Breakfast Pizza with Hashbrown Crust

As usual, I have a recipe where I got the idea for this that I am not following at all. From the get-go, on this one: my shredded frozen hashbrowns were supposed to be thawed.

Oops.

We are moving right ahead with them frozen. 👍🏻

I AM remembering to preheat the oven (to 400), which is another step I often forget. Preheating the oven while beating four eggs in a large bowl, and then adding the hashbrowns, milk, and a half cup of the cheese.

*That’s edited too, by the way: I apparently have more experience with ‘alternative crusts,’ perhaps we should say?, than the original recipe creators. Their crust wouldn't have held together enough to even be taken up. Gluten free for fifteen years will give you plenty such experience, I suppose! Tossing aforesaid recipe out the window at this point —

Stir all those crust ingredients together and then shape into a crust with your hands, either on a pizza stone or a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. You are REALLY going to want that parchment paper for this recipe.

Bake at 400 for half an hour.

Top with ham, spinach (I wanted to cut the calories down a bit), and cheese. Break four eggs over the pizza, evenly spaced. I did not want runny yolks, so I broke my yolks as well.

Bake at 40 for twenty minutes (for set yolks).

BREAKFAST PIZZA WITH HASHBROWN CRUST

8 eggs

1lb frozen shredded hashbrowns

1 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 C milk

4oz diced ham

Fresh spinach, wilted

Preheat oven to 400.

Beat four eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add frozen hashbrowns and 1/2C cheese. Mix well.

Form into a crust with your hands on parchment paper, on top of a pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven. Top with ham, spinach, and cheese. Break four eggs, evenly spaced, across the pizza. If you want set yolks, break the yolks at this time.

Put back in the oven and bake another 15-17minutes for runny yolks or another 20 minutes for set yolks.

Cut and serve hot.

Servings: 6

Calories per serving: 275

Hungarian-Style Sheet Pan Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

This is try #2 on this recipe: last week was a failure!

Boiled Brussels are not to my taste, and trying to steam them in the microwave was no good either. So! Sheet-pan-ing them, roasting with bacon and onion, if you like onion. (I don’t. Putting in the onions as options for parents and aunt, because they DO like onions, lol!)

To sheet-pan roast your Brussels, get them trimmed up: tough outer leaves removed, and halved.

To sheet-pan roast your Brussels, get them trimmed up: tough outer leaves removed, and halved.

Pan spray your sheet pan, and lay out your halved Brussels sprouts, cut side DOWN.

I use olive oil pan spray, and spray the tops of the Brussels sprouts again before they go in the oven.  You'll want to salt and pepper them after you use the pan spray. I highly recommend salt AND pepper grinders!

PRO TIP, HERE: IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT, CUT <OUT> THE OLIVE OIL. 

I use olive oil pan spray for virtually EVERYTHING now except salad dressings! And I’m down over a hundred pounds: I’m telling you, it WORKS.

I am layering my bacon on top of my Brussels sprouts. I really think a thick center-cut bacon would be best here, but it’s not what I had in the freezer!

If you are using onions - my parents were my testers on that! - cut them into quarters or eighths and put them on the sheet pan with the Brussels too.

Roast for 22 minutes at 425 or until the bottoms of your Brussels sprouts halves are carmelized. You’re going for a long way past just tender-crisp when you’re roasting!  You want this look on the bottoms of your Brussels:

Crumble your bacon on top of your Brussels sprouts (and onions, if you used onions).












I am using Greek yogurt because it’s healthier than sour cream, and I’m celiac, so I’ve got to watch the probiotics in the gut and all that. Nonfat plain Greek yogurt - Love It LOVE IT. Stir a cup or so in.

This is four pounds of Brussels sprouts, prepped and ready for the week! (This is a double of the quantities in the recipe below. I didn't figure most people would want four pounds of them. Bulk veggies are another PRO TIP!!)

HUNGARIAN-STYLE SHEET PAN BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

Two pounds Brussels sprouts
1/2 of a 12 oz package thick-cut bacon
Salt and pepper
Olive oil pan spray
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 onions, optional

Preheat oven to 425.

