Brunch

Here’s all you need to know about poached eggs: Ira Gershwin said his songwriting career wouldn’t be complete until he got his beloved poached eggs into one of his songs, which he eventually did (“I’m a poached egg … without a piece of toast; Yorkshire pudding … without a beef to roast.”). I guess Ira felt like so many of us do: sometimes the best little meal is the simplest. In this case, I’ve enhanced the yum factor by topping this comfort food with Basil Lemon Drizzle. The result is a very light sauce, which the fat from the yolk takes on a trip all around your mouth. Hmm … yummmm.

Baked or shirred (pronounced “sheared”) eggs have been around forever. In this recipe, baking eggs over a little sautéed spinach with some feta cheese and a shaving of nutmeg creates a dish that looks and tastes beautiful. Just the sight of these eggs nestled in colorful ramekins is enough to bring even the most reluctant eater back to the table. To further enhance the yum factor, serve topped with Basil Lemon Drizzle (page 177).

I first became interested in soccas (chickpea flour crepes) because they are allergen-free, glutenfree, low-carb, high-protein, and delicious! Soccas go back to at least 1860. They are from southern France, but were most likely an import from northern Africa, where they eat a lot of chickpeas. In the nineteenth century, there were socca sellers at the markets and at work sites, where they provided the morning meal to the workers. The socca sellers used special wagons with built-in charcoal ovens to keep their wares hot while they announced them with the appropriate cries of “Socca! Socca! Socca!” I have kept my socca recipe simple, because I like the rustic flavor. You can top it with olive oil, salt, and fresh pepper, or go all out, topping it with things like caramelized onions and grilled red peppers.

My French friend Christèle was kind enough to share her recipe for gâteau au yaourt. I have adapted it here to be allergen-free, but it doesn’t suffer one bit. The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. It is easy, fast, and clean. You use the yogurt container (called “measure” in the recipe) as a measuring tool. Feel free to experiment with adding additional flavors to this cake, such as lemon or orange zest, or more rum, brandy, or cardamom. It’s a great basic template to play with.

Tender, moist, and so easy to make, this cake is great as an after-school snack or at teatime, but it also makes a fabulous easy breakfast. It reminds me of Sara Lee Banana Cake, which my mom used to keep in the freezer for those times she wasn’t baking. I was always sneaking a sliver.

This fabulous low-fat teacake is a favorite with kids and grown-ups alike. My sons like it for breakfast with a glass of rice milk, I prefer it in the afternoon with a nice cup of tea, and my husband eats his with a scoop of Vanilla Rice Dream for dessert. Make it a day in advance so the flavors meld.

I take this cake to meetings at my sons’ school and wow the teachers. It’s a conference room favorite. Nobody can believe it’s vegan and gluten-free. It’s straight-up classic coffee cake—moist and buttery, with a scrumptious crumb topping.

This simple quick bread is one of my favorites. It’s wholesome and subtly sweet. Whole-grain amaranth has a nutty flavor, adds great texture, and is packed with protein and fiber.

This moist, buttery coffee cake with its crisp, cinnamon-sugar topping is based on an old fashioned recipe from the 1950s, called Blueberry Boy Bait, a coffee cake named for the effect it had on teenage boys. My boys aren’t teens yet, but this bait works for them. They’ll gobble it up in one day—with not a crumb left over.

This tasty quick bread is a great way to sneak vegetables into your kid’s diet. When you combine chocolate and zucchini, the zucchini disappears. I tell my veggie-phobic son Lennon he’s eating chocolate cake and he’s none the wiser! He thinks he’s really lucky to get chocolate cake for breakfast.

With rich, tempting spices and a lovely autumnal hue, this bread is perfect during the harvest season.

These cinnamon rolls are to die for. I can hardly control myself as I wait for them to cool. In addition to their overwhelming yumminess, they are also incredibly easy to make. I’ve used rapid-rise yeast (also known as quick-rise yeast, fast-rising yeast, instant yeast, and/or bread machine yeast), which eliminates all that hanging around you normally do while waiting for old-fashioned slow-pokey yeast to rise. Make these for a holiday breakfast, or any weekend morning, for an extra somethin’ special.

These hearty scones are a perennial favorite, and now, thanks to gluten-free oats, even those on gluten-free diets can enjoy them. Feel free to swap out other dried fruits for the cherries. Dried apricots, cranberries, raisins, chopped dates, or figs are all wonderful substitutions. These are delicious with a little vegan butter!

A pretty, elegant scone, these are equally delicious with or without the glaze.

A wonderful addition to a weekend brunch, these scones are perfect served alongside fruit salad.

This basic scone is fantastic hot from the oven with a little vegan butter and strawberry jam. This recipe is also easily adaptable. See the variations listed below.

Buckwheat is such a great old-world flour. Its distinctive, slightly sweet, earthy flavor pairs extremely well with tart apple.

These tasty, not-too-sweet muffins are packed with protein-rich quinoa and plenty of antioxidant-rich fruit. Add a glass of calcium-enriched OJ or rice milk, and you have a complete breakfast.

Millet adds nice texture to this traditional favorite. Blueberry muffins are always a crowd pleaser. Bake up a big batch, store them in the freezer, and you’ll always have breakfast on hand.

My son Monte and I both love fresh apricots. Living in Southern California, we’re lucky to get them in abundance. I created this recipe for him. He loves the subtly sweet cornmeal muffin punctuated by bites of tart apricot. (Okay, I admit I’m paraphrasing—he is only five.)