The Staten Island family

The scoop on parenting, marriage, recipes, fashion, beauty & kid gear!

Fresh and Healthy Mother’s Day Brunch Dishes

by 19 Comments

Are you stumped trying to figure out what to get the Mom in your life who seems to have everything- something unique for Mother’s DAY– but not just any old something- something that will resonate with her, (and thrill her tastebuds)?! Well I have got the PERFECT gift that will keep on giving… a GREAT Mother’s Day Brunch –IN BED! And I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could find recipes for s0 many different types of Healthy Mother’s day brunch ideas from the new cookbook Recipe(s) from SECRETS OF SKINNY COOKING: Mouthwatering Recipes You Won’t Believe are Low Calorie By Victoria Dwek and Shani Taub C.D.C. Artscroll/Shaar Press; May 2017

Eating healthy can be hard and many think, dull.  So many tasty dishes we love are usually high in calories.  But, did you know that low-calorie recipes can be just as enjoyable as those with lots of calories? With their new cookbook, Secrets of Skinny Cooking (Artscroll/Shaar Press; May 2017/Hardcover), bestselling cookbook author Victoria Dwek and nutritionist Shani Taub show home cooks how to create exciting, flavorful, and filling meals… all for a fraction of the calories they’d typically be. Keep reading for three of their Fresh and Healthy Mother’s Day Brunch dishes that you can find in their new cookbook!
Portobello Mushroom Towers
Yields 2 large servings
Dairy ▪ Gluten-Free ▪ Low Carb ▪ Sugar-Free
Calories: 181 per serving; Shani Taub Exchange: 1 protein, 1 Vegetable
One summer Sunday afternoon, my family and I passed through Monsey, stopping at the Evergreen shopping center. I really wanted iced coffee, so I headed to Hava Java. As I waited for my Skinny Frappe (one of
the best ever), I watched the hot dishes emerge fast from the kitchen. One dish that caught my attention was the towering Portobello Mushroom Sliders. I went home and recreated the dish … and it was just as
good as it looked.
MUSHROOMS
2 Portobello mushroom caps
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp salt
TOPPINGS
1 red pepper
½ onion, sliced
1 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
½ onion, diced
8 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained
2 (1-oz) slices Muenster OR mozzarella cheese
[1] Place mushroom caps into a ziplock bag. Add red wine vinegar, garlic powder, basil, and salt. Seal; marinate for 1 hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
[2] Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place mushrooms and marinade into a baking pan; bake for 25 minutes.
[3] Meanwhile, place red pepper into the oven (on its own or in a baking pan). Roast until skin is blistered, about 35-45 minutes. Let cool; peel and discard peel and seeds. Slice pepper; set aside.
[4] Coat a sauté pan with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion; lower heat and sprinkle with salt. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
[5] Coat the sauté pan again with nonstick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add diced onion; lower heat and sprinkle with salt. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook an additional 2 minutes. Season with salt.
[6] Assemble the towers: Top each mushroom with half the spinach mixture, half the peppers, and half
the onions. Top with one slice of cheese; bake until cheese is golden and bubbling, 9-10 minutes.
Make Ahead: All the components of this dish can be made ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Simply assemble and bake when ready to enjoy.
Red Pepper Fettuccine
Yields 2 servings
Dairy ▪ Sugar-Free
Calories: 241 per serving; Shani Taub Exchange:  1 Bread, ½ Protein, ½ vegetable (medium portion)
This dish is for those who need their hearty pasta dish. There’s half a serving of pasta in each portion; eggplant stands in for the rest. It’s become one of my family’s all-time favorite pasta dishes, high cal or low cal.
(Who needs penne alla vodka anymore? I’d rather have this!)
2 oz fettuccine or any wide, flat pasta (such as pappardelle)
1 eggplant, peeled, sliced thinly lengthwise
salt, for sprinkling
1-2 Tbsp Parmesan shavings, for serving
RED PEPPER SAUCE
1 red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt, for sprinkling
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 red pepper, halved, stem and seeds removed
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
[1] Preheat oven to 425ºF. Prepare pasta according to package instructions; set aside.
[2] Cut eggplant slices into long, thin strips a little wider than your pasta. Place into a colander; sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes over a bowl or in the sink; rinse and dry.
[3] Place pepper cut side down on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray; bake until skin blisters, about 40 minutes. Let cool; peel pepper and discard peel.
[4] Meanwhile, add eggplant slices to a baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.
[5] Prepare the sauce: Coat a sauté pan with nonstick cooking spray; heat over low heat. Add onion and garlic; sprinkle with salt. Cover pan; cook until onion is soft, 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
[6] In a blender, combine onion mixture, red pepper, and yogurt.
[7] When ready to serve, coat the sauté pan with nonstick cooking spray; heat over low heat. Add pasta and eggplant strips to the pan. Add red pepper sauce; toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan shavings per serving.
Shani Says: I love when vegetables are added to stretch a dish. Since a man can have 2 breads for dinner, he can have the entire recipe for only 2 breads, 1 vegetable, and ¾ protein! It’s a huge dinner! Omit the Parmesan and enjoy it along with a piece of fish.

