Tag Archives: Breakfast for Dinner

Tater Tot Waffles

I like to have fun in the kitchen. One of my favourite games to play is “will it waffle?” I have had great success with croissant dough and halloumi cheese. It’s just so amusing to put stuff, other than waffle batter, into the waffle iron and see what happens. I have had less success with my other favourite kitchen game, “can you blend it?” Let’s just say that apple pie milkshake was not one of my greatest creations, and leave it at that.

I discovered the idea of using Tater Tots on bonappetit.com. They did a loaded tater tot waffle version, complete with bacon, chives, sour cream and cheddar. I left out the bacon and topped mine with a fried egg, because everything’s better with an egg on top, right?

The amount of Tater Tots you need to fill your waffle iron depends on the size and type of waffle iron you have. I have made it twice now, once in a Cuisinart Belgian waffle maker and once in a regular President Choice waffle maker. You will need to add a second layer of Tater Tots for a Belgian waffle maker, as the grooves are deeper.

Here’s a video to show how it all comes together:

The Tater Tots go in frozen. I discovered that the best way to ensure an even waffle is to let the tots cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then open the waffle iron and see if there are any gaps or holes. Fill them in with more tots and continue cooking for a total of about 9-12 minutes. I used a medium high heat.

Click here to print recipe for Loaded Tater Tot Waffles.

Everyone I made them for loved the nostalgia factor. Most had not had Tater Tots since they were a child. Shockingly, my friend Ed had never even heard of Tater Tots! Clearly a deprived child. I will be making these for hm very soon.

Hearty Kale Dinner Bowl

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, it’s no secret that I love breakfast for dinner. There is something about those typical morning foods that seem to soothe and calm me. Just think about it. By the end of the day, when we’re feeling tired and a little bit overwhelmed, we need some serenity. I think there is also some sort of illicit pleasure in breaking the rules. I’m an adult now, and I can eat breakfast for dinner if I want!

When I saw Tim Robinson’s recipe for “Hearty Kale breakfast Bowl” on thefeedfeed.com, I knew I wanted to have it for dinner. I adapted his recipe slightly, adding in some butternut squash and seasoning it with smoked paprika and garlic. It takes about 35 minutes to roast the potatoes and squash, but during that time, you can prepare the other bowl ingredients.

The bitterness of the kale is perfectly balanced by the fatty richness of creamy avocado and oozy egg yolk. The cubes of potato and squash turn into crispy little nuggets. Crumbled feta adds a hit of salt. Don’t skimp on the red pepper flakes! This dish hits all the right notes.

Tim suggests using leftover grains instead of the potatoes. Farro, barley or rice would be excellent substitutions.

If going rogue with breakfast for dinner resonates with you, check out these other awesome recipes.

Bagel Breakfast Sandwiches
Fried Eggs on Rösti Potatoes with Shakshuka Sauce
Breakfast Burrito

Fried Eggs on Rösti Potatoes with Shakshuka Sauce

Rösti potatoes are considered by some to be the national dish of Switzerland. Essentially, they are a giant potato pancake. They differ from latkes in that they do not contain any egg, flour or other binding ingredients. They can be made with either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. The Yukon Gold is a bit waxier and will result in a slightly crispier rösti.

The key to a successful rösti is low and slow cooking and enough fat to achieve crispness. I like a mix of butter (for flavour) and vegetable oil (to keep the butter from burning). A non-stick pan is ideal for making rösti.

You could certainly serve the rösti plain, as a side dish for dinner, but I love to treat it like a blank canvas and add toppings. My topping of choice is always fried eggs! It’s no secret, that I adore breakfast for dinner. I’d happily eat eggs for every meal. I decided to serve it with a Shakshuka sauce on the side, as I didn’t want to make the rösti soggy.

Shakshuka is a Middle Eastern/Northern African dish with eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. Last summer, my daughter and her fiancé were living with us at the cottage. She made brunch for us almost every Sunday. I always requested her homemade sourdough and Shakshuka. She used the recipe from cookieandkate, and I just love the flavours.

A handful of arugula and a sprinkle of crumbled feta and cilantro finished the dish off perfectly.

Bagel Breakfast Sandwiches

Although this post is titled “Bagel Breakfast Sandwiches”, I’d never actually eat this for breakfast. I’m never hungry in the morning and usually it’s just a bowl of oatmeal or some yogurt and fruit. But, I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner. When my kids were little, we’d have waffles and ice cream if my husband was out at a meeting. He would have never considered that dinner. We loved it.

Although I’m giving you a recipe for this sandwich, it’s really more of a guide. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I had leeks, kale, peppers and some leftover plant based Italian sausage.

I sautéed the veggies, shredded some cheese, then added them to some beaten eggs and poured them into a greased sheet pan. It only took about 8 minutes to bake in the oven.

Since there are just the two of us, we had leftover “egg circles”. They reheated up perfectly for breakfast with a piece of toast the next few morning, and lunch the day after that.

I toasted up some everything bagels, melted some Gouda cheese on the bottom and topped my egg patty with sliced avocado, tomato and arugula. Cheddar and an English muffin would be yummy. Ciabatta bread and Gruyere would also make a fine match. Just use up whatever is lingering in your vegetable crisper and cheese drawer and you’ve got the makings of a very fine dinner!

Breakfast Burritos

I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner. We have eggs for supper at least once a week at our house. A burrito is the perfect way to wrap up your dinner in one neat little package. These burritos check all the boxes for a satisfying meal. Here’s how it all comes together.

I have recently discovered “Beyond Meat Spicy Italian Sausage”. It’s a plant based protein, that so closely resembles the real thing, it’s amazing. I’m always on the lookout to reduce my consumption of meat, and I have tried many “meat alternatives.” Most of them are sorely lacking in texture and flavour. This one did not disappoint. This is not a sponsored post, I just really love the product. I removed the “meat” from the casing and sautéed it in a pan, breaking it up into little pieces, until browned and crispy. I have used it as a pizza topping, mixed into frittatas, and tossed it with pasta and tomato sauce.

You can assemble and wrap the burritos ahead of time and stick them in the fridge for a few hours. Heat them in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes to heat them through and melt the cheese.

There is no end to the fillings you can use. Sautéed onions, black beans, salsa, hash browns, mushrooms, or spinach. Get creative.