Poached Egg Atop Mixed Veggies

Egg poaching is generally a three-step process: first, you boil water; next, you crack an egg into the boiling water, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer the egg for 3 minutes, occasionally skimming a slotted spoon around the edges of the pot to make sure the egg isn’t sticking; finally, you use the slotted spoon to remove the egg so that you can perch it atop toast.

Assuming you don’t skip that all-important step of reducing the boil to a simmer, poaching an egg is pretty easy — you’ll feel like a pro after you’ve done it two or three times.  But last week, I came up with a way to condense those three steps to one AND replace bland toast with a round of leftover veggies.  Now I like my poached-egg breakfasts even better!

Poached Eggs Atop Sautéed Vegetables

Assorted vegetables of your choice, precooked as necessary (while you can eat raw broccoli and green beans, I think they taste better after having been briefly cooked for 5 minutes in simmering water)

Eggs, preferably from pastured hens

Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Select a frying pan that will suit the quantity of veggies and eggs you’re preparing.  (You want the veggies to form a solid layer from one side of the pan to the other, so don’t choose an over-large pan.)  I used a 6″ crepe pan for my individual serving of veggies + 1 egg.  The pan you choose needs to have a matching lid.

Drizzle enough extra-virgin olive oil into the pan to lightly coat the bottom of it and set the pan over medium-low heat.  After about a minute — the oil should be fairly hot — add the veggies.  Sautée them for 3 to 5 minutes or until they’ve browned/softened to your satisfaction.  I sautéed drained canned beans, chopped tomatoes, and precooked broccoli for about 3 minutes for the pictured dish.

Crack an egg (or eggs) on top of the sautéed veggies, cover the pan with the lid, and cook for 3 minutes.  Do not lift off the lid during those 3 minutes!  The egg needs the trapped steam to poach since you aren’t fully immersing it in liquid.

Remove the lid promptly after 3 minutes.  Use a heat-proof spatula to carefully slide the veggies and egg out of the pan and onto a plate.  (The proteins in the egg white will have set and should hold the veggies together like a pancake if handled gently.)  Salt and pepper to taste.

Break the yolk and enjoy!

Peach & Ginger Crepes

When I get on a kick, I get on a kick — I can happily eat the same thing for several days in a row if I like it.  It’s even better when the dish/ingredient being eaten is multipurpose-able.  After all, leftovers are the ultimate convenience food!

Crepes are my most recent food fixation: first the savory fish tacos, now sweet fruit rolls.  Seeing as the typical crepe recipe makes 10 to 12 normal-sized crepes (six inches across as opposed to the gargantuan twelve-inchers you find in Europe), I thought I’d make some non-tacos with the second half of the batch.  These fruit-laden crepes can be served as breakfast, dessert, or snacks, and as usual, you can customize them to fit your fancy.

Sweet Fruit Crepes

Chopped fruit of your choice +

Creamy ingredient of your choice (yogurt, cream cheese, whipped cream, coconut cream/whole coconut milk, etc.) +

Spice of your choice +

Sweetener of your choice +

Crepes (see “Mastering Crepes the Easy Way” for a basic crepe recipe)

Bonus ingredient: chopped, toasted nuts

The pictured crepe holds chopped peaches, coconut cream, ginger, and a drizzle of honey.

Line the center of a crepe with your chosen combination of ingredients, gently roll up crepe, and enjoy!  If you’re serving a crowd and would like to create a crepe buffet, set out a variety of cut-up fruits and spices and allow the guests to choose their own fillings.  How’s that for a creative party pleaser?

Blueberry-Almond Soup

It’s summertime, and the blueberries are calling.  (So are the strawberries and the blackberries and the rest of the berry bunch.)  Time to celebrate with some fruit soup!  It’s ridiculously easy to make — which is probably one of the chief reasons fruit soup is on every cruise ship’s menu — and can be made as thick or as thin as you like, with whatever sweet spices you like, and with or without dairy products.  Truth be told, fruit soup is really just a low-liquid smoothie.  You probably already have plenty of soupy ideas!

Blueberry-Almond Soup

In a blender, combine equal parts of blueberries* and slivered almonds.  Sprinkle on a few dashes of cinnamon or ginger, drizzle in a tablespoon or less of maple syrup or honey, and pour in enough whole milk or coconut milk until the blueberries and almonds are barely covered.  (You could also use half milk and half Greek yogurt, or replace all of the milk with kefir.)

Blend briefly — just until ingredients have begun to mix and thicken — and dip in a spoon to check the sweetness level.  Add more sweetener and/or spices if you’d like.  Blend the mixture for another few seconds, until you have a thick, soupy consistency.

