friday breakfast: open-faced omelet

As you read this, I am at the beach, spending the weekend with my family.  We were supposed to be in New York with Bollie, but she had a last-minute change in her work schedule, and instead, she will be joining us here later this weekend.  Because I knew breakfast this morning would be a green smoothie in the car, I planned ahead, took one for the team, and had an omelet for dinner on Wednesday.

Thats right, eggs for dinner.  This here post is about honesty.  I'm coming clean.

And no, I am not going to admit that the entire drive down I listened to One Direction and Justin Bieber (though, frankly, that isn't that far from the truth.)  In the spirit of honesty, I only made one conscious decision to break my Lenten promise, and that was a few beers (clearly not gluten-free) on St. Patrick's Day.  Sorry.  I justified it by convincing myself it was okay since St. Patrick was also Catholic, and my buddies were in desperate need of a fourth for a flip cup tournament, and dammit, I am a really good friend who never lets people down.  And it's not like I was eating bread or pasta.  Anddd, since we're being honest, there was also an unconscious slip-up later that night that stemmed from the fact I had too many beers and not enough food.  And I felt horrible about it when I was reminded the next day.  I'm sorry, dear readers.  There were several Hail Marys at church that night.

But other than that, I've had no bread, no cupcakes, no cereal, no sugar-laden condiments.  My diet has been cleaned up quite a bit.  I feel great - though I can't honestly say whether it's the lack of gluten, the lack of sugar, or both.  I will return to eating gluten, I'm sure, but I've now seen first hand that we probably do eat way too much sugar without even realizing it, and I am going to try to restrict my sugar intake going forward.  To be clear - I will choose to eat my sugar where it matters - in desserts.  None of that sugar in salad dressings or condiments or drinks or things like that.

But, I have made and eaten everything you've seen on this blog.  That is not a lie.  And of course, there's a lot that I eat that is not on the blog.  Recipe flops.  Oatmeal.  Tons of smoothies.  Lentils and rice.  Lots of roasted vegetables and salads.  And the lazy man's meal: eggs for dinner.  But, that's the reason why I don't do a play-by-play of everything that I eat.  For one, none of you care.  And two, nobody would read because it would be pretty boring.  And there would be a lot of eggs for dinner. 

This omelet was made open faced because, since we're being honest, I'm incapable of perfectly flipping an omelet in a skillet.  Eggs are the first thing I learned how to cook - and I still can't get it right.  So I do it the easy way.  I cook my omelet in a large skillet so the omelet is thin and cooks more quickly.  I cover the pan and let the egg set, and then invert the omelet (which is almost like an eggy crepe) onto a plate.  And then I cover with the omelet fillings - or in this case, toppings.  In this case, that was some sauteed spinach, leftover caramelized onions and asparagus from steak dinner, and some cherry tomatoes.  It's an easy, fast, and nutritious breakfast.  Of course, it also makes a decent dinner.

Finally, since I don't know when I will blog again, please be sure to subscribe via email or RSS.  That way you will automatically be updated when I come your way with new delicious recipes and silly anecdotes.

Oh, and hello from my happy place.

Open-faced omelet
Serves 1

1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon chopped herbs (I used thyme and rosemary)
salt & pepper

1.  Beat together all ingredients.
2.  Heat 10-12 inch pan over medium high heat, lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
3.  Pour ingredients into pan and swirl pan, if necessary, so that the egg is evenly spread throughout.
4.  Let cook 30-60 seconds, reduce heat to medium, and cover.  After another one minute, check to see if egg is completely set.  If not, continue cooking until set.
5.  When egg is done, invert onto a plate by putting a plate face-down on top of the pan and flipping it over.
6.  Put "toppings" on top of egg. Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: oatmeal raisin cookies

For me, breakfast is usually yogurt and fruit.  Or oatmeal.  Or eggs.  Or a smoothie.

But sometimes, breakfast is leftover pizza.  Banana bread with a schmear of peanut butter.  Cookies.

(Everything in moderation.  Including moderation.)

I had to go to the office today instead of my usual work-from-home-Friday.  I know, I know.  My life is so hard.  Breakfast this morning was a very large ice coffee with almond milk (I cannot wait until I can put sweetener in my coffee again!) and a green smoothie to-go.  And, as I was unpacking and reloading my work bag, I found one cookie leftover from a batch that I took that I took to work yesterday.  So it, too, became part of my breakfast.  Yes, a cookie.  But have no fear!  It's a cookie that is so healthy, so full of good-for-you grains and healthy fats that you could eat a few of them for breakfast, and it would fall squarely in the "good" category.  It contains the perfect combination of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied all morning long.  And of course, it is gluten-free and added sugar free.

Now, before you drag your mouse to the top right corner of your screen and X out since you've already filed this under "ew gross", hear me out.  I happen to be a stickler for butter and sugar.  I don't go for "healthy desserts" - if I am supposed to be "treating" myself - I want the whole nine yards.  I want buttery, sugary goodness - flavor that is so indulgent, rich, and calorically dense that you have to stop after just a few bites.  I would rather eat one decadent cookie than several "healthy" ones that don't hit the spot.

