Recipes — brunch

January always seems to come with new goals to eat better and live better. Although, better doesn’t necessarily mean starve yourself, give up all carbs, be unhappy, lose a ton of weight, which will be impossible to keep off.  You don’t have to give up good food. You can still enjoy those yummy pancakes! This recipe is protein packed. It’s made with wheat flower, greek yogurt, fresh fruit and of course some good clean vanilla. Don’t give up the good stuff just make smarter choices!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour

 2 scoops vanilla protein powder

 1 tbsp baking powder

 ½ tsp Celtic sea salt

 1 ⅓ cups milk of choice. I use vanilla almond milk

 2 tbsp plain non-fat Greek yogurt

 1 cage free egg white

 2 tsp Tongan/vodka Vanillapura extract

 ½ pint fresh blueberries you can use frozen as well

Instructions: Serves 4

-In a large bowl whisk together the flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.

-In a smaller bowl whisk together the milk, Greek yogurt, egg white, and vanilla extract

-Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until smooth

-Gently fold the blueberries into the pancake batter with a rubber spatula

-Using a 1/4 cup measurer, add the batter to a hot prepared non-stick griddle or skillet

-Cook the pancakes on the first side until small bubbles form on top, then flip over and cook on the other side for another couple minutes. Place 3 pancakes on a plate and enjoy

Notes: You can serve pancakes as is or you can reserve some of the fresh blueberries from the batter and use them to make a blueberry sauce by packing them in a sauce pan and heating slowly until softened and slightly thick. Just top your pancakes with a couple tbsp. of fruit and serve.

This is the perfect recipe for Easter brunch. Make it ahead the night before, and then just pop it into the oven. Top it with your favorite syrup or try our buttery vanilla syrup on the blog. I love to add fresh berries when ready to serve. Whatever’s in season is always great! 

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 loaf challah or brioche, about 1 lb. (500 g), cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• Kosher salt
• 1 VanillaPura Madagascar vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) maple syrup
• 2 tsp. VanillaPura Madagascar/ rum vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) sliced almonds
• confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish. Set aside.



Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast until the bread is lightly golden brown and dry, about 7 minutes, flipping the slices about halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the bread slices to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. With the tip of a paring knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean halves into the egg mixture and whisk to combine; reserve the vanilla bean halves. In batches, dip the bread slices into the egg mixture, turning the slices to coat them evenly and letting the bread sit in the bowl for about 2 minutes to absorb the liquid.

Arrange the bread slices in the prepared baking dish, overlapping them slightly. Pour any remaining egg mixture in the bowl evenly over the bread in the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).

Transfer the dish, still covered with the foil, to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish, increase the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking until the French toast is puffed up and browned, about 15 minutes more.Top with your favorite syrup and fresh berries.

Thanks Williams Sonoma for sharing this recipe. It's delish!

I’ve posted so many yummy breakfast/brunch recipes that would go perfect with this rich buttery vanilla syrup. My friend Mindi gave us this syrup for Christmas in the cutest little vintage jar. It is "THE" syrup for just about everything.  Its rich, buttery, and vanilla goodness will have your guests coming back for more!

Ingredients

1. 1 cup sugar
2. ½ cup butter
3. ½ cup buttermilk
4. ½ teaspoon baking soda
5.  2 teaspoons VanillaPura Madagascar/rum vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Melt butter over low heat in a 3 quart sauce pan.
2. Add Sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda. Stirring consistently, turn the heat up to medium, and bring to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat a stir in the VanillaPura extract
4. Serve immediately on pancakes, waffles, or french toast.

Thanks to the white apron for sharing

Ahhh... French crepes for a Sunday brunch in March? Yes, please!

So what is the trick to making a perfect French crepe? It is to pour the batter into a very hot 10 inch skillet/pan while tipping the pan.  This method will create those perfect thin and crispy crepes you crave. You’ll probably get about 12 crepes. I’ve been told that covered in plastic wrap they can last up to 2 days. Mine never last that long!

 Load them up with really, whatever you want. The options are limitless!

But… if you're looking for something tried and true, you need to try this raspberry vanilla cream filling.  Don’t forget to include a fruity bubbly mimosa. The perfect companion to the French crepe. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups milk (I used 1% - do not use skim but other kinds will do)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• Extra butter for skillet
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 1 tsp VanillaPura Madagascar/rum vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar (divided) plus extra for dusting
• fresh raspberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl combine the flour, eggs, salt, vanilla, butter and sugar
2. Whisk in the milk gradually until it is a smooth batter with no lumps
3. Heat a lightly buttered 10" skillet over medium/high heat
4. Scoop about 1/4 cup batter in center of pan then swirl and rotate so batter covers the bottom of the skillet
5. The crepes will take about 1-2 minutes per side until brown
6. Cook all crepes (lightly butter pan between making each crepe)
7. Make filling by beating the whipped cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until stiff peaks form then set aside
8. In mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth then add in 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, Madagascar vanilla and salt and mix well
9. Fold in the whipped cream
10. Spread about 2-3 tablespoons of vanilla cream on crepe and roll up
11. Top with fresh raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar

Thanks to Cooking on the Front Burners for sharing this recipe.