farm-fresh eggs to our order. The living conditions of chickens at large-scale farms sort of appalls me, so I feel ok about paying a premium for eggs that I know are fresh and from well-treated hens . Also, I do sometimes use raw egg yolks in salad dressing and raw egg whites in cocktails (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!), so having non-sketchy eggs is a must.

Because we get our eggs delivered every other week, come rain, shine, or vacation, we sometimes end up with a couple dozen in the fridge if we don’t go through them fast enough. This isn’t usually the case, given mine and Alexis’ penchant for pisco sours at our Friday night happy hours, but because KC and I were in Hawaii for a week, we ended up being inundated with eggs — half of which were on the verge of expiring. The solution? This frittata. Frittatas are a great way to use up eggs and random produce. You can basically put whatever you want into a frittata — meat, veggies, potatoes, cheese, herbs… The possibilities are endless. You can also make it whatever size you want (dependent, of course, on the size of your oven-proof cookware).

My frittata ended up being enormous due to the size of my pan (I used my Le Creuset braiser) and the amount of eggs I wanted to get through (1+ dozen).

Because frittatas are so customizable, here’s a rundown on the basics: cook your meat and veggies, then place them in an even layer in whatever oven-proof pan you’re using, over medium-high heat. Cover everything with your egg mixture and cook until it’s just starting to set in the middle — about 5 min (no stirring!). Cover top with cheese/herbs (if using), then transfer to an oven at 400° and bake until fully set, 5-15 minutes depending on the size of your frittata.

Here’s the recipe for the (huge!) frittata I made:

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

serves 6-8

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1″ dice
1 medium onion, diced
15 eggs (yeah, I used 15 eggs. I told you it was huge.)
splash of milk (I used half and half)
grated Parmesan cheese
handful of grape tomatoes, cut in half
crumbled goat cheese (about 3 oz)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.
Place cauliflower, broccoli, and sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, then toss to combine. Bake until desired done-ness is reached (I baked mine for 20 min). Remove veggies, then lower oven to 400°.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese, and tomatoes.
Place your oven-proof pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add about 1 tbsp of olive oil, then add the onion, salt and pepper, and saute until just softened.
Add roasted vegetables to the pan, distributing evenly. Cover with egg mixture and cook until the middle is just starting to set, above 5 minutes (don’t stir! Just leave it alone here — very important).
Sprinkle goat cheese over the top, then transfer pan into the oven and cook until entirely set, 5-15 minutes. (Mine took about 13 minutes.)

We like to eat frittatas with hot sauce, but sour cream and salsa are also good additions (as is a green salad — but, y’know, I was tired, so that didn’t happen).

Breakfast / Brunch / Dairy-Free / Drinks / Fall / Gluten-Free / Sweet / Vegan / Vegetarian

At-Home Stovetop Mochas

October 23, 2013

Y’all know I have an intense love for coffee. (If you don’t — hi, I’m Chelsea, it’s nice to meet you.) While I normally just opt for straight brewed coffee, sometimes it’s nice to liven things up a bit (y’know, like with sugar. And chocolate.)

I, honestly, love a mocha. I mean coffee + chocolate? What’s not to like? However, I find that ordering a mocha at many coffeehouses tends to be like OMGCHOCOLATE&SUGAR!! + ~~coffee~~. I mean, I love a hot chocolate on occasion; but if I want a mocha, I want it to be a nice balance of chocolate and coffee (with an emphasis on the coffee). Because of this, I like to make mochas at home. Stovetop mochas = you control the coffee/chocolate ratio. That’s right my friend, you are the master of this combination. You can even require that people refer to you as “your Excellency” when you make these. (*Note: I mean, you can require it… but whether that actually happens…)

So with that, Mocha Masters, let’s get started.

First — a little note about the coffee in these: I like to use espresso in my mochas, because it’s both traditional and delicious. While I do own a Nespresso, I like to use my Bialetti stovetop espresso maker ↑ for these. If you don’t own an espresso maker, you can always make your own double-strength coffee and just use that. (I would use 4 tbsp. fresh, finely ground coffee — ideally an espresso roast — per 1 cup of water. You’ll only need about 1 cup for these.)

Stovetop Mochas

serves 2

finely ground espresso (about 4 tbsp)
chocolate of your choice (about 4 tbsp) — I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, usually
tiny pinch of salt
1-2 tsp. sugar
3-4 cups milk (again, your choice — I did a 50/50 mix of nonfat and half and half)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Prepare your espresso by filling the bottom of your espresso maker with fresh, cold water up to the bolt. Place grounds into the basket until full, then lightly tamp down. Screw the top on the espresso maker tightly, then set over high heat and let it come to a boil.
Place chocolate, salt, sugar and about 1/4 of the milk into a small pot over medium heat. Heat until small bubbles start to appear on the sides of the milk, then stir or whisk constantly until milk is heated and chocolate is fully melted and dissolved (about 2 min). Add remaining milk and heat until just warmed through (about 3 min). Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla extract.
When espresso is done (all the water has boiled through the top of your espresso maker), pour the espresso into the milk mixture and stir to combine.
Pour into cups and top with whipped cream if you’re feeling fancy.

This recipe is really easy to customize, so play around with it until you get the flavors the way you like them. Some people will like more or less chocolate, more or less sugar, different milk (to make it dairy-free use soy, hemp, almond, or rice milk), etc. You can also play around with the extracts — adding about 1/4 tsp. of peppermint extract would be fun for the holidays. Or maybe serve it with a cinnamon stick to make it more of a Mexican chocolate mocha. You could even add a dash of cayenne if you wanted to get real crazy. Do what you want — you are the mocha master!

