Brie and Blackberry French Toast

I can’t believe that it’s already Christmas Eve! Where does the time go? Fortunately, all of my gifts are bought and wrapped, and I’m ready for Santa to come tonight even if the holiday did sneak up on me. What I didn’t prepare for was a delicious Christmas breakfast. So I scrolled back through my Instagram and found one of my favorite easy and slightly decadent breakfast recipes that would be perfect for tomorrow morning.

This brie and blackberry French toast is super easy to make and the perfect sweet (but not too sweet) breakfast option. Don’t have blackberries? No problem! Strawberries and blueberries would also work great or even a frozen berry medley that you might have on had for smoothies! So let’s get to it:

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 4 pieces of bread of choice

• 4 eggs

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 4 oz brie (or more or less depending on preference)

• 1/2 cup blackberries

• 1 tsp chia seeds

Instructions:

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and cinnamon.

2. Dip the slices of bread (both sides) into the mixture, fully coating.

3. Cook the bread in a greased pan over medium heat on the stovetop until golden brown, flip and repeat on the other side.

   Once cooked, spread the brie on one side of one piece of the warm bread and top with a second slice. This should melt the brie. If not, you cant return them to the pan for a few minutes to do so. Repeat with the other slices.

4. In the meantime, heat up the berries in a sauce pan over medium high heat. As they start to cook down, mix in the chia seeds to form a bit of a jam. Top your French toast with the blackberry mixture and a drizzle of maple syrup and enjoy!

Let me know how you enjoy yours and what you think in the comments below. Merry Christmas!

Buffalo Cauliflower Dip

It’s football Sunday which means it’s time to get out those delicious snacks and dips! This buffalo cauliflower dip has been a favorite of mine for years, and it never disappoints. It’s vegetarian, gluten free, and gets in those sneaky veggies while still feeding those buffalo cravings. It’s super easy to whip up, so you can easily have it ready in time for today’s games. Let’s get to it!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

• 8 oz shredded cheddar

• 8 oz cream cheese

• 1/2 cup ranch dressing

• 3/4 cup buffalo sauce

• 1 green onion, chopped

• 2-4 tbsp blue cheese crumbles (optional)

• 2 tbsp avocado oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss the cauliflower florets with avocado oil, salt, and pepper, and roast in a preheated 450 degree oven for 30 mins.

2. Once cooked, “shred” the cauliflower using a fork, breaking the florets apart into smaller pieces.

3. In a large bowl, combine the shredded cauliflower, shredded cheddar, cream cheese, ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce, and mix together well. Pour the mixture evenly into a square baking dish.

4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for ~25-30 mins.

5. Top with green onion and crumbled blue cheese as desired. Serve with your favorite veggies, tortilla chips, or crackers, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Cauliflower Parmesan

With the kickoff of fall, it’s about time that one of my favorite cozy cauliflower recipes finally makes its way over to the blog. If you follow me on Instagram, you know this is one my favorite fall/winter dinners to make on repeat, and it never disappoints. It’s so good, the entire family will love it, and it’s pretty easy to make as well! It’s vegetarian and can easily be made gluten free. It would also be a great, fun recipe to get the kids in on! So without further ado, let’s get to it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 head of cauliflower, sliced lengthwise into 4 “steaks” about 1.5” thick

• 2 eggs, whisked

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs of choice

• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1 cup marinara sauce

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Set up a dipping station of 3 shallow bowls - one with the eggs, one with the almond flour, and one with a mixture of the bread crumbs, shredded parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

2. Dip each cauliflower “steak” into the eggs, then the almond flour, back into the eggs, and finally the bread crumb mixture.

3. Lay each piece on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 30 mins (flipping halfway through).

4. Evenly pour the marinara sauce over the cooked cauliflower pieces and top each with shredded mozzarella.

5. Broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese melts.

6. Serve with your favorite side(s) and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Pizza Frittata with Applegate Naturals®’ New Cheese Line

This post is sponsored by Applegate, however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

Applegate has been a go to in my kitchen for years with their natural and organic meats, so you know that I was super excited to learn about their new sliced and shredded cheese line! They are expanding their core values and the high quality standards upheld by their meats to cheese sourcing and production with a transparent, traceable milk pool.

Applegate Naturals® Sliced and Shredded Cheese comes from the milk of pasture-raised cows living in small herds on independent, family-owned farms. These cows are humanely raised and never administered antibiotics or growth hormones.

