On a number of menus I have breakfast hash. I had posted an earlier version of breakfast hash. That requires standing at the stove and frying the food over a period of time. This version requires a roasting pan and a hot oven. It’s an easy dish to prepare when you are doing other things.  Its also very flexible as to the ingredients you use. Use what you have on hand and your imagination. I don’t eat this every day but it is very flavorful and makes a wonderful brunch for a crowd just increase the amounts.Breakfast Hash

prep time 5-10 min

cooking time 20-30 min

Ingredients

bacon 2 slices per person

potatoes diced 1-2 per per person ( depending on size)

onion 1/2 small diced per person

other veggies ( mushrooms, peppers, etc what you have on hand)

eggs 1-2 per person

preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

dice the potatoes onions etc to approximately the same size and put them in the center of the roasting pan. Salt and pepper. If you aren’t using bacon toss them with a little olive oil.  Arrange the slices of bacon around the potatoes along the edge of the pan. The bacon becomes the fat used to fry the potatoes. It adds such great flavor. Put roasting pan in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. Check the bacon depending on how thick the slice it either should be flipped or removed to a plate with paper towel to drain. If the bacon is not finished flip it and stir the potatoes. Set the timer for another 10 minuets.

When timer goes off if you haven’t removed the bacon by now it should be done and remove it. Stir the potatoes again and the should be getting nice and golden crisp. Crack the eggs on top of the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for another 3-6 minutes depending on how runny you like your yolk. Remove from oven and serve.

If you don’t have bacon I have made this with cubed ham and leftover chicken. It is delicious either way. Just make sure you have tossed the ingredients in olive oil since you won’t have the bacon fat.

Most mornings on my menus I say have cold or hot cereal. Usually over the years I have purchased granola of one form or another. Good quality granola that is inexpensive is hard to find. I found a good one at a discount grocer but it was loaded with sugar. I have over the last few years given up sugar. If I have any sugar at all, its kept to under 4-8 grams per day. As such I was not eating cereal. I missed it and developed this recipe after trial and error.

Granola

prep time 5 min

cooking time 16-25 min

Ingredients

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (or both)

1 cup dried fruit ( I use banana chips unsweetened coconut  etc for their low sugar) if you don’t worry about that use your favorite fruits.

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 tbs honey. Add more if you want it sweeter

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Blend together in a bowl making sure everything is well coated and distributed. 

Pour out onto a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes at 340 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir to expose the uncooked grains. Cook for another 8 minutes and remove from oven. Cool on the baking sheet. It will continue to cook a little this way. I find ovens vary and tastes vary. You may want to leave it in the oven a little longer for a toasty flavor. I have found its a very short cooking time from toasty to burnt. Be careful.

Store in an airtight container. Will keep for weeks but its usually gone before I can test that theory. It’s great with milk yogurt and even on the top of ice cream. ( I make my own, more on that later) instead of a sugary cookie in the evening I have a small bowl of this with skim milk. Yes the honey has grams of sugar lots of them but when you break down two tablespoons to an entire batch it’s a few grams per serving.

I have been remiss in posting but will get you more information and menus. Let me know what works for you and what doesn’t . This winter I’ve been eating lots of roasted vegetables. My favorite food. Will post more about that soon.