Trim and halve your Brussels sprouts. Cut your onions into eighths.

Use olive oil pan spray to prepare a sheet pan. Place your Brussels sprouts in a single layer on the sheet pan, cut sides DOWN. Spray the tops of the Brussels sprouts with olive oil pan spray. Grind salt and pepper over the Brussels once they have been sprayed.

Place bacon strips and onions on top of the Brussels sprouts.

Roast at 425 for 22 minutes or until bottoms of Brussels sprouts are starting to carmelize, as in the picture above.

Crumble bacon over Brussels sprouts and onions. Stir in  1 C nonfat plain Greek yogurt.

Roasted Green Beans

Adding a blog post on green beans because my aunt asked this week if I ever roasted them, and I couldn’t believe I’d never blogged it!

Plus, it’ll allow me to get rid of this one diet cookbook I’ve got - the diet’s not a good one, an elimination diet which are never balanced and rarely healthy - but it’s got my oven temp and cooking times for roasting green beans! The only recipe I still use out of this thing!

So. Roasting green beans. I roast them pounds and pounds at a time, because green beans are nice and healthy - and incidentally, good for virtually any diet you’re on. For me? Green beans have no calories.

I put servings in individual tupperwares in the fridge on the weekends, and just grab one every day for lunch or dinner. It can’t be any easier to eat healthy on a busy weeknight!

I roast them at 425. Preheat your oven while you’re prepping the beans.

Trim them up; cut off any bad ends and cut them into bite-size.

You’ll want to coat a sheet pan or baking sheet (depending on how many beans you’ve got) with olive oil pan spray. Spread the beans out, spray the tops of them with the pan spray; turn them with a spatula and spray them again, once or twice, until they’re all coated.

Then I salt them. Pretty heavily, personally, green beans are one of the only things I salt! (The others are my roasted Brussels sprouts and scrambled eggs, if you’re curious — )

I’ve never pepper’d them, but if anybody wants to give them some fresh ground pepper, too, let me know how that turns out and I’ll edit to add it!

Ready to go in the oven~~

Roast at 425 for 25 minutes, turning about three times.

You goal is not tender-crisp, here. Tender-crisp is great for veggies, and I cook many things many ways to tender-crisp: but when you are roasting at high heat, tender-crisp is not what you’re going for. Your goal is to get them TASTING like they’ve been roasted at high heat!

See the first photo, up top. Some of them are even starting to carmelized, you see? They’re 100% ALL the way done, not tender-crisp at all.

ROASTED GREEN BEANS

Fresh green beans (I’m using four pounds)

Olive oil pan spray

Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 425.

Trim beans and cut to bite size. Prepare your sheet pan or baking sheet with pan spray. Put beans on sheet pan; coat with pan spray, turning once or twice. Add salt to taste.

Roast for 25 minutes, turning two or three times.

Homemade Refried Beans

These take a while, because you’ve got to soak them and then leave them cooking in the crockpot all day - but it’s extremely little hand’s-on time. And SOOO worth it!

The night before, you’re going to want to put your beans to soak. Look through them carefully to pull out any little bits of rock or grit that made it into the bag: I pour them from the bag into my hand over a bowl, a few at a time, and then drop them into the bowl and pour some more into my hand. It goes quicker than it sounds!

Cover them with water and set them out of the way.

The next morning, drain the beans in a colander. Put beans and all remaining ingredients into a Crockpot and set to high. Cook 6-8 hours.

Turn off the Crockpot and let the beans cook slightly. I actually ran out of time to take care of mine, so they cooled in the fridge overnight. Use an immersion blender to blend everything in the crockpot together.

This recipe makes enough to use some and freeze some, for me. The beans freeze well!

HOMEMADE REFRIED BEANS

1 lb bag dried pinto beans (2 1/2 C)

5 C water

4 T Orrington Farms broth base or 6 chicken bouillon cubes

2 T onion powder 

3 T minced garlic

1 T ground cumin

The night before, put beans on to soak as described above.

