30 Days of Vegan: Breakfast Burritos

Is there a more perfect food than a burrito? Right off the bat, it has portability going for it- something I apreciate it because I rarely want to sit down for a meal. Just how I'm wired I guess. The burrito is like a Rhumba: it has key ingredients and signature moves that define the category, but beyond that, the sky is the limit. It can be made up of almost anything. It varies from the Guisado, basically in a stew in a tortilla- to the Mission, with its massive girth and plentiful rice and beans; to the Chimichanga, essentially a fried burrito; to Korean versions. And what is Moo Shu, if not a stir-fry burrito with paper-thin pancakes and plum sauce? The breakfast burrito is yet another variation, and can consist of whatever you like for breakfast wrapped in a tortilla. 

I tend to be pretty trad about mine: they are usually a combination of beans and avocado, sometimes with cheese, sometimes with potato or rice, slathered in taco sauce or salsa. But I've been known to take last night's curry, wrap it in a tortilla and call it breakfast. My choice of bean is usually black, but I go for pintos and red beans too. Avo is pretty much a requirement. Stacey's organic are the best vegan premade tortillas on the market. Violife makes an excellent shredded cheddar-like product that is my current choice for breakfast burritos. I recommend pico de gallo or corn relish as additions, and taco sauce or homemade salsa as condiments. But honesty, like its cousin the sandwich, almost anything is possible.

In terms of preparation, I don't have fixed directions for that, though I follow general guidelines. Generally I like to get all of the ingredients that should be warm heated up before wrapping, Further cooking is for the benefit of the tortilla or to melt any cheese. I prefer avocado to be sliced thinly and plain as opposed to chunked or made into quacamole- makes for a more consistent flavor and it's easier to layer with other stuff. 

If you lightly oil and salt the tortilla and cook them on cast iron, they take on a delicious, crispy character. You can also stovetop grill them for some retention of tenderness with flavorful sear lines and good inside warming. If you make your own tortillas or find raw tortillas at the store, you simply must try baking them in the oven for an incredible taste experience. Heck, even using the microwave works. I'd suggest lightly wetting the tortilla, wrapping it in a towel and 'waving the tortilla for ten seconds, then filling and building, rewrapping and giving it another 20-40 seconds depending on size.  

I gravitate toward the grilling method and a "soft taco"-sized tortilla that yields a burrito about  2" in diameter and 6-7" in length. Anymore is too much for me in the morning. But you probably like something else! And that's the great thing about burritos.Wrap one up in parchment paper and take it on your next morning journey.

New Year's Morning Casserole

Greetings, readers! Let me begin by wishing you all a happy new year, and apologizing for my very, very erratic posting "schedule." I changed employment this past year, the amenities of which included a learning curve,  so it has made it hard to do much else. I resolve to do better in 2015. But I felt absolutely determined to post today in the wake of the truly sad experience of searching for a breakfast casserole recipe.

I woke up this fine New Year's Day, wanting to feed the crew that had stayed over. I had hash browns in the freezer, and my thoughts turned to  breakfast casseroles. The ideas I found on the web were, let's be honest, pretty sad. Most could be summed up as big chunks of greasy sausage in eggs topped by a bunch of gloopy cheese. It's amazing how much meat these people think is desirable, let alone acceptable. And have none of these casserole assassins heard of quiche? Quiche is an art piece of eggs, milk and cheese held in a velvety, creamy suspension. I'd say that's the perfect base for a eggy casserole. Cheese on the top is ok, but only a small amount, not the "reserve half for the top" nonsense I've been reading.

Also, if you read this blog, you know I have suffer from acid reflux occasionally. I wanted to dial down the fat while not sacrificing flavor.  I'd suggest crumbled turkey sausage. But I've gone even further over the edge by using my favorite sausage substitute, Gimme Lean! When properly browned, it passes the kid test for authenticity, high praise indeed, for no other group of diners are more finicky about weird ingredients and flavors than your own children.

