Healthy Starts

Happy New Year!

Let’s start 2013 with a healthy breakfast every morning. When I’m pressed for time, I reach for a hardboiled egg (I keep a few in the refrigerator at the ready) and a few cherry tomatoes to start the day. But more often I eat a bowl of toasted oats with yogurt and fresh fruit.

Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber, which binds with low-density lipoproteins and expels them from the body. It’s a good source of protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper manganese, thiamin, folate and vitamin E. Oats contain more healthy oils than any other grain. Steel-cut oats are the best for breakfast as they retain more nutrients than rolled oats.

Toast old-fashioned rolled oats to develop a nutty aroma and enhance the natural flavor. Simply scatter oats on a baking sheet and toast in 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then.

Store in an airtight container. Later, for hot oatmeal, add raisins or dried cranberries and sweeten it with pure maple syrup or local honey for a power-packed inexpensive breakfast. Or substitute dry, toasted, rolled oats for breakfast cereal. Add sliced banana and milk for a healthy breakfast.

Do you love omelets but are concerned about cholesterol? Egg whites are a good source of protein. Add heart-healthy broccolini, tomatoes and smoked mozzarella for an omelet that’s deliciously high in protein without cholesterol.

Try this super-protein blueberry pancake recipe that’s made without flour or sugar. Or make the four-grain blueberry pancakes, which contain oatmeal, wheat germ, flax seeds, chia seeds, and antioxidant-filled blueberries. They are delicious.

Bon healthy appétit!

Egg White Omelet With Tomato, Broccolini And Smoked Mozzarella

(Serves 2)

1 heaping cup broccolini florets, blanched

8 egg whites

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted

6 scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 dozen cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, cut into 1/8-inch cubes

To prepare:

Blanch broccolini florets, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Plunge into cold water.

Drain well, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

Beat the egg whites until they hold a soft peak.

Add butter to a skillet and cook over medium high heat.

When it bubbles, add scallions and broccolini and sauté about 1 minute.

Add egg whites to the pan, pushing them out to the edges of the skillet.

Let set about 30 seconds, then scatter the tomatoes and cheese over the entire surface.

Cook about 30 seconds longer.

Using a silicone rubber spatula, fold one edge of the omelet over to the other edge and slide it out onto a large plate.

Divide into serving-size portions and serve at once.

Garnish with a few tomatoes and serve with dry whole grain toast for a low-cholesterol, high-protein breakfast.

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

(Yields 8)

10 egg whites

1 cup oatmeal, toasted

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 pint blue berries, washed

Powdered sugar, for dusting

To prepare:

Preheat the griddle to medium.

To make the batter, place egg whites, oatmeal, vanilla, salt and cinnamon in the blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds.

Spray the heated griddle with cooking spray.

Spoon the batter onto the griddle and cook for 2 minutes.

When the edges are light brown, flip and cook about 1 more minute.

Don’t touch or turn the pancakes more than once because it changes the texture.

Serve with fresh berries and dust with powdered sugar.

Frances’s Four-Grain Blueberry Pancakes

(Makes 13 5-inch pancakes)

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 heaping tablespoons old-fashioned oats

2 heaping tablespoons toasted wheat germ

2 tablespoons coarse yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon flax seed

1 teaspoon chia seeds, found in health food stores

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 large eggs, beaten until frothy

1½ cups buttermilk

1/4 cup 2-percent milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon safflower oil

1 pint fresh blueberries, washed, drained, picked over and patted dry

To prepare:

Add flour, oats, wheat germ, cornmeal, flax seed, chia seeds, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Stir with a whisk or fork until thoroughly mixed.

Make a well in the center.

In a quart glass measuring cup, beat the eggs, then add the buttermilk and milk.

Pour the liquid into the dry mixture.

Mix with a fork until there are no pockets of dry mixture left but do not over beat the batter.

Drizzle the butter over the batter.

Using a fork, quickly cut it through the batter.

Preheat the griddle or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.

When a drop of water skittles across the skillet, it’s perfectly hot.

Drizzle a little of the oil and any excess butter over the griddle.

Using a 3-tablespoon-sized spoon, pour the batter onto the hot griddle.

When the edges of the batter round up, scatter blueberries over the top.

Continue cooking until the edges start to show color and bubbles appear in the center of the pancake.

Flip the pancake over.

Cook about 1 minute longer.

Transfer the pancakes to a plate, add a few fresh berries on top and serve at once.

Pass pure maple syrup at the table.