This page features my classics, enjoy!

• Bagels n’ Lox
• Biscuits & Gravy
• Buckwheat Banana Pancakes
• Breakfast Sandwich
• Egg n’ Toast
• Hashbrowns
• Lemon Blueberry Pancake Bread
• Tomato Bagel

Bagels n’ Lox

It may seem simple but its not. The fish needs to be fresh, the right amount of onion but not too much to overpower the salmon, the tomato (being a staple) needs to be on its A-Game, capers are hard to mess up but you get the picture. The freshest ingredients breed the best flavor.

• FAF (fresh as F***) Bagel, whether that be a local hole in the wall or Dave’s brand (plain is the best for this)
• Lox (1 slice)
• Organic Cream Cheese (always better/richer)
• Tomato (2 big slices)
• Red Onion (2 thin slices per bagel)
• Cucumber (4 slicers per bagel)
• Capers (as many as you damn like)
• Spinach (optional)

To assemble the perfect bagel, after toasting apply cream cheese, smash the capers and onions in the cream cheese (to prevent the tasty passengers from falling out while in flight to your mouth), followed by cucumber (further securing your passengers), then tomato, fresh cracked salt and pepper, spinach (if adding),and then last but not least the lox.

Biscuits & Gravy

You will never see me order biscuits and gravy anywhere. The gravy is usually bland, the sausage is rubbery, and the biscuit is not hard to mess up. But to me, it tastes like a mouthful of flour with an unpleasant texture. Now that I roasted this dish, I will eat it but only if it’s my recipe. And of course, identifying ways to modify this dish to add nutritional value.

As the meat browns, prep the first roux (a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent in a soup or a sauce). Essentially, it’s an art of slowly adding the flour to the milk and whisking ferociously. If you add flour too fast, the mixture can become clumpy. We are not fans of that here and frankly no one should settle for less. To this milk and flour mix, add fresh cracked pepper. Once the meat is browned and minced, add the roux and keep adjusting. Usually after this first roux, I will add another cup of milk with no flour, and then a roux until the milk is gone. You may need to add more or less flour depending on the texture.

And pro tip, always serve with a fried egg, it’s a game changer

Now, how does this stack up against your traditional dish? First off, check out the ingredients of the biscuits I used versus the other very popular brand:

Me- Ingredients: Organic Wheat Flour, Water, Organic Palm Oil, Organic Cane Sugar, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda), Sea Salt, Organic Expeller-Pressed Canola And Sunflower Oils, Xanthan Gum, Organic Wheat Starch, Natural Flavor.

Other guys- Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate).

If that doesn’t speak volumes then check out the rest. Back on the milk piece, I use about 4 cups so if one uses regular milk that adds 520 calories and 48g of sugar to the gravy alone. And keep in mind the protein is versatile, so you can opt for one with less fat. I used pork this go around but I have used chicken, turkey, and vegan sausage- all amazing but the nutrition will vary.

If we divide the dish by 8 to match the amount of biscuits in the can, including an egg, here is how it pans out: 420 calories, 16g fat, 5g sugar, 30g carbs, 21g protein

Buckwheat Banana Pancakes

You bet that Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes was playing on loop while these were being perfected. I know you are probably wondering, why buckwheat? A goal of mine is to diversify sources from where I am getting nutrients from. For example, I get protein from fish, red meat, chicken, and plant sources- the same applies to grains. Buckwheat is in the same family as the ancient grain powerhouses. Also, fun fact, buckwheat is not a grain, it’s a pseudocereal, meaning its high in protein in addition to being gluten free, packed with fiber, and loaded with complex carbs. Buckwheat is uncommon, so uncommon that I had to order the flour on Amazon because my local grocery AND my local Sprouts did not have it. And word to the wise- (meaning learn from my mistake because my first batch tasted too healthy) buckwheat is already healthy, no need to splurge on some ‘sprouted’ enhanced nutrient-dense flour. Stick to Bob’s, more bang for your buck.

The flour- as I mentioned do not make the same mistake I made and order some fancy flour. Stick to what you know, and Bob’s is a trusted brand in my pantry. Pancakes are relatively easy to craft, thus, making this hard to mess up. So, let’s get cooking.