I have two more beefs with the internet casserole cognoscenti. First, why just any cheese? If we're going to eat cheese, we need to get our K2, because studies show it aids in healthy digestion. And that's half the battle with reflux. That's why we are using a grass-fed cheddar and cave-aged gruyere combo. Secondly, where are the bleeping vegetables? Ten casseroles I looked at. TEN. Only two had vegetables of any sort. So I am roasting, then finely dicing some sweet red peppers for this hearty breakfast jam.



I am not going to make you wade through painstaking pictures of every step. Here you can see I've crumbled and browned a cup of Gimme Lean in some (cold pressed sunflower) oil. To that I added two cups of frozen store-bought hash browns. Read labels, some varieties list only one ingredient: POTATOES. Those are the ones you want! I just sauteed until the potatoes became fragrant. Layer them in an oblong casserole dish that has been prepped for nonstickiness.

Then I tossed  four small sweet peppers in that pan and let the outsides char a little. They got finely diced shortly thereafter.

Here is our egg mix: eight egg whites and four egg yolks. I got you covered, acid reflux people. To that I added 1 cup of soy milk- only because it's hard to find milk from grass-fed cows in our area and Abbey can't do the lactose. The peppers go in here, too.

Add approximately 3/4 cup each of gruyere and cheddar. These get mixed into the eggs- not glopped on top. This is not pizza, y'all.

 In a 350 degrees F oven it goes for 20-30 minutes depending on your mileage.

Doesn't the finished product look every bit as good as the fatty alternative? Hell yes it does. And it tastes just as good, if not better.

Enjoy 2015, and may your resolutions be achieved with uncommon ease.

Dymystifying dairy-free diets: it's not about dairy substitutes

I recently conducted a conversation with my favorite researcher, Google:

"Hey, Google, I'm interested in dairy free diets. whatcha got?"

"May I recommend cashew sour cream?"

"Ew, no. Just a diet that is dairy-free. That's the only requirement."

"Ok. How about shaved brazil nuts instead of parmesan?"

"Why would I do that?? Sounds bizarre. C'mon, Google, there are so many ways to eat that wouldn't involve dairy in the first place. What about diets like that?"

"So... you want soy ricotta, almond ricotta, or cashew ricotta?"

"......?"

There really is no way to ask a search engine to look for dairy-free diets that somehow does not invoke dairy in some way. Which. ok, I guess makes sense. But it indicates a fundamental problem not only with search engines, but also how we think of dairy. It's so ubiquitous, it's hard for westerners to even imagine a day without it, even if only a simulation.

Let's think about this differently: What are your favorite dishes? List everything you like, then put it in rough order. Now, put a check by those which actually involve dairy. Hopefully it's not everything!

Here are ten of my favorite foods that do not invoke the spectre of dairy, nor should they:

• Pad Thai
• Baked tofu with broccoli
• White bean soup with rosemary
• Hummus, falafel and pita
• Vegetable rice pilaf
• Vegetable fried rice
• Papadzules (and mock Papadzules)
• Tomato soup with crostini and herbs
• Chinese peanut noodles with garlic and greens
• Tofu bacon with toast and broiled tomato
• Zaru Soba

Gave you a bonus 11th there.

Maybe this post is more a thought experiment than anything. I just really think in order to consider eliminating something from the diet, you'll be more successful not trying to eat substitutes. This perpetuates dependence on the ingredient. One day you'll realize grated nuts on pasta kinda sucks, and just go back to using parmesan. It would be a lot more successful to make Lentil loaf and a salad (#12!) and just forget about cheese for a while. Do you agree?

Low-Acid, Low-Fat Vegan: Peanut Rice Noodles

Low-acid, low-fat vegan: That has to be the most specific dietary niche ever. It certainly is the most specific diet I have ever had. And yet, in the limitations, I have found surprising room to breathe.

This dish is not acid-free, nor is it fat-free. It is, however, devoid of the average GERD trigger foods, and its only source of fat comes from the peanut and sesame products, which don't amount to very much in this dish, just enough to help coat everything in delicious creamy goodness.

It's also gluten-free, if that matters to you.

Bonus: this dish came together in ten minutes, literally. Number of pans involved: one.