Pour into a pretty glass, garnishing with additional blueberries.  Serve as breakfast, dessert, or a cool and refreshing snack.

* You can substitute any berry of your choice for the blueberries.

Macadamia Mango Mousse

Upfront disclosure to the mousse die-hards out there: this is not a true mousse.  True mousses are made with eggs — they’re the key ingredient, in fact — whereas this one is made with macadamia nut butter.  Still, the nutty richness of the macadamia butter is very reminiscent of an eggy richness, and both the nut butter and fresh mango lend this faux-mousse an incredible smoothness.  The chai tea gives it all an exotic, spicy flavor.  (The macadamia nut butter is worth seeking out for this recipe because it’s so creamy and yet easily blends into the background; peanut butter would be far, far too strong and would override the delicate chai.  I think it would also clash with the mango.  Cashew butter is your next-best bet if you can’t find macadamia nut butter.)

Macadamia Mango Mousse (which happens to be egg- and dairy-free)
This is enough for a single serving of mousse. Double or triple (or more) as necessary.

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped (you can use frozen mango chunks, but the mousse won’t have the lightness you’re looking for)
1 T. macadamia nut butter
1/2 cup strongly-steeped chai tea (I used the leftover pot of chai I’d made the night before)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend just until smooth. (Since you’re starting out with soft ingredients, blending shouldn’t take more than 10 seconds.) If you’d like the consistency to be a bit thicker, add another tablespoon of macadamia nut butter. If you’d prefer to have a smoothie rather than a mousse, add another 1/2 cup of chai tea.

Spoon/pour into pretty glass and serve.

Enjoy!

Bananas with Walnut Oil & Cinnamon

Driven by the craze for polyunsaturated omega-3 fats, we’re so busy making a mad dash for the flaxseed oil that we’re ignoring another oil that’s a great source of omega-3s and compliments everything from pancakes to salads:  walnut oil.  Although flaxseed is higher in omega-3s than any other oil, walnut oil isn’t too far behind.  (Pecan oil isn’t too shabby, either.)  And although the grassy flavor of flaxseed blends well with some dishes, the familiar nutty walnut taste is easier to pair with breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The main thing to remember about all oils that are primarily polyunsaturated is that you should never heat them and that you should store them in the fridge at all times.  That said, feel free to use them on all manner of dishes!

Walnut oil is marvelous in salad dressings — use it in place of olive oil and pair it with sweet-salty salads with ingredients like baby spinach/arugula, orange sections, and blue cheese/goat cheese.  Drizzle it on pancakes or waffles.  (Walnut + maple = yum!)  A drizzle of walnut oil would also pair well with smooth squash soups like pumpkin or butternut.  Dunk muffins in walnut oil!  Accent roasted chicken with walnut oil once you’ve pulled it out of the oven and plated it.

See what I mean?  It’s easy — if you would pair nuts (especially walnuts) with a dish, go ahead and try complementing it with walnut oil.  Or pecan oil.

For this quick dessert, I cut up a banana, mixed a bit of walnut oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a separate bowl, and then drizzled the flavored oil on the banana slices.  Easy and delicious!

Papaya

The best kind of fruit is the kind that yields all of itself to the cook:  flesh, skin, and seeds.  If it can be used in savory or sweet settings, so much the better!

Enter the papaya, a fruit that can be sliced, sautéed, and served as a vegetable when green.  You can scoop out the flesh and use the sturdy skin as a serving vessel for fruit salads, ice cream, or anything else that can be eaten with a spoon (a fork would rip through the “bowl”).  The sweet, silky-smooth flesh can be included in salsas and salads, puréed into sauces and smoothies, frozen into ice cream, and freeze-dried into chips.  Or you could add an interesting coolness to cocktails by serving them with frozen papaya-chunk “ice cubes.” (Mojito with papaya cubes, anyone?)

The seeds are edible, too, and resemble a cross between a caperberry and a peppercorn — they have the texture of the former and the flavor of the latter.  You can use them as garnish or include them in dishes that call for capers, like baked chicken with a delicate stock-based sauce or poached fish set off with lemon juice and sea salt.  Some cooks in southeastern Asia even dry out the seeds and then grind them the way we would grind peppercorns.

I think the best way to enjoy papayas, though, is straight off the spoon.  Just cut them in half laterally, scoop out the seeds (you might want to leave a few in for contrasting flavor/texture), and then spoon out curls of sweet papaya meat.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Peanut Chocolate Maple Cake

What started out as a basic chocolate cake became much more fragrant and flavorful with the simple switcheroo of unrefined peanut oil for butter.   Using maple syrup instead of sugar intensifies both the chocolate and the peanut, and you can add your choice of spice to provide a different dimension of flavor.  In the end, this cake is versatile enough to be either a satisfying breakfast or a sweet dessert — serve the former as is and the latter with fruit, jam/preserves, icing/frosting, or a drizzle of maple syrup.

