Relief for Breakfast Boredom

I don’t know about you, but I get pretty bored with the same old breakfasts. During the week I usually hit on a theme and go with it until the idea is a burn out. For a while it was Smoothies with different fruits and a supplement called Lean that my sister distributed. It was very addictive, filling and good on the waist.

She stopped selling it so I moved on to cereal until I went to the store and a box of cereal worth about a dollar now costs five. I refused to pay it.

Next I switched to grains, grits, whole wheat cereal, quinoa etc. made every which way. In the summer that is just too warming, so I moved on to yogurt or toast and nut butters.

On the weekends I am ready for something more interesting. My sister, Shirley often stays over on Friday nights. We have “our show” on TV or a movie. In the morning, I usually come up with an idea, make our favorite blueberry crumble coffee and while she “comes alive” with her first cup, I head to the store to get what ingredients I need.

Although the daily grind gets boring, breakfast is my favorite meal to have with others. I usually go to Fresh Market, a local gourmet grocery for my ingredients, mostly because it’s quieter than the groceries so I don’t have to “look alive” when I get there. Other times, I walk to the local Publix and pick up a paper to bring back with the needed ingredients.

One week I picked up a juicy, sweet Mango and some fresh baked Tropical Coconut Bread to go with some Liberte’ yogurt. That was pretty tasty but not all that filling.

One of the easier meals that we found surprisingly good was from a recipe in the cookbook, “The Good Egg”. 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know, it is an egg recipe, Eggs with Beurre Noir (ok if you don’t have a handle on the French language, that is Black butter), Capers and Parsley.  Amazingly enough I had all the ingredients, no store trip required.

Another morning I decided to do the vegetarian thing and made a Tofu Egg Salad.  I know, I know you non veggies may balk, but I wasn’t too excited about the idea either. I am not a big Tofu lover. It turned out to be an easy breakfast, nutritious, and tasty, a nice change from the norm.

This week, I decided to get a little decadent. I found a recipe in a book I have “Breakfast in Bed” called Divine Filled Croissants. I am on a diet restriction now from food that is acidic or spicy, so this was something I could eat (for a salty, spicy, acid loving foods girl it has been a challenge!)

It is extremely rare for me to eat a croissant. I don’t love them. I once took a class on making croissants and after seeing them incorporate what looked like 10 pounds of butter, I figured it might not look good on my heart or hips.  The recipe looked interesting and the croissants seemed to be the best choice, so there you have it, croissants were on the menu.

I didn’t sleep well Friday night. Lots of things on my mind so I wasn’t the “Bright Sunshine” I normally am on the weekend. This time Shirley and I both went to Fresh Market for the ingredients, one of which was Monterey Jack Cheese.  I wanted to find it in a block but they didn’t have it. Not wanting to go from store to store, I bought packaged slices.

Upon arriving home and starting to prepare the ingredients, we noted that the cheese was supposed to be grated, but I had slices. Being the genius and iron chef I am I came up with the solution. I grabbed about 4 slices and rolled them together then tried to grate them. I actually didn’t expect the outcome to be too great, expecting the cheese to crumble, but it didn’t. It was grating just fine. 

I was so proud of my genius until I got about halfway through the cheese. It was at that point that I realized the reason the cheese stayed together so well. It had paper between the slices which I had so nicely grated in with the cheese! So much for my iron chef status! Lucky I had enough cheese to start over, this time throwing it into my mini food processor and crumbling it.

The breakfast was easy to make and it was a nice change. We used wild caught smoked salmon that was of very good quality.  The only change I would have made (besides taking the paper out from between the cheese slices) would be to add some spinach in with the eggs next time.

Today, I spent a little extra time at the gym, hopefully working off the added calories and fat.

Here are the 3 new breakfast ideas. I hope you will try and enjoy them!

Divine Filled Croissants-Serves 4

4 large croissants                    4 Tablespoons butter

8 eggs                                      ¼ cup milk

1 Tablespoon minced fresh

(best) Dill or 1 tsp dried          ½ cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/3 cup finely chopped

Smoked salmon                       ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Optional: Spinach cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Warm croissants in oven for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile melt butter in a medium skillet. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk together; add dill, mushrooms (spinach) and salmon. Pour into skillet and scramble until creamy.

Remove croissants from oven and slice lengthwise ¾ of the way through. Preheat broiler.