Ingredients

2 oz. rice noodles, cooked
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks or matchsticks
1 medium carrot, peeled, then shaved in strips with the peeler
2 large or 4 medium button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 heaping tbl peanut butter
1 tbl soy sauce (I used tamari, which is wheat-free)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup water
a small handful of cilantro, chopped

While the noodles boiled, I cut up the vegetables and started them in the pan on medium high heat. I did not use oil, but you might, depending on your vessel. I used a well-seasoned iron skillet and did not have to use any.

The carrots I processed simply by peeling, and discarding that, then continuing to use the peeler on the carrot until I ran out of carrot. I just tossed those in after the zucchini, peanuts, mushrooms and garlic had been cooking for a couple of minutes because I wanted them just barely crunchy.

I was taking this to work, so to make the sauce, all I did was put the peanut butter, sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and water in a to-go container and stirred it a bit. When the vegetables were done, I mixed the whole lot together some more until the sauce was a creamy consistency.

Note, if you are not a vegetarian, some Nam Pla (fish sauce) would go very nicely in this sauce.

I folded in the noodles with chopsticks, then topped it off with cilantro. Then it was ready to pack off to work.

Cilantro, zucchini and carrot in particular are very alkaline vegetables, so they help bring down the acidity of your stomach when it is digesting. The rice noodles, like wheat pasta, bread, or potatoes, bind with the acid and helps carry it out of the stomach as well. This is why a piece of dry toast can be so soothing to the GERD sufferer.

I hope you give this recipe a try, and that you find it soothing.

Superfoods: Turmeric (two recipes)

Turmeric has been used in India for over 2000 years, and was one of the principal spices traded along the old spice routes of the ancient far East. That it has health benefits seems to have been known for some time, but recently science has been championing its cause as well. It doesn't hurt its healthful reputation that the Okinawans, known for the being one of the few places on Earth where men frequently live as old as women, consume a lot of turmeric- and, in fact, begin their day with a cup of the stuff brewed as tea. I just had to try this on my own, and I found it surprisingly tasty. In fact, I experimented with it and added some other healthy ingredients, and the result is what I assume is a very healthy beverage that I've been drinking every morning since.

Mike's Turmeric Breakfast Tea

Ingredients:

1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup warmed soy milk
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp matcha (actual ground green tea leaves, popular in Japan, and becoming more so in the West. Health benefits of Matcha)

1 tsp honey. I use Manuka but any real honey would probably be fine.

Combine the water and soy milk in a small bowl. Temperature should be about right for a hot beverage: if not, microwave briefly to the point you want. Add the powdered ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated. Add the honey and stir until incorporated.

I suspect these ingredients would make a tasty latte, too, but I have not tried it- yet!

I tried the more traditional turmeric tea recipe- in which turmeric and hot water are combined with palm sugar and lime juice- which I found tasty as well. The flavor fit right in with Thai cuisine. Lately we have been using Crab Classic as a way to quickly make a salad with a light protein source (Crab Classic is made of two different fish species with light flesh). As I've been interested in adding turmeric to my diet, the challenge today was to make a crab salad with a Thai edge. This is the result.

Crab Classic Salad with Thai Spices

Ingredients:

1 package of flake style Crab Classic, separated
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 tomato, diced
small handful of chopped fresh mint
small handful of chopped fresh basil
2 scallions, greens only, sliced
1 small handful cilantro
1/3 cup mayonnaise or Vegenaise (what I used)
1 tbl lime juice
a splash of rice vinegar
a splash of light vegetable oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp kosher salt
grinds of black pepper to taste
a squirt each of Sriracha and blue agave nectar

Make the dressing: combine the mayonnaise, spices, rice vinegar, lime juice, Sriracha, agave nectar,  and oil in a bowl. whisk until thick and incorporated. Put in the diced vegetables and Crab Classic, and combine. Toss in the herbs and mix. Serve on a bed of lettuce. I used an Organic Girl mix with baby kale, which is pretty good! I really don't like kale, but the baby stuff, I like.

One thing I thought of after the fact was the dressing might benefit from a grating or two of ginger root- another superfood.