But, when I was soliciting ideas for next week's entries (I still have a couple more spots!), Brent requested another gluten-free, sugar-free sweet treat.  And of course, there are plenty of them out there - but most contain some sort of natural sweetener (agave, maple syrup, honey, stevia, etc.) that I said from the beginning were off-limits.  And lots of them contain the gluten-free flours that, in general, I am trying to avoid.  (For one, they are expensive, and not worth the investment for someone on a temporary dietary change.  Second, I don't think they taste that good, especially without sugar.)

I checked out a couple of my favorite natural foods blogs, and found a recipe I knew would work on 101 Cookbooks.  Heidi Swanson is a vegetarian, natural foods chef, cookbook author, and blogger.  In fact, she is considered one of the preeminent food bloggers - she's been around for ages and has a well-established site that gets millions of hits per year.  I own one of her cookbooks, Super Natural Everyday, and I am obsessed with it.  I make things out of it all. the. time.  The recipes are simple and delicious, and the photography is brilliant, too.  It is a great resource for someone who is just beginning to cook, as she goes into great detail in regards to methods, technique, and process.  It might be better than How To Cook Everything.

Anyway, getting back to my point - Heidi (I like to think we're on a first-name basis) originally posted these cookies on her website, an amalgam of oats, almonds, coconut, and bananas.  And it just so happened that I had everything on hand except for the mashed bananas, so I was sold.  I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some overripe bananas, and guess what!  The checkout guy gave me the bananas for free.  Screw Safeway and their "discount" bananas that they have to bring up from the warehouse.  At Whole Foods, they are sitting right there, singles in a hanging basket, and they give them to you for free without even asking.  See, I told you it pays to be nice to grocery store employees.

So I came home, skeptically schlepped together the dough, baked them, and dutifully waited for them to cool.  I noted that they had a great texture (though they do crumble a bit if your flour isn't fine enough), and they were moist (sorry) and sweet (thanks, in no small part, to those overripe bananas).  Because I am just a home cook and not an alchemist, these cookies were not full of that saccharine, buttery goodness that you'd get from a real cookie, but still - they were great.  I took these into a meeting yesterday afternoon and they were promptly devoured by everyone around the table.  My project manager had at least four of them.  And nobody could believe they were "healthy".

I made a couple of adaptations to the original recipe.  First, no chocolate for me, so I used sundried, sugar-free raisins instead.  Second, I did not want to buy almond flour, since I don't forsee myself using it again any time soon.  I noticed that the ingredients in almond flour were simply "blanched almonds" so I just pulsed some sliced almonds in my food processor until they formed a grain-like texture.  (And Heidi told me it was okay, so I felt fine about it.)  To yield 2/3 cup of almond flour, I used about 3/4 cup of sliced almonds.  If you go this route, make sure the final product is fine, like sand.  Some of my almonds remained whole (as you can see in the picture), which was a nice textural component, but it didn't end up combining with the other ingredients as well as the almond meal/flour would have.  And don't process too much, or you will end up with almond butter.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Coconut
Adapted, just barely, from 101 Cookbooks
Makes 40 cookies

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (I used a little over 2/3 cup of sliced almonds, no salt added, pulsed to a coarse sand-like texture)
1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup Thompson raisins

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.
2.  In a large bowl combine the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside.
3.  In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the raisins.  As Heidi says, "the dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it."
5.  Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. As an experiment, I flattened half the drops a little bit, using the back of my spoon.  I found the flatter, more disk-like ones were easier to pick up and eat than the round ones were.   
6.  Bake for 12-14 minutes, or as long as possible without burning the bottoms or browning the coconut.

Have a great weekend!  I am taking it easy and running in the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler on Sunday.  If you have recipes you want me to make for the last week of Lent, please let me know and I will do my best to fit them in! Pin It Now!

friday breakast: egg "muffins"

My friend Caroline sent me this recipe for personalized fritattas cooked in a muffin tin, and I decided to make them for a St. Patrick's Day brunch when she would be one of my guests.  I know the picture is kinda lame, but how cute are these things?  They come out of the oven looking exactly like a muffin, which is a great mind trick for someone craving a doughy, sugary, buttery muffin.  This recipe is very customizable, as well.  The original called for a broccoli and sausage filling, but since I love goat cheese, spinach, and mushrooms, I decided to make both.  This recipe was very fast and easy, and they look super impressive.

I like my eggs super runny and yolky, but if I make them well done - scrambled, in an omelet, or a fritatta - I like a lot of herbs and spices.  My favorite flavor-boosters for eggs are thyme, basil, chives, or crushed red pepper.  Personally, I thought these were a little on the bland side, so next time I make them, I will give them a healthy dose of flavor this way.  Overall, though, everyone else enjoyed them, so it is certainly a matter of personal preference.  We thought they were great served fresh out of the oven.  But, I will be the first to admit - they were totally disgusting served the next day.  One of the reviewers said that she put them in the freezer and then thawed them out in the morning as a breakfast to-go.  Well, she must have low standards.  The texture was off (it was awkwardly chewy), the saltiness was intensified, and they were almost a little liquidy.  So don't make extras - plan accordingly!