Fill the croissants with the scrambled egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Broil croissants open faced until cheese is melted. Serve immediately

Eggs with Beurre Noir, Capers and Parsley- Serves 2

4 tablespoons unsalted butter            4 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice          2 teaspoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley (don’t leave                                                                 out!)

1 tablespoon small capers,

Rinsed and drained                             2-4 slices of good quality bread, toasted and buttered.

 Warm two plates in oven on the lowest setting (not that I did this!) Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. When the butter sizzles, break the eggs one at a time into a cup and slip into the skillet (or like me, just go for it and put them straight in!) Reduce the heat to low and fry until the whites begin to set (1 minute) Cover and cook until the yolks are cooked to the desired doneness, about 5 more minutes. Transfer the eggs to the warmed plates.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the skillet and heat over medium heat until the butter browns, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and swirl to blend. Pour the sauce over the eggs, sprinkle with parsley and capers and serve with the toast. Yum!

Tofu Egg Salad-Serves 1

4 ounces firm tofu

1-2 tablespoons each, chopped celery and chopped onion

Mayonnaise (light, canola or olive oil is good)

Prepared mustard, dill, curry powder to taste

Chopped or sliced, avocado (optional)

1-2 slices a good grain bread toasted.

Dice tofu as you would hard cooked eggs for salad. Add the chopped celery and onion to taste (can add chopped green pepper if you like).

Add enough mayonnaise to make mixture creamy and season with any or all of the above seasonings or others of your choosing (I used mustard and a small bit of curry as I don’t love curry plus a little salt and freshly ground pepper)

Serve on toast topped with avocado if you like or with a slice of avocado on the side.

Have a great week and ….don’t forget to exercise!

Avocado and another great breakfast idea

I have been trying to include more avocados in my diet.  Avocados are actually a fruit. They have a lot of fat. In fact, 75% of their calories are from fat most of which is monounsaturated fat. The fat in avocado is made up of several nutrients, phytosterols, carotenoids, non-carotenoid anti-oxidants and omega 3 fatty acids. Studies have shown these nutrients help keep inflammation under control.  The carotenoids are most concentrated in the dark part of the fruit, closest to the skin. The best way to preserve them is to slice then peel the avocado by hand.

Oleic acid, found in avocados have shown in studies to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Avocados are also high in potassium (great for workout recovery) and Vitamin E. All and  all avocado is a fantastic fruit and you can use any leftovers for your skin. http://www.natural-skin-care-info.com/avocado.html

In Texas we found mostly Haas California Avocados at the stores. Haas avocados are the only variety of avocado that is produced year round. The Haas Avocado was patented in 1935. It was the first tree to be patented. The avocados in California prior to Haas were Fuerte. Haas originated from grafting . Today all Haas avocado trees are descendants from the original tree planted in 1926. Haas avocados are small and get very soft and creamy when ripe.

The Florida avocados are bigger with a smooth skin and a more fruity flavor. They are also less creamy than Haas because they are quite a bit lower in fat and calories.  In contrast to the California avocados, Florida avocados only produce from June through February. They are more perishable than the Haas when ripe.

I like to use the Haas for guacamole due to their creamy softness. The Florida avocadoes are great for filling due to their size and sturdier texture. I also like them for slicing.

This week I tried a recipe I found on another blog. It was for Poached Egg on Toast with Chipotle Mayonnaise, Bacon and Avocado. Of course I don’t do bacon so I left that part out. The blog is Closet Cooking written by a guy from Canada.

I tried the recipes, sans bacon and I really enjoyed it. I used California avocado since the Florida avocados have been hard to come by.  I liked it so much that I made it again this weekend for my sister and me. We both enjoyed it.

The only unusual ingredient is the chipotle peppers in adobo. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos. The peppers in adobo are in a tomato sauce. In Texas you can find them in the Mexican section at the grocery store. Here in Florida, I think I found them at Whole Foods Market.

This is an easy breakfast to make but if you are stressed about poaching eggs, a fried egg would substitute just fine.  Mark used to like a store bought salad dressing I found by Marie’s.  I saw it at the store the other day so they still make it. It is Chipotle Ranch. If you are not real motivated to make the sauce or can’t find the chipotle’s in adobo, this dressing is very similar. I might add the lime to it though. The lime is what gives it that extra kick.

I made the sauce using light mayonnaise. That will cut the fat a bit and you can make it up by enjoying the fat in the avocado!