I really hope you enjoy these recipes and find other ways to get turmeric into your diet!

Mediterranean salad with herb vinaigrette

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but around these parts, it has been excessively hot for this time of year. For five hot days straight now, the temperature has exceeded the 100 degree mark. So we have been avoiding firing up the oven. Thus was born this salad, whose crisp coolness and sharp flavors provided perfect refreshment for lunch the other day.

Some amazing cucumbers and red onions from the farmers' market were the inspiration for a Greek farmer-style salad with the addition of chick peas. We topped it off with a very herby vinaigrette that really hit the spot.


Come up with equal parts of the following vegetables:

-Red onion, thinly sliced half rings
-Tomatoes. cut into wedges
-Cucumber, thinly sliced or thin half slices
-Green bell pepper, thinly sliced

Assuming you have enough veg for two servings, add:

-a half cup of cooked chick peas
-handful of chopped fresh parsley
-handful of chopped fresh mint

Assemble the vinaigrette:

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/8 cup red wine vinegar
-1 tsp dried dill
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp sugar
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
add to a container with a leakproof lid. Put on the lid and shake vigorously.

When you are ready to server, shake it up again, and dress the salad quickly.

Add some crumbled feta if you so desire- I know I did.

That's it- pretty simple. There are a variety of great salads in the various Mediterranean food traditions. All of them are healthy and easy adjusted for your tastes. It can be a simple as a grain with a vinaigrette and herbs. I hope they help keep you cool!

Asian BBQ Tempeh with stir fry and Vietnamese salad

Here's another vegan dish that was tasty enough to blog. We were inspired by this recipe at Go Vegan Meow, but, as usual, put our own twist on it.

Marinade

3 tbl soy sauce
3 tbl cooking sherry
six cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbl ketchup
1 tbl brown sugar
2 tsp sriracha

Korean BBQ Sauce
2 tbl gotchujang
2 tbl ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbl brown sugar
1 tbl cooking sherry

1 brick of tempeh, sliced in 1/2 strips
Rice noodles

For the stir fry:

1 head of broccoli, trimmed and sliced
2 carrots, sliced on the bias
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tbl high heat vegetable oil

For the Vietnamese salad:

romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
big bunch of cilantro
1 tbl rice vinegar
2 tbl salad oil
1 tsp sugar

Method:

Mix the marinade ingredients together. toss with slices of tempeh and arrange on a baking dish. Marinate for at least an hour. In the meantime, mix the ingredients of the Korean BBQ sauce.

Boil some water in a large pot. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and saute the tempeh until browned.  two minutes before the tempeh is finished, spoon in the Korean BBQ sauce. In another pan, stir fry the vegetables. When the vegetables are crisp done, remove from the pan. Cook the rice noodles and drain.

mix the salad dressing ingredients with the cilantro and lettuce. Build a bowl by adding noodles, then stir fry, and tempeh. Add a bit of the salad on the side.

Full disclosure, Abbey didn't have the Vietnamese salad, just the cilantro. The Vietnamese salad was a very last minute inspiration on my part, but I really liked the addition. Maybe you will too.

Sunday morning breakfast: Oat pancakes

I've made oat pancakes plenty of times, but this time they turned out perfectly, so here, my gift to you, dear reader.

The proportions of ingredients were inspired by the wonderfully useful Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 cups of rolled oats or oat flour; or 1 cup of unbleached white wheat flour and 1 cup of oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbl sugar. I used brown but any can be used. It can also be omitted.

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

3 tbl melted butter or vegetable oil

Method

If you are using oats, put them in a food processor and pulse until the consistency of whole wheat flour. This also works in some blenders. Either way, whatever flours you are using, when they are ready, put them in a large mixing bowl. While you're at it, melt the butter.

Add the baking powder, soda, and salt. incorporate thoroughly (i like a whisk for this).

Make a well in the middle. crack the eggs into it and whisk the eggs until mixed and lightened. add the butter and buttermilk. Mix with the eggs briefly, then finish mixing it with the surrounding flour.  Obligatory "batter will be lumpy." Let it rest for about ten minutes or until many air bubbles are formed. This helps make the pancakes light.

