When it comes to celebrating the holidays with friends and family, there’s nothing better than honoring beloved traditions such as sharing a leisurely breakfast or brunch. Thanks to winter holidays and school breaks, there is more time to focus on these morning meals as unique and indulgent experiences. After all, it’s the fun and special moments that happen around the breakfast table that set the tone for the entire day. With Real California Milk products at the center of the table, whether used as ingredients or as standalone items, you can be sure you’re serving authentic, nutritious and wholesome products made with sustainably sourced milk from California family farms.
There’s also something to be said for starting off your holiday morning with a serving of dairy.
“While it can be easy to indulge in breakfast around the holidays, dairy can actually help us stay on track,” says Dr. Rachel Paul, PhD, RD, of NutritionByRachel. “One serving of yogurt or cheese contains about 15 percent of the daily value of protein, which not only helps us build and repair muscles, but also keeps our blood sugar stable and keeps us full until the next meal.”
Try these five breakfast recipes to incorporate California dairy into holiday traditions that will last for years to come.
.jpg)
Brunchable Yogurt Parfaits
2 c. Real California plain yogurt
1 1/2 c. granola
4 c. mixed berries (if using strawberries, hull and halve them)
1/4 c. honey
Arrange about 1/3 of granola in four serving dishes, glasses or jars. Top with 1/3 of berries, 1/2 of yogurt and 1/3 of honey. Repeat, making another layer of granola, berries, yogurt and honey. Top with remaining granola, berries and honey, and serve. Serves 4.
Lemon Blueberry Pancake Casserole
Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
1 3/4 c. gluten free all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coarse kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
2 c. Real California buttermilk
2 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c. Real California salted butter, melted
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
Lemon Blueberry Pancake Breakfast Casserole
1 1/4 c. Real California heavy cream
3/4 c. Real California whole milk
5 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. Real California butter, sliced thin to serve
Warm maple syrup or blueberry maple sauce to serve
Blueberry Maple Sauce
1 pint blueberries
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 c. water
To make the Lemon Blueberry Pancakes:
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and lemon zest.
Slowly stir into the flour mixture. Add the 1/4 cup melted butter and stir gently to incorporate; the batter will be lumpy. Don’t overwork. Let stand for 10 minutes. Gently fold in the frozen wild blueberries right before cooking.
Heat a nonstick griddle over medium high heat. When hot, lightly coat with butter. Drop the batter onto the griddle by 1/4 cup-fulls. Cook until the tops are starting to become covered with bubbles and the edges look a bit dry, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown, another 3 minutes.
To prepare the Lemon Blueberry Pancake Breakfast Casserole:
Lightly grease an 11x7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut each of the pancakes in half. Stand the pancakes, flat side down in the baking dish until the entire baking dish is filled.
In a large bowl, whisk the cream, milk, 5 eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar together until combined. Slowly ladle this mixture over the pancakes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole, top with fresh blueberries and bake in the preheated oven until the center is set, 55-60 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
To make the Blueberry Maple Sauce:
While the casserole is baking, make the blueberry maple sauce.
Place all but 1/2 cup of the fresh blueberries into a small saucepan with the maple syrup and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer gently until the berries begin to burst and lose their structure, about 10 minutes. The mixture will be thin. Remove from the heat, add the reserved fresh berries and cool to room temperature. This sauce will thicken as it cools. Save any unused blueberry maple sauce in the refrigerator.
To serve:
Divide the butter into small slices and scatter across the top of the casserole. Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve immediately in slices with the Blueberry Maple Sauce or warmed maple syrup.
Cheesy Hash Brown Egg Bites
Olive oil cooking spray
5 oz. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1 c. Real California Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
8 medium-sized eggs, beaten
1/2 c. Real California cottage cheese
1 Tbsp. minced chives
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled or 2 Tbsp. bacon bits
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray the wells of a muffin tin liberally with olive oil cooking spray or baking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the hash browns, cheddar cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
Scoop 1/4 cupfulls of the mixture into each well of the muffin tin. Use clean fingers to pack the hash browns down into and up the sides of the wells creating a nest shape.
Bake for 15 minutes until the edges have browned and the cheese has melted.
Meanwhile, mix the cottage cheese and chives into the beaten eggs. When the hash brown nests cook time is complete, remove the pan from the oven and divide the egg mixture between the hash brown nests. Top each nest with crumbled bacon then bake an additional 11-13 minutes until the egg mixture has set.
Let cool until you can handle working with the pan safely and not be burnt. Gently slide a butter knife around the edges of each nest. Then use a fork to lift the hash brown egg nests from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ricotta Churro Waffles
1 8-oz. container of Real California Ricotta cheese
1/2 c. melted Real California butter
1 1/2 c. waffle mix
2/3 c. Real California milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. cinnamon
Preheat waffle iron and spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium-size bowl, mix waffle mix, milk, vegetable oil and egg until blended smoothly. Spoon mixture into waffle iron until batter reaches the sides of each square. Cook for 5 minutes or until waffles are lightly golden and crisp (timing will vary based on waffle iron). Melt butter in a bowl and set aside. Mix cinnamon and sugar in another bowl and set aside. Once waffles are done, use a pastry brush to spread the butter on one side of waffle and dip into cinnamon sugar combo. Generously spoon ricotta cheese on top to garnish.
Buttermilk Pancake Breakfast Tacos
Basic Diner-Style Buttermilk Pancakes
2 c. gluten-free all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coarse kosher salt
2 1/2 c. Real California buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. salted Real California butter, melted
Vegetable or coconut oil for the pan
Epic Breakfast Tacos
1 batch Basic Diner-Style Buttermilk Pancakes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
5 eggs, beaten
Coarse kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 c. Real California shredded Cheddar cheese
4 strips cooked maple bacon
1/2 Tbsp. minced parsley
Warm maple syrup, to serve
To make the Basic Diner-Style Buttermilk Pancakes:
Place a rimmed sheet pan with a wire cooling rack set inside the oven and preheat to 200°F. This will keep the pancakes warm while the rest of the ingredients for the tacos are prepared.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the buttermilk and 2 eggs together with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the melted butter then add the liquids to the dry ingredients and whisk together. Stop whisking once the batter has just come together; it will be lumpy. Refrigerate the batter for 15 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick griddle or cast iron skillet over low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the griddle and spread around the pan. Raise the heat to medium-low, and, using a measuring scoop, ladle 1/2 cupfulls of the batter onto the prepared pan quickly using the back of the measuring cup or a spoon to spread as thin as possible making tortilla sized pancakes.
Once bubbles rise to the surface of the pancakes and the edges begin to dry out, about 2-4 minutes, flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Remove the pancakes to the oven and continue with the remaining batter making 8 tortilla-sized pancakes total.
To assemble the Epic Breakfast Tacos:
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil, and, when warm, pour the beaten eggs into the pan. Working quickly, season to taste with salt and pepper then sprinkle the shredded cheese across the top.
Use a spatula to push and move the eggs from the edges of the pan to the center until the egg is cooked to your preference.
Assemble these breakfast tacos as you would traditional tacos by laying a Basic Diner-Style Buttermilk Pancake “tortilla” on a flat surface then layer it with maple bacon, scrambled cheddar eggs and parsley. Serve immediately with warmed maple syrup on the side.
Photography by: California Milk Advisory Board
