Holiday Breakfast Braid

A perfect holiday breakfast treat...

Ingredients

1 sheet of Crescent Roll Dough
4 Whole Eggs
3 Egg Whites
3/4 cup diced Green and Red Peppers
1/4 cup diced Onions
1 cup diced Turkey Kielbasa (or your favorite breakfast meat)
1/2 cup cubed Swiss and Cheddar Cheese
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Egg for Egg Wash
Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Wisk together 4 whole eggs and 3 egg whites.

3.  Add butter to a skillet and melt it.  Then Add the peppers, onions, and kielbasa and Cook for a couple of minutes.

4.  Add the eggs to the skillet and Cook thoroughly.  Season with salt and pepper.

5.  Place egg mixture in a bowl and let cool.

6.  When mixture is cool, Add cheese cubes and Stir until combined.

7.  Roll out the crescent roll dough a bit so that it stretches out thinner.  

8.  Cut 1 inch strips along the sides of the dough, leaving about 4 inches down the center of the pastry.  Make sure you have an even number of cuts on each side.

9.  Place your egg mixture in the center of the crescent roll dough.

10.  Take a strip from each side of the dough and Fold it over the egg mixture.  Then fold a strip from the opposite side of the dough over and continue this pattern to form the braid.

11.  Beat an egg and then Brush the dough with the egg wash.

12.  Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

13.  Enjoy!

***Bonus Clip - "Egg White Blooper"

When the egg white doesn't want to cooperate while filming...

For a printable version of this recipe, go here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jYqGuN9K6FyaK5ssMjxp86hIrwz_KlLkuaI8RTuKO9c/edit?usp=sharing

Light Cajun Chicken Pasta with Veggies

Lunchroom Dabbles...with a bit of a "kick"

Ingredients:

1# Bow Tie Pasta or your favorite type of Pasta

4 large Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts cut into Strips

1 T. Cajun Seasoning or to taste

1 T. Olive Oil

1 Red Bell Pepper thinly sliced

1 Yellow Pepper Thinly sliced

8 oz of Fresh Mushrooms sliced

1 Onion Thinly Sliced

3 cloves Garlic Minced

2 Roma Tomatoes Diced

2 c. Fresh Spinach

Chopped Parsley for garnish

1 and 1/2 c. Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1/2 c. 1% Milk

1 and 1/2 T. Flour

4 T. Light Cream Cheese

1.  Prep all your vegetables. 

2.  In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. 

3.  Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse, set aside.
***For a gluten-free option - Try using Zoodles!

4.  Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning and salt.

5.  Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside in a Bowl.

6.  Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

7.  Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 3 minutes.  Making sure it comes to a boil for the flour to thicken a bit.

8.  Return chicken to skillet; add Fresh Garlic, adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot.

9.  Add pasta, diced Tomatoes and Fresh Spinach; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with Fresh Parsley.  

Plate it up on Separate Plates or Put on a large platter and watch it disappear.

For a printable version of this recipe, go here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jPyH_QTgxJzvsLQOUIh0HNuq2fd33oueFs2_SQqYQMY/edit?usp=sharing

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

ingredients

for the salad:
• 3 c. halved cherry or grape tomatoes (quarter the tomatoes if they are large)
• 2 large English cucumbers or 8 smaller Persian cucumbers, diced

• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into coins
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 c. minced fresh cilantro
• 1/3 c. minced fresh mint
• 1/3 c. minced fresh parsley
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 c. rough chopped arugula

for the salad dressing:

• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• juice and zest of 3 large lemons

preparation

for the salad:

In a very large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Fold to combine.

for the salad dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together all salad dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and fold to combine. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving, to let flavors mingle.

This salad is most crisp the day it is made, but leftovers can be enjoyed for another day or so. This makes a large amount of salad, great for a big group. Divide all ingredients in half for a smaller salad.

For a printable version of this recipe, go here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TIW31X_xQqpid346aY91tJQ5WNFB1KrsgDM-_OehVac/edit?usp=sharing