Brunch & Berries

Never have I lived in an apartment as small as the one we are residing in now. With one outlet in the kitchen, the food processor has found a new position in the ranks of kitchen equipment far lower than its old status of queen. Sadly, the Keurig has taken over the last speck of counter space available. Needless to say, not much cooking nor baking has occurred in the past 8 months between moving to Ithaca NY and my disdain for our living arrangements. As long as my husband steers clear, the microwave is unplugged and the spice rack is relocated, I found yesterday that enjoying my time is the kitchen is closer to possible than previously imagined. Lucky for that handsome man in my life, I actually fed us brunch yesterday. (This newly discovered acceptance of reality and my first world problem may have sprung more from the fact that we also put an offer on a house yesterday :-).

Very simple, but that is the name of my game. The Strawberry Crepes are adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe, all which I find to be simple and delicious. As always, this meal is gluten and dairy free.

Unintentional, but nevertheless cute monster plate :-)

Fresh Strawberry Crepes

PointsPlus® Value: 3
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 32 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Crepes sound fancy, but don’t be deterred: if you can make pancakes, you can master these in no time.

Ingredients
5 large Egg whites
⅛ tsp Salt, table 

1 tbsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla extract
1½ Tbsp Smart Balance, melted
1 cup(s) Almond Milk, unsweetened
1 cup(s) Pamela's Baking mix
8 spray(s) Cooking spray
1 pound(s) Strawberries, fresh, hulled and sliced very thin (about 3 cups)
¼ cup(s) Sugar, powdered

Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, salt, vanilla extract, Smart Balance, Almond Milk and Baking Mix, until just combined.

2. Coat an 8- or 9-inch skillet with cooking spray; set over medium heat. When pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of batter and tilt skillet to cover entire bottom of pan with a thin layer of batter. Cook for 2 minutes; flip over. Top with about 1/3 cup strawberries; cook for 2 minutes more. Fold crepe over and slide onto a serving plate; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients; sprinkle with sugar. Yields 1 crepe per serving. 

Bakedon and Eggs 

Brunch is my all time favorite meal, mostly due to the variety of food you can pair together that are only found appropriately matched on a weekend mid-morning. This may be the easiest brunch item I have ever prepared in my life. You will need a regular size muffin tin, either six or twelve. All ingredients mimic the number of muffin spots you use. I used a six banger, so all of my ingredients were six.

6/12 slices of REAL, uncooked Canadian Bacon 

6/12 Eggs

Small bunch of scallions, finely chopped

Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pre-heat over to 400 degrees.

2.  Line each muffin spot with one slice of Canadian Bacon.

3. Crack one egg into each slice of bacon.

4. Sprinkle lightly with scallions, salt and pepper.

5. Bake for 12 minutes.

6. Serve. 

Because I can't stand to throw up vitamin packed egg yolks, I dropped of the yolks from the crepes into the muffin tins.  Any you don't eat can be refrigerated and warmed up the next day for breakfast.