Holiday Breakfast

  in Blog

Your family will enjoy these festive and delicious breakfast dishes over the holidays. Peruse for some inspiration!

Chocolate Oatmeal with Caramelized Bananas and Hazelnuts

2 cups milk, dairy or vegan
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch sea salt
2 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup + more for drizzling
1/3 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts
2 – 3 bananas
1/3 cup cane sugar
cooking spray

  1. Bring milk, water, maple syrup, vanilla and pinch of salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in the oats and cocoa powder together in a small bowl and add to the milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until the oats are cooked to desired consistency, about 10 minutes.
  3. While oats are cooking, slice bananas into thick slices. Pour sugar onto a plate and coat bananas in sugar.
  4. Spray a cast iron pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add bananas and cook until golden brown underneath, about 4-minutes.
  5. Gently flip bananas over, turning heat down to medium. Transfer caramelized banana slices to a plate covered with wax or parchment paper.
  6. Transfer cooked oats to bowls and top with the caramelized bananas and hazelnuts and drizzle with a little maple syrup.

Bacon Egg Potato Salad

8 slices bacon
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, cooked, peeled, diced small
Sea salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 pound baby arugula
4 eggs

  1. In a large heavy skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Set bacon aside. Drain some of the fat if desired but leave in at least 2 tablespoons. Add potatoes to pan; season with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are browned, about 10-15 minutes.
  2. Whisk together olive oil with vinegar, mustard, and green onions, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the arugula but don’t toss yet, and set aside.
  3. When the potatoes are browned, transfer to the bowl with arugula and dressing. Toss until coated and divide among 4 plates.
  4. Return skillet to stove over medium heat and add the eggs. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, turn off heat, and let stand until whites are just set but yolks are soft, about 2 minutes more. Top each salad with a fried egg and two slices of bacon and serve immediately.

 Apple Maple French Toast Bake

reprinted with permission from

1 1/2 cups milk
5 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
5 to 6 cups cubed whole grain bread
2 tablespoons butter
4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup maple syrup

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Oil or butter an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar. Add the bread and toss well. Set aside while you cook the apples, stirring once or twice to ensure the liquid soaks into the bread. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until they begin to soften. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and stir in maple syrup. Cook another few minutes, allowing the maple syrup to caramelize and coat the apples. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. Gently stir the apples into the bread mixture and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes until firm throughout. Serve warm with additional maple syrup if desired.

Homemade Chai

3 cups water
5 teaspoons cane sugar or to taste
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup whole milk
3  black tea bags

Place water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Crush the cardamom pods and add to the boiling water along with the cinnamon stick; boil for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to a boil again. Remove the pot from the heat. Add tea bags. Cover pan and let the tea steep for a few minutes. Strain tea into a teapot.

Sourdough Waffles with Apple Compote and Whipped Cream

Adapted from Nourishing Traditions

2  1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups buttermilk or 1 cup water mixed with 1 cup plain yogurt
2 egg yolks
2 – 4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 egg whites
1 pinch sea salt
Optional: heavy cream + 1-2 teaspoons cane sugar

  1. Whisk together the flour and buttermilk in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a plate and allow to sit on the counter in a warm place for 12-24 hours.
  2. Stir in the egg yolks, syrup, melted butter, and salt.
  3. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Carefully the fold the whites into the batter. Cook in a waffle maker according to machine directions. While waffles are baking, wash out the egg white bowl and beat the cream and sugar until fluffy.
  4. Serve waffles with warm apple compote and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Apple Compote:

4 apples, peeled, chopped (apples you could use: Cortland, granny smith, Fuji, pink lady)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup water
sweetener to taste such as maple syrup, cane sugar, honey, or brown sugar
pinch sea salt

Place all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook apples, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes.


Kaiserschmarrn is a German pancake that is scrambled or broken up into small pieces as it cooks.

1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch sea salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons clarified butter, ghee, or butter

  1. Beat milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt together.  Add the flour and whisk until combined.
  2. Heat  a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Once butter has melted pour in half the batter and let cook, undisturbed, until it barely begins to set. Using a metal spatula, scramble the pancake batter and separate it into small pieces, stirring and flipping often until the pieces are nicely browned. Remove onto a plate and repeat with remaining butter and batter. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar alongside fruit preserves.

Swiss Chard Bacon Quiche with Lard Crust

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
sea salt and black pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 packed cup, chopped swiss chard (remove stems before chopping)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated


1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup lard* or 1 stick cold butter
4 tablespoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

To make crust: place flour, lard, and salt in a bowl. Mix together with a fork until lard is well distributed and there are pea sized pieces of flour/lard. Add the cold water and stir just to bring the dough together. Gather together into a smooth ball. Roll dough out on a floured surface and place in a glass pie dish. Trim and flute the edges. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. Cook bacon in a cast iron pan until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off bacon fat and reserve for another use. Return pan to medium heat and saute sliced onions, until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove onions from pan and let cool.
  2. Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Layer the onions, bacon, swiss chard, and cheddar cheese evenly in the crust. Pour the egg/cream mixture over filling and bake for about 45 minutes or until center is set and top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*If you don’t have lard follow this recipe using butter instead. It makes 2 crusts. You can cut the recipe in half or make the whole recipe and freeze the other crust.

Blintzes with Jam

4 tablespoons butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons honey
strawberry or raspberry jam

  1. Melt the butter and let cool slightly. Pour into a blender or food processor and add the flour, salt, sugar, eggs and milk. Process to mix, making sure there are no lumps.
  2. Stir together the honey and ricotta cheese in a bowl.
  3. Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add a dab of butter, let it melt and coat the pan, and measure 1/4 cup of batter. Pour the batter into the pan, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Use a thin rubber spatula to loosen the edges of the blintz as it cooks. Cook for about 4 minutes, until the edges are browned and the top is bubbled. Carefully slide a thin metal spatula under the blintz and flip in the pan. Cook for another minute then flip onto a plate or cutting board. Repeat with remaining batter.