Egg "muffins"
Adapted from Snacking in the kitchen
Makes 12 muffins 


For the egg mixture:
8-10 eggs
1/4 cup milk or water
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
salt and pepper, to taste

For the filling (each variation makes six muffins):

variation one:
2 sausage links (about 6-8 ounces)
1 cup broccoli florets
grated parmesan cheese

variation two:
2 cups spinach
handful mushrooms, chopped
crumbled goat cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 375.
2.  In a microwave, steam the broccoli by placing a damp paper towel over a bowl of broccoli florets (just the floret, NO stem) and zapping for a minute or two.  Repeat same process with the spinach.
3.  If your sausage is uncooked, saute sausage in a saute pan.  If it is precooked and frozen, like mine, zap it in the microwave until finished.  Remove from the casing.
4.  Whisk eggs, milk/water, oil, and baking powder together, and season with salt and pepper.  (I'd suggest underseasoning slightly if you are adding a salty cheese, like parmesan.)  Start with just eight eggs, but halfway through your assembly, you may need to add more (mine were kind of small, so I did need to whisk in a couple more about halfway through.)
5.  Grease a muffin pan well with cooking spray and evenly distribute the sausage and broccoli mixture and/or the spinach mushroom mixture in each cup.  Sprinkle each with desired cheese.  Pour eggs over mixture into each muffin mold. 
6.  Bake in oven about 15-20 minutes, or until egg is set. Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: cup o' green & a pot o' gold

Happy (early) St. Patrick's Day!  Even though technically my dad's family is of Scottish descent, everyone is Irish this weekend, right?  Plus - as a Scot, I've heard you're supposed to wear orange on St. Patrick's Day, but I am avoiding orange, remember?  (In all actuality, you probably don't remember, as yesterday's post got a whopping 31 hits, total.  As opposed to my peanut-butter banana ice cream post, which got 78 hits in the first two hours.  I wonder which one y'all liked more.)

In celebration of the fine day, I bring you.....not corned beef or Irish soda bread.  Not Guinness or Bailey's cupcakes....though you could have this breakfast with an Irish coffee, if you'd like.  No, I bring you a delicious, healthy green breakfast smoothie to start your day, before you go and wreck your liver and clog your arteries in honor of St. Pat!  And, there's a pot of gold along with it!  Light, fluffy scrambled eggs. 

Before you have a seizure because I am suggesting you start your day off with green slime, hear me out.  This is a "normal" fruit smoothie with just a couple of handfuls of spinach added in for good measure.  I promise you can't even taste it - even my coworker has gotten her one-year-old hooked on these smoothies.  They taste great while providing a bevy of benefits from the added vegetable boost.  Excuse me for a second or ten as I extoll the virtues of my favorite leafy green.  Spinach boasts ridiculous levels of Vitamin K (one cup provides 1110% of your daily needs!), Vitamin A (300%), manganese, iron, folate, calcium, and even Vitamin C (goodbye, orange things!)

I add whatever frozen fruit I have on hand.  I prefer using yellow fruits because the smoothie retains that nice, bright green color.  Using red and blue fruits, like berries, is fine, but it looks a little gross if it starts to separate.  This may be okay if it doesn't bother you, or if you're drinking it out of an opague travel mug, but otherwise, expect to get weird looks.  I add Greek yogurt to the smoothie to make it a substantial, protein-filled breakfast-on-the-run, or I leave it out if it is accompanying another breakfast item (like these scrambled eggs).

I won't insult your intelligence with a recipe for scrambled eggs.  I have a lot more faith in you than that.  But if you don't know how to scramble an egg, email me and we can chat.

May the luck of the Irish be with you today and every day!  And may the luck of the Irish be with my Hoos today in the tournament!

Green breakfast smoothie
Serves one or two

1/2 frozen banana
1/2 - 3/4 cup frozen yellow fruit (e.g. pineapple, mango, peaches)
2 handfuls baby spinach
6 ounces Greek yogurt (optional)
1 cup almond milk or water (bump up to 1 1/2 cups if using yogurt)
6 ice cubes

1.  Combine all ingredients in a blender. If you're OCD and you need a specific order, load spinach first, then fruit, liquid/yogurt, and ice - the heavier ingredients will weigh down the spinach and keep it from sticking to the sides.  Blend, changing proportions until reaching your desired consistency, until smooth. Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: eggs in an onion "ring"

One of the fascinating things about being a young professional in our nation's capital is that you inevitably meet a diehard supporter of every cause imaginable.  There seems to be a representative for every 501(c)3 on earth in this town, and a social event/fundraiser/awareness campaign for each.  (Relax, people.  This is not a post about the Kony campaign.)  Want to provide books to children in Appalachia?  Come to this book drive happy hour in which every book you donate gets you a free beer!  Concerned with the rescue and rehabilitation of injured birds?  There's a open bar on Wednesday for that!  $20 for all you can drink!  (Side note: who does that on a weeknight?  I can't.)  Whether it's a shopping night, fashion show, powderpuff game, black-tie gala, or simply a drinking event disguised as a "fundraiser", there is always something going on for the philanthrobetches in our fair city.

Please do not misunderstand - I do not mean to mock charity.  At all.  I understand that there are causes which, though very obscure to me, are near and dear to the hearts of many.  That doesn't make them any less important.  So, I am a willing participant in these causes, mostly because I am always happy to support friends in endeavors that are important to them, even if it is something with which I am not particularly concerned.  Plus, it is a great way to meet people and be social.  And it also makes me feel slightly less guilty about going out during the week, when I am really better off parked on the sofa with a mug of tea in one hand and the remote control in the other. 