I use a stovetop griddle for making cakes, and a flexible metal flipper. I also prefer a small ladle for portioning. You know the drill: set the burner to medium, make sure the surface is prepared (either brush with butter or oil, or use nonstick); wait until it has come to temp, and don't crowd. When plentiful bubbles have formed, flip.

I served them with real maple syrup and simple strawberry sauce Abbey made the day before. I'm proud to say the kids inhaled them- a sure sign of pancake success.

Update: today I made the same recipe with a couple of variations:

I used all white whole wheat flour, and added the same amount of buttermilk. the result was a batter more like dough.

Then, I added soy milk to thin it to batter consistency- about 1/2 cup.

I used only one egg.

Results were every bit as good. So if you are cutting calories, you might consider trying this.

Tofu salad lettuce wraps

The last time we made eggless egg salad, we were repurposing leftover scrambled tofu. This time, we made it from scratch, and it turned out better than ever.
Ingredients:
One brick of tofu. We used extra firm.
1 cup diced sweet yellow onion
1 cup diced sweet red bell pepper
handful of parsley, chopped
a squirt of yellow mustard
1 tsp. turmeric
pinch of salt, couple grinds of pepper
1/2 cup- 3/4 cup vegenaise
paprika
sweet pickle relish
Method:
Drain the tofu. The way I do this is with two piles of paper towels. I pat it dry first, then place it on a plate covered with several folds of paper towels. Then I place several folds of paper towels over the tofu, then place another plate with a weight on top. A large can of soup works for this. Leave it for a half hour, then disassemble, flip the piles of towels over, and repeat.
While waiting for this to happen, dice the vegetables and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the mustard, turmeric, vegenaise, and parsley. Mix.
Take the drained tofu and crumble it directly into the bowl. mix again until thoroughly incorporated.
To serve, make a sandwich or a lettuce wrap, like we did.
The way I finished mine (and I liked quite a bit) was spooning a bit of the sweet pickle relish onto the finished plate, then dusting it with paprika. You could just incorporate those into the mix, of course. Feel free to add what you might to an egg salad sandwich, like slices of tomato.
We loved it! Hopefully you will too.

Quick and Easy: dressed up frozen pizza

There are some common denominators among the variously aged gourmands in our household, but one consistently stands out: we love pizza. In fact, a little too much in my case. Since I am approaching fifty, I find it's impossible to indulge in all of my old habits in the manner to which I have become accustomed. I've had to make modifications to cut down on calories, fat and carbs.

When we decide to throw in the towel and just get pizza, we do follow the conventional route sometimes and hop on a laptop and order something. But more often than not, we pick up frozen pizzas at the supermarket. One choice that everyone loves is the frozen product of a local pizza purveyor, Shakespeare's Pizza (please do visit them if you are ever in the Columbia, Missouri area- they are amazing). But what Abbey and I usually grab for ourselves is an Amy's soy cheeze pizza. It's not too big for two people to reasonably share, for one thing. The crust is what I believe the pizza trade would call "hand tossed-" not too thin, not too thick. Most importantly, Amy's uses a soy cheese for this pizza which, if I may be frank, is an exception to the rule: it does not suck. It melts nicely, has a pleasant, mild flavor, and complements the crust and sauce perfectly.  Also, there isn't a ton of it, but there is enough to provide structure and grip for the multiple toppings we usually put on there ourselves. It's the only pre-prepared pizza (that I know of, I should stress) that allows me to take the easy way out for dinner and be somewhat healthy at the same time. And I am all for that!

Greek Out!

Nothing like a little al fresco dining, Greek style.  Michael and I love Mediterranean cuisine.  We consider it our go-to cuisine when we want to eat healthy and fresh in the summer.  And really, who doesn't want that?

Pictured here is a quickly assembled bulgur wheat salad, tossed with 'campari' tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, mint, parsley, and chick peas.  The whole thing is lightly dressed with a lemon-olive oil dressing and topped with spicy toasted almond slivers and perhaps just a very moderate dusting of crumbled feta cheese.  Michael insisted on a little yogurt dressing on the side and we threw on some kalamata and Cerignola olives for good measure.  I was quite glad he chose to include the yogurt dressing because it really is lovely no matter what you serve it with.