Cinnamon Peanut Chocolate Maple Cake
both gluten-free and wheat versions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  For a shallow cake, grease an 11×7 pan with butter or peanut oil (the resulting pieces are more stackable if you want to frost between them); for a thicker cake, grease an 8×8 pan.

Using a whisk, combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup almond flour*
1/2 cup sorghum flour*
1/2 cup brown rice flour*
1 T. cinnamon (or 1 T. of a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and/or ginger)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a smaller bowl, use the same whisk to combine the liquid ingredients:

2/3 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
2 medium eggs or 1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup unrefined peanut oil (this oil retains its flavor and nutrients when heated up to 395 degrees F)

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix with a wooden spoon, then quickly pour batter into pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, then do a toothpick test to see if the cake is done. If not, bake an additional 5 minutes and test again. (The 8×8 cake may require more baking time than the 11×7.)

*If you would rather make this with wheat, simply use a total of 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour — it’s another type of wheat, not a refined flour) rather than the sorghum, brown rice, and almond flours.

Enjoy!

Rice Browns

I got the “rice browns” idea when I was flipping through a Spanish cookbook and reminiscing about the glorious tortilla españolas I’d had at the tapas bars in Spain.  Unlike the Mexican corn-based flat tortillas, the Spanish version is a thick omelette consisting of eggs and fried potatoes.  It’s deceptively and simply glorious.  (And it’s perfectly portable, too, which means you can easily wander through the barrios while nibbling away.)

Since I didn’t have potatoes, I used rice, and the result was pretty darned tasty.  (Any leftover cooked grain would work — millet, buckwheat/kasha, quinoa, oats, wheatberries, etc.)  For a deeper flavor, you can fry the grain first and then add the eggs and fry again, or you can opt for the quicker-but-slightly-less-savory version of mixing the egg(s) and grain first and then cooking the whole thing the way you would a pancake.

Rice Browns

Stir one egg with about 1/2 cup of cooked grains (enough to make a thick “batter,” but not so much grain that the mixture is dry) and a pinch of sea salt.  Melt butter or ghee in a small frying pan and cook the grain-and-egg batter over medium heat for about three minutes or until surface is golden brown.  Flip over and continue cooking until the second side is also golden brown (another two to three minutes).  Serve as a savory side — you could top with cheese, veggies, or fresh herbs — or make it a sweet beginning/ending by drizzling on maple syrup and/or topping with fresh fruit.  Naturally-sweetened jam (i.e., no added sugar) and Greek yogurt would also make a tasty topping.

Variation:  fry rice for a few minutes first in the butter, turning heat to medium and letting rice sit in order for it to scorch a bit and get crunchy.  Fold into egg and proceed with recipe as it’s written above.

Enjoy!

Lärabar & Pear Mix

Normally, I don’t ballyhoo specific brands, but when there’s one company doing something right (out of hundreds that aren’t), they deserve special mention, and perhaps even a recipe or two developed just to suit their product…especially when that recipe makes an incredibly satisfying and fresh breakfast in one minute flat.

Enter Lärabar:  the only snack bar I’ve found that doesn’t have any refined sweeteners, cheap fillers, or a mouthful of unpronounceable chemicals.  Lärabars are simply dates, nuts, dried fruit, and the occasional spice or (unsweetened!) coconut flakes or (unsweetened!) cocoa.  Not surprisingly, they list their ingredients right up front on each bar rather than hiding them underneath the folded flap on the back the way most snack/granola bar manufacturers do.  When I first found them — and Lärabars are in virtually every grocery store, by the way — I almost cried in happiness because I’d finally found a company that makes a top-notch “convenience” food.  (I’d given up thinking such a thing was possible.)

Lärabars make a fantastic breakfast or snack — I just got back from a two-week trip traveling through Spain, and I took about 24 Lärabars with me.  Only three made it back home, among them the Pecan Pie (dates, pecans, almonds) that I incorporated into my breakfast the morning I woke up in my own bed again.

To make fruit-and-nut breakfast (or dessert or snack), simply cut up a Lärabar — any flavor will do — and a crisp fruit like an apple or a pear.  Drizzle with a bit of honey if you like, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon if you like, and dig in!  This particular blend of Pecan Pie and pear tasted like…well…a pecan pie with pears on top.  Quick and delicious!

Individual Crustless Pumpkin Pie

There’s a time for crusts and ