Egg Drop Soup with Chicken and Shitake Mushrooms

This soup is low in calories and full of flavor.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
4 sliced green onions, keep white and green sections separate.
3 cups  chicken broth
4 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic chili paste
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten

Instructions

Coat a medium sauce pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add mushroom, ginger and white sections of green onions. Stir frequently until mushrooms are tender, about 5  minutes.

Add broth, chicken, soy sauce and chili paste. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute

Stir together cornstarch and one Tablespoon water in small bowl. Add to soup. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for three minutes.

Beat eggs with fork in small bowl. Add 1/4 cup of broth to the eggs and stir well. Slowly pour the egg  mixture back into the soup, stirring constantly as you add it. Cook for one minute.

Serve soup garnished to chopped green parts of the scallion and additional chili paste to add to taste.

To make this soup vegetarian, you can swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and use cubed tofu instead of chicken.

Breakfast Burritos

Who doesn't love breakfast burritos?

Ingredients

10 ounces (4 cups) country-style frozen hash brown potatoes
3 Tablespoons canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces sausage - not link
4 eggs, beaten
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup salsa

Instructions

In large nonstick pan, cook hash browns in oil according to package instructions.
Season with salt and pepper.
In medium skillet, break up sausage and thoroughly cook. Drain fat. Add eggs. Cook, stirring until eggs are cooked.
To serve, spoon sausage/egg and potato mixture down the center of each tortilla, dividing equally. Fold sides in and roll. Secure with toothpicks, if needed.
Serve with salsa.

Bite-Size Quiches

Excellent for a brunch.

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1/4 cup chopped Smoky-link style sausages or bacon (cooked and chopped)
4 ounces Swiss cheese

Instructions

In top of double boiler, combine cream cheese, milk, mayonnaise, onion and salt. Stir constantly until cheese is melted and ingredients are well blended and creamy.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add some of the hot cream cheese mixture to the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Then, add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream cheese mixture, stirring constantly. Add olives, sausage, and swiss cheese. Mix well.
Coat a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Fill each cup just to the top with the quiche mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until each mini quiche rises and is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly in pan. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

This recipe makes about 24 mini-quiches.
You can substitute the olives and sausage for other ingredients such as ham or shrimp.

Mary's Brunch Casserole

This recipe has been in my family for decades. It was given to my mom by our neighbor, Mary. It is a tried and true recipe that extends beyond any food trends. It is assembled the night before and popped into the oven in the morning, making it the perfect egg dish for the holidays. It easily feeds a large group. Mary had a big family, so it is easy to see why this recipe was a popular in her family.

Ingredients

9 eggs
3 cups milk
9 slices white bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage

Instructions

Brown sausage in skillet. Drain thoroughly and allow to cool.
Beat eggs in large bowl. Add milk, salt and mustard.  Mix together well.
Stir in bread cubes. In separate bowl, mix cheese with cooled and cooked sausage.
Stir sausage-cheese mixture into egg mixture.
Pour all into a 9x13 inch pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, remove the cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until eggs are set.
Serve within 15 minutes.