But if there's one cause that everyone can come together for - one thing that is important to most (non-sociopathic) people - it is sick children.  My friend Patti is in med school and is involved with an awesome charity to benefit kids with cancer.  If I can't shave my head for them, I can certainly have a couple of beverages like a responsible adult while plunking down a modest donation for their cause.  So last night, that is what I did.

Which, I promise, has something to do with today's breakfast.  As I was leaving the bar, I was overcome with the most amazing smell in all of Glover Park.  No, not Rocklands Barbeque, though that's a close second.  I'm talking about Z-Burger's onion rings.

Y'all.  I really like onion rings - I'd choose onion rings over french fries any day of the week.  I think I get this from my mom.  The smell of Z-Burger's onion rings are the yin to my yang whenever I'm walking by, and I swear the smell is even more intoxicating after midnight.  Luckily, they are just solidly mediocre, so I don't have to worry about a little late night rendezvous with the deep fryer.  And obviously, onion rings are battered in flour, so even if I wanted them, I would have to say no.

This morning when I woke up, I could have sworn I could still smell the onion rings.  Either the winds are very strong out of the southeast, or I am still FOMO over the onion rings.  So I had an idea.  I have seen some cool things recently about eggs cooked in rings of bacon.  But, I don't like bacon, and I don't eat meat on Fridays of Lent, anyway.  So how eggs in an onion "ring"?

This is so simple it doesn't need a recipe, so I'll just give you the method.  Slice an onion in half-inch segments and use the outer-most ring.  Spray a non-reactive* pan with cooking spray and place the onion in the pan over medium heat.  While it is sizzling away, turn on your broiler.  After about four minutes, flip the onion and see if it is sufficiently browned.  If it is not, turn it back over and let it cook some more.  If it is, crack an egg inside the onion ring, brown side up.  Season with salt and pepper.**  Let the egg cook for a minute or two before transferring to the broiler and broiling until set and you've reached desired doneness.  I think mine cooked about three minutes under the broiler, but next time I will let it cook a little less, as the yolk wasn't quite runny enough for me.  Remove from the oven and trim any egg from outside the "ring" by using a knife.

*Do not use non-stick in the oven.  The heat will ruin the coating.  Use cast iron or stainless steel instead.
**I also put some thyme on mine (because I love the combination of eggs and thyme), but you could also leave the herb out, maybe add some parmesan or goat cheese, or get crazy with spices.  The possibilities are endless! 

It may sound weird, but this was a really cool way to eat breakfast.  It would also make a really impressive option for a brunch buffet the next time you are entertaining, or even just an easy weekend breakfast.

Have a great weekend, all!  I am off to a Mexican fiesta tonight for my friend's birthday.  Thank goodness for corn tortillas, right?  ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Amanda! Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: bennys with a twist

In keeping with last year’s tradition, I am going to reserve Fridays for breakfast posts.  Since I have the privilege of working from home on Fridays, I like to make myself a big brunch midmorning, instead of my standard “weekday” breakfast.  I wake up early and make a big pot of tea while I check emails and begin prioritizing my tasks for the day.  My real breakfast comes a few hours after I wake up, when I make myself a brunch feast.    

I am not a huge fan of sweet, doughy breakfasts, much preferring something eggy and yolky.  My favorite brunch dish is any variation on an Eggs Benedict because I love a smooth, silky, just-slightly-lemony hollandaise.  I really don’t ever make Eggs Benny myself, though, because I am pretty sure if I knew what exactly went into the hollandaise sauce, I would get grossed out and never eat it again.  (Note:  I feel the same way about mayonnaise. I know it is really bad for you, but that is the extent to which I want to know.  Ignorance is bliss.)  So instead, I just resort to ordering Eggs Benedict when I go out to brunch.  Which, unfortunately for my cardiovascular system, is pretty much every weekend.  On the rare occasion I am conscious of the damage I'm doing to my arteries, I deviate from eggs and order an everything bagel and lox.  Because everyone knows that salmon is full of heart-healthy omega 3s.  The schmear of cream cheese is negligible.   

Anyway, the problem with Eggs Benedict during Lent is clearly the toasted English muffin.  Cue Portobello mushrooms.  Find a big Portobello cap and use it as your muffin, and the opportunities are endless.  You can add a bit of thyme and parmesan cheese to the shallow well, or try sautéing some spinach instead.  Top each cap with a poached egg, and cover it in some kind of sauce.  Since I wasn’t going to make hollandaise, I made a red pepper puree to spoon on top instead.  (Very easy - just take a couple strips of roasted bell pepper, salt and pepper, and just a couple drops of olive oil and pulse in a food processor or immersion blender until creamy.)  You could clearly skip this step if you wanted, but I wanted to at least feel like I was eating an Eggs Benedict, and the red color was a nice touch as well. 

If you don't know how to poach an egg, watch this video.  Isn't Alton Brown just so cute and geeky?  He really knows the science behind food and I always learn something when I watch him on TV.  For example, I had no idea that there was a "born on" date for eggs printed on the carton.  Did you?  (The only change I'd suggest to his method is cooking it less if you want runny yolks.  I cook mine closer to three and a half minutes.  I also don't use a thermometer - just bring the water to a boil first, then reduce down to a steady simmer and add your eggs.) 

