Classic Deviled Eggs

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Whenever we think of creating an Easter menu, we always think of deviled eggs. We LOVE deviled eggs and rarely pass up an opportunity to make them or order them if we see them on a menu. We love all of the variations we see in recipes that really mix up the ingredients but to us, a good, classic recipe is hard to beat. Because we keep things simple when we make them at home, we are able to get more creative and add fun ingredients to our other brunch menu recipes without having overlap. We do include one surprise, however, and that is a dash of hot sauce in the bottom of each egg before we fill them. We took this note from Chrissy Teigan and love how we get that added kick from the hot sauce without discoloring the yellow of the egg yolks.

Classic Deviled Eggs

  • Servings: 24
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Our simple recipe for classic deviled eggs that are a crowd pleaser every time we make them.

Ingredients

  • 12 eggs
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbs + 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • your favorite hot sauce
  • chives, finely chopped, for garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat a large pot of water and bring it to a boil.
  2. Gently add the eggs into the water and cook the eggs for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and put them into a bowl of ice water for 3-4 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, remove them from the ice water.
  3. Carefully crack the eggs and peel away the shells. There is normally a small hollow section in each shell; we feel for that section and start peeling from there to make things easy.
  4. Cut each of the eggs in half lengthwise, cleaning the knife between each cut so that the whites of the eggs stay clean. Remove all of the yolks as best you can and place them into a mixing bowl.
  5. Add the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and cayenne to the yolks. Use a hand mixer to whip all of the ingredients together and make the mixture as smooth as possible. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the yolks need a little more of a kick, you can add a dash of hot sauce to the yolk mixture. Pour the yolk mixture into a piping bag or ziplock bag.
  6. Lay each of the egg whites onto a serving tray. Carefully pour a dab of hot sauce into the bottom of each egg white. Use the piping bag to dollop the yolk mixture on top of the hot sauce in each egg. Garnish with the chives and serve immediately. The deviled eggs can also be chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours in advance of serving.

Breakfast For Dinner Bowls

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“Breakfast For Dinner Bowls” used to be our fancy way of saying, holy crap we didn’t buy groceries and have absolutely no idea what’s for dinner. This is precisely what has happened on a number of occasions; so many, in fact, that Breakfast For Dinner Bowls have now become a request instead of an accident. What exactly goes into one of these bowls changes from time to time, but the general gist is bacon, soft boiled eggs, a grain like quinoa or farro, and lots of vegetables. The result is a hearty breakfast bowl that easily satisfies for dinner. No matter what combination of ingredients we use, it’s a crowd pleaser every time.

Breakfast For Dinner Bowls

  • Servings: 4
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A healthy version of breakfast for dinner, complete with all of our favorite breakfast essentials.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa, farro, or your favorite grain
  • 4 slices thick cut bacon
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 2-3 springs fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 6 cups lightly packed kale, large stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan, feta, or goat cheese (optional)
  • your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat a medium pot with 3 cups of water to a boil. Add your grain of choice and cook according to package directions, adding more water if your grain requires it. Cook until done and set aside in a separate bowl, covered.
  2. While the grain is cooking, heat a second large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until it starts to get crispy, about 8 minutes, flipping once half way through. Remove the bacon, leave about 2 tbs of the fat in the pan, and discard the rest. Keeping the heat on medium, add half of the garlic (2 cloves) and cherry tomatoes to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst. Add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and thyme to the tomatoes. Chop the bacon and add it back into the pan. Reduce the heat and cook another 5 minutes or so, until the tomato mixture has a jam like consistency. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the pan, and keep covered and warm until you are ready to serve.
  3. It is time to cook the eggs. Gently put the eggs into the boiling pot of water from Step 1. Depending on how you like your egg, cook the egg for 6 minutes for a thick runny yolk or 7 minutes for more of a jammy yolk consistency. Keep the water at a gentle boil while the eggs are cooking. Immediately transfer the eggs from the boiling water to a bowl of ice water. Peel the eggs when they are cool enough to handle, trying to do this process quickly so that they don’t over cool, and set the eggs aside until you are ready to serve.
  4. While the eggs are boiling, begin cooking the mushrooms. Using the same pan that the tomatoes were cooking, add the olive oil, remaining garlic, and mushrooms. Let the mushrooms and garlic cook for about 5 minutes before adding the kale to the pan. Give everything a good toss, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Cook the mushrooms and kale for another 3-5 more minutes, or until the kale is nice and wilted.
  5. Now you are ready to combine all of the elements to serve. Divide the quinoa or bulgur evenly amongst the four shallow pasta bowls. Add the kale and mushrooms to the plates, making a little nest in the center. Put a large spoonful of the tomato bacon jam into the nest and top with the soft boiled egg. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired, and serve. We like our bowls with a little bit of hot sauce, as pictured.

