The Miracle Ingredient That Will Save Any Breakfast
Maple syrup is standard with pancakes and waffles, but the natural sweetener can also work wonders on these four morning meals that you may not have considered before.
By Lynn Andriani
A Reason to Take a Break from Oatmeal
Quinoa is a superfood that's made its way into
breakfast bowls. But if you haven't tried it with maple syrup, you may not realize just how tasty it can be. Nutritionist
Ashley Pettit plays up the seed's nuttiness by pairing it with maple's buttery flavor, and it's a perfect match. A spoonful of hemp seeds add crunch, and cinnamon and vanilla extract give the dish a dessert-y taste.
Get the recipe: Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
A New Way to Enjoy a Favorite Winter Fruit
We've seen pears served alongside creamy brie or gorgonzola, garnished with a spoonful of honey, as an appetizer. This is Pettit's morning-meal take on the delicious trio, using plain Greek yogurt instead of cheese and pure maple syrup rather than honey. She chops the fruit and cooks it quickly with butter, cardamom, cinnamon and syrup (the toasty notes go especially well with the slightly spicy cardamom); stirs in raw pumpkin seeds; then spoons the mixture over yogurt for an unexpected warm-and-cool breakfast.
Get the recipe: Spiced Pear-Greek Yogurt Parfait
A Way to Turn the Hash Brown on Its Head
A baked potato for breakfast may seem strange, until you consider that potatoes in other forms—shredded and fried, for instance—are often served alongside eggs. Pettit bakes or steams a small sweet potato until it's soft, then cuts it open and drizzles it with maple syrup to play up the tuber's candy-like qualities. Drop in a few banana slices and a sprinkle of granola, and you've got a filling, nutritious breakfast.
Get the recipe: Sweet Potato Crunchy Breakfast Bowl
The Trick to Keeping Morning Sausage from Tasting Too Serious
Syrup can add warmth and richness to protein-based breakfasts, as Pettit's DIY healthy sausage-patties recipe shows. It's much easier than you might think; in fact, if you can make burgers or meatballs, you can do this. You simply combine ground chicken, shredded apple, chopped sage, spices, an egg, some olive oil and a dash of syrup; form the mixture into circles; and pan-fry.
Get the recipe: Apple-Sage Chicken Sausage Patties
Published 12/30/2014