This cheese is the brand’s first ever to be Non-GMO Project Verified, and it has no added colors, preservatives, or artificial ingredients. There are six new sliced varieties – Medium Cheddar, Provolone, American-Style Colby, Muenster, Pepper Jack, and Mozzarella. Sliced Swiss will be released in 2019. There are also three shredded cheese offerings – an Italian blend, Medium Cheddar, and a Mexican Blend. You’ll be able to find the new cheese lines at selected retailers including Whole Foods Market, Publix, and Sprouts. You can also find more information by visiting www.applegate.com.

To celebrate the launch, I decided to make a fun and delicious recipe using their new sliced mozzarella (and turkey pepperoni). Pizza is always an easy and delicious go to, and breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. So I figured why not combine them? I whipped up the perfect, easy pizza frittata for two! It packs in the protein and makes it easy to enjoy guilt-free pizza for breakfast!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

-4 eggs
-1 slice Applegate Sliced Mozzarella
-6 pieces Applegate Turkey Pepperoni
-1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes
-1 cup fresh arugula
-2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
-3-4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
-1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
-1 tbsp EVOO
-Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a small oven-friendly skillet, heat up the EVOO over medium high heat.
2. Add in the chopped garlic and arugula, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic starts to turn golden and the arugula cooks down.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and pour the mixture over the arugula and garlic.
4. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes on the stovetop until the sides are cooked (but the center is still raw).
5. Place the pan in the oven on broil, and cook for about three minutes. The eggs should be cooked on the top but still a light yellow.
6. Remove the pan, top the eggs with the diced tomatoes, sliced cheese (feel free to add in an extra slice if you’d like!), and pepperoni.
7. Place the pan back in the oven for another 3 minutes or so until the cheese melts and the eggs begin to turn golden brown.
8. Remove the pan, and top with fresh basil. Slice the frittata in half, serve, and enjoy!

Feel free to share the other half with someone special (delicious cheese fans recommended)! Let me know what you think in the comments below, and make sure to check out www.applegate.com for more info on their delicious cheese and meats!

Eggplant Parm Frittata from Whole Foods Market

I feel like February often gets a bad wrap. It's dark and cold (if you're in the Northeast like I am), and there doesn't seem to be much going on. But in reality there's lots to celebrate! It happens to be my birthday month, and for everybody else, there's Valentine's Day with that special person in your life (or Galentine's Day if you choose to celebrate with your closest gal pals). Plus, Whole Foods Market has an entire other, delicious reason to celebrate!

February is the month of Parmigiano Reggiano at Whole Foods Market, which just so happens to be one of my favorite cheeses! This year marks WFM's 10th anniversary of their traditional Parm Crack event. At this event, Whole Foods hand selects the highest quality wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano from defined creameries in Northern Italy. At 3 pm ET on February 24th, each store will simultaneously crack wheels of cheese, and there will be demonstrations and tastings for customers. If that weren't enough, Parmigiano Reggiano will be on sale from 2/23-2/25 at $5 off per lb. 

To celebrate this delicious event and give you a fun way to put that Parmigiano Reggiano to good use, I'm bringing you one of my favorite frittata recipes - eggplant parm.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
-1/2 medium eggplant, sliced
-4 eggs
-1 Roma tomato, sliced
-6 fresh basil leaves (2 chopped, 4 whole)
-2 garlic cloves, chopped
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
-Splash of milk of choice or water (optional)
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
-1 tbsp EVOO

Serves 2

Instructions:

1) Heat up the EVOO in an oven-safe pan on the stove top over medium high heat.
2) Add in the eggplant slices, and cook 2-3 mins/side.
3) Add in the chopped garlic and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.
4) In a bowl, whisk the 4 eggs with a splash of milk, 2 chopped basil leaves, Italian seasoning, sea salt, and black pepper.
5) Spread the tomato slices throughout the pan, layering with the egpplant. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Regianno throughout the layers, and top with the remaining cheese.
6) Pour the egg mixture over the top, and top with the 4 basil leaves.
7) Cook, covered on the stove top, for 3-5 minutes until the sides are cooked.
8) Move the pan to the oven on broil, and cook until golden brown (~5-7 minutes).
9) Remove, and cut the frittata into two halves.
10) Plate, serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy!

Make sure to head into your local Whole Foods Market to pick up that delicious Parmigiano Reggiano and experience the Parm Crack event for yourself! If you're local to Northern NJ, you can find more information here. And as always, let me know what you think in the comments below!