Three Cheese Hashbrown Quiche

This is a great dish when you are serving breakfast or brunch to a crowd. We have made it a few times for my husbands coworkers when he is in charge of friday breakfast for his team. This is an easy and yummy recipe that I think you will really enjoy. You will need:

5 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
1/2 stick butter, melted
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup  cream, half-and-half, or milk
6 oz package of softened cream cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham (or bacon)
1/4 cup thinly chopped green onions for filling
1/2 small yellow onion for crust shredded
1 cup mushrooms chopped
1-2 cups sharp shredded Cheddar cheese
1-2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 dash of freshly ground black pepper

First preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. I even like to roll them up like a newspaper in a spiral style while firmly pressing down. You can also use a ricer to try to get out some of the liquid. In a 13x9 pyrex pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray, toss the hash browns with the melted butter (and white onion optional) into the pan. Press them firmly into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake at 450 for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, blend together cream cheese and eggs until well mixed. Its best to start beating the cream cheese and add one egg at a time. Add in the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed. Enjoy!

Three Breakfast Cookie Recipes

Years and years ago one of my best friends was working her way through grad school. She worked for a company that made breakfast cookies. At first I thought the idea sounded ridiculous but then after trying an assortment of them and learning that they were not just sugar cookies that you eat for breakfast but flavorful, nutritious, high fiber, no added sugar, well balanced cookies, I was quickly sold. That was until I realized that they were not sold where I lived nor were they Gluten Free for the husband. 

Here are three recipes that appease the gluten free and normal people who fear gluten free as well. Try these babies, you will love them! They are delicious hot out of the oven, but wait you don't have time to make a fresh hot batch every morning? The good news is that they keep well. You can refrigerate them for a few days or wrap each one up individually and store in the freezer. These are also great to throw frozen into lunch bags and by the time it is lunch they are fresh and soft. They would also be a nice addition to your next brunch spread. Our family gets together a few times a year for brunch and while everything is delicious, sometimes you walk away feeling a little heavy and sugar filled. I'm hopeful that these will be accepted into our next Easter brunch :) 

Recipe : The Original Breakfast Cookie

1 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flax seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup of almond meal or flour (I use raw almonds bought in bulk and processed in my blendtec blender until it is a rough almond flour or meal. This will take a minute or two)
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup dried Craisins

1 large egg

3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/4 cup coconut or canola oil
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Recipe : The Pumpkin Breakfast Cookie

1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats

1/2 cup ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup of almond meal or flour (I use raw almonds bought in bulk and processed in my blendtec blender. This will take about a minute or two)
1/2 cup walnuts

1 large egg

1 ripe bananas, smashed 

1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Recipe : The Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookie

1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup of almond meal or flour (I use raw almonds bought in bulk and processed in my blendtec blender. This will take about a minute or two)
1/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter (You can also make your own, my recipe here)

1 Tablespoon honey (optional)

1 large egg

3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix all dry or semi dry ingredients together. In another bowl, or if you are lucky enough to have a Blendtec, add all wet ingredients and mix well. Note: if you are not yet comfortable with coconut oil, canola oil will work, or if you want to go extra healthy use applesauce. You can also make these with out the egg if you are trying to go dairy free. They cook up just fine and are a little more crumbly but I myself like the added protein. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then shape with a cookie scoop or spoon. Mixture will be loose so press the tops down slightly. Bake @350 degrees for 20 minutes. I always find that baking my cookies on parchment papers really does make a difference for the better but if you don't have parchment then just go without. Enjoy!