Tag Archives: Breakfast

Breakfast for A Full House: Melon Parfait

yogurt parfait lead

What time is it? Summertime! And it certainly feels like it on Fourth of July weekend. Relax, sit back, and enjoy time with friends and family. If you’re hosting this weekend, we’d guess that you’ve at least started to think about picnics, bbqs, or dinner. Maybe you’re planning to fire up the grill? Now, raise your hand if you’ve even thought about breakfast?  We didn’t think so – but fear not! You’re not alone.

With all the planning required for al fresco feasts, we decided we need to find a simple solution for breakfast. Where to start? Well, when you’re on “summertime” (and you’ve got a full house), there’s only one requirement: no cooking required.

We started with matcha greek yogurt – it’s filling, and the green tea matcha (quite a trendy ingredient these days) gives you an extra boost to kick off the day. From there, we added refreshing, tropical melon flavors to brighten up the recipe.  Ultimately, the combo is light, energizing, and delicious – and we love it for weekday breakfasts, as well!

yogurt in bowls

Melon Parfait

INGREDIENTS

1 Small Watermelon
1 Cantaloupe
3 Cups Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Matcha Green Tea Powder (you can order this online or find it at some specialty market)
3 Tablespoons Honey
1 Lime
1 ½ Cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes
2 Cups Granola

EQUIPMENT

Parfait or Trifle Bowl (or large glass bowl)

yogurt parfait ingredients

Cut the watermelon into cubes. Cut the cantaloupe in half, scrape out and discard the seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out the melon to yield about 4 cups. (Alternatively, you can cut the cantaloupe in the same manner as the watermelon). Zest and quarter the lime. Toss the watermelon with the juice of all 4 lime wedges. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, honey and matcha powder.

In a large trifle bowl, evenly spread ⅓ of the matcha Greek yogurt, then top with ⅓ of the shredded coconut and ⅓ of each of the watermelon and cantaloupe. Continue layering the yogurt, granola, coconut flakes and fruit. Garnish with the lime zest and any remaining coconut flakes.

Have a great weekend, chefs!

Eggs on Clouds

What you’re about to see might resemble the ingredients in any old breakfast. There’s bacon, there’s eggs, there’s cheese, and there’s a bunch of chives.EggsonClouds

But this is not any old breakfast. This is a breakfast that makes use of a magnificent quality of the egg: the capacity of the egg white to turn into a pillowy cloud. This is the same quality that gives rise to soufflés and angel food cake. When beaten into a fluffy bowlful, egg whites can act as a leavening agent for baked goods. Here, we borrow that idea from the pastry kitchen and apply it to breakfast. These egg whites will support a yolk, some bacon, and some cheese.

EggsonClouds2

First, you separate the egg whites from the yolks, making sure no yolks mix with the whites at all. You can do this by pouring the yolk back and forth between the two “bowls” of your cracked egg shell, letting the whites drip into a little bowl. You can also use this miraculous suction method: crack an egg  into a shallow bowl. Take an empty plastic bottle and squeeze the sides in. Turn it upside down, placing the opening right above the yolk. Release your squeeze to create suction. The yolk will leap up right into the bottle, holding its shape all the while. Release the yolk into its own little bowl by squeezing the bottle once again. Cool, right?

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Then you whip up the egg whites. Here are three tips for success in this endeavor: Have your whites at room temperature for speedy whipping. Don’t let any yolk at all into the whites. Make sure the bowl and the mixer are clean and dry before you start. If you do all three of these things, whipping will be really easy!

EggsonClouds4

To preserve the bounce of the egg whites, fold in the bacon, cheese, and chives very gently. Then mound the “batter” into little clouds on your baking sheet. Baking time, part one, commences, then egg yolks get added, and then you return the yolk-topped clouds to the oven for baking time part two. And then you have this breakfast, which is perhaps the fancy, out-of-the-ordinary way to eat breakfast you were looking for this Saturday–Valentine’s Day.EggsonClouds5
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Keep reading for the recipe!
Continue reading “Eggs on Clouds”

Homemade Granola with Cardamom & Chia Seeds

Cardamom & Chia Granola
Freshly toasted homemade granola

History repeats itself–breakfast history, particularly. Let’s hurtle back to the turn of the 20th century. Before that, Americans were farm-workers, and they needed serious sustenance in the mornings. Eggs, meat, puddings, pies, and cheese were standard 8am feast materials. But around this time, desk jobs came into fashion, and sedentary lifestyles combined with the fatty fare to give the country a bad case of indigestion. Enter: homemade granola.

