Breakfast for Dinner

We had breakfast for dinner last night. My gang was slightly less enthusiastic about it than I would have hoped; but I thought it was both beautiful & yummy.

Kale & Smoked Bacon Quiche, Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes, homemade strawberry jam... really, what else is a mama to do? I thought perhaps you might enjoy it, so here are the recipes:

Kale & Smoked Bacon Quiche
(Serves 4)

A bunch of green kale, roughly chopped
4-5 strips smoked bacon
1 medium white onion, diced
1 T olive oil
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
5 large eggs
3/4 cup of lo-fat milk
1/2 cup of fat-free half & half
1 t sea salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1-2 frozen pie shells (see note)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Set pie shells out to thaw. Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat and saute the onions until they are slightly browned. Add the kale and fry for about 3 minutes or until it has wilted slightly. Remove from heat and set aside. Fry the bacon strips until they a little crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Next, spread the bacon, kale and onion over the base of the pie shell.

Beat the eggs and mix in the milk, half & half, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Blend well and pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 450 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the center of the quiche is almost firm. Remove the quiche from the oven and let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Note: This recipe made 2 quiches for me, using regular frozen pie shells. A deep dish shell, or homemade pastry in a pie tin, would probably yield one quiche.

Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes (Everyday Food, May 2009 )
Makes 20 very hearty pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and 1 cup of oats and pulse a few times to coarsely grind oats. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and oil. Add dry ingredients and 1 cup oats and whisk just until moistened.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly oil. Using 2-3 tablespoons for each pancake, drop batter in skillet and cook until a few bubbles have burst, 1-2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until browned on undersides, 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with more oil & batter.

Note: You can freeze leftovers by cooling them on a wire rack, freezing about 30 minutes on a baking sheet and then transferring to a resealable plastic bag. To reheat, pop them in the toaster or heat them in foil in a 350 degree oven.

May your weekend be full of nourishing, comforting treats. Happy Friday!