Thursday, April 15, 2010

Breakfast on the Go: Ellie Krieger Style


I have a MAJOR LOVE for all things breakfast. In fact, I think that breakfast may just be my most favorite meal of the day. I have a ton of breakfast/brunch recipes bookmarked in cookbooks and online and it is about time I cook some of those up. In an effort to make some grab and go breakfasts that are healthy; I made two treats to share with you, both recipes of Ellie Krieger.

Whether you are dashing out the door or enjoying a leisurely morning, you will love to look in your refrigerator and see these gorgeous Muesli Parfaits. Yogurt, milk, oats, toasted almonds, honey, vanilla and mixed berries....what's not to love? Ellie suggests making them the night before and grabbing them in the morning. I made mine the morning of and they were fine to eat straight away. The recipe makes four servings, coming in at 300 calories, 10 grams of fat, 13 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fiber. They are gorgeous, delicious, and super duper filling. I almost couldn't eat the whole parfait (which is rare for me)!



Muesli Parfaits
Adapted from So Easy by Ellie Krieger, also online at Food Network
1/2 cup unsalted raw almonds
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used Greek Yogurt)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen (strawberries hulled and halved)

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Chop them coarsely.
In a medium bowl, stir together the milk, yogurt, oats, honey, and vanilla. Divide the oat mixture evenly among 4 small dishes or parfait glasses. Top each with 1/2 cup of berries, then 2 tablespoons of the chopped almonds. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. The parfaits will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.


I have about 6 kinds of granola bars in my pantry (proof of my breakfast bar obsession). Naturally, I wasn't hungry for any of those bars and quite frankly, they probably aren't very healthy anyway. I decided to make Ellie's Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars. I have been wanting to make these bars for a LONG time and each time I am missing an ingredient. This time was no different. Halfway through the recipe I realized that I had no applesauce. Drats! Not letting anything get in my way this time around, I decided to make my own applesauce. A quick glance to the fruit bowl and I smiled. There was one apple left. Thankfully, one apple makes about 1/2 cup applesauce, which was more than enough.



Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars
Adapted from So Easy by Ellie Krieger, also online at Food Network
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour OR regular whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 large egg white
3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Cooking spray
1/4 cup "fruit only" apricot preserves

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg, and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oat mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries and walnuts.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. When the bars are nearly done, put the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars, about 4x1-1/2 inches each.

Makes 12 servings, 230 calories, 9 grams fat, 4 grams protein 34g carbs, 2 grams fiber

Notes/Results: I bought Ellie's So Easy cookbook a couple months ago and I love it. The recipes are easy, well-written, and all of them have been great. These two breakfast recipes may just be some of my favorites in the book. The muesli parfaits are delicious and something healthy that you would actually look forward to eating. I love that they keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The parfait itself is delicious, with a mild sweetness from the fresh fruit. I plan on making these a lot because they are gorgeous, taste great and are healthy and filling (which is a hard to find combination). In fact, I might just make some for the girls at work this weekend!
The walnut and cherry bars take a little bit of work to put together, but are SO VERY DELICIOUS that it is well-worth it, especially when you consider that you'll have twelve homemade breakfast bars. These bars should come with a warning though: THEY ARE ADDICTIVE! Yes, it will be hard to stop with one. You will most likely go back for another one. They are moist, sweet,tart and chewy (almost like a breakfast cookie)! I will definitely be making both of these recipes again as I really loved them both!

Happy Eating!!

34 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you posted these recipes. I have the same cookbook (LOVE IT!) but haven't made these 2 recipes yet. I know what I'll be doing this weekend. Thank you!

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  2. These both look delicious. I think I am leaning a little more towards the Walnut and Cherry Bars though. YUMMY!

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  3. Mmmm... I want to have breakfast at your house. Everything looks so delicious. Cherries are a real fav of mine, I know I would adore those bars (but I probably would eat them all)
    *kisses* HH

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  4. Ohmigosh those walnut and cherry bars look AMAZING!!