 I hope everyone has a nice weekend!  My friend Brent is coming to DC for her birthday tomorrow and I cannot wait to see her.  Happy Birthday, Boo!

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friday breakfast: round 6

I had ambitious plans for breakfast this morning.  I wanted to make baked eggs in a biscuit cup - something that is all over the blogosphere right now.  You basically line a muffin tin with bread or a biscuit (and most recipes feature ham or bacon), crack an egg inside, and bake at 400 until egg is done.

But, you know what they say about the best laid plans. 

I spent last night battling with I-95 South and didn't get to Norfolk until midnight.  I slept in this morning, and now I'm off to the beach.  Mom had this beaut of a Southern breakfast ready for me when I woke - overeasy eggs with grits.

I'm off to the beach, have a great weekend and HAPPY EASTER!    Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: round 5

Eggs and tomato sauce, a slightly strange but delicious breakfast

I'm sorry this post is a little late this morning.  Last night I went down the street to a friend's birthday cookout, promising myself I'd be in bed by 11 ready to get up at 7 and work my tail off today.  I put a lot of things on my to-do list yesterday evening.  In order of priority, today's tasks were:

1.  Work work - not gonna go into detail because y'all don't wanna hear about that.  But there's a lot of it today.
2.  Cook and write today's Friday Breakfast post
3.  Housework - mainly cleaning the kitchen, which is disgusting right now.  Whitney and I are having dinner guests tonight, so this absolutely must get done.
3.  Grocery store - see above, must get done.  Unless my guests want to eat Tasty Bite lentils or eggs.
4.  Long run - it's 68 and sunny, sunny, SUNNY!  For pure utility, I almost put this last, but I think I need it for my sanity.
5.  Laundry - bane of my existence.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.  I stayed out till 1 and slept till 7:30.  When I woke up, the only thing I wanted was coffee, so I just got straight to work.  I know you all were sad when, after spending the first thirty minutes of work reading and replying to emails, rearranging stacks of paper on your desks, and making the trip down to Starbucks, you return to your computer and see none of the following things: 

1.  the 40-day vegetarian (1) in your Google Reader
2.  my face on your Facebook newsfeed (by the way, the status messages will promptly cease when this blog goes kaput).
3.  a tinyurl from me on your twitter feed (unlike Facebook status updates, these will certainly not cease). 
4.  no breakfast post on www.the40dayvegetarian.blogspot.com  (although per the stats, it looks like very few people access my blog this way).

Can you tell I'm in an anal-retentive, list-making mood today?  Sincerest apologies.

But back to the matter at hand.  It's Friday....I'm working from home....FRIDAY BREAKFAST! I can't believe this is my fifth breakfast post!

Too bad the only thing I wanted this morning was coffee.  So I put on a very large pot of coffee, put in some laundry, and turned on my computer.  Alright, #1 and #5 in progress!  When my appetite finally came around, I really wanted some runny, over easy eggs, and a side of crispy toast to soak up all the goodness.  But I knew that I had to give you something interesting since I was late with the post today.  I don't have much in my fridge (see #3), but I do have a can of tomato paste leftover from that chickpea nightmare/dream come true (I still am going back and forth as to whether it was a success or failure), so I want to use that at some point before it goes bad.  (I absolutely despise wasting food, or letting it go bad and having to throw it out.)

I also felt a weird nostalgia for Spain this morning.  I get this every once in a while, and because I can't afford to buy an $800 plane ticket every time I feel the urge, I normally just look at old pictures from my time there and ressurect an email chain with my amigas Valencianas (+ Jason) full of references to Cacao Sampaka, botellons in Plaza de la Virgen, and our Valencian frenemy, a weird dude named Fade.  When I really miss Valencia, I make Spanish food.  Normally this is tortilla espanola or dates wrapped in jamon iberico.  I tried making paella once but it was so bad I almost cried.  (It was good, but nothing like what I had there.  Something in the water...)

My madre cooked the most delicious Spanish food, but sometimes she got lazy and we would have huevos for dinner, one way or another.  One of my favorite lazy meals was arroz a la cubana, a 15-minute dish of boiled white rice and an over easy egg (or two), topped with tomato sauce.  I know it sounds gross, but mixing it all up together is so. freaking. tasty.  The first time I ate it though, I gagged a little.  It was the weirdest mixture of flavors and textures.  But a few bites in, I discovered that it all really works together, and made up my mind to lick the plate clean, if necessary.  Like I've said before, don't knock it till ya try it (twice).

I could have subbed grits in for the rice to make it a morning-appropriate dish (yes, I know tons of people around the world eat rice for breakfast), but I just decided to leave it all out and dip a crusty piece of sourdough (thank you, Whitney) in on the side.  So it's really not arroz a la cubana, but I knew it would work because I remember seeing similar dishes here and here.  I made the tomato sauce from the tomato paste I had, but canned tomato/pasta sauce would work just fine.  (I made this sauce all by myself, and it was pretty good, but if anyone has any suggestions to making a great tomato sauce from tomato paste, please let me know!)  I ate the final product directly out of the cast iron skillet (Sorry Mom, I know you must be cringing.)