Breakfast / Brunch / Dairy-Free / Vegetarian

Easy Weekend Breakfast

March 5, 2013

Oh, weekends, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love that on the weekends you can have late, slow breakfasts that involve things other than cereal. During the week I scarf down a bowl of cold cereal as fast as I can manage, while glaring at the clock that says “Hey! It’s 5:30am! That BLOWS!” and the traffic guy who’s usually telling me that my commute is going to suck even more than usual. Ugh. I’m annoyed just thinking about it.

But Saturday and Sunday mornings… These were made for eating something a little more indulgent. And while I love a nice big plate of pancakes or french toast on the weekends, sometimes I don’t want to spend the time over the stove required to make those. Also, sometimes I want to act like my life doesn’t revolve around carbs covered in sugar (I mean, it does. But sometimes it’s nice to pretend that I, like, eat protein occasionally.)

This isn’t a super healthy breakfast by any means (given that it involves buttered toast), but compared to a lot of big breakfast options, it’s pretty low on the omgmyjeansdon’tfit scale. Also, it’s a whopping 3 ingredients. So, there’s that. Perfect for those impromptu occasions when someone is over in the morning and you want to act like you have it together in the kitchen. Serve this with some coffee, they’ll think you’re a regular Julia Child (maybe).

I do feel like this recipe is kind of a cop out, because it’s not really a “recipe” so much as “here’s eggs the way I like to eat them.” But, sometimes it’s these little “kind-of” recipes that become a regular staple in your cooking repertoire. (What about how I just used the word “repertoire?” Also, what about the number of things in quotes in this paragraph? Insane.)

Soft-Boiled Eggs with Toast (or “Eggs and Soldiers”)

Eggs (2 for KC, 1 for me)
Good bread for toasting (I used an Acme sour batard)
Salted butter (Unsalted butter is for baking. Or for slathering onto bread and topping with coarse salt. You know how I roll.)

Place eggs in one layer in a small pot (the less room they have to roll around in there, the better). Cover with water (just barely), add a big pinch of salt, then heat over high, covered, until just beginning to boil.
Once boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, crack the lid so a bit of the steam escapes, and simmer for 3 minutes exactly.
Once 3 minutes is up, drain boiling water and transfer eggs into an ice bath (or cover with lots of cold water).
Make toast (I don’t have to explain this, do I?), butter it, then slice into 1″ strips (for dipping!).
Peel the top half of the eggs, serve in egg cups.

Cute egg cups + tiny spoons = yeah, that’s maybe half the reason I make these.

Breakfast / Brunch / Happy Hour / Savory

Mid-Day Drunk

May 17, 2010

Hey all!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. And, if you participated in Bay to Breakers, I hope your hangover has subsided by now.

In honor of B2B, this weekend I decided to have a daytime happy hour. Because there’s nothing like a mid-day drunk to get you through a Saturday…

Anyway, on Friday KC got off work early and we decided to walk around Lake Merritt. Um, can you tell it’s spring yet??

Hmm maybe just a little?

Our walk was very nice. We enjoyed the sunshine and all the lake wildlife. I did have to make a detour to Whole Foods mid-way through our walk to grab a snack… I get hungry, I can’t help it!

After our walk, KC and I headed to Alexis and Carey’s apartment since they live right by the lake. We decided to head to happy hour at Adesso over on Piedmont. There aren’t any drink specials for happy hour (I don’t think…), but they do have a buffet of free snacks set up. Score! I’m all about free.

The snacks were delicious with our drinks; so we hung out for awhile, and then headed home for the night.

Yesterday I threw together the mid-day happy hour and invited Alexis and Carey over to partake.

I figured I’d go with a classic brunch drink and appetizer for my pre-five o’clock boozing. I made mimosas with fresh-squeezed orange juice and bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

If you’re ever looking for an easy brunch spread, look no further than this. This is quite possibly the easiest thing to throw together in 5 minutes or less, and completely delicious.

Alright, the appetizer. Everything was store-bought for this. I know, I know, I didn’t make anything myself; but sometimes it’s nice to rely on what’s ready and available.

I bought mini bagels and Trader Joes and just cut them into fourths. I served these with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and some red onion.

If I were making this for a party, I’d probably make a dip out of the cream cheese to make it seem more homemade, and to make assembling the bagels easier. Making the dip for this is really easy and delicious. You mix cream cheese with some diced red onion, some fresh dill, and capers. Serve that alongside the bagels and the smoked salmon and voila, everyone at the party is your new best friend and wants your dip recipe. All the fame with none of the effort.

Let’s get down to business, then. Drinks.

Mimosas are quite possibly the easiest cocktail ever invented. Well aside from shots, I suppose. Everything you need for mimosas is in that picture: champagne and orange juice. Basically, combine those into a glass to taste and you’re good to go. Couldn’t be simpler.

Watch out when you add the orange juice, as the champagne tends to want to fizz over — so add it slowly! My tablecloth is in need of a wash because I was a little hasty in pouring the orange juice in. Woops.

I like mimosas because a. they have bubbles, and b. you can purchase cheaper champagne than if you were drinking it straight (at least, that’s my philosophy…).

If you want to make things even easier on yourself, you can obviously use store-bought orange juice, rather than squeezing your own. I just think fresh-squeezed is far superior to any store brand, so it’s worth the effort in my book.

If you’d like to dress up your cocktail, consider adding a slice of orange as a garnish, or even a splash of grenadine. If you’re throwing a big brunch, consider having a champagne cocktail table where your guests can pour their own mimosas. That’s always a fun way to liven up a party.

Alright well it’s late so I’d better be getting to bed! As a treat, I’ll leave you with a picture of Seuss. Clearly she hasn’t been listening to me and continues to do whatever the heck she wants…

Night!