Breakfast Tomatoes with Grilled Salmon and Creamy Barbecue Sauce

This is a breakfast dish created from the left over salmon that you grilled and served for supper the night before.

** ½ pound grilled salmon with barbecue glaze

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon organic sour cream
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Zest of 1 small lime, about 1 teaspoon
Juice of 1 small lime, about 1 tablespoon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 large beefsteak tomatoes cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (about 8 slices)
1 tablespoon capers, drained
4 large radishes, julienned, about ½ cup
4 extra large organic eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced in rounds
Chopped fresh dill

** For the salmon, sprinkle a fillet with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon, flesh side down to form grill marks, about 2 to 3 minutes depending on thickness. Carefully turn the salmon . Brush the seared side with barbecue sauce (homemade is best, but a good quality barbecue sauce in a jar will work just fine.) Grill the salmon for about 3 minutes more. Carefully turn the salmon one more time to sear the side with the barbecue sauce. Cook until the salmon is still rare in the center. Remove to a platter, glazed side up. Serve for supper, reserving about ½ pound for tomorrow’s breakfast treat!

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, barbecue sauce, mustard, cumin, lime zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish, lay the tomato slices onto a serving platter. Lay rounds of hard boiled egg onto each tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Top with radishes. Mound each with chunks of salmon. Top with capers. Spoon a dollop of sauce over the top and garnish with fresh dill.

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10
Cook Time: 20 minutes to prepare and grill salmon

Spinach, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Tart

Is it a quiche or is it a tart? By definition, a tart is a sweet pastry dish with an open top. A quiche is made from pastry too, and looks like a finished pie; it gets its texture from and egg and milk based custard. We break a few barriers here and prepare a savory tart with a layer of custard. It’s the perfect dish for a brunch or outdoor luncheon, because you can bake it in advance and serve it the next day at room temperature.

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
½ pound nitrate-free bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely diced, about 1 cup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, about 4 cups (or substitute with 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed)
1 teaspoon dried Herbs de Provence
4 ounces smoked Gruyere cheese, grated, about 1/2 cup
4 extra large organic eggs
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Unroll the pie crust and press into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Bake until the pie crust is golden, about 9 to 12 minutes. Set the baked pie crust aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet, over medium high heat, until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Carefully pour off the fat left in the pan.

Heat the olive oil and butter in the same pan, over medium high heat. Cook the onion in the pan until soft, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. The diced onion should be golden and slightly syrupy.

Cook the spinach in the pan until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence and set the cooked spinach aside.

Carefully slide the baked tart shell onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the bacon onto the bottom of the baked tart shell. Cover the bacon with grated cheese. Cover the cheese with the caramelized onion. Spread the spinach over the top. Whisk together the eggs and cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Carefully pour this mixture over the ingredients in the tart. Place the baking sheet holding the tart into the oven. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is golden, about 30 minutes.

At this point, you can cool the tart to room temperature. Carefully wrap the tart in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Two hours before you are ready to serve, remove the tart from the fridge and bring to room temperature. For a warm tart, you can place it into a warming drawer on the medium-low setting for 1 hour.

Remove the side portion of the tart pan. Cut the tart into wedges as serve.

Servings: 6 to 8
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: about 30 to 40 minutes

Sources and Substitutions
You can purchase smoked Fontina cheese from the deli counter of your grocery store. If it is not available, substitute with grated aged English cheddar or Gruyere cheese.

Of course, in place of refrigerated pastry dough, you can make your own pastry for this tart. In case you need a recipe, this is one of my favorites:

1 ¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
7 tablespoons unsalted organic butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

Place the flour, salt, and butter into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the container, no more than 10 pulses. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Inside Out Mushroom Omelet

Here, you have all of the ingredients found in the every-day omelet; but there’s a twist on the final composition. Portobello mushroom caps are the star. Melting cheese and veggie-filled scrambled eggs fill the caps with scrumptious flavors, brightened by the toppings of fresh chopped ripe tomatoes and a sprinkle of earthy thyme.

4 portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed, sliced, about 4 cups
3 tablespoons olive oil (2 for grilling mushrooms and 1 more for sautéing the vegetables)
A pinch of course salt and a grind of fresh pepper
2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, grated, about ½ cup
4 to 5 green onions, thinly sliced, about ½ cup
1 medium red or green bell pepper, seeded, veins removed, diced, about ½ cup
8 extra large organic eggs
2 large, ripe plum tomatoes, cored and diced, about ½ pounds
Chopped fresh thyme

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Drizzle both sides of the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grill, cap side down, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Turn and continue cooking for 3 minutes more. Remove the mushrooms to a platter. Sprinkle the insides of the mushrooms with salt and pepper and stuff with grated cheese. Keep warm.

Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil into a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and pepper and cook until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour the eggs into the skillet. Cook until the eggs are just done, about 3 minutes more.

Spoon the eggs into the mushrooms, on top of the cheese. Garnish with salt, pepper, chopped tomatoes and fresh thyme.

Yield: 4 egg-filled mushrooms
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Sources and Substitutions
You can add any veggies to your egg scramble. Diced zucchini and sautéed spinach make great additions, and grated cheddar or fresh mozzarella are good substitutes for Monterey Jack. Keep the mushroom - it’s filled with nutrients.