Arroz a la cubana-inspired Eggs in Tomato Sauce
Serves 1

One egg
olive oil
2 tablespoons onion, chopped finely
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (about one clove)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3-4 tablespoons water (1/4 cup or a little under)
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Heat a bit of olive oil (just a teaspoon or two) in a small skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add the onion and garlic and salt and pepper.  Saute until onions are translucent.
2.  Add tomato paste, 3 tablespoons water, Italian seasoning, basil, and S&P, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the paste.  Cut heat down to low.  Let simmer 7-10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning and add an additional tablespoon of water if necessary.
3.  Make a well in the sauce in the center of the pan.  The hole should be small, but large enough to fit an egg in.  This is done by pushing the sauce to the sides of the pan.  (The recipe doesn't make a whole lot of sauce, but it does make enough to cover the bottom of the pan.)
4.  Carefully crack an egg into the hole.  Turn heat up to medium-low, cover, and let cook a few minutes until egg has reached desired consistency.  (I cooked mine about 5 minutes, and it was still runny, but a little too done for me.)
5.  Eat it out of the skillet or transfer to a plate.

Have a good weekend, everybody.  Next week will be my last on the blog, and I'm not even sure if it's going to be a full week, as I'm going home on Thursday night and headed to the beach cottage, sans internet, early Friday.  Will keep y'all updated! Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: round 4

As I've spoken about before, I'm not much of a baker.  Mainly, I dislike baking because I am far too anal-retentive in most other areas of my life, and I don't need to add baking to that list.  If I absolutely must bake, I make Ghiardelli Triple Chocolate brownies (best boxed mix EVER!) or chocolate chip cookies.  Those are made-from-scratch, but hardly original - I use the recipe off the back of a bag of Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips, and double up on the amount of chocolate.  Sophisticated, I know.  I really don't care for baking, but sometimes the easiest way to people's hearts is through a delicious baked good.

I am currently on a long-term software development project at work in which we are building, from scratch, a new computer program to replace a group of old ones.  My time is now budgeted fifty percent for economic analysis (my "real job"), and fifty percent for program development.  I am so grateful for this project - it is an interesting case, and a wonderful opportunity for me professionally.  I'm honing skills I would not otherwise be developing, and I'm working with some very intelligent people whom I would not otherwise get to interact with.  But, as with all long-term projects like this, there's a complicated web of politics and issues that underlie the direction of the project.  And true to the nature of teamwork, it is a constant challenge to accommodate the varying viewpoints, backgrounds, personalities, and leadership styles of the people working together to produce one final, well-rounded product.

Last week we got into it in one of our meetings.  One gentleman and I had a whole list of problems with a particular document we were reviewing, and we brought our issues up for discussion with the group.  He and I are particularly vested in this project, as we have been working on it since its kick-off six months ago.  It's also worth noting that he and I are very opinionated  active participants in group discussions.  To make a long story short, we had to give a run-down to the folks new to the project.  By the end of the meeting everyone was either confused, irritated, or just tired of hearing us speak.  I knew that in order to get back into the good graces of the group, I'd need to come to the next morning's three-hour workshop bearing gifts.

I believe that a little butter and sugar can make people go goo-goo, but my go-tos of brownies and cookies wouldn't be ideal for a 9am workshop.  So, I turned to smitten kitchen, in my opinion, today's preeminent food blogger and an especially knowledgeable source on all things baked.  I love Deb's outlook on cooking, her tounge-in-cheek writing style, and her passion for good food.  I often look to her blog for inspiration when I'm in a culinary rut, and plus, she just makes me giggle.

Armed with what Deb had dubbed "the best ever" banana bread and "perfect" blueberry muffins, I waltzed into Wednesday's workshop.  I smiled, laid the spoils out on the table, and watched as my teammates took a slice of bread and a muffin.  And came back for seconds.  And asked for people to pass them the leftovers.  Suddenly, everybody loved me again.  Funny the way those things turn out.....

Best-Ever Banana Bread, adapted from smitten kitchen
Makes one loaf

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup of flour


1.  Preheat the oven to 350°.
2.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Then, mix in the spices. 
3. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Mix in the flour last.
4.  Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean.
5.  Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Note:  Deb spiked her loaf with bourbon, but considering I was taking this to work and I was trying to win people over and not possibly offend them, I omitted it.  I do love bourbon, though.


Perfect Blueberry Muffins, adapted from smitten kitchen
Makes twelve muffins

5 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I used Greek yogurt because I always have it in my fridge)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup frozen blueberries

1.  Preheat oven to 375° and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
2.  Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well, then yogurt and zest.
3.  Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt just until the flour disappears. 
4.  Gently fold in your blueberries.
5.  Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, spoon your dough into your muffin cups.  The dough will be quite thick. You’re looking for them to be about 3/4 full, nothing more.
6.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean.


And because it wouldn't be Friday without some Friday eye-candy, allow me to introduce you all to my new boyfriend. I met him the other day on a run up Massachusetts Avenue....yes, that is a towel, and only a towel, and with slits-up-to-there, around his waist.  (I very rarely run with my iPhone, but my iPod was dead, so I am really happy I had it with me.  Camera FTW!)

