Speaking of lack of breakfast-eating, one thing I’ve been able to sneak in now and again is my tried and true egg bake. These truly are SO much easier than making a fried or scrambled egg. Each of those requires dedicated attention during the cook time. With an egg bake, you just throw some stuff in a bowl, mix it up, and pour it into a prepared mini baking dish. Instead of hanging out by the stove, I get ready for the work day while the egg bake cooks in the oven. I love the multi-tasking!
However, I haven’t been grocery shopping much lately, so I’ve had to get creative on my recent egg bake ingredients and flavors. Since I’ve been so big into spices lately, my latest thought was to add in one of the new spice blends I recently purchased – Berebere Ethiopian Style Seasoning. Would it work? It worked great! The spice blend added a zesty flavor to the egg bake that I’ve really enjoyed.
Another trick? I scored some Van’s frozen whole grain English muffins on sale at Whole Foods recently. They have been lifesavers considering my lack of grocery shopping as of late. Both the egg bake and the English muffins are great pantry dishes, really, since I didn’t need fresh ingredients. The English muffins were in the freezer, the eggs and milk were in the fridge, and the spices were in my cabinet. Busy-bees, rejoice!
Oh, and for my long-time readers, yes, this is basically a slight adjustment to my previous versions of this recipe, but I like to type it all out so you and newer readers don’t have to click back and forth.
Berebere Spiced Egg Bake
A simple addition of the zesty Berebere Ethiopian style spice blend adds great flavor to this easy breakfast dish! Mix, pour, and multi-task while your egg bake cooks in the oven.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 16-19 minutes
Total Time: 21-24 minutes
Serves: 1 (multiplies easily)
Ingredients (multiply by each serving for multiples):
- non-stick spray
- 1 cage free or farm fresh egg
- 1 tablespoon frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1/8 teaspoon Berebere Ethiopian style spice blend (see link at top of the post for details on the one I used)
- pinch of salt
- a bit of fresh-ground pepper
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray individual casserole dish(es) with non-stick spray.
- Combine egg, milk, Berebere spice blend, salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk together. Add spinach and mix in.
- Evenly distribute egg mixture to individual casserole dish(es). Bake until edges are golden brown and egg is set in the middle, about 16-18 minutes (depending oven temperature, etc.). Note: I used a toothpick to check doneness, sort of like you would for cake.
- Remove from oven and let sit for a couple minutes till it’s safe to eat. Enjoy!
Happy cooking!
Thanks for reading!
Reader question: What do you eat for breakfast when you haven’t been grocery shopping in awhile?
I may be the only one excited for the time change. I know we lose an hour, and that is no bueno, but I’m in it for the extra sunshine every day. I’ve already started enjoying it. Days will seemingly last longer, I’ll have better (more?) light for photos, and maybe I’ll even get a few more people into my Zumba classes. People seem to like to come more when there’s more light outside. Anywho, on to the food…
I made this simple and healthy breakfast for a pre-Zumba meal this past Saturday and posted a photo of it to Instagram. It’s a hot blueberry-honey breakfast quinoa. People immediately started asking for the recipe, so I decided to fast-track it ahead of a couple other posts in the works.
When I’m feeling extra organized, I like to make a batch of quinoa and use it in a couple different dishes. I think most grains taste better cooked in broth, but I like to cook quinoa in water so I can make savory and sweet dishes from it. This particular breakfast was as easy as combining a few ingredients in a pot and gently heating through. Top with almonds. Eat. Enjoy. Rock the day.