Within a few years, two companies, Kellogg and Post (recognize the names?) were both selling grain-based cereals meant to help wean their countrymen from scrapple, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. That’s when granola (then known as granula) entered the scene, too–it was simply one crispy baked cereal on a burgeoning shelf of health-food products. Sounds a little bit like today!

This granola has a couple of ingredients that are coming into their own today, just as grain-based breakfasts were gaining popularity back then.

First, we’ve got buckwheat. You might have seen buckwheat flour or buckwheat noodles (aka soba) at the grocery store. Whole buckwheat groats are the nutritious little seeds from which that flour is made; when toasted they become crunchy and nutty. Although “wheat” is contained within the word, buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and contains a ton of protein and amino acids. That plus the protein in the almonds makes this a nutritionally beneficial and satisfying breakfast.

Cardamom & Chia Granola

Next up, coconut oil. Solid at room temperature, the buttery oil delivers a subtle hit of coconut. Many people believe that the high dose of saturated fat in unprocessed coconut oil is good for you!

Chia seeds used to be famous only for the topiaries they could grow. Today, health-foodies snatch them up for their high calcium and omega-3 content.

Almonds, oats, maple syrup, and flakes of sea salt round out this marvelous granola that’s no less delicious for being right on trend–both today and way back in time.

Cardamom & Chia Granola | Blue Apron


So get ready to jump in by making this deliciously fragrant granola, which will fill your kitchen with aromas reminiscent of chai tea. Serve with yogurt or with milk, and if you choose milk, you may find yourself slurping the chai-like remains straight from the bowl.

Cardamom Granola | Big Girls Small Kitchen

Get the recipe below.

Continue reading “Homemade Granola with Cardamom & Chia Seeds”

Cranberry-Walnut Muffins

Muffins1

Presenting: the muffin you’ll need to get you through fall. Through the Halloween sugar hangover and the family visiting for Thanksgiving weekend. Through the lazy Sundays, and even through Christmas morning. With their jewel tones and sweet cinnamon spicing, these are an unforgettable staple, a simple meal that manages to have pizzazz.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

There’s an actual method to muffins, a formula that’ll help make sense of the recipe you’ll see at the bottom of this post. Essentially, muffins are quick breads, baked goods that use a leavener like baking powder to rise (as opposed to bread, which could be known as “slow bread,” and takes its time when rising). Like zucchini and banana bread before them, cranberry-walnut muffins should be moist and just slightly chewy. At their best, they’ll melt in your mouth.

How do they get this way? Well, first you combine the dry ingredients. That means sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices–here, cinnamon.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

In  a second bowl, we combine the wet ingredients: eggs, oil, and orange juice.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

When we combine the two, we do so with a light touch, pouring the wet ingredients over the dry and then folding together gently. This preserves a light crumb and that melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes people go back for seconds.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron
Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

When the wet and dry ingredients are just barely combined–it’s far better to see a few streaks of flour, which will be absorbed during baking, than to overmix–we throw in the good stuff, cranberries and walnuts. The fall flavors of this pair are what elevate this muffin to its true height.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

Baking is a cinch: scoop the batter into muffin tins and stick in a hot oven for around 20 minutes.

Once they are risen and golden, they’re ready to eat!

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

All muffins are best warm, still hot from the oven. These are instant gratification in muffin form, and fortunately for early birds, there’s not much need to let them cool.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

Smear with butter, if you like.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins | Blue Apron

Get the recipe below.

Continue reading “Cranberry-Walnut Muffins”

The Toast Topping We Can’t Get Enough Of

Avocado toast: a foodie breakfast trend that became a serious classic. Now that the trend is a trend no longer, it’s time to explore the full range of possibilities that the healthful yet delectable breakfast presents to us.

