Day 3: Chinese Red Bean Soup + Mini Sausage Egg Tart - 100 Low calorie and healthy breakfast ideas by 1818Lao #1818laobreakfast

Chinese Red Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup azuki (adzuki) beans
• 6 - 8 cups water
• 1 strip dried tangerine peel or fresh orange peel
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup (about 1 1/4 - 2 1/2 ounces) dried lotus seeds
• 6 - 8 tablespoons brown sugar, as desired

Instructions

1. Soak the azuki beans in water overnight to soften. (While the beans won't have completely softened, they will have expanded considerably). Drain.
2. About 2 hours before making the soup, place the dried lotus seeds in a bowl with enough water to cover.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the 6 cups of water with the tangerine peel to a boil. (The soup can be thicker or thinner as desired. I usually start with 6 cups of water, and then add more boiling water at the end with the brown sugar if I want to thin it a bit.)
4. Turn the heat down, add the adzuki beans and lotus seeds and simmer, partially covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are softened to the point where they are just beginning to break apart.
5. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Taste and add more sugar if desired. (I usually start with 1/3 cup and then add more, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed). Thin the soup by adding boiling water if desired.
6. Remove the dried tangerine peel before serving. Serve the red bean soup hot or cold.

Mini Sausage Egg Tart

Ingredients

• 1 Perfect Pie Crust Recipe, optional
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• Add-In Options
• spinach, chopped
• broccoli, chopped
• mushrooms, cleaned and diced
• onion, diced
• garlic, minced
• bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ham, cooked and diced
• seafood, cooked and chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.

2. Spray mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray, set aside

3. Using a small round cutter, cut pie crust and place into indentations of muffin tin and place in the oven to pre-bake for about 15 minutes. Alternately, you can place each of the premade phyllo cups into the muffin tin. For a crustless mini quiche, simply omit.

4. Whisk together eggs and heavy cream until light and fluffy. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper until well-combined. Stir in cheese. Pour into pie shells and top with add-in options as desired. Bake for for 15-25 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Remove from the oven and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.

5. Serve warm.

Notes

Once they have been completely cooked and cooled, I like to flash freeze them for about 30 minutes to an hour. Then, I place them in a freezer safe zip top bag or other freezer safe container, label them for the type or types of quiche included in the container, and freeze them for later use for up to two months.

Reheat in a 375º F oven for 8-10 minutes or in the microwave at 70% power for 30-45 seconds. Take care not to overheat as they will become tough.