Hot Blueberry-Honey Breakfast Quinoa
Make a big batch of quinoa cooked simply in water, and this breakfast will come together in a jiffy. Just toes everything in a small pot and cook until it’s the consistency you like. So easy! I’ve given you some portion ideas, but you can tweak this recipe to suit your appetite. I can’t eat a lot before I work out, so I made a very small amount, but just adjust as you prefer. Try fresh blueberries when they’re in season.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-20 minutes
Total time: 15-25 minutes
Yields: 1 or so, depending on ingredient amounts used
*Vegetarian, Vegan options listed*
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh should work – I used frozen wild blueberries that were a little smaller than most)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used rice milk; use vegan milk for vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon honey (or sub agave/maple syrup/etc. for vegan option) for a lightly sweet flavor, add more if needed
- dash or two ground cinnamon
- small pinch salt
- sliced almonds, optional, for garnish and texture
Directions:
- Combine quinoa, blueberries, milk, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a small, non-stick pot. Heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until quinoa has reached your desired consistency. Note: Exact time will vary on your consistency preference and stove heat.
- Serve in a small bowl and top with sliced almonds. Wait until it’s safely cooled to eat and enjoy!
I’m looking forward to eating this more this spring…especially with fresh, local blueberries from the farmers market!
Reader question: Do you like or dislike the spring time change?
After the previous day’s breakfast, I was really looking forward to more breakfast eats at Louisa’s Porch B&B.
We started with another yummy fruit bowl.
And breakfast was a fabulous party on a plate with lots of different components – French scrambled eggs, breakfast salad with blueberry vinaigrette, bacon, roasted root vegetables, and cheesy grits. Can you say yum?
Laurel did a great job whipping up some great breakfast fare. Again, I tried to stuff my face as much as possible, but I just couldn’t quite finish the whole plate. I did my best.
After breakfast, hubby and I packed up.
Since the weather was looking nice outside, I thought I’d take one more stroll into town to get a little something-something to go.
Yup – Dobra Tea…again. What can I say, I love it, and I don’t think we have anything like it back in Charlotte. I gotta get it while the getting’s good!
I ordered a drink to-go and decided to bring home some more tea to try to create another Dobra fave – the tulsi chai.
For my drink, I enjoyed a Forrest Dragon on the way home. My sister got this the last time we were on vacay here, and I remembered how delicious it was. The iced matcha bubble tea may be my new fave, though. Hmm…?
The ride home was beautiful. I love seeing the far off mountains and blue hills. Gorgeous!
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Charlotte readers – the Green Jeans 3-day consignment sale starts tomorrow. Are you excited? They let me in while they were setting up on Tuesday, and I have some photos to share of some goodies for sale. I’ll have a couple posts to share shortly. The charity pre-sale was actually tonight, so I think I’ve already done my shopping for the weekend. Who’s going?!
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Thanks for reading!
One of the reasons I chose Louisa’s Porch for our Asheville stay was the food. I’d read great reviews on the food on TripAdvisor, and I loved how the B&B mentioned on their site that they strive to use local ingredients. When the season is right, they even use ingredients from their own garden.
The breakfasts we experienced didn’t disappoint. They were wonderful!
We were greeted with a tasty mix of fresh fruit (apples, bananas, and mixed berries) with a dollop of yogurt on top.
Bob, who runs the B&B, had breakfast with us and kept our coffee cups full.
Harper was our chef on the first morning, and she whipped up an impressive spread – herb-scrambled eggs, turkey-chicken Italian sausage, and homemade coffee cake.
I stuffed my face and then took another bite…and another. It was too good to not try eating more.
After letting breakfast digest for a bit, I walked on over to Dobra Tea for something a little on the warm side.
I got one of my faves from our last trip – the Tulsi Chai – hot, sweet, spiced, and delicious.
I spent a little time reading another book I’d brought along for the trip – Start with Why.
I decided to take some Dobra tea home with me.
I got 2 ounces of their Lullaby blend. I love bed time teas, and if I can find one that really helps relax and get ready for bed, I’m totally sold. I haven’t had the chance to try this one yet, but I’m hopeful.
And here’s a random photo of some artwork under one of the highway overpasses near downtown. You should see the rest of the paintings. They’re vibrant and have textured pieces of (what looks like) glass incorporated. I love the art scene in Asheville. One of these days, we’ll spend some time looking for some art to put up in our house. Our walls are bare, but I’m thinking Asheville would be a great place to find some artwork.
Reader question: Are you a hotel or B&B type of person?
