The Morning’s Light

Hearty breakfasts don’t have to be heavy and fat-laden. Consider the following recipes. Start with a fresh fruit compote of orange segments, kiwi slivers and strawberries in an orange syrup. A frittata of turkey hash is full of flavor with a restrained ratio of two egg whites to one egg yolk. The muffins are moist with an abundance of diced apples and have a light batter. Serve them with steaming cups of coffee.

The recipes for the compote and the frittata can be easily doubled for a crowd; for the frittata, it would be best to cook each recipe in its own skillet, making it easier to remove and serve.

FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE 2 large Navel oranges 4 kiwi Orange Syrup 1 pint strawberries Mint leaves, optional

Cut flat ends on oranges and stand on cutting board. Remove rind down to flesh with sharp serrated knife. Holding orange in hand, cut between membranes to release segments. Transfer to mixing bowl. Squeeze membranes over segments to release all juice, then discard.

Peel kiwi and cut into sixths lengthwise. Add to orange. Pour Orange Syrup over fruit. Can be prepared to this point 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

Rinse, drain and dry strawberries on paper towels. Remove hulls. Cut in half lengthwise, if large. Chill until serving time.

To serve, add strawberries to fruit. Gently toss to mix. Can be mixed up to 2 hours ahead and chilled. Serve chilled, garnished with mint leaves. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 109 calories; 2 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.45 grams fiber.

Orange Syrup 1 tablespoon orange zest, removed with zester or fine grater 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Bring zest, juice, water and sugar to boil in small non-aluminum saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Let cool. Stir in vanilla. Can be made up to 1 week ahead and refrigerated.

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Aside from tasting great, this frittata has the advantage of being ready to cook with very little last-minute preparation since the hash can be made a day ahead. As with many potato dishes, ketchup is the perfect sauce.

TURKEY SAUSAGE HASH FRITTATA 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons oil 2 large Idaho potatoes, about 10-ounces each, peeled, cooked al dente and chilled 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, about 5 ounces, minced 1 celery rib, cut into small dice 1/4 large sweet red pepper, cut into small dice 1 (8-ounce) piece turkey sausage, skin removed, split vertically and thinly sliced to equal about 1 cup 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 1 egg 1 egg white Ketchup, optional

Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil in 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch dice. When oil is very hot, add potatoes. Cook until crisp and golden, about 7 minutes, stirring only occasionally to allow potatoes to brown. Transfer to mixing bowl.

Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil to same skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic, onion and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are tender and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add sweet red pepper and sausage. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add to potatoes. Toss with salt and pepper to taste. Can be made to this point 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

When ready to serve, use fork to froth egg and egg white together in small dish. Combine with hash mixture. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy stove-to-broiler 8-inch iron skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is very hot, add potato-egg mixture, spreading evenly. Cook until underside of frittata is medium-brown, about 5 minutes, shaking skillet toward end of cooking to release frittata from bottom of skillet.

Transfer skillet to broiler rack about 5 inches from heat source. Broil on medium-high, turning as necessary, until lightly browned all over, about 4 minutes. Slide frittata out of skillet onto warm serving platter. Serve hot, cut into 4 wedges. Pass ketchup separately. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 304 calories; 382 mg sodium; 98 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; 0.90 grams fiber.

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Sprinkled with powdered sugar, these muffins make a good option for tea or dessert. Any extra muffins can be successfully frozen, placed single-layer on a baking sheet after they have cooled. Once frozen solid, pile the muffins into a plastic food bag, securely tied. Then pop this bag inside another food bag (also securely tied) to keep the muffins fresh - tasting and to eliminate any freezer odors. Thaw in the bag before reheating.

CHUNKY APPLE MUFFINS 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup oil 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk 1 large egg 2 large egg whites 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/3-inch dice to equal about 2 cups diced apples 1 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt

Place sugar and oil in bowl and combine until smooth, using electric mixer. Add buttermilk, egg, egg whites and vanilla to sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

Put apples in separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup flour. Toss apples with flour to coat.

Add remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to buttermilk-egg mixture. Combine well. Stir floured apples into batter with wooden spoon.

Spoon batter into 15 greased muffin tins or muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and wood pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in pan set on cooling rack. Muffins can be served immediately. Alternately, once cooled, muffins can be frozen up to 3 months. Serve warm. Muffins can be reheated in 300-degree oven until warm, about 10 minutes. Makes 15 medium muffins.

Each muffing contains about: 133 calories; 115 mg sodium; 14 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.13 grams fiber.