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  5. I am a two-breakfast kind of girl, and these recipes would work perfectly. Eat the parfait at home and bring the bar for a mid-morning snack! Healthy, fresh, and satisfying - great choices!

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  6. Kim, both recipes look delicious, but the bars are pure paradise. I hope you are having a wonderful day....Mary

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  7. these look great. hey, kim, since i happen to actually be the editor of this book, i just want to mention that publishers REALLY prefer that if you're going to use recipes from our books that you post a link for the book title to Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble or a site like that. You know -- a little bit of extra promotion never hurts. You can delete this comment -- I couldn't find your email address. I just wanted to mention it since we follow each other's blogs.

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  8. I've come to love parfaits for breakfast/brunch. These definitely are gorgeous and have much more going on than the ones I normally make.

    Blackberries are one of my favorite fruits, so that top picture really drew me in. Beautiful pictures!

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  9. That is a delicious breakfast, Kim! I love berries!

    Your pictures are beautiful!

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  10. The parfaits look wonderful! Greek yogurt with honey and almonds is one of my most favorite things in the world.

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  11. I make yoghurt parfaits all summer - until we are good and sick of them. So that hot breakfasts start to look good in the fall. Yours are scrumptious. It would make a non-breakfast eater - eat breakfast! I need to try the bars - they also entice.

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  12. When life hands you a fridge depleted of applesauce - you make your own! Love it. You are too adorable.

    These look absolutely delicious. I am all over that parfait. I might have to have it for dessert.

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  13. The parfait looks so refreshing, great for breakfast. I also like the wonderfully dense and chewy cherry bars!

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  14. what an amazingly healthy way to start the day :)

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  15. Sounds like both recipes were a big hit! I adore yogurt parfaits with a delicious museli for some crunch. I find them totally addictive.

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  16. Your breakfast delights look awesome! I think those parfaits are just beautiful. I could easily eat it for breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner.

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  17. Those bars look so yummy! Definitely bookmarking.

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  18. Ah, breakfast/brunch - also my faves, as I mentioned today. I had to smile when I read this post because of the comment you left on ReTorte today! Great minds think alike!

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  19. Kim, The parfait picture looks so good I wish I had the ingredients on hand to make it. And the bars looks amazing too!

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  20. I love parfaits like this for breakfast! This is such a nice recipe!

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  21. I bought the book a while back but have yet to cook from it so I am glad to know you loved these recipes--they both look delicious! ;-)

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  22. Oh no….you won’t get me hooked on Ellie Krieger like you did Tyler Florence! Well….maybe…..this looks so good and healthy to boot. Nice post. By the way, I am making the shrimp scampi this evening from Tyler ’s book. I’ll post it next week. Thanks for the suggestions!

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  23. I loe these parfaits .. that's very close to my every morning breakfast! I guess I'll have to pass the bars be it morning or afternoon ...

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  24. The Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars look like they could be adapted to some of the HB5 recipes!

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  25. i've never made anything like this, and it looks incredible! isn't ellie the best! great job!

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  26. It all looks SO wonderful! It's nearly midnight and I'm thinking about breakfast! Great recipes. Hope you have a lovely weekend!

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  27. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal too. Both of these sound great!

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  28. I agree that breakfast is by far the best meal! And I love Ellie Kriegers recipes--so healthy and fresh!

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  29. I'd love one of the parfaits with a cherry bar to wash it down! Such yummy breakfast treats! Love that you made your own applesauce for it. You rock.

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  30. Both of these recipes sound fabulous!

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  31. What great recipes. They both look yummy!

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  32. Am bookmarking this page to try 'em!!!

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  33. I used to not like these either, but I never really tried them until last summer. Alexis and I stayed at the Rocking Horse Inn in Louisville and that was part of the breakfast. I loved it, to my surprise.

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  34. The photos of the parfaits are so cool. I love the angle. We like parfaits for breakfast, a meal we never, ever skip. The bars look yummy too.
    Sam

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