Just like Christmas dinner, Christmas breakfast also has to be special. This holiday season, you can try a healthy Christmas breakfast so you won’t feel guilty eating all that good Christmas food.
Here are some easy recipes to start your Christmas day in a healthy way.
Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancake
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups Make-Ahead Whole-Grain Pancake Mix
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for griddle
Recipe:
Blend Make-Ahead Whole-Grain Pancake Mix with buttermilk, eggs, and butter until smooth. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and put in some butter.
Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake on the skillet. Cook for two to four minutes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry. Turn and cook for two to three minutes.
Place pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet, and keep warm in a 175°F oven up to 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
White Spiced Coffee
Ingredients:
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup whole organic coffee beans
- 1 1/2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp dark rum, such as Mount Gay
- 4 whole green cardamom pods
Recipe:
Pour the milk and crushed coffee beans in a saucepan. Heat the mixture for about seven minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and let the beans steep in the milk for 15 minutes.
Strain the mixture and discard the crushed beans. To the mixture add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and honey to the steeped milk and blend on high speed until the spices are coarsely ground, about 30 seconds. Strain the liquid back into the saucepan and discard the ground spices.
Heat the spiced coffee over medium-high heat until the liquid is hot and steaming. Add rum, if desired. Pour into coffee mugs and serve hot.
Maple Granola with Fruit and Nuts
Ingredients:
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 2 1/2 oz dried apricots
- 2 1/2 oz dried cranberries
- 3 oz almonds
- 3 oz walnuts
- 1 1/2 oz raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 oz raw unhulled sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- yogurt
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, add oats, apricots, cranberries, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk vegetable oil, pure maple syrup, corn syrup, ground cinnamon, and salt.
Pour over dry ingredients and mix. Spread granola in two greased baking pans. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden, and keep turning granola every 10 minutes.
Let it cool and then break it. Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to three weeks. Serve with yogurt and syrup.
Sources:
Cooper Cairns, M., “Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancake,” Country Living web site, February 11, 2016;
http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a37592/whole-grain-buttermilk-pancakes/, last accessed December 23, 2016
Sugarman, S., “Maple Granola with Fruit and Nuts,” Country Living web site, January 5, 2012;
http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a4101/maple-granola-fruit-nuts-recipe-clv0212/, last accessed December 23, 2016
“White Spiced Coffee,” Country Living web site, June 25, 2007;
http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a1335/white-spiced-coffee-3444/, last accessed December 23, 2016