Italian Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Yields 4 servings Dairy
Gluten-Free Low Carb Sugar-Free

INGREDIENTS

12 oz fresh cauliflower florets

½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
8 oz (1 head or bag)
chopped Romaine lettuce
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ bell pepper, diced
1½ oz light feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp capers

HERB VINAIGRETTE
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp fresh minced basil
(or 3 frozen cubes)
1 Tbsp fresh minced parsley
(or 3 frozen cubes)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
pinch coarse black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil

[1] Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with nonstick cooking
spray.

[2] Spread cauliflower florets on baking sheet; sprinkle with basil, oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.

[3] In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, cauliflower, tomatoes, pepper, feta cheese, and capers.

[4] Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients.

[5] Toss salad with dressing before serving.

[Good To Know] I use capers here for that briny, Italian-inspired flavor without the calories
of olives. I’ll dress up this salad for company by adding some gourmet olives.

Shani Says Why share? Enjoy the entire salad as a meal.

What’s your favorite brunch dish and which one will you be enjoying on Mother’s Day?

 

Share Button

Share this...
Share on Yummly
Yummly

Browse by Category

Browse by Date

Comments

  1. robin rue says

    We’re not doing brunch this year. Since it’s the first year without my mom, we’re just going to have a small cookout with close family.

    Reply

  2. Catherine Sargent says

    These all look like yummy dishes. I think my mom would really like the Portobello Mushroom Towers.

    Reply

  6. Pam says

    I have a head of cauliflower in my fridge I’ve been wondering what to do with. The Italian cauliflower salad sounds really yummy.

    Reply

  7. Marcie W. says

    Everything looks so delicious! Our family eats a mainly vegetarian diet, so all of these dishes would make for an amazing brunch and a happy mama.

    Reply

  8. Rosey says

    I like that you can make it ahead for brunch. My second oldest is cooking for me this year for Mother’s Day. I’m kind of excited. 🙂

    Reply

  10. Maureen says

    These are delicious ideas for brunch with Mom on Mother’s Day. Glad you shared some healthy ideas, will keep them in mind 😉 I may just have to entice my kids to make some with my husband for me!

    Reply

  12. jeanine says

    Yum. All of this looks SO good. I am looking forward to mother’s day this year as my husband will be home and hoping he comes up with something this good for us to eat!

    Reply

  14. Michelle Waller says

    These all look delicious! I love any and everything that involves mushrooms. Perfect Mother’s Day brunch ideas!

    Reply

  17. Annemarie LeBlanc says

    All of these look great. If I were to choose though, I would pick the red pepper fettuccine. I’ll try that first, then the mushroom tower and the roasted cauliflower salad last. But of course, I can make all three at the same time. 🙂

    Reply

  18. Carol Cassara says

    Wow! Everything looks amazing. I love preparing healthy dishes for the whole family to enjoy. I think this is definitely the perfect dishes to have on Mother’s Day!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.