Mike's Yogurt Dressing
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
2-3 finely minced cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp oregano
1 small handful of chopped fresh mint
1 small handful of chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp kosher salt
a few grinds fresh black pepper

Add all ingredients to medium sized bowl, stir it up, serve with your favorite Greek dishes.  Use as a dip for veggies.

Abbey's Spicy Almond Slivers
(makes just enough for a couple big salads)
1/4 cup almond slivers
drizzle of olive oil
pinch of kosher salt
pinch each of the following spices:  paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper.

Combine all ingredients in a saute pan on medium heat.  Toss the nuts around until well coated with spices and oil.  Continue tossing for 3-5 mins until nuts are looking toasty.  Remove to a dry clean plate to cool.  Sprinkle on salads, savory dishes, or just snack on them!

Vegan Chili

If you've read the archive of this blog, you know more chili recipes were inevitable- this time, it's completely vegan. It worked out really well, so I thought I'd share.

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tbl olive oil
approx. 4" of a roll of Gimme Lean sausage style
2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can of mild enchilada sauce
2 15 oz. cans of red beans
1 tbl unsweetened cocoa
1 tbl sweet paprika
1 tbl cumin
1 tbl dried oregano
1 tbl brown sugar*
1 tbl prepared black coffee
2 tbl corn meal
salt to taste

*Use genuine unrefined brown sugar to avoid bone char filtering.

Saute the onion in olive oil until starting to turn clear. Make a space in the middle and add the dry seasonings. Let them toast a minute, then add the Gimme Lean.  saute together 5 mins. Then add the coffee, enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Cook on medium low for about 10 mins. Whisk in the corn meal and stir, constantly, for another 10 mins. Then add the cans of beans and stir for another 5 or 10 minutes.

The vegan experiment part 3: strange players

Cooking is like staging a play: you have roles than need to be played by actors. After you've produced a while, you realize some actors are more flexible than others; so you use them more. I have always used eggs for a variety of purposes, both savory and sweet. The egg of the vegan world is tofu.

I must admit, it took me years to warm up to tofu. I've had the obligatory negative experiences. Sometimes, I encounter it in restaurants in a less than pleasant way; other times, it was by my own hand that I created an inedible mess out of an innocent block. But after a while, I discovered the best ways to cook with it, and I have enjoyed it, mostly, ever since. Even some of the kids go for a stir fry with tofu triangles fried until golden brown and crispy.
On Monday, I took a stab at a vegan staple- scrambled tofu, designed to remind the consumer of scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs are a favorite of mine (and my youngest son, which is delightful but rather odd for our family), and I was already missing them. I used this basic recipe and, though there's no way it would pass my son's taste test, I found it surprisingly palatable. They weren't much like real scrambled eggs- maybe I can chalk that up to my inexperience- but served with some toast and Morningstar bacon, they fit the role fairly well- kinda like having Peter Cushing play Dracula. It's plausible enough, but he ain't no Christopher Lee.
So the somewhat voluminous leftovers have been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. Today at lunch, I had a hankering for an egg salad sandwich. It occurred to me this could be a great opportunity to test tofu's versatility. It's a pretty simple recipe and worked quite well.

Tofu "egg" salad

about half a brick's worth of tofu scramble

For the dressing:
1/2 cup of Vegannaise or Grapenaise
1 tsp of red wine vinegar
2 tbl canola oil
1 tsp sugar
1 heaping tbl pickle relish
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt, pepper to taste
a couple shakes of paprika

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl and whisk. Fold in the tofu scramble and mix gently until incorporated.

It was quite good! Better than I expected, frankly, since I am crazy about egg salad. I hope you egg salad lovers looking for a lighter way to enjoy similar textures and flavors enjoy it too.

