Tired of the Same Breakfast Menu? Try Using More Fruits and Veggies | Seasonal and Country-Style Recipes

Eggs and toast again? Cereal? Muesli? Or worse, no breakfast at all?

If your family is feeling the breakfast blues, veteran Lebanon County cooking instructor Debbie Hartman has some good news. This time of year, there are plenty of vegetables and fruits to choose from, from your garden, roadside stands or farmers markets, that can provide you with tasty and healthy breakfast options if you’re willing to think outside the box.

Hartman, who started the “Thyme with Debbie” cooking class, recently presented a session on “garden breakfast.”

Although salads are traditionally thought of as side dishes for lunch or dinner, it turns out they can also be the basis of a healthy and satisfying breakfast.

For those with plenty of tomatoes or other seasonal vegetables and a craving for bagels, Hartman came up with an easy-to-make salad with the flavor of a bagel, but without the carbs.

This breakfast or any-occasion salad contains protein from a dairy component. The bagel flavor profile comes from the following seasoning blend recipe, courtesy of Illinois Extension.

Bagel Seasoning Mix

• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons dried chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped dried garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

Mix seasonings in a small bowl. Pour into an airtight container and label.

This mixture can be used in the following recipe, or with any other food that could benefit from a flavor boost, whether it’s cooked vegetables, a slice of toast, or a salad topping, as in the following recipe. Hartman pointed out that toasting the sesame seeds adds an extra flavor boost.

Maceration is a culinary term that can sound intimidating… but don’t worry. Hartman explains that to macerate means to soften by soaking or steeping in a liquid.

In the case of fruit, whether fresh or dried, adding a sweetener, such as white or brown sugar, maple syrup or honey, to freshly washed fruit helps extract the fruit’s natural juice, while softening the fruit.

Fruits can also be macerated in flavorful liquids such as fruit juice, balsamic vinegar, wine, liqueur, or alcohol; as the fruit absorbs the liquid, it takes on the flavor of that liquid and also releases its own juice into the mixture.

Hartman pointed out that maceration is a particularly tasty process for blending flavors when combining different fruits.

Vegetables can also be marinated. In the following salad recipe, based on a recipe by Deb Perelman from “Smitten Kitchen Keepers, New Classics for Your Forever Files,” one or more vegetables are marinated in olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper.

Hartman encourages experimentation with flavored oils tailored to the vegetable or vegetables being used and to each person’s individual taste.

All-inclusive bagel salad

• 2 to 3 cups fresh vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, etc.), cut into bite-sized pieces
• Olive oil
• 1 cup soft cheese (e.g., fresh ricotta, cottage cheese, feta, goat cheese, etc.)
• Wholemeal bagel seasoning, to sprinkle
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a bowl, marinate the vegetables in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper for 5 to 10 minutes. Spread the soft cheese evenly on a plate.

Drizzle with additional olive oil and additional salt and pepper, if desired. Top the soft cheese with the marinated vegetables and sprinkle with bagel seasoning. Makes 1 to 2 servings.

Hartman points out that this quick, no-cook dish can be modified by substituting pickled fruits like green grapes, apples, pears, or a combination of these. It’s the perfect breakfast to enjoy outdoors on the porch or patio.

Panmolle, which means “soft bread” in Italian, is another type of breakfast salad. This chopped Tuscan salad, also known as panzanella, is traditionally made with soaked stale bread, onions, and tomatoes.

It’s served with a simple oil and vinegar dressing; however, the addition of some seasonal fruits and herbs makes this salad a memorable way to start your day.

This recipe is a variation of one in “The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and A Good Life in Freedom, Maine: A Cookbook” by Erin French.

Fruit Panmolle

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups bread cubes, crusty bread, such as a baguette
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 peaches, plums, nectarines or mangoes, ripe but firm, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch half-circles
• 1/2 cup salad dressing
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, stems removed
• 2 sprigs fresh mint leaves, torn
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, blackberries or raspberries

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add half of the bread cubes and toast, shaking the pan until the bread is golden on all sides; reserve the remaining untoasted bread cubes for two different textures.

Season the toasted and untoasted bread cubes with salt and pepper, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the fruit and cucumber to the bowl and top with your favorite dressing; toss to coat and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, so their juices can be absorbed into the bread. Add the herbs and berries, toss gently and serve.

Hartman said other herbs can be substituted based on personal preference; she suggested lemon thyme or lemon basil would work well. Also consider varying the recipe by using breads made from different grains.

Hartman then introduced a type of multitasking breakfast lightener that works well as a brunch appetizer but can also double as a party appetizer.

A variation on avocado toast, vegetarian toast is versatile and can follow the growing season by combining a fresh vegetable with the protein of a soft cheese and the carbohydrates of bread.

Hartman advises using your favorite herbs to complement your vegetable of choice — or adding the herb directly to whipped soft cheese.

Whipped soft cheese (see below) must be made ahead of time to use in this recipe and can be refrigerated for up to a week. In addition to its use in creating veggie toast, it can also be substituted for cottage cheese in Hartman’s bagel salad recipe, or spread on flatbreads, topped with sautéed or roasted vegetables or greens.

Whipped soft cheese

• 1-1/2 cups soft whole milk cheese (ricotta, goat cheese, cream cheese, etc.)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Add the cheese, salt, and pepper to the food processor. While blending, gradually add a thin stream of olive oil to the cheese, pausing to scrape down the sides, if necessary. Once a creamy mixture forms, taste and add more salt, pepper, or olive oil, if desired.

Vegetable toast

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh vegetables (e.g., avocados, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, or zucchini)
• 3 green onions, trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed
• 1/2 lemon, zest
• 1 tablespoon basil
• Mint leaves, torn into small pieces
• Olive oil
• 1/2-inch slices of thin country or cocktail bread

Place the vegetables and onions in a bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them and season with salt and pepper.

Add lemon zest, basil, and mint. Taste, then add ¼ cup olive oil and toss; let marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.

After toasting slices of bread, spread whipped cheese on each slice and arrange vegetables and onions on top of the whipped cheese, pressing the pieces into place.

Debbie Hartman said using these types of recipes for morning meals makes breakfast fresh and interesting, requires little prep time and doesn’t require cooking on a hot stove on a hot morning.

She pointed out that these recipes offer plenty of opportunities to change up ingredients as different vegetables and fruits come into season in your garden or at your local produce stand.

Debbie Hartman, instructor of “Thyme with Debbie,” offers monthly cooking classes near Richland in southeast Lebanon County. For class schedules and more information, visit thymewithdebbie.com.