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

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We had good friends over for brunch a few weekends ago and went to work brainstorming a delicious menu. It’s so easy to gravitate towards the same recipes over and over, so we wanted to break out of our shell and mix things up! For the main dish of our brunch menu, we chose to go with this Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole instead of shakshuka or quiche. We have thrown the whole kitchen sink in this bad boy, so has protein, carbs, and veggies all in one. We cut back on some of the cheese content compared to other recipes, so while indulgent, it isn’t as calorie heavy as some of the other recipes that you will find online. It’s a great anchor for any brunch menu, as you can mix and match the “add in” ingredients to suit any flavor profile you want to match!

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

  • Servings: 8
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A perfect anchor for any brunch menu. Feel free to mix and match the add ins with your favorite ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Italian sausage or breakfast sausage of your choice
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 bell peppers, seeds and stem removed and diced
  • 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 russet potatoes, peeled and grated
  • 1 3/4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 4 oz green chiles
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large pyrex baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage to the pan and brown on all sides, for roughly 6 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside on a cutting board.
  3. Add the olive oil and diced onion to the pan. Cook the onions until they start to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Chop the sausage into bite sized pieces and add it back into the pan with 3/4 of the bell peppers. Cook until the sausage is cooked through and the peppers have softened, another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  4. Make the egg mixture. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and garlic powder. Add the grated potatoes and 1 cup of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you are worried that it isn’t seasoned enough, you can pull a bit of the mixture out and fry it in a pan to taste. Add the green chiles and sausage mixture to the egg and potato mixture, mix well to combine.
  5. Pour the mixture into your baking dish and spread everything into an even layer. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bell peppers, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil after 45 minutes and bake another 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Wait a few minutes out of the oven before serving so that the casserole can set. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

Green Shakshuka

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Here at Tuck & Tate we love a good weekend brunch. Now that Tate has a human brother, brunch gatherings sometimes feel easier to pull off than dinners. When preparing a good brunch we always try to plan a menu of both sweet and savory dishes so that there is a little something for everyone. Shakshuka is one of our go-to dishes for the savory portion of brunch and one of our favorite ways to cook eggs. Shakshuka is traditionally made with a tomato base and is served eggy and cheesy. We took what we loved about this dish and swapped the tomatoes for mixed greens. The result is a healthy, creamy and delicious start to the morning and a must-add to your next brunch menu! 

Green Shakshuka 
Makes: 4 entree servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes    Total Time: 40 minutes 

Ingredients: 

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, diced 
  • 1 white onion 
  • 3 large bunches of Swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped 
  • 16 oz spinach leaves 
  • 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped 
  • 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped 
  • 1 tbs garlic power
  • 1 tbs cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 4 cups chicken stock 
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese 
  • red pepper flakes

Directions: 

  1. Prepare the ingredients by chopping the onion, Swiss chard, spinach, parsley and cilantro. The chopping does not need to be fine or exact – all of these ingredients will wilt and be blended during the cooking process.
  2. In a deep pan (at least 1.5 inch), saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the Swiss chard and spinach and saute until the greens are completely wilted, about 10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches if the raw greens overflow out of the pan. 
  3. Add the parsley, cilantro, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper and stir until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. 
  4. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the entire mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Using an immersion blender, blend roughly 70% of the greens together. You want to leave some of the greens whole for texture, but blending a majority of the greens provides a nice base for the eggs and gives the shakshuka a thicker texture.
  5. Keeping the heat on the stove, use a spoon to create little “wells” for the eggs. Crack an egg into each well and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes until the egg whites are cooked through. 
  6. Sprinkle the feta cheese and red chili flakes on top and serve hot! 

