Sausage & Egg Cupcakes

Sausage & Egg Cupcakes

 

Sausage & Egg Cupcakes (Cupcake Quiches)

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INGREDIENTS

• ·         8 ounces low-fat sour cream
• ·         1/4 cup salsa
• ·         1/2 pound sweet or mild Italian or pork breakfast sausage
• ·         ¼ c finely chopped sweet onion
• ·         1 tbsp light pancake syrup or maple syrup
• ·         6 eggs
• ·         12 fl oz. can (1 1/2 c) non-fat evaporated milk
• ·         1 teaspoon paprika
• ·         Salt and pepper, to taste
• ·         Cooking spray
• ·         1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the sour cream and salsa in a small bowl. Place the mixture into a small plastic sandwich bag and put in the refrigerator to cool so that it firms up (optional).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a frying pan, cook the sausage and onions over medium-low heat, breaking it up with the back of a spoon as you go. Stir in syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
   
   
4. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and beat until combined. 
5. Spray a 12-cup cupcake pan with cooking spray and place approx. 1/4 c of the sausage mixture and a pinch of the Cheddar in each cup. Pour the egg mixture into each cup, filling them just about to the top.
   
6. Bake in the oven until the eggs are cooked through and golden brown on the top, about 15 minutes. 
7. Run a knife around the cupcakes to loosen and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the egg cupcakes from the pan and let cool for about 5 minutes. 
8. Meanwhile, take the plastic sandwich bag out of the refrigerator and cut off one of the corners so that there is a ½-inch hole. Pipe the sour cream icing onto each egg cupcake (if desired), and top each one with minced scallions or green onions. 

Note: I wanted something a little lower in calorie than the original recipe, which called for heavy cream, so I substituted the canned non-fat evaporated milk. You may want to sprinkle each filled egg cup with 1 tbsp of frozen diced hash browns or chopped parsley for variety before baking and skip the topping. If you don't like sausage, you can use finely cut up fried bacon instead. Good with ketchup, too.

Ham & Swiss Quiche

While some say "real men don't eat quiche," my hubby would disagree vehemently! Especially when it includes left-over Christmas ham and his favorite Swiss Cheese, that is! Quiche is NOT difficult. It just takes a light touch and the right ingredients. And yes, once again, I "cheated" with a commercial crust.

Ham & Swiss Quiche

Simply 'yum'

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 c milk (I used low-fat). If desperate, you can use 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 water
• 1/2 c Swiss cheese (cut into small pieces)
• 1/4 c diced sweet onion
• 1/8 - 1/4 c dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or regular pepper)
• approx. 1/4 c grated Parmesan/Romano Cheese for topping
• 1 commercial or home-made pie crust 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Whisk eggs in medium bowl until light and frothy. Add milk and continue whisking until blended. 
2. Stir in Swiss cheese, salt and red pepper flakes, onion and parsley flakes until mixed. It will be a bit chunky.
3. Place pie crust in 9" pie plate and pour in the mixture. 
4. Top with Parmesan/Romano mix.
5. Bake in oven for approximate 20-25 minutes, until knife inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean and dry. A wee bit of moisture may remain - that's ok!

Note: You  may prefer cheddar to Swiss, and you may prefer to mix the Parmesan/Romano into the rest of the mixture, but we really enjoyed it just as it turned out. The top 'crust' was really tasty and looked attractive. A delicious accident, since I made it this way by forgetting to add those cheeses! Whoops.

Easter Brunch: Two-Potato Frittata

Ever since my Weight Watcher days, Frittata has been one of my favorites. Here's one that combines 2 different types of potatoes and looks and tastes delicious for a quick'n'easy Easter Brunch.


Two Potato Frittata

Ingredients

• 2 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 medium Yukon gold potato, chopped
• 1 small red onion, cut in thin wedges, sliced thinly or chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 - 5.2 pkg semi-soft cheese with garlic and roasted pepper (or your choice)
• Fresh or dried oregano (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a 13x9x2 inch pan, combine potatoes and onion. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes (depending upon potatoes used).
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cheese and a pinch of salt until combined. Reduce oven to 400 degrees F. Pour egg mixture over vegetables; return to oven. Bake approximately 7 to 9 minutes, until the eggs are set.
3. Invert frittata onto a large cutting board and cut into wedges. Flip wedges top-side-up and place on plates. Tops with oregano if desired. Serves approx. 4 people.

Note: I used a combination of grated cheddar and parmesan for our frittata, and some cut up black olives. I also added a bit of garlic and parsley for flavor and color. Very tasty.

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