Besides the creamy avocado topping, the best part of avocado toast is its willingness to be customized. Sure, it’s delicious when left simple (mashed avocado, salt), but you can add on to this great start based on your tastes and cravings.

At the simple end of the spectrum: herbs and spices. Freshly torn basil will remind you of summer; minced cilantro leaves will remind you of guacamole. A sprinkle of za’atar nods to the Middle East, while a dose of Aleppo pepper (one of our favorites, as you’ll see below) balances out the avocado’s fattiness.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your ripe avocado and two pieces of good whole grain or sourdough bread. The rest of the ingredients pictured below are some of the other toppings you might want to add.

Read more: How to Choose a Ripe Avocado

Avocado Toast | Blue Apron

Once you have the ingredients, cut your avocado open around the pit. If you’re not sure how to accomplish this move, watch our video.  Scoop out the flesh into a small bowl. Mash the avocado and season it well with salt. A little lemon juice never hurts either.

Avocado Toast | Blue Apron

Toast two slices of bread. Spread the mashed avocado to the edges on each slice. Sprinkle with a bit more salt. If you want, you can stop right there.

Avocado Toast | Blue Apron

If you want to choose your own adventure and continue, here are two things you can do:

  • Use Aleppo pepper or Piment d’Esplette to add a little kick to your toast
  • Fry an egg and slam it on top. When the gooey yolk meets the avocado, great taste happens.
Avocado Toast | Blue Apron
Avocado Toast | Blue Apron

How will you top your avocado toast?

Get the whole recipe below.

Avocado Toast

INGREDIENTS
2 slices of your favorite bread
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon piment d’esplette
Optional: 2 eggs

If you’re using them, first start the eggs: heat a small pan over medium-low heat and add oil to cover the bottom. Add the eggs and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny (or until they reach your desired degree of doneness). While the eggs are cooking, season them with salt. Remove the eggs from the heat.

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread. Prepare the avocado by scooping the flesh out of the skin and mashing in a bowl with some salt.

Spread the avocado on your toast. Top with salt, piment d’esplette if using. If you’ve made the eggs, put one on each piece of toast. Eat!

A Recipe for the Classic Breakfast Frittata

The frittata serves a whole lot of purposes. First and foremost, the baked egg skillet counts as an excellent breakfast. But secondarily, here are some things that the frittata might become to you: lunch; a way to use up extra veggies from the farmers’ market; a brunch centerpiece for friends; an excellent vessel for getting your daily dose of bacon; dinner; a way to eat more summer tomatoes; and your favorite meal to customize to your tastes.

Frittata2


Yes, the frittata is amazing.

What is a frittata? It’s an Italian egg specialty that most resembles a baked version of the omelet. You’ll find that there is a greater proportion of filling to egg in the frittata. The fillings, which range from meats like ham (or bacon) to vegetables like the chard, mushrooms, and tomatoes used here, are sautéed on the stove in a skillet before being mixed up with eggs and goat cheese and baked until the eggs are set.

After prepping all the vegetables, we fry up slices of bacon.

Frittata3

To the pan go the vegetables…

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Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, we whip up eggs with tomatoes and broken-up goat cheese.

Frittata5
Frittata6

Everything goes into the skillet and gets baked. And that’s it! You can serve wedges of the frittata with toast. Save leftovers for lunch the next day–frittatas are great both cold and room temperature.

Get the whole recipe below.

Continue reading “A Recipe for the Classic Breakfast Frittata”

Cinnamon French Toast

French Toast Ingredients | Blue Apron

You may think of French toast as a delicious, crave-worthy breakfast, and the gooey fried bread definitely does fall on the list of best-ever brunch and breakfast recipes. But French toast also functions as an ingenious waste-not solution for stale bread, much in the same vein as these 8 dinners that breathe new life into old bread.

French Toast Ingredients | Blue Apron

While the French weren’t the only cooks to revitalize leftover slices of good bread in a mix of milk and egg before crisping the slices up in a pan, they did christen this dish pain perdu, which means “lost bread.” In fact, a more accurate name would be “not-lost bread,” since by making French toast, you actually save slices of bread that might otherwise have gone into the trash.