Nearly Eggless Quiche

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This recipe dates back 2012 when we went to brunch at our cousin Deb’s house in Connecticut. While most of the world loves quiche, Tuck & Tate’s moms hate quiche, so we were a little panicked when we heard that quiche was on the menu. So much so that we made a pact to grab something afterwards knowing we would still be hungry. This is the most Neistat approach to any eating situation. Lo and behold, this was the most un-quiche-like quiche on the planet! It was basically all spinach and veggies, topped with cheese, and filled with just a dash of egg. It was so damn good. 

Since eating this brunch- and telling Deb the full story about the quiche conundrum- we asked Deb for the recipe and have recreated this dish over and over again. It is a go-to egg entrée for brunch and a great addition to any Easter menu this weekend. We love to mix in different vegetables and cheeses depending on what is fresh and in season. We keep it on the healthier side with just vegetables, but tossing in some crispy bacon or sausage would make it even more of a treat! 

Nearly Eggless Easter Quiche 
Makes: 6 servings 
Prep Time: 25 minutes   Baking Time: 45 minutes   Total Time: 80 minutes 

Ingredients for Crust: 

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup cold water 
  • 1 tsp salt 

Ingredients for Quiche: 

  • 4 oz package mushrooms, finely chopped 
  • 20 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and finely chopped**
  • 1 bell pepper, stem & seeds removed, small dice 
  • 1 tbs butter 
  • 1/2 white onion, small dice 
  • 1 shallot, minced 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg 
  • 2 eggs 
  • 1 cup reduced fat milk 
  • 4 oz goat cheese 
  • salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. To make the crust combine the flour, butter, and salt with your hands in a medium-sized bowl. Add the cold water as needed until the dough is the consistency of wet sand. Knead the dough just enough for it to come together. Spray a pie pan with cooking spray and press the crust into the bottom and sides of the pan in an even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
  3. To make the quiche, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add the butter, onion, garlic, and shallot to the pan. Saute for 2-3 minutes, or until everything starts to caramelize. Add the mushrooms, spinach, and bell pepper to the pan. Saute for 6-8 minutes, or until all the moisture from the mushrooms and spinach is released and evaporated. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  4. Whisk the eggs, milk and nutmeg together in a small bowl.
  5. To assemble the quiche, pour the vegetables into the bottom of crust. Spread them into an even layer. Add the egg mixture over top, again patting down to make sure that everything is submerged in the egg mix. Top the quiche with the goat cheese and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the quich is firm on the top. 
  6. Let the quiche sit, covered, for 10 minutes before serving. 

** You can sub about 3/4 lb of fresh spinach if that is what you have on hand vs frozen. Just be sure to cook the spinach in the pan really well to be sure all the liquid drains from the spinach in step 3. 

Farro and Zucchini Patties

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We have been making variations of these farro and zucchini patties for a few years now. We keep coming back to them time and time again because of how versatile they are. The base recipe for the cakes is hearty and lends itself to nearly any flavor profile. Our favorite way to eat them is for brunch with fried eggs and Cholula Hot Sauce (pictured), but we have also served them on a bed of sautéed spinach, feta, and olives, or even as an entrée with garlicky kale and shrimp. No matter which meal you make these for, we know they won’t disappoint.

Farro & Zucchini Breakfast Patties

Makes: 6 servingsTotal Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb farro
  • 2 zucchinis, shredded
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 8 eggs
  • Cholula hot sauce (optional)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees
  2. Cook the farro, al dente, according to package directions. Move the farrow to a large bowl and let to cool so that you can touch it with your hands. Add the shredded zucchini, breadcrumbs, and two of the eggs. Stir everything to combine and season well with salt and pepper.
  3. Using your hands, create “patties” out of the farro mixture and place on a sprayed or lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and set aside to cool. At this point, you can pause the recipe and reheat the patties when you are ready to eat. This is a great way to prep for weekly meals
  4. While the farro patties are baking, prepare the remaining eggs individually, over-easy.
  5. Serve the dish by placing a fried egg on top of the patty and sprinkling with Cholulua and any other toppings, if desired.

Vegetable Frittata

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his recipe dates back to the first cooking job that Tuck’s mom had in culinary school. She was working for a chef that specialized in health foods and really developed her love of healthy cooking during that summer in Philly. One of the most fun parts of the job was Tuesday CSA deliveries. If you don’t know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which means that people pay in advance for a “share” of a farmers produce throughout the year. The financial advance helps farmers fund their yearly costs and in exchange, “shareholders” get a box of produce every week or every other week throughout the growing season. Depending on the CSA, shares can include fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, dairy products, and even flowers. 