Here is the link to the recipe:http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/07/poached-egg-on-toast-with-chipotle.html

There are other great recipes on the Closet Cooking blog and the pictures are fantastic!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Have a great week….and…don’t forget to exercise!

Easter and more eggs

I had a relaxing Easter holiday. My brother surprised us with a visit on Saturday night and on Sunday we had dinner in Palm Beach at an interesting restaurant, Buccan. They serve “little meals” (http://www.buccanpalmbeach.com/menus/buccan-menu-winter2011.pdf). We went with some long time family friends and it was a fun dinner. Each of us picked a couple of items that we then shared with the table. Actually, we over ordered but the food was fantastic and we enjoyed ourselves.

I was searching for a new or old idea for making my own Salad Dressing for dinner with my brother.  I offered to bring the salad and we were going to order out Pizza.  I remembered my LA Times California Cookbook (I notice you can get this cookbook now for as low as 90 cents! http://www.amazon.com/Angeles-Times-California-Cookbook-Plume/dp/0452254485) had several good dressings, so I took it out and while looking for one, came across another favorite recipe, Pizza Quiche.

Right now I am a bit “egged out” after the holiday. No, I didn’t color any eggs but I did eat quite a few hard boiled eggs last week. Still, I get busy working during the day and would love to have something already prepared for lunch. The pizza quiche would be perfect.

Of course the original recipe called for Pepperoni and since I don’t eat meat and pepperoni is the king of fatty foods, it just didn’t work for me.  I substituted a vegetarian pepperoni. I was concerned that I wouldn’t like it and others wouldn’t either. It was good. When I served it to carnivores no one was the wiser it seemed. Also, I have never made it with the can of tomato sauce in the recipe. The first time I made it, I had leftover homemade spaghetti sauce so I used that. It was so good that way. I now use homemade or store bought spaghetti sauce every time I make it. If you make this, don’t leave out the green pepper rings. It makes the quiche more attractive.

The quiche is pretty easy to make and it is a nice meal. If you are pressed for time or just plain lazy, most of the ingredients can be bought already sliced, chopped or shredded. For dinner, I would include a nice salad. For lunch a fruit salad would be nice with it. In any case, I hope you try it. I think you will enjoy it.

Pizza Quiche

8 oz thinly sliced pepperoni (or substitute veggie pepperoni)

1 (9inch) unbaked pastry shell

2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

½ cup sliced black olives

1 cup chopped green pepper

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Cup of Milk

Grated Parmesan

1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce with mushrooms (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon oregano

6 thin rings of green pepper (or green and red)

Sauté pepperoni for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Set aside.

Prebake the pastry shell in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Swiss cheese over the bottom evenly.

Sprinkle on half the pepperoni and top with olives, chopped green pepper, remaining Swiss cheese, and the rest of the pepperoni.

Beat eggs and flour until smooth.

Blend in milk, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, tomato (or spaghetti) sauce, salt, basil and oregano. Pour this into the pastry shell.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and top with the pepper rings.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (Don’t over bake it!)

Remove from the oven and garnish the outer edge of the pie with prebaked pastry cutouts, if desired (ha ha ha, I don’t do that!)

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting in wedges.

Makes  4-6 servings.

Costa Rica and Beyond

I just returned from my week in Costa Rica, a day late.  My flight was canceled and I was diverted to Dallas overnight. I am happy it was Dallas rather than Houston but would have loved to stay longer and visit friends.

I did manage to have some time with Cory though. He happened to be returning from a Colorado trip so we spent some quality time together and he drove me to the airport. Seeing an old and comfortable friend was a nice way to end my vacation.

In any case, I had been interested to learn about the food in Costa Rica. I had visions of eating all kinds of Central American dishes with lots to report back. That isn’t exactly how things went.

I did have some wonderful fruit. I couldn’t get enough of the juicy, sweet pineapple. I think Costa Rican sugar pineapples are the best in the world (sometimes available at Costco). Although papaya isn’t my all time favorite, I really enjoyed it with some lime squeezed over it. I don’t think the mangoes were in season. They were small so we didn’t buy them.

Guanabana

I did try a Guanabana (Soursop) smoothie  

and enjoyed it. I find it hard to describe the flavor, maybe pineapple or unsweetened coconut. If you have the chance, it is worth trying a smoothie. I got my coconut fix the best way I knew how, coconut ice cream! It’s lucky I don’t have this at home or I would weigh 300 pounds.

Coffee…now that is top notch in Costa Rica and my teeth are ready for a bleaching after all the cups I consumed. It is very rich and strong. Loved it!