Mike's Second Favorite Breakfast

The honor of first favorite goes to Frijoles Charros and eggs, which I'll save for another post. This is a close #2: Huevos Rancheros. If you're a regular reader, my Mexican food fetish is probably known to you by now. If not... now you know. I could start every morning with eggs, beans and salsa and probably never grow tired of it. I don't think. Anyway, I was captivated by a version I found at Smitten Kitchen, but the task of flipping a tortilla with a raw egg sitting on top of it without making a bloody mess proved to be elusive. So, I made the salsa cruda as instructed on SK- which is devastatingly simple and delicious, just diced fresh tomato, onion (I used a sweet yellow, which I like best for salsa) and raw jalapeno; dismembered several stalks of cilantro; heated up the tortillas in a hot oiled skillet, melted cheese on each; and fried eggs in a separate pan, with the yolks still runny, naturally.SK's devilishly clever take was to use, as a delicious shortcut, Goya Black Bean soup for the bean side dish; I simulated this by spicing the beans with garlic, cumin and chili powder and copious amounts of black pepper, then letting a cup and a half of chicken broth reduce in the pan until the beans were sauced with the reduction. It felt strange trying to recreating canned soup manually, but the results were fantastic, I daresay better in the end for having been made from scratch. I doubt if I'll ever master that egg and tortilla over easy method, but this was mightlily satisfying, regardless.

Spring on a roll

When no one else is around, my most natural instinct is to drag out leftovers and do something I find interesting.  I've noticed after many years with Michael that the man can't abide by leftovers so well.  For him, the thrill is gone, he puts it into a plastic container and shoves it to the back of the fridge.  The only leftover that doesn't totally turn him off is a bucket full of chili or some refried beans.  He likes his beans, I guess, and he'll nurse along a huge container of them for what seems like months--although I'm sure that can't be.

So, today, left alone with the little girl, I pull out some rice paper wraps, leftover roast salmon, a recently made avocado dressing and I end up with this spring roll.  Spring roll wraps are tricky.  You dampen them in a plate with a bit of cool fresh water, let them sit on a separate plate for a few moments before decorating with veggies and whatnot, then gently roll them into a cylinder shape.  The first one is always a bit awkward and since I only made one, you'll have to excuse the slight malformations.

 

One of these days, I'll be sure and include a recipe for the avocado dressing, because it's a terrific way to extend the life of a couple ripe avocados and use them in several applications.  So far this week, we've dressed a cole slaw, a whole grain torta cubana, a spinach salad, and this spring roll with the dressing.

Roast Salmon Dinner

Michael called me on the phone from the grocery store the other day with an urgent almost pleading request for potatoes to be added back into our diet.  He went into great detail about the nutritive value of the skins and then explained that he had roast fingerling potatoes on his mind.  In the end, I hesitantly assented, so Michael got his potatoes with our roast salmon this evening.  They actually seemed like a very natural choice for this meal.  We had never roast salmon before and we were quite pleased with the results.  Michael slathered each salmon fillet with fresh parsley, chopped garlic, and dill.  The roasting pan has to have a little bit of olive oil in the bottom and we found it quite easy to add the fish to the same pan near the end of cooking time for the potatoes.  I used a very simple olive oil and vinegar vinaigrette to dress spinach salad with hot house tomatoes and broccoli sprouts.  As we enjoyed our lovely healthy meal, we said a little prayer for those people all over Jefferson City who have to dine out this evening.  Poor schmucks.

Hey Man, I Just Want Some Muesli...

Another first for me.  Seems I'm exercising all of my 1970's health food craze muscles.  Muesli was big back in the day.  And these days, maybe only if you're in a kiwi novelty band do you think regularly of muesli as a viable breakfast option.

As my man is currently into his superfoods, I decided to make a muesli that combined as many as I could.  This meant dried blackberries, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and maybe a bit of flax seed for good measure.  Here's the recipe:

Berry Muesli

5 cups rolled oats
1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup wheat bran flakes
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp flax
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup of honey
4 tbsp canola oil

Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.

Put rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, wheat bran flakes, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, flax, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Stir to combine.

Heat up the honey and canola oil in a small sauce pan over low heat.  Pour the warm honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until your arm is about to fall off.