We try our best not to waste food here at Blue Apron, and so we admire French toast’s ability to make the most out of an extra ingredient.  To make our super simple French toast, all you do is whisk together some milk and eggs, with sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon for extra flavor.

Not in the mood for breakfast?  Here’s How to Re-Crisp Your Bread in the Fridge

Leave the bread in this custard mixture for at least 5 minutes or up to 20. Then, get frying. We melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat and let slices cook for about 3 minutes per side, until fully brown.

Blue Apron French Toast | Breakfast Series

Serve with real maple syrup, perhaps some fruit, and plenty of crispy bacon!

Blue Apron French Toast Recipe

Get the whole recipe below.

Blue Apron French Toast Recipe Continue reading “Cinnamon French Toast”

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes | Blue Apron

You need to know how to make pancakes. You, with the expertise in meatball formation and molten chocolate cake-baking and summer roll assembly. Pancakes are essential breakfast food, because they’re not so much a food as an expression of love.

Plus, they’re essentially easy, a little batter mixed up and then cooked on the stove. It’s all right there in the name, “pan” and “cake.” To make the batter, you’ll want two bowls, and a couple of items from your fridge and pantry. First, you mix the wet ingredients together (eggs, buttermilk, melted butter).Buttermilk Pancakes | Blue Apron

Which you then combine with the dry (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda). Stir together, not worrying if you leave a few lumps. Then, cook the batter in a large, flat pan. That’s it, that’s really it. Which means you should put down that pancake mix right this second. You don’t need it.
Buttermilk Pancakes | Blue Apron

One thing…if you can’t find buttermilk, here’s a trick: combine the same amount of milk (regular or 2%) with the juice of half a lemon, some vinegar, or a big dollop of yogurt with live cultures. Let the two sit together, hanging out, for about half an hour, then go ahead with the pancake recipe. You’ll have just created homemade buttermilk!Buttermilk Pancakes | Blue Apron

Here’s one final thing you should know about pancakes: sometimes the first pancake just doesn’t come out right. The pan is too hot or the pan is too cold. You haven’t salted enough. You used too big a scoop of batter. That’s okay. Toss the first one (or eat it yourself–cook’s snack!), and keep on going, adjusting the heat or seasoning or size as needed. The rest of the pancakes will be perfect, or close enough.Buttermilk Pancakes | Blue Apron

Get the whole recipe below!
Continue reading “Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes”

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Blue Apron Scrambled Egg Recipe
If you’ve got eggs, you’ve got breakfast. Well, throw in a whisk, some butter, a handful of chives, a little cream, some good toast, and then you’ve really got breakfast. Though there are many ways to serve an egg, for breakfast, we love ours scrambled.

The key to great scrambled eggs is the cooking technique. What differentiates perfect scrambled eggs from decent diner scrambled eggs? Cooking them low and slow, stirring all the while to form tiny, delicate curds. 

We’ve also got a few other tricks up our sleeves. We garnish with a ton of chives to brighten the dish. We finish the scramble with a splash of cream, to lighten everything up–and, more importantly, to stop the cooking, which the cold cream does with a bang. Without it, you’d had to race to scrape the eggs out of the pan, out of fear that they’d go from perfect to over-cooked in mere seconds.

We like to have toast, bacon, and coffee ready to go when our eggs are done, so the perfect eggs don’t risk getting chilled.

Love breakfast? You’ll probably also love the first post in our breakfast series: the bodega-style egg sandwich.

Get the whole recipe below.
Continue reading “Perfect Scrambled Eggs”

7 Inspired Breakfasts for Dinner from Around the World


Breakfast for dinner is happiness, joy, and comfort on dinner plate. But breakfast for dinner goes way beyond pancakes dripping with syrup or fried eggs on toast–though let’s be honest, those are both really satisfying and good. But for the cosmopolitan you, the one who knows it’s probably better to eat something savory than sweet, you’ll find winning breakfast-for-dinner inspiration in cuisines around the world.

1. Eat Beef Pho like you’re at a street vendor’s stall in early morning Hanoi.

The Vietnamese soup is iconic for the complex flavors that come from hours of simmering with beef bones and tons of exotic spices. Our express version uses the key spices (cardamom, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, and star anise), a rich beef base, and all the essential garnishes.