Pizza…ha..yes there was a lot of pizza in Costa Rica. French fries too. I had expected Rice and Beans and Plantains. It seemed whenever we asked where to find a good place to eat we were directed to a restaurant that had great pizza! French fries were a favorite side to many meals.

Gallo Pinto is considered the National Dish. I tried it a few times and for a vegetarian that is a good choice only if it isn’t made with meat.  There are versions of Gallo Pinto (http://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=282&Itemid=489) all over the Caribbean but with different names, beans and rice, pigeon peas and rice and even Hoppin’ John in the Southern US.  Gallo pinto is made by cooking black beans then frying them with rice, onion, red pepper, spices and cilantro. They are often served with eggs.

I did have eggs and they tasted somewhat different than my home bought Omega Eggs. Given the number of chickens in Costa Rica, I would expect they were free range and quite fresh!  The red peppers are also different, a bit softer and very sweet.

Speaking about birds, Gallo Pinto translates to Spotted Rooster in English. There are a lot of roosters milling around the country. Many which seem to enjoying sending out a Cock a Doodle Do at about 4:30 am when you have your windows open and had planned to sleep in. The hundreds of wild dogs, Howler Monkeys and other birds kick in not to be outdone! You know the “if a tree falls in the jungle” question? Well if it was a Costa Rican jungle, somebody would hear it, I guarantee. It would probably be followed by a monkey howl, a dog bark, some birds singing and possibly a cock a doodle do or two.

One of the foods I really enjoyed eating during my trip was whole fish grilled. My sister and I shared our lunches and this was a special treat. I must say however, the meal I liked the best during my visit was cooked by Shay’s friend Mike. He is on a special anti-inflammation diet and this meal was one of his specialties.

The meal consisted of Mahi-Mahi coated with a rub that was given to him by a friend from New Mexico. It was a  combination of ground dried peppers, spices and who knows what from their farm.  It was delicious on the fish.

Alongside the Mahi, he made a salad of avocado, tomato, cilantro and lime. I watched him make it and it looked like all he did was coarsely mash the avocado, add chopped tomato, chopped cilantro and a good squeeze of lime. He may have added salt and pepper but I don’t remember him using it.  The meal was muy delicioso (don’t be impressed, had I not had my sister with me as translator, I would still be lost somewhere in Central America!)!

My foodie experience in Costa Rica may not been the one I had fantasized it would be, still it was an experience as was my whole adventure. I had a great time but I am glad I am home eating my local favorites.  Still, I will dream about the Helado de Coco http://youtu.be/zxKDDP2c9ts . Now those are Spanish words I won’t easily forget!

Breakfast for One

I get bored with breakfast. I am not a big fan of cereal. I don’t think it is the best choice to start your day. I wish I could eat oats, but they don’t agree with me.  My favorite easy breakfast is to scramble an egg in the microwave and put it on a multigrain English muffin then melt some lowfat cheddar on top (a la McBreakfast).

The other day I had some asparagus in the fridge that I needed to use. Somewhere I had seen a picture of cooked asparagus with a fried egg on top and I had vowed to try it one day. I was unsure if it sounded like a good idea or not, but I thought I would give it a try.

I used to cook asparagus in a pan with water. Then the asparagus cookers came out and everyone was cooking them upright in a pot of water. I never had one of those.  I have since changed my asparagus cooking technique to roasting it in the toaster oven.

What I do is, once the asparagus is cleaned and the tough ends removed, I preheat the toaster oven to 400 degrees.  I then place the asparagus on the toaster oven pan and pour some olive oil over them (not a lot) along with some lemon pepper.  I mix it all up, leaving the asparagus in a single layer and bake them in the toaster oven for 12 minutes.

To make my breakfast, while the asparagus was roasting I fried up an egg (using olive oil rather than butter).  When the asparagus was done, I lay some (3) on a plate, lightly toasted a slice of sourdough (or multigrain) bread, then topped the asparagus with the egg and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

When you break the egg over the asparagus, it mixes with the lemon juice and lemon pepper and provides a creamy lemony, hollandaise like topping for the fresh asparagus spears, without the fat of a traditional hollandaise. I use the sourdough to soak up the yolk. 

Oh and I made myself a nice cup of Cuban coffee too.

That’s all there was to it. It made a delicious breakfast and a healthy one too.  I hope you get a chance to try this breakfast. I think you will enjoy it.