Tuck’s mom became obsessed with the CSA because of the abundance of new vegetables it exposed her to. The restaurant would make a daily breakfast frittata using the CSA vegetables, and for the last nine years she has used this recipe nearly every time she entertains for breakfast. It’s quick, easy, and can use any veggies you have on hand or veggies that are in season. We have kept this version vegetarian, but you can easily use chopped bacon or sausage if desired. 

Breakfast Frittata
Makes: 6-8 servings 
Prep Time: 15 minutes    Baking Time: 25 minutes    Total Time: 40 minutes 

Ingredients: 

  • 10 inch, oven safe, skillet 
  • 12 eggs 
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk 
  • 2 tsp salt 
  • 2 tsp black pepper 
  • 2 tsp garlic powder 
  • 1 tbs butter 
  • 1/2 red onion, diced 
  • 1 package broccolini, stems removed 
  • 3 tbs sun dried tomatoes, drained of their oil as best you can  
  • 3/4 cup grated cheese – we used Fontina 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. Heat the 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and onion to the pan; saute for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion starts to caramelize. Add the broccoli and sun dried tomatoes to the pan. Saute another 3-4 minutes.  
  3. While the veggies are cooking, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk really well so that all ingredients are blended. 
  4. Gently pour the eggs into the skillet. Add the cheese and gently stir the top of the egg mixture so that the cheese mixes into the eggs. Let the skillet sit on medium-high heat for another 2-3 minutes, or until the eggs just begin to bubble at the top. This helps give the frittata a nice caramelized color.
  5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through in the center. Remove from the oven and let it sit for a minute. Carefully put a plate on top of the skillet and flip the frittata onto the plate. Serve immediately (with hot sauce, if desired). 

Green Chili Egg Bake

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If you are like us this time of the year, you are entertaining more in a week than you have in the last three months. With family in town, every meal starts to feel like its own holiday! While we normally make this recipe for our Break the Fast dinner on Yom Kippur, we thought we would share it with you now because it’s great when you need breakfast for a crowd. 

What we love about this Green Chile Egg Bake is how versatile it is. You can opt to make this dish the morning you want to serve it or make it the night before depending on your schedule. We add green chiles because we like to add green chiles to just about anything, but the base of the recipe can be used for nearly any flavor profile. For example, sub out the chiles for feta cheese, kalamata olives, and sun dried tomatoes and now you have a Greek version. Add sausage to make it an even heartier entree. There are so many things you can do with this recipe- we can’t wait to see where you go with it! 

Green Chile Egg Bake                                                                                                      
Makes: 8-10 servings                                                                                                       
Prep Time: 15 minutes    Bake Time: 70 minutes   Total Time: 90 minutes 

Ingredients:

  • 1 challah 
  • 8 eggs 
  • 2 cups 2% milk 
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper 
  • 12 oz cream cheese (you can use a less-fat option if you want) 
  • 2 cups shredded cheese- match the cheese to the flavor profile you pick for the dish! We used shredded cheddar and pepper jack 
  • 8 oz – green chiles 
  • fresh parsley for garnish, chopped (optional) 

Directions: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside. 
  3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk to blend. Add the milk, salt and pepper. Whisk well to combine. 
  4. Peel the challah crust away from the top and bottom of the challah. Discard the crust and tear the challah into large flat pieces. Layer the pieces into the baking dish. 
  5. Add the chiles to the top of the challah, spreading evenly throughout. Use a knife to cut the cream cheese into small pieces and do the same, layering on top of the chiles around the baking dish. There’s no need to go crazy over how evenly you distribute- it all bakes and blends together! 
  6. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the green chiles and cream cheese. 
  7. Pour the egg mixture over top of the challah. Give the entire dish a firm press so that the challah absorbs the liquid of the milk and eggs. Add the remaining cheese to the top of the egg mixture. 
  8. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray.* Place on top of the egg bake and bake in the oven for 60 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the egg mixture is baked through in the center. 
  9. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing. 

* At this point, you can refrigerate the egg bake and bake the next morning if it works with your schedule better. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and add an extra 10 minutes to your bake time.