They say – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But for us geeks, bachelors and students breakfast remains that illusive mystery that we breeze through while preparing for our day at work or play. However, thanks to a few ‘shortcuts’ in the culinary realm, we have been able to salvage some simple tips on classic breakfast dishes that do not actually take much time to prepare. These dishes are easy to make and delicious to taste! So put on your chef’s hat and try out these ten items whenever you crave for a good and hearty breakfast.
1. Egg ‘boiled’ in an oven
Boiled eggs and breakfast are like ham and cheese (no pun intended!). But the predicament with most ‘perfectly’ hard-boiled eggs is the complex process required for achieving them (that involves optimized conditions for the boiling water, different time intervals and additional stuff like salt and baking soda). However, there is a much simpler way to make hard-boiled eggs, and that entails – just putting the eggs inside and oven and baking them at 325-350 degrees. The easy-peasy process takes around 30 minutes of your morning. And, what’s more; you can use containers like a muffin pan to keep the eggs from shuffling inside the oven.
2. Scrambled egg made in 2 minutes
Yes, you have read that right – it is two minutes! All you need to do is take a microwave safe container (around 12 ounce capacity) and then brush it with cooking spray. Then you break your eggs in this container and beat them with a dash of milk (which is a pretty conventional practice for achieving better consistency). Insert the mixture into the microwave oven and then crank it up to ‘high’ for around 40-45 seconds. Then you should take out the container and once again stir the ingredients. Finally, insert it back into the oven and microwave until you can see the eggs to almost set along the container (which should be after 30-45 seconds). Then take out the finished dish and add salt and cheese as toppings according to your preference.
3. ‘DIY’ cereal bars
Cereals bars can be made in the comfort of your home, and that too by a similar process we have mentioned in the previous entry. For this munchy and nutritious food item you need your favorite serving cereal and around two tablespoons of marshmallows. After you have gathered these simple ingredients, once again revert to a microwave safe bowl, and then brush its inside with cooking spray. Then mix your cereals and marshmallows in the bowl and microwave them for around 30-35 seconds. After this, take out the mixture and whisk them once again to improve the ‘combination’. Then let the mixture stand for around 2 minutes so that the marshmallows can harden in room temperature. Finally, bring your cavalry (that is your hands) to the fray and make block like shapes out of this mixture. And, as a ‘handy’ tip, apply water to your hands before touching the mixture, as it has a tendency to stick to your palms.
4. Making French toast in crock pot
As opposed to the earlier dishes in this list, this has to be done overnight because of the crock pot involved. However, the process is as simple as it gets – you need to break up your breads in two pieces and keep them in the pot. Then combine a mixture of eggs, milk and a dash of cinnamon and vanilla (along with brown sugar or salt as preferred). Now, you can pour this mixture over the bread, or dunk the bread pieces in a conventional manner. Then leave the crock pot at its lowest setting and go to sleep. Next morning (after 6-8 hours), you can see the resultant dish has gotten fluffy like a bread pudding. Finally, you should remove the lid around 15-20 minutes before the bread mixture is done so as to proudly serve your French toast with a brownish tinge.
5. Oat Parfait for the health conscious
Since we have already talked about an overnight dish, we thought of adding another one – an oat parfait. This can be prepared first by assembling rolled oats, oat bran, chia seeds, cinnamon, milk and water in a plastic container (like Tupperware) and then keeping them chilled inside a fridge. In the morning, the resultant mixture should have a creamy consistency. Now, moving on to the parfait, you can top off the oat mixture with banana slices, raisins, sunflower seeds and even coconut shavings. And, voila – it is done!
6. Bacon cooked with pancake batter
If oats are not your style, you can always go for the more ‘greasy’ stuff to satiate your appetite. For those who like their food to actually taste good, bacon (preferably turkey) cooked with pancake butter is the glorious breakfast answer. The simple process entails frying bacon regularly over medium low heat. Then you should remove the pieces and place them in paper towels, while also soaking up the extra grease from the pan. Then return the bacon pieces to the skillet and pour pancake batter over them. Proceed on to cook them normally, and then eat’em them with a smug grin on your face.
7. Spinach Omelette made in Panini press
You should start off the dish by first cooking a bacon (preferably in a crispy manner) in the Panini press. Then remove the bacon, but leave the sizzling fat inside the press. Now, comes the Spinach Omelette part – you start by scattering spinach leaves over the press and then pouring the eggs over the spinach. Then close the press lid and cook for at least one minute. After this period your Spinach Omelette is ready to be served. You have the option of rolling the flat dish and eating it, or cutting up the omelette in pieces to serve with the aforementioned cooked bacon.
8. Making pancakes in a sandwich maker
For those who are still burdened with their ‘olde’ sandwich maker, you can make better use of it by making actual pancakes instead of those boring sandwiches. The preparation starts with heating up the maker, while you make the pancake batter. Then open the lid and spray the inside surface with a non-stick spray (or butter). Then scoop up the batter and pour it over the sandwich molds (make sure that you do not entirely fill the molds). Then close the lid again, set the timer to around 4-5 minutes and relax. And, thus the great fluffy, triangular pancakes are born!
9. Cinnamon Rolls made in waffle iron
Don’t worry, we have not forgotten about the sweet lovers among us. And to prove our dedication we have salvaged the easy recipe for making sumptuous, glistening, hot cinnamon rolls with the help of a waffle iron. First, you need to heat up your waffle maker (the Belgian type is shown in the image) and drizzle it with non-stick spray (similar to our earlier entry). Then place your market bought refrigerated cinnamon rolls inside the maker and close the lid lightly. Set the timer to 2-3 minutes, and once gain relax. Finally, open up the lid, and enjoy your rolls preferably with the included icing and a glass of warm milk.
10. Yogurt and Honey Popsicle
We end the list with a full fledged dessert item. For this you need to blend your yogurt (Greek yogurt preferable) and honey in a large container. You can also mix different types of berries to the combination. Then pour the mixture into Popsicle molds, close their tops and insert the sticks. Keep the filled molds inside the fridge for at least 3 hours (or overnight). And, finally you have your Yogurt and Honey Popsicle ready for consumption.
