5 things to make christmas morning

The holidays are all about spending quality time with family and friends. If you are searching for some easy breakfasts that you can prep in advance and enjoy seamlessly with your family Christmas morning, look no further then these simple and tasty dishes.

very veggie breakfast casserole

serves 6

If there is a vegetable you don't like or can't procure, simply omit it or swap it for something more preferable.

• 8 pasture-raised eggs
• Coconut oil, butter, or ghee for greasing
• 1/4 cup milk of your choice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small sweet potato, cubed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained, and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or fontina cheese 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 12 baking dish with coconut oil, butter, or ghee.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in most of the cheese, mix, and set aside. 
3. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat, add the sweet potatoes, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the spinach and allow to wilt slightly.
4. Pour the eggs into the greased baking dish and add the potato-spinach mixture. Use a spoon to evenly distribute all of the vegetables. Top with remaining cheese. (At this point you can cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.) Transfer baking dish to the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Cook until the eggs are golden and set.
5. Cut into 6 squares and enjoy.

turkey sausage and eggs

Sausage patties are extremely simple to make and are free of nitrates and preservatives. When selecting your ground meat, make sure that the turkey is pasture-raised and hormone-free. If you can, purchase your meat from the greenmarket and support sustainable agriculture. This recipe makes multiple patties, which is great to have on hand for a quick breakfast, snack, salad, or grain topper. 

makes 12-15 golf ball sized patties

ingredients

• 1 lb ground dark meat turkey
• 1 tsp fennel seed, minced
• 1 tsp ground chili flakes
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin seed, minced
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsps fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 tsps maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch sea salt
• 2 tbsps olive oil

method

1. In a bowl, blend together the spices, add the ground turkey and maple syrup and mix well using your hands or a wooden spoon.
2. Form turkey mixture into small thin patties.
3. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook the patties 3-4 minutes a side until brown. Use additional oil for second batch, if needed.
4. Cool and refrigerate or freeze if eating at a later point. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or sauté pan when ready to serve
5. Serve 2 patties with your favorite steamed or sautéd greens and an egg. 

oatmeal flax yogurt muffins

makes 9 muffins

• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs, ideally pasture-raised
• 1 cup full fat greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup blueberries

Streusel Topping 

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup seeds of your choice: pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, hemp 
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or maple crystals 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with muffin-cup liners. 
2. Combine the rolled oats, ground flax, bananas, eggs, yogurt, maple syrup, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a high speed blender. Blend until contents are smooth, about a minute. 
3. In a bowl mix together the streusel ingredients. 
4. Evenly distribute the batter into 9 to 10 muffin tins. Sprinkle each muffin with walnuts and blueberries and top with streusel. 
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve toasted or at room temperature. These muffins can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

coconut granola with extra virgin olive oil

Recipe barely adapted from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen - Celebrating the Art of Eating Well, by Amy Chaplin

• 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (Amy's recipe calls for 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup unhulled sesame seeds
• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped 
• 2 1/1 cups dried unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean powder
• 3/4 cup maple syrup (Amy's recipe calls for 1/2 cup brown rice syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 2/3 cups dried fruit of your choice (dried apricots, unsulfured golden raisins, dried cherries, unsweetened cherries, golden raisins, or goji berries all work very well!)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Place seeds into a medium bowl and fill with water. Swish seeds around, strain, rinse under running water, and set aside to drain.
2. Place oats, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, and vanilla bean powder into a large bowl. Toss to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. (If using brown rice syrup and maple syrup, Amy recommends warming the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat. After it simmers, remove from heat, and stir in the olive oil.)
4. Add the drained seeds to the oats and toss to combine. 
5. Pour in maple olive oil mixture to the oat mixture and stir to evenly distribute.
6. Divide between baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Stir and rotate sheets. Bake for another 15 minutes. Stir again and cook for anther 5 to 10 minutes until granola is golden and crisp.
7. Add dried fruit, toss to combine, and transfer to glass jars to store. Granola can last for four to six weeks, if you can control yourself for that long :) 
8. When serving, I like to add wheat germ, chia seeds, and ground flax seeds and eat with nut milk or yogurt, and fruit. 

gluten-free lemony olive oil banana bread

makes one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan

ingredients 

• 1¼ cups amaranth or brown rice flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup almond pulp or almond flour (leftover from 1 cup of almonds to make almond milk)
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tsps freshly grated lemon zest
• 3 very ripe medium-sized bananas, mashed (plus additional slices for top garnish)
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped

method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with butter or coconut oil and/or line with parchment paper for easier removal. 
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix together the almond pulp, maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, and lemon zest until well combined.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Add in the mashed bananas and walnuts.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. If garnishing, arrange banana slices down the center of the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until firm. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, remove bread, and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I like to keep the loaf in the fridge to maintain firmness and freshness!