Healthy Spring Brunch Recipes

These lemony cranberry-studded muffins crunch lightly with cornmeal and are topped with a kiss of sugared lemon zest. They're great warm from the oven, but also keep well for a few days and freeze beautifully.

Ready to try kefir? We use it in place of yogurt in this healthy smoothie recipe packed with berries and banana.

If you like spinach-cheese pie, try these simple but elegant-looking little spinach cakes.

Instead of a traditional quiche crust, we use phyllo dough to create light and flaky layers. Turkey sausage adds protein while shredded Gruyère cheese provides a nutty flavor. Serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Crushed coriander seeds and lemon zest give this quick salmon recipe praiseworthy flavor that pairs beautifully with a shaved asparagus and poached egg salad. Served with a glass of white wine, this healthy recipe makes the ultimate lunch or light dinner.

With all the supersize muffins out there, portion control can be a challenge. These let you enjoy the flavors of a blueberry muffin, and easily keep track of what you eat.

This light but filling crustless spinach-and-asparagus quiche features plenty of spring vegetables baked with richly flavored Gruyère cheese. Enjoy a slice for dinner with a salad on the side or as part of a simple spring brunch.

Refreshing and colorful fruit smoothies called batidos are served at Cuban snack bars all over Florida--try this recipe with blueberries and banana for a vacation in a cup.

This healthy quiche recipe is perfect for entertaining--the quiche can be made ahead and is just as flavorful served warm or at room temperature. Filled with shrimp, spinach, oregano, caramelized onions and feta cheese, this healthy quiche with a whole-grain crust is perfect for breakfast or brunch, or served with a light salad for lunch.

Dried blueberries give these pancakes a rich blueberry flavor and pecans liven up the texture with a bit of crunch.

Assembled the night before, this healthy breakfast casserole recipe features apples, cranberries and walnuts. Serve with pure maple syrup.

This colorful soup is both simple and delicious. Use apples that cook up soft; McIntosh are great.

Here's a sweet spin on a healthy breakfast-sandwich recipe. Other seasonal fruit, such as blueberries or sliced peaches, would be tasty toppers too.

This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

With 11 grams of protein in each serving, this recipe is great for breakfast. Start preparation the day before and chill overnight for minimal work in the morning.

Soda breads are hearty Irish staples--wholemeal flour with large flakes of bran and wheat germ, or white flour or a mixture leavened with baking soda and moistened with buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, which is an alkali, creating bubbles of carbon dioxide which rise the bread. Soda breads have the heft of a yeast bread but are made in minutes and the dough can be shaped into scones or a round loaf, depending on the occasion. Originally it would have been baked in a bastible (pot oven) over the open fire.

Pure maple syrup, as opposed to artificially flavored and colored “pancake” syrup, is an extraordinary cooking ingredient. Here it adds body as well as rich flavor to the dressing, providing a perfect counterpoint to the smoked cheese.

These carrot-flecked, whole-grain morning glory muffins can be made ahead for breakfast or a snack so you can hit the ground running on a busy morning. Add a nonfat latte and your day will be off to a healthy start. Or make this coconut-carrot morning glory muffin recipe for a special brunch. Look for coconut oil, in jars or tubs, near other cooking oils in large supermarkets, in the natural-foods section, or in natural-foods stores.

This PB&J-inspired green smoothie recipe makes for a quick and healthy breakfast you can easily take on the go.

These high-fiber oatcakes are made with 100% whole grains and no butter. A quick raspberry compote is a nice change from maple syrup.

When the selection of fruit in the winter is lacking, poaching shelf-stable dried fruit in lemon-infused green tea creates a luscious fruit compote. Serve topped with low-fat plain yogurt and chopped pistachios for breakfast or dessert.

A comforting dish with a healthier profile.

This simple bread makes a great soup accompaniment or breakfast loaf. White whole wheat flour adds fiber while keeping it light; flaxseeds add fiber and healthy fats. Put a tasty spin on it with one of the variations below.

The slight acidity of buttermilk tenderizes and moistens baked goods while allowing you to cut way back on butter or oils. Here, it also lends a slight tanginess to the winning combination of bananas and blueberries. To make muffins instead, see Muffin Variation.