Spread the mixture on two large rimmed baking sheets and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  (Depending on the size of your baking sheets, you may need to do more than one round of muesli-toasting.)

Add 1/2 cup sliced dried strawberries and 1/2 cup dried blackberries. Stir to distribute the berries throughout and store in one of those plastic cereal storage boxes.

When you're ready to serve the muesli, you have a few options.  The easiest way to enjoy muesli is with a bowl, a spoon, and cold milk, just like regular breakfast cereal.  You could also heat a bowl of muesli and milk up in the microwave for a hot breakfast.  Finally, you could do what we did, and have your muesli Swiss-style.  We put the muesli in a sealed container with some kefir and let it soak in the fridge overnight.  I think the traditional thing is actually yogurt, but since we had a surplus of kefir, that's what we used.  Honestly, I think I would have preferred just plain old milk and muesli when all was said and done.  The kefir was so tangy and strong that it overwhelmed the light sweetness of the muesli.  Next time, we're gonna try it as a hot cereal with just plain old milk.

Barley "Paella"

Not a very good picture, but I had to share this little discovery because it was so damn good.  First of all, I've only recently discovered barley as an alternative to rice and you'll have to excuse me if I go a little crazy with it.

While white rice rates a 58 on the glycemic index, barley is at a comfortable 25.  Also, as far as whole grains go, barley is very easy to eat and comes reasonably close to the texture of a risotto rice dish when prepared in the traditional fashion.  I did prepare this dish in the manner of a risotto, but I used ingredients that were characteristic of Spanish cuisine, something like a Paella.  I got a real nice facial steam bath while doing it, too.




Barley "Paella"

1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
3/4 cup pearled barley
1/2 can Anaheim green chiles
1/2 can chopped peeled tomatoes
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp Spanish paprika
salt and pepper to taste
10 medium shrimp
2 small chicken sausages, sauteed and sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
4 chopped green onions
shredded Manchego for garnish

In a large saucepan, bring the tomato juice, chicken broth, and water to a boil.  Add shrimp, simmer for a few minutes (until pink and rising to surface).  Use slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to a bowl, set aside (peel when cool).  The cooking liquid should remain on stove, with heat turned down to a simmer.

In a heavy non-reactive pot, drizzle in olive oil and saute onions until translucent.  Add green bell pepper, garlic, and continue sauteing until soft.  Add the barley and toast the grains lightly.  Add the spices, salt, and pepper.  Throw in the chopped peeled tomatoes and the green chiles.  After everything is blended and starting to cook down, ladle in some of the simmering broth.  Continually stir the barley as it absorbs the liquid.  The barley will begin sticking to the bottom of the pot after a couple minutes, and this is your signal to add more broth.  Continue in this vein until the barley is swollen and slightly bigger than a grain of fully cooked Arborio rice.  Remove from heat.

Taste and correct the seasoning to suit your tastes.  You will want to incorporate the shrimp and sausage at this point along with the green onions and most of your parsley.  Serve with a garnish of parsley and a few shreds of Manchego cheese.

Eggplant Lasagna

I based this recipe, at least conceptually, on Kalyn's Kitchen zucchini lasagna. I thought that was a great idea (if you happen to have some HUGE zucchini laying around). What I did have was eggplant. So, after slicing it thin, grilling it on our handy dandy cast iron grill, I layered the eggplant with a homemade tomato mushroom sauce, part skim mozzarella, and a blend of ricotta, eggs, and spinach. After baking at 400 degrees F for half an hour, your eggplant lasagne ought to be ready. My rule for done-ness is this: the cheese must be bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Dinner Idea: Greek-style Salmon

We just had a tasty dinner of grilled salmon with shirataki and edamame salad- which I think Abbey will be blogging about shortly. For breakfast we had asparagus with mock hollandaise, also delicious. Wires crossed in my brain and gave me a good future dinner idea: similar to the salmon dinner, but with an avgolemeno sauce- mock hollandaise with lemon- sprinkled with pine nuts, and a nice horiatiki, country salad with creamy feta dressing, on the side. How does that sound, A?