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.....hope you're lucky enough to snag a man as sexy as this one! Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: round 3

Photo from Cooking Light, via myrecipes.com (Google image search)

Good morning and Happy Friday!  As you're reading this, I'm on an isolated cay in the Bahamas, sipping this delicious breakfast smoothie on a porch swing of a rustic bungalow and enjoying the breathtaking view:

April Fool's!

(I took that picture three years ago in Formentera, Spain.)

I'm in DC, where it has been 48 degrees and rainy since Tuesday.  To make matters worse, I have to join the legions of American cubicle-dwellers today and go into my office.  Woe is me.  I've got a deadline this afternoon, and unfortunately the work that needs to get done is not able to be completed from my kitchen table.  So, sorry to disappoint, but there's no eggy deliciousness this morning.

But it's April 1st!  Crazy!  Where's Spring?

Oh wait, that's right.  It's April.  In the mid-Atlantic.  That doesn't mean it's "Spring."  Let me explain something to you.  I am a realist and I always have been.  To me, the glass is neither half empty nor half full - it's an eight-ounce glass with four ounces of water in it.  Therefore, I fully understand that "Spring" in this area is practically non-existent - it's just a few weeks at the end of April with temperatures too warm for sweaters but too cold for shorts, and also chock full of rain clouds.  Spring is neither good nor bad - it just is what it is.  (Obviously.  What does that phrase even mean anyway?)

Because I take things at face value, and also because I've lived in this climate for twenty-something years, I generally accept this so-called "Spring" for what it is, and get on with my day.  But sometimes, I long for the springtime of classic novels and contemporary romcoms - a beautiful season in which people's bitterness melts away with the winter frost and men and women alike are smiley again. Hey, I may be a realist, but occasionally I let myself dream.

So what do you eat when your body screams "SPRING" but the weather is decidedly undecided?  Make this smoothie!  It is sure to transport you to a tropical paradise.  I've had this breakfast smoothie three times this week; I drink it on the way to work and I swear I'm actually happier when I walk in my office than when I walk out my door.

And that's sayin' a lot.

Mango-Banana Smoothie - A 40-day Vegetarian original
Serves 2-3 

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) fat free or reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup skim or reduced-fat milk
2 bananas
1 large ripe mango
3/4 cup frozen blueberries

Combine yogurt, milk, bananas, and mango in a blender.  If too thick, thin with 3/4 cup of water or more milk. 

Everyone have a delicious weekend! (and Happy Birthday, Rickey!)
  

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friday breakfast: round 2

Asparagus and goat cheese frittata

Spring is the season for one of my favorite vegetables - asparagus.  I've learned the hard way that it's silly to pay $4.99/pound for the fat, flavorless spears in December, so I am always thrilled come March and April when the fresh, skinny variety becomes available for less than half that price.

Today's Friday breakfast special features my favorite green vegetable paired with my favorite breakfast food - eggs.  I already waxed poetic about eggs in my last breakfast post (even though I wasn't feeling them that day) - I just love them.  And frittatas are a great way to eat eggs - fast, super easy, and a great way to up your vegetable intake (just like salads!)

This morning's Friday breakfast was an asparagus and goat cheese frittata.  I've made countless other vegetarian frittatas, most all of them delicious.  Some of my favorites are spinach, artichoke, and goat cheese, tomato-basil, sundried tomato and mushroom, spinach and feta, and mexican cheese and bell pepper, but the permutations are endless.

The best way to make a frittata, in my opinion, is in a cast iron skillet.  I think eggs taste better when they are scrambled or fried on cast iron, and similarly, I think frittatas cook better when they are prepared in cast iron.  There's no one way to make a frittata, but there is a fool-proof one!  Give this method a try - it's easier than scrambled eggs! 


How to make a delicious one-serving frittata in 10 minutes:
1.  First, decide on your filling.  You can make an empty-your-fridge frittata, but I would stick with just two or three vegetables to start out.  This excludes garlic and onions, which are freebies if you would like to include them.  You may also pick a cheese, if desired.
2.  Chop the veggies so that they are similar sizes.  This will help them cook more uniformly.  Set aside.  Separately, crumble or shred the cheese and set aside.
3.  Generously coat your skillet with several sprays of Pam.  This will help the finished product slide out more easily.
4.  Saute the garlic and onions on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to brown the garlic.  You don't even need to use oil if you use an adequate amount of spray.  Add the rest of your veggies and continue to saute until the veggies are cooked through.  This will depend on the vegetable and the size, but a good rule is another 3-4 minutes. 
5.  Meanwhile, make your egg mixture in a cup or small bowl.  I usually use two eggs - maybe two whole eggs, or maybe one egg and one egg white.  Personally, I never eat just egg whites....but if that's what you like, go for it.  Consider adding an extra egg white, in that case.  Season eggs with salt, pepper, and other seasonings, if desired.  Add a splash of milk (or water), and whisk thoroughly with a fork or small whisk.
6.  When your vegetables are cooked through, pour the egg mixture directly over the vegetables.  Turn the heat down to medium and turn on your broiler.  Leave the skillet alone for 4-5 minutes while the frittata cooks.
7.  When the egg has begun to set (you can tell because the sides will look hard, not runny, and the eggs will still be uncooked on top), add your cheese.   
8.  Transfer to the oven and put right under the broiler.  Let it sit under the broiler for 2 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
9.  Remove from oven and invert onto a small plate.  The frittata should slide out with minimal shaking and wiggling, but if it doesn't, use a small, narrow spatula or knife to loosen the egg from the rim of the pan.  