Portobello mushrooms are readily available in the produce department of your supermarket. You might experiment with an assortment of wild mushrooms in this dish. Simply sauté the wild mushrooms in a bit of butter or olive oil: then lay them on a platter as a bed for the veggie-filled eggs.

Open Face Smoked Salmon Breakfast Sandwich

If you crave smoked salmon and cream cheese on a freshly toasted bagel, you will love this breakfast starter. You can make it in minutes. Salmon is full of omega-3 essential fats that we need in our healthy diet. Don’t be afraid to use a tablespoon of whipped, full- fat cream cheese; it’s deeply satisfying and brings everything together in this quick, grab and go dish.

1 slice whole grain marbled rye bread
1 tablespoon organic whipped cream cheese
½ teaspoon capers, drained
2 thin slices smoked salmon (about 1 ounce)
1 small ripe tomato, cut into ½-inch slices
Thinly sliced red onion
Chopped fresh dill
A pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper

Toast the bread and place onto your serving plate. Spread the cream cheese onto the toast. Sprinkle the cream cheese with capers. Lay the salmon on the cream cheese. Top with tomato slices, red onion and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the sandwich into two triangle halves and munch away.

Yield: 1 sandwich
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Sources and Substitutions
Thinly sliced whole grain pumpernickel or whole wheat bread is a fine substitution for this sandwich. If you are a tuna lover, you can replace the salmon with tuna. Substitute any fresh herb that you have on hand. Parsley and even tarragon are great. You can add chopped hard boiled egg and slices of fresh cucumber for a bigger, bolder breakfast sandwich. Tomatoes, onion and parsley are filled with antioxidants. The capers add a punch of flavor.

Thinly sliced whole grain rye, pumpernickel or whole grain bread is dense and filling. Each slice has less than 100 calories, compared to a large pumpernickel bagel, which has 320 calories. You can find whole grain breads in the bakery section of your grocery store, the local bakery, or as the finished product from you own kitchen bread maker.

You can’t beat the flavor of cream cheese. By choosing the whipped variety, you have air whipped into the product, so you end up using less cream cheese on your open face sandwich. Choose good quality smoked salmon for this dish.

Deviled Eggs for Breakfast

This dish is perfect for hectic mornings because you can prepare the eggs the evening before- just grab them from the fridge as you dash off to school and work.

4 extra large organic eggs
1 ounce pancetta, about 2 thin slices, diced
1 teaspoon good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon organic sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
A pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Place the eggs in a single layer in the bottom of a pot. Cover the eggs by 1 inch with cold water. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once the eggs have boiled, turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and place the eggs under cold running water. Peel the eggs.

Heat a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp and golden. Remove the pancetta to paper toweling to drain.

Cut each egg horizontally, into halves. Remove the yolks to a small bowl. Place the egg halves into an egg platter. Use the back of a fork to mash the yolks. Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill each egg with a spoonful of the yolk mixture. Sprinkle with crisp pancetta and chopped fresh parsley.

Yield: 8 deviled eggs
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes to hard boil the eggs

Sources and Substitutions
You can substitute with your favorite herbs. You can choose nitrate-free bacon in place of pancetta.

Eggs that come from properly raised hens are an egg-cellent source of protein and good fat. Choose a good quality mayonnaise that has limited amounts of additives, sugar and salt.

Bacon, Lettuce an Tomato Breakfast Sandwich

Forgo that morning drive-thru meal and enjoy this fast real-food sandwich instead!

4 extra large organic eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced
4 slices Canadian bacon
8 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise
Red leaf lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes cut into ½-inch slices

Salt and freshly ground pepper


To hard boil eggs, place them into a deep sauce pot in a single layer, and cover with water by 1-inch. Place the lid onto the pan and bring the water to a boil over medium high heat. When the water boils, turn off the heat. Keep the eggs in the covered pan for 10 to 12 minutes. (The time will differ based on your elevation. Higher up takes a longer amount of time for the eggs to cook.) Immediately transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. When the eggs are cool, remove from the water and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon to the skillet and warm through, about 2 minutes per side.

To assemble, toast the bread. Spread mayonnaise on the slices. Top 4 slices of toasted bread with lettuce, tomatoes, and a slice of Canadian bacon. Peel and slice the eggs. Top each sandwich with slices of hardboiled egg. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining toasted bread. Cut in half and wrap in parchment paper for a breakfast sandwich that you can eat on the run!

Yield: Makes 4 whole sandwiches
Preparation Time: 5 minutes to assemble
Cook Time: 4 minutes to cook bacon

Sources and Substitutions
Choose smoked nitrate-free Canadian bacon from the specialty section of the butcher department in your supermarket. You can substitute with nitrate-free bacon in place of Canadian bacon for this sandwich. Cook the bacon slowly, over medium heat until crisp, and drain on paper towels before continuing with the sandwich.

You can add your favorite veggies and herbs for a super veggie breakfast sandwich. A sprinkle of chopped fresh basil or parsley will add flavor and color. A touch of capers or red onion will pump up the tang. Experiment with your favorite toppers for your real-food breakfast sandwich.