Sift all dry ingredients together in one bowl, I find sifting makes a fluffier texture. In another bowl, whisk the egg, add the banana and mash well, then add the rest of the wet ingredients (picture not provided because it didn’t look very good). Then, you guessed it, combine the two worlds until all of the dry ingredients are fully immersed with their wet counterpart. Once the collision deems successful, start pan frying.

This is where pancakes become unhealthy, its common to drown them with butter and syrup. I encourage you to hold off, these little guys can stand alone. In my opinion, these are best served with peanut butter and a drizzle of honey or *real* maple syrup, none of that high fructose corn syrup crap. Another healthier topping is frozen fruit heated up, the liquid created makes a nice substitute to the sugary syrup ocean. If you are feeling extra spicy, maybe use a little whip cream, again, nothing egregious we are trying to maintain some nutritional integrity of this dish.

‘The Ultimate’ Breakfast Sandwich

Now you are probably wondering why on earth is this on here? Well if you have not caught on to the gist of this site, to get the most flavor you need the best ingredients and the correct ratios, so let me enlighten you on my breakfast sandwich.

Eggs n’ Toast

Drizzle olive oil in a pan, move your toast friend around so it absorbs the oil. Let it brown in the pan for about 3 minutes on a medium heat. Right before you flip it, drizzle the tsp of lemon juice on the bread. I find that this cuts the oil and adds a nice contrast of flavor and brightness.

Once you flip it, add a little more oil so your friend has a browning agent to work with, after a few minutes, add your egg. You will then find out if your cup was adequate for the project. As you can see, mine is absolute perfection. Another job well done Mr. Cup. Season the egg, from here you can let it settle for a few minutes and flip it (like the picture above) or you can cover it and let it do its thing. I chose the latter this go around and it was a wild success. This dish is pretty damn near impossible to f’ up. Just don’t overcook the egg. Serve with marinated tomatoes and espresso is highly recommended. And to be frank, the tomatoes are the only thing that make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Hash Browns

I find you can quickly determine the caliber of a breakfast establishment by the quality of their hash browns. Many fall short and need to be coated with ketchup and hot sauce to give it some sort of flavor. And I am talking about hash browns people- not breakfast potatoes. But, in hopes of unifying the breakfast kingdoms, I did adopt adding bell peppers to this dish (like many breakfast potatoes have). Also did you know that hash brown was two words? And also did you know the name comes from the French word hacher, which means “to chop” or “to hack”? Food for thought but let us begin.

• 8-12 Small Red Potatoes (peeled, shredded)
• 1/2 Red, Orange, and Yellow Bell Pepper (deseeded, chopped)
• 1/2 White Onion (chopped)
• Olive Oil
• Seasoning: 1 tbs Italian Blend, 1/2 tbs garlic powder, 3 tsp Salt, 2 tsp Pepper

Peel and shred the potatoes, I used a cheese grater to get the job done. Sauté veggies in a pan for 10 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender. Add the shredded potatoes, stir to combine, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper along with the rest of the spices. Bring out the griddle, fire it up and drizzle it with Olive Oil. Form patties with the hash browns no bigger than the size of the spatula you are using, it makes flipping exponentially easier. Fry on each side for about 5-10 minutes or until its crispy enough to flip and maintain its delicate structural integrity. Enjoy with an egg and your protein of choice! And god forbid, after all that work I hope your egg isn’t the one falling short (see below, a tragedy indeed).

Lemon Blueberry Pancake Bread

Tomato Bagel

Simple and elegant. But in all honesty, the name can use some work, so I am open to suggestions. This dish was one of my dad’s favorites, not sure where he learned it but that would a good question to ask. As I will repeat in every dish with tomato as a staple, the source matters so I go organic. But most importantly, dad approves (if you are confused, refer to the Egg n’ Toast recipe above).

• FAF (fresh as F***) Bagel, whether that be a local hole in the wall or Dave’s brand
• Organic Cream Cheese
• 1 Slice of Cheese (feat. Pepper Jack below)
• Tomato (Campari tomatoes are the best because they are smaller and packed with flavor)
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Toast your bagel, cut the tomato, cut the slice of cheese in strips. Once the bagel is toasted, add cream cheese, cheese strips (arranging precariously so that the cheese does not go overboard when melting), add the tomato on top and season. Broil for 2-3 minutes or air fry on 375 for 5 minutes (really until the cheese is melted perfection). This recipe is per half, multiply accordingly to accommodate your breakfast audience.

Enjoy, again espresso is a highly recommended addition.