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Spring is a great time to host a healthy brunch for friends and family. But typical breakfast-style foods can be carbohydrate-heavy and packed with ingredients that cause health problems for many people. To satisfy your guests and help them avoid an unpleasant carb crash later in the day, Amy Lacey recommends serving dishes featuring a secret ingredient that promotes better health and won't weigh them down: cauliflower.

"Cauliflower can help create elegant and delicious versions of your favorite breakfast dishes minus the gluten, grains, and other ingredients that can lead to inflammation, weight gain, and a host of other health issues," says Lacey, author of Cali'flour Kitchen: 125 Cauliflower-Based Recipes for the Carbs You Crave (Abrams, January 2019, ISBN: 978-1-4197-3596-7, $19.99). "Cauliflower is a versatile and healthy substitute for the carbs you crave, without any of the guilt. You can still eat your favorite dishes and enjoy the peace of mind that you're doing what's right for everyone's health."

Lacey is the founder of Cali'flour Foods, a national brand famous for its grain-free cauliflower-based pizza crusts, crisps, flatbreads, pasta, and more. After being diagnosed with lupus and other autoimmune conditions, she used dietary changes to combat her pain, inflammation, and other symptoms. Upon giving up gluten and processed sugar, her health instantly improved. But Lacey wasn't ready to forgo her favorite foods. Instead, she set out to recreate them using cauliflower—a versatile superfood with abundant health benefits—and began selling her crusts online and in stores, to national acclaim. Now for the first time, she is sharing her award-winning recipes with the world.

Cali'flour Kitchen is designed for people across the dietary spectrum, providing perfect, guilt-free recipes for every carb-heavy craving, whether you're eating vegan, dairy-free, keto, paleo, or a plant-based diet. For those suffering from health issues like diabetes and autoimmune diseases, this cookbook reintroduces those favorites that have long been forsaken, reinventing them to include a full serving of vegetables. With more than 125 quick and easy recipes and photos plus detailed how-tos on creating cauliflower crusts, rice, crisps, wraps, and zoodles, Cali'flour Kitchen is all about indulging without compromising health.

Ready to start planning a nutritious and unforgettable Easter brunch that everyone will love? Keep reading for a menu of healthy and easy-to-prepare breakfast recipes that will keep you and your loved ones healthy and provide plenty of energy for the Easter egg hunt.  

French Toast

Serves 2

Gluten-Free | Grain-Free | Paleo* | Keto-Friendly | Vegetarian

*If using ghee

My version of Sunday brunch won't leave you in carb overload. In fact, you can enjoy this French toast even if you're on a keto diet by being generous with the butter and finishing with a light sprinkle of coco­nut sugar. If there is egg left after dipping your bread, save it to make another round of French toast tomorrow.

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon unsweetened canned coconut milk or heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

4 slices New White Bread (page 30), well toasted

1 tablespoon ghee, butter, or coconut butter

Topping suggestions: melted ghee or butter; sliced fresh fruit; maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar; Berry

Chia Jam (page 82); Almond Ricotta (page 58); toasted coconut

Beat the eggs in a small bowl and whisk in the coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the egg mixture into a pie plate or shallow container. Dip the bread into the mixture and allow to soak for about 20 seconds on each side, then remove to a wire rack set on a plate and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Place on plates and serve immediately with your choice of toppings.

SWAP

To make the French toast dairy-free: Make the bread without the ghee and use coco­nut oil for cooking. 

Egg in a Basket

Serves 2

Gluten-Free | Grain-Free | Keto-Friendly

Two of my favorite food groups—eggs and toast—unite in this take on the playful dish also known as toad in the hole or, more simply, egg in a toast. Fancy it up by adding a handful of spinach along with the cheese or topping with salsa (pages 45–46) or pesto (pages 48–50). Watch carefully as you cook the crust and don't raise the heat higher than medium: The goal is for the crust to brown and the egg to set simultaneously. If you are using a frozen crust, stamp out the holes while it is slightly frozen to keep the crusts from tearing. Save the crust rounds for making cros­tini (page 96) or bread­crumbs (page 35).

1 Cali'flour Pizza Crust (page 26)

2 teaspoons ghee or unsalted butter

2 large eggs

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (30 g) shredded Cheddar or other melting cheese

2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Sriracha or other hot sauce (optional)

Using a pizza wheel, cut the crust in half. Using a 3-inch (7.5-cm) cookie cutter or the top of a thin drinking glass, stamp out a hole from the middle of each crust half.

Melt the ghee in a 12-inch (30.5-cm) skillet that has a lid over medium heat (or cook the baskets one at a time in a smaller skillet). Using a metal spatula, carefully place the crusts in the skillet, then crack an egg directly into each hole and season with salt and pep­per. Scatter the cheese on the exposed crust, cover the pan, and cook until the whites are set and the cheese is melted about 3 minutes. Using the metal spatula, remove from the pan to plates and top with the bacon and hot sauce, if using.

SWAP

To make this dish vegetarian: Skip the bacon. 

Kale, Scallion, and Tomato Egg Muffins

Serves 4

Gluten-Free | Grain-Free | Paleo | Keto-Friendly | Vegetarian | Dairy-Free

These egg muffins are set on a small circle of crust to give a pastry effect without adding gluten or excess carbs. The crust may rise slightly into the egg as it bakes, giving each muf­fin a unique appearance. You can enjoy these hot or at room tem­perature or make them in advance and reheat throughout the week. Lightly beat the eggs to prevent them from rising too much. If you are using a frozen crust, stamp out the holes while it's still slightly frozen to keep the crusts from tearing. Save the scraps for breadcrumbs (page 35).

1 Plant-Based Cali'flour Pizza Crust (page 28) or Paleo Cali'flour Pizza Crust (page 29)

6 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 small cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 tablespoons finely chopped kale (from 1 small leaf)

1/2 small scallion (green part only), very thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 8 holes of a muf­fin pan with paper cups.

Using a 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) cookie cutter or the top of a drinking glass, cut out 8 circles from the crust. Press the crusts into the bottom and up the sides of the paper cups. If they tear, just press them together. 

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then beat in the salt, turmeric, and pepper. Put the tomatoes and kale in the bottom of the muffin cups, then pour the beaten egg into the cups and top with the scallion. Bake for 15 to 20 min­utes, until the eggs are set. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then serve. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a toaster oven.

"Planning a special occasion meal that meets everyone's dietary needs can be simple and fun," concludes Lacey. "This Easter, give your loved ones a feast that delights their taste buds and promotes lasting health."

About the Author:

Amy Lacey is the author of Cali'flour Kitchen: 125 Cauliflower-Based Recipes for the Carbs You Crave. She is the co-founder and CEO of Cali'flour Foods. Her Cali'flour products have been featured in Food & Beverage Magazine, GQ, and OK! magazine; were named one of "Whoopi's Favorite Things" on The View, and won Clean Eating magazine's Clean Choice Award two years in a row. Amy has also been featured in Entrepreneur magazine and on CNBC. For more information, please visit www.califlourfoods.com.

About the Book:

Cali'flour Kitchen: 125 Cauliflower-Based Recipes for the Carbs You Crave (Abrams, January 2019, ISBN: 978-1-4197-3596-7, $19.99) is available from bookstores nationwide and major online booksellers.