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you only have non-stick pans you will need to bake your frittata instead.  Most non-stick pans are oven-proof up to 450 degrees but they are not broiler-proof, as the high heat and proximity to the flame can damage the non-stick coating.  Follow steps 1-5, but after you pour the egg over top of the veggies, transfer to a preheated oven and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. 


Now that I've had breakfast, it's off to put in some laundry and get to work.  But first, random thought of the day.  Remember when Matt Bomer hosted the last hour of the Today Show (the irritating segment with Hoda & Kathie Lee) last week?  Unfortunately, he's been replaced, and this week's co-host will be none other than....

Kris Jenner. Who Matt Lauer just referred to as Kris Kardashian-Jenner.  Has she picked up her ex-husband's name again to ride the coattails of her daughters' success, or did Matt just want everyone to know that she was Kourt, Kim, and Khloe's mom (and thereby reinforce that America loves the famous sisters more than her current, has-been hubby)?  Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Bruce.  He rules a wild roost.  And coming from a house of all girls, I can confidently say that any man who has to deal with that much estrogen deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. (Love ya, Dad. Thanks for being such a trooper.)  But Bruce has had a weeee bit too much plastic surgery, and I mean really, who do you prefer?

 

or....

That's what I thought.  (For the record, Bollie, Jamie, and I look like that when we have sister photo shoots too.)

Have a great weekend!! Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: round 1

Happy Friday!  Did everyone have a good St. Patrick's Day?  I celebrated in a bit of an untraditional way.....it was bridge night and we ordered Thai food.  Yes, I am 23 and I play bridge.  It's such a fun, challenging game and a real blast when you have a good partner and exciting competitors.  (Hey Stephanie, are you reading today?)  We had a great time, and we played until almost midnight.  It may have been more fun than a crowded pub!  I made it festive with some Harpoon Celtic Ale and green curry to honor St. Pat.  I'm coming around on this tofu thing.  If you live in or near the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC, you've gotta check out Beau Thai!  That place is awesome.  I've only had the green curry and the drunken noodles, but both are flavorful and spicy (just the way I like it).  Everybody else is always happy with their dishes, too.

But this post is about BREAKFAST!  Fridays are my favorite weekday, not only because it means the weekend is coming, but because I get the privilege of working from home.  This means that I get to sleep in and make my own breakfast before I start working.  Normally that means eggs - I love eggs, any way.  Fried, scrambled, poached, soft boiled, it doesn't matter - as long as it's fresh and yolky, I'm a happy girl.  However, I didn't want eggs this morning, and I wasn't thrilled about any of my other options, either.  I thought about making oatmeal, but I've had yogurt most mornings this week and didn't really want anything out of a bowl.  On top of that, for some odd reason, I wanted pancakes, which is bizarre because I'm not typically a huge fan of yeasty breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles.  So....after quickly googling the interwebs, I decided on Oatmeal Banana Pancakes!

That is the last bit of enthusiasm I will show because these were just okay.  They weren't bad, but they weren't really great either.  The inside was still kind of dense - not really uncooked, but not fluffy and airy like pancakes usually are. 

I probably messed up the proportions or something - this is why I don't bake.  Normally, people with Type-A personalities like me love baking because it's a science.  It's black and white.  The proportions must be correct and you must follow the directions exactly.  If you don't, you're wrong and you fail.  That perfectionism is the mentality to which I prescribe in most areas of my life.  I admit, not my finest trait, but I'm working on it.  However, when I'm cooking, I don't play by the rules.  The way I see it, cooking is a release, and it's oddly therapeutic to follow your impulses and not worry or obsess over everything.  I hardly ever follow recipes and work off my tastebuds, which is why I don't enjoy the precise science of baking in the least.  I subscribe to an old school way of cooking I learned from my mom - "Ehh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  Maybe a teaspoon, maybe a tablespoon, I don't know!  Just taste it."

So, long story short, I threw a bunch of stuff together in a bowl (pulsed oats, a bit of flour, 1/2 an overripe mashed banana, a little bit of egg, milk, some baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla), mixed it together until the consistency resembled pancake batter, and then threw it on the stovetop.  They seemed to cook just fine, but as I said before, the texture in the middle was just meh.  The best part was the brown outside and the toppings - chopped almonds and sliced banana.  I topped it all off with some maple syrup - not the bobo kind, but real, 100% pure maple syrup.  My Canadian co-worker gifted me a half-liter from his latest trip to the motherland. 

I guess it wasn't an epic failure because I ate it, but I would definitely classify this as a misstep rather than a step.  I'm not even going to provide a recipe because I'm not exactly sure what I did.  Hope everybody has a great weekend - it's a beautiful day in DC so I am off to do some work so I can get off early and enjoy the weather.  I am determined not to let my allergies to get me down just yet!  Meanwhile, Matt Bomer is co-hosting the Today Show.  I DIE.  Sorry ladies, but it's widely believed that he is gay.  Either way, he's such fun to look at.  They should replace Kathie Lee with him permanently.  Check out this refined hipster. (picture from his Wikipedia page).

What does everybody else like for breakfast on a lazy morning?  (Matt Bomer is not an acceptable answer).
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