brunch quesadilla w/ bacon, eggs, tomatoes, peppers and cheese

Make a colorful and filling breakfast-inspired quesadilla for your next Sunday brunch! Yes, this recipe does include bacon (because what’s brunch without bacon?), but you can choose to omit that ingredient for a healthier version.

Ingredients: (Yields 1 quesadilla)

• 2 strips of bacon
• 2 eggs
• 2 tortillas
• cheddar cheese
• 1/2 jalapeno, small dice
• 1 small red pepper, small dice
• 1 small orange pepper, small dice
• 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
• goat cheese

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Slice the bacon strips into smaller cuts and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

In the pan with the oil and reserved bacon fat, scramble the 2 eggs over low heat to your desired consistency. When done, remove the eggs and set aside on a plate.

Wipe the skillet clean, and lay down one tortilla over medium-high heat. On top of the tortilla goes the cheddar cheese, followed by the jalapeno, red pepper, orange pepper, grape tomatoes, cooked eggs, cooked bacon, and goat cheese. After you’re done layering the ingredients, top-off with the other tortilla. Be careful not to take too long layering the ingredients or the bottom tortilla will burn!

I didn’t keep an eye on the time (my apologies!) when making the quesadilla this morning, but lift an edge of the bottom tortilla up to check on color and flip when it looks and feels the way you like! After a bit, repeat the peeking process to ensure that both sides of the quesadilla are cooked evenly before serving.

chocolate flavored overnight oats

Good morning everyone! Now that the last major storm of Winter (fingers crossed) is over in NYC, I’m feeling super excited for Spring and the weather warming up – even if it does include a good amount of rain and worms coming out of the ground. Mornings for me just FEEL so much better waking up to hints of the sun’s rays beginning to light up the sky as opposed to dreary gray hues or darkness. Anyway, feeling a tad bit of sweet tooth last night, I put together this chocolate flavored overnight oats mix into the fridge for breakfast this morning. As far as toppings go, your pantry is your oyster 😛

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons chocolate powder
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup milk (can substitute milk alternatives such as soy, almond, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly together in a bowl and let sit covered in a refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to eat, feel free to add any extra toppings! I topped mine off with some coined bananas and raw almonds.

savory chive crepes filled w/ ham & gruyere

Woke up to some serious crepe cravings yesterday, but we only had all-purpose flour in the house… that didn’t stop me though! Traditionally crepe batter is made with buckwheat flour, but how off the mark can using AP flour be? It turns out, somewhat off the mark. Following the recipe posted below, the end result will still be delicious, but the batter, and therefore the crepe, will end up being on the thick side. If you give it a go, feel free to alter the ratio of milk to flour and let me know if that lightens up the density of the crepe! Also feel free to share any fun stories that occur – I actually had to change my shirt during the process after I flipped a crepe onto myself instead of into the pan XD.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup AP flour
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chives, finely sliced
• butter (for the pan)
• ham, sliced
• gruyere

Procedure:

Pulse the milk, flour, eggs, butter, salt, and chives in a blender until well mixed. Transfer the batter into bowl and cover with plastic wrap, doing your best to ensure the that the plastic wrap is in contact with the top layer of batter to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate the batter for about 1 hour to allow the gluten in the flour to relax.

When the batter is ready, butter the bottom of a large heated pan and pour in about 1/4 cup of batter. Swirl the batter around the pan so that it spreads out into a large circle. Cook until you are able to lift the crepe up to see if the bottom is lightly golden. When it is, get ready for the hardest but most fun part of the recipe: flip the crepe, with great morale, and cook through until it is golden.

I filled my crepes with ham and gruyere, but you use any other savory fillings you’d prefer such as mushroom duxelle, eggs, tomatoes, etc.

easy toast breakfast

The thing that I love about toast for breakfast is that it’s so easy to make in the mornings and hardly takes any effort to jazz up with toppings! There is no one way to make toast and you can put anything, really ANYTHING, you want on them.

For the above, I used vanilla Greek yogurt and peanut butter with flax & chia seeds for the spread and topped them with tiger figs, yellow nectarines, and bananas.

potato pancake w/ applesauce

Who doesn’t love waking up to pancakes in the morning? Even if they’re made out of potatoes with a side of applesauce!

brunch @ Her Name is Han (NYC, US)

Hello to one of my new favorite restaurants in NYC! This is a late-post from my end, but I had to get this review off my to-do list since this restaurant deserves a 5 star recommendation.

brunch @ Annabel (NYC, US)

Annabel is the perfect place for a late-brunch with friends because PIZZA. Seriously, this gruyere, applewood bacon, eggs, brussels, chili flakes is one of the BEST PIZZAS I’ve had to date! The vibe of this neighborhood restaurant was fantastic and the pizza portions were generous. I was feeling pretty good at two slices but had to eat a third because IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD. So given that I ate half a pizza by myself (don’t judge me until you try this pizza), I recommend that if you come to Annabel, split the pizza with a friend to avoid having leftovers 🙂

breakfast bowl #1

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. of almond butter
• 1 diced red plum
• handful of blueberries
• 1/2 diced apple
• teaspoon of chia seeds
• drizzle of honey

Narcissa (NYC, USA)

Brunch at Narcissa ranks up there as one of the best brunches I’ve had in NYC! It is owned by André Balazs and Michelin-starred chef John Fraser. The interior environment of the restaurant was amiable and inviting (even during this wintry month!) with warm wood and sunlit interiors thanks to the large windows overlooking the restaurant’s private garden. 10/10 would dine again!

delicious tomato, onion & cheese omelette

On the days when you wake up too late for breakfast and it’s almost lunch time, but you still kind of want your breakfast – omelettes are the way to go! Working with the ingredients I have in the fridge, here is a super simple but delicious tomato, onion & cheese omelette: