All About Brunch

One of the best parts of getting together with family and friends over the Easter holidays has got to be the eating occasions – and what better way to start a holiday than with brunch. A gastronomic feast including the very best of both breakfast items and lunch dishes, all created with fresh greenhouse grown vegetables – you just can’t go wrong with this combined smorgasbord of deliciousness!

As we see the days start to get longer and warmer, flower buds start to pop, and the birds can be heard chirping, you can feel that Spring is in full swing.  It’s a great time for entertaining, and with Easter just around the corner we want to help you find the best recipes to suit your festivities. One of the best parts of the holidays is getting together with those you love for Easter brunch. Maybe you have some family favorites, but we’ve put together four amazing recipes, shared by friends of Pure Flavor^®, that you could use to host or contribute to this year’s gathering. Using various Pure Flavor^® veggies, these delicious, healthy, and dare we say fun recipes, will help make your Easter holidays special and memorable. With Pure Flavor^® greenhouse grown vegetables, you always have fresh at your fingertips which make meal masterpieces come to life. Experience this for yourself and give these recipes a try for Easter.

Savory French Toast

Spark the interest of your family and friends at Easter brunch with this Savory French Toast recipe created by our friend Shuchi. Once you introduce this delicious treat, they will gain a new perspective on French toast. We most often understand French toast to be sweet, but you’ll quickly find serving it with Luna® Sweets Cocktail Tomatoes and other veggie ingredients adds a whole new wonderful flavor you will wished you had discovered sooner. Plus, this recipe is easy and quick to make. Win, win!

To get started, whisk together eggs, tomatoes, onion, green chili, pepper, salt, cilantro, and milk in a large bowl. Prepare a pan on the stove with melted butter. Dip a slice of bread in the egg mixture and gently press down so the bread can absorb the egg mix. Flip the bread over in the mixture and ensure the bread is fully coated. Place the bread in the heated pan and add as many pieces of coated bread as will comfortably fit in your pan. Spoon over some extra egg mixture and cook on medium heat until the bottom side starts to turn golden brown. Turnover and cook the other side the same way. Repeat steps until the French toast are finished. Top with avocado and tomatoes to tie it all in together and serve.

BUMBLES^® TOMATO TARTS

If you thought tarts were only for dessert, this Bumbles^® Tomato Tarts recipe takes a fun savory approach to pastry. Using phyllo dough as the base with savory topping ingredients makes this tart a perfect addition to Easter brunch. Our friend, Elizabeth, tops this delightful pastry with Bumbles^® Yellow Grape Tomatoes to make the flavor pop with every bite.

To make, preheat your oven to 425° F and unfold the puff pastry flat on a floured surface. Slice the puff pastry into equal rectangular pieces, transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, and score a 1/4-inch border around the outside. Spoon 2 tsps of goat cheese into the center of each tart and place 4 Bumbles^® Tomatoes on top of the cheese. Use a pastry brush to paint the edges of the pastries with a light egg wash and bake at 425° F for 15-18 minutes until pastry is golden brown. After you remove from the oven, sprinkle sea salt and pepper to taste and garnish with thyme and Parmesan. This recipe is sure to be a fan favorite at your Easter brunch, not to mention how pretty it will look on your table.

CUCUMBER TOMATO SALAD

Fresh, juicy, and delicious! This Cucumber Tomato Salad creation by our friend, Megan is bright, bursting with flavor and totally fitting for Easter brunch. Instead of leafy greens as the salad base, this recipe uses spiralized Long English Cucumbers, giving it a unique presentation. The added walnuts combined with the cucumbers and Tomatoes On-The-Vine gives a pleasant mixture of textures. This salad looks fancy, but it is very simple and quick to make. You and your brunch guests can feel great about eating this salad not only because of the refreshing flavor, but also because it is very healthy, loaded with nutrients and vitamins.

Making this recipe is quick and fun. First, slice your tomatoes to desired size and set aside. Then take your spiralizer (which is not hard to find online if you don’t have one) and spiralize 1 long English cucumber and place spirals into a bowl. Add the tomato slices, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning and salt. Toss all ingredients together until everything is well combined. Sprinkle over top the chopped walnuts, to your preference and serve.

GARLIC AND SPINACH STUFFED TOMATOES

Add some Mediterranean flare to Easter brunch with a flavorful mixture of herbs and sweetness. Our friend, Laura, crafted this lovely Garlic and Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes recipe presented in Luna^® Sweets Cocktail Tomatoes. You may want to make plenty of these as your guests will not stop with eating just one. The rustic Italian flavors working with the sweetness of the Luna^® Sweets Cocktail Tomatoes makes for a well-rounded dish that is sure to be a new favorite at Easter brunch.

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Cut your tomatoes in half, horizontally, and using a spoon or corer, remove the membrane and seeds. For the stuffing, in a small bowl, combine Panko, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic, butter and salt. Place the tomatoes cut side up into a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Evenly fill each tomato with 1/2 teaspoon of mixture, 1 tablespoon of the spinach dip and 1 tablespoon of the mixture again. Bake 26-28 minutes or until the Panko mixture top layer is crispy and browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes prior to serving. Garnish with sliced fresh basil and wow your Easter brunch guests.

Hopefully these unique and flavorful recipes inspire you to try something new for your Easter or Spring brunch.  They are sure to be loved by everyone around the table and are easy to prepare so that you can still enjoy time with your guests.  No matter the season or the celebration, Pure Flavor^® greenhouse grown veggies are available all year round, so you can rely on consistently fresh and flavorful produce to cook with and share with your family. Making sure your meals are nutritious is key to a healthy lifestyle and making delicious fresh veggie recipes for others is a great way to encourage healthy living. Holiday times, like Easter, are a great opportunity to spend time with those you love and of course, Live Deliciously^®.

For delicious, healthy recipes you can feel great about eating, click here.

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