In the morning, drain beans. Put drained beans and the rest of the ingredients in a Crockpot. Set the heat to High and let the beans cook 6-8 hours.

When done, use an immersion blender to blend all ingredients together. Serve hot.

Broccoli Pasta with Greek Yogurt Sauce

This one wins the kitchen today, here: this is truly one of the easiest sauces EVER.

BROCCOLI PASTA WITH GREEK YOGURT SAUCE

16 oz brown rice pasta

4 cups broccoli florets, trimmed

6 oz Neufchâtel cheese (low fat cream cheese), softened

1/2 C nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 T garlic powder, or to taste

Parsley and fresh Parmesan for garnish

Start pasta water. 

Steam broccoli, tightly covered, in the microwave three minutes. Stir. Cover again and steam another three minutes.

When pasta water boils, cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, reserve 2 C pasta water; drain.

Cut softened cream cheese into a four-cup measure. Add yogurt and garlic powder. Add 1.5 C reserved pasta water, and whisk until smooth. Toss with pasta and broccoli, adding more pasta water if sauce is too thick.

Serve topped with parsley and Parmesan.

Servings: 7

Calories per serving: 310

Thyme-Lemon-Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Another variation on my favorite roasted Brussels sprouts: thyme, a sprinkling of lemon juice, garlic powder, and Parmesan. 

First thing we’re going to do is get the Brussels trimmed up: tough outer leaves removed, and halved. As you get them ready, toss them in a large bowl. 

PRO TIP, HERE: IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT, CUT <OUT> THE OLIVE OIL. 

I use olive oil pan spray for virtually EVERYTHING now except salad dressings! And I’m down over a hundred pounds: I’m telling you, it WORKS.

Olive-oil pan spray your Brussels sprouts, give them a toss, and repeat that a couple times. Give them a generous 2T thyme and toss again. Shake 1t garlic powder over them, toss, and repeat twice (3t garlic powder total). Toss with 4T lemon juice.

Pan spray your sheet pan, and lay out your halved Brussels sprouts, cut side DOWN.

Roast them in a preheated oven at 425 until nicely carmelized on the bottoms. You can see here. Usually 20-24 minutes. 

Top with Parmesan while hot, and serve!

THYME-LEMON-PARMESAN ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

4lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

Olive oil pan spray

2T thyme

3t garlic powder

4T lemon juice 

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425.

Toss Brussels sprouts in large mixing bowl, coating with pan spray several times. Toss with thyme, garlic powder and lemon juice.

Coat a sheet pan with pan spray and lay Brussels sprouts in a single layer, cut side down.

Roast at 425 20-24 minutes, until browned and carmelized on the bottoms. Toss with Parmesan. Serve hot.

Instapot Potato Soup with Four Variations

I had planned to do this in the crockpot - hence why you are getting two recipes for the same thing! - but then didn’t get around to starting the potatoes until four o’clock! So I changed things a bit and created a recipe for the Instapot, too. 😊

INSTAPOT POTATO SOUP

3 lbs waxy potatoes (red or Yukon gold), cut into one or two inch chunks

3 leeks, cleaned and sliced 

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 C chicken broth, or equivalent broth base and water

2 T thyme 

Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste1 1/2 C plain nonfat Greek yogurt 

Place potato chunks, onion, garlic, broth, and thyme in the Instapot. Set to Pressure Cook - High for 10 minutes.
Blend soup with an immersion blender. Stir in yogurt Serve with desired toppings.

VARIATIONS

Alfredo:

Top with sun dried tomatoes, diced rotisserie chicken, cooked broccoli florets, and shredded Parmesan.

Mexican:

Top with pico de gallo, tortilla strips, sliced jalapeños, and shredded Mexican-blend cheese.

Pizza:

Top with diced pepperoni, marinara sauce, pesto, and shredded Mozzarella.

Loaded Baked Potato:

Top with diced ham, diced green onions, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.