2. Chow down on Chilaquiles, the Mexican version of French toast.

No, really. Rather than bread turned into eggy sweet bread, day-old corn tortillas become a bowl of crisp strips held together by green or red salsa, with condiments varying greatly by region but sometimes including cheese and chicken, as in this version.

3. Sop up Shakshouka, an Israeli invention of eggs poached in tomatoes.

Throughout North Africa and the Middle East, this dish of eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce is just as popular for breakfast as it is for dinner. We added fingerling potatoes for bulk. It’s hash browns straight in your eggs!

4. Sweeten life with Cinnamon Rolls with Pearl Sugar.

5. Knock back some Salvadoran Breakfast Cakes.

Known as quesadillas, these rich, cheesy cakes are gluten-free, crazily enough. You might want to make a salad to round out your dinner plate. 

6. Make pancakes savory.

Ricotta, beet greens, and amaranth grains turn this pile of flapjacks into a delicious, yet totally different, breakfast-for-dinner option. Hold the syrup, but bring on the beet salad as a side.

7. Be British with Beans & Toast (and maybe an egg)

A British breakfast can center around delicious, hearty beans. Make a batch of our bean sauté, top it with a fried egg, and serve with buttered toast. Now, what’s for pudding?

This post was written as part of Food Network’s Comfort Food Fest, a celebration of all things comforting and delicious. This week’s topic: breakfast! See what other bloggers had to say about breakfast here:

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins
Weelicious: Crispy Orange Stuffed French Toast Sticks
Devour: Bobby’s Breakfast for Dinner Recipes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Egg Bruschetta with Pesto
Red or Green: Huevos Rancheros
Dishing With Divya: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Sweet Toast
Virtually Homemade: Crescent Dough Breakfast Skillet
Taste With The Eyes: Kimchi & Cheddar Omelette
Dishin & Dishes: Shirred Eggs (Baked Eggs)
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Peasant Omelette
Domesticate Me: “Shakshuka” Egg White Frittata with Turkey Sausage
The Sensitive Epicure: “Egg In The Hole” with Sauteed Spinach
The Heritage Cook: Southwest Breakfast Hash
FN Dish: Wake Up to Breakfast

Avocado Toast with Goat Cheese

When people ask what we get most excited about, ingredient-wise, we’re tempted to talk their ears off about our favorite pasta shapes, the scent of summer tomatoes, or the irresistible herbiness of za’atar. We love food, all food.

Yet food is about making connections and starting conversations, too. And when we want to bond with the guy across from us, our answer is always avocado.

Avocado is as creamy as butter and as healthful as kale, especially if you’ve picked up a ripe avocado at the store.

In this Avocado Tartine recipe, we pair dark pumpernickel toast with creamy goat cheese, creamier avocado, and a chive garnish. This is the kind of meal we could eat at any time of day–every day. And if you talk to us at a party, you can bet we’ll mention it. Maybe twice.

We’re happy to be participating in Food Network’s Summer Fest, a weekly blog tour of all the incredible produce we’ll be enjoying this summer. This week, the topic is avocados! You can see the other bloggers’ delicious cucumber creations by following the links below.

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Smoked Avocado Tomato Salsa Guacamole
Weelicious: Avocado Honey Dip
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
Red or Green: Avocado and Cilantro Pesto with Whole Wheat Penne
Domesticate Me: Summer Salad with Avocado, Corn and Grilled Herb Shrimp
Dishin & Dishes: Creamy Avocado Citrus Dressing, No Cream, No Oil
The Heritage Cook: Summertime Vegetable Stuffed Avocados
And Love It Too: Sugar-Free Avocado Fudgesicles
Haute Apple Pie: Avocado BLT Egg Salad
Daily*Dishin: Colorful Sweet Pepper-Avocado Salsa
Devour: No-Cook Avocado, Shrimp and Mango Salad
Taste With The Eyes: Zucchini “Pappardelle” with Avocado “Cream”
FN Dish: 10 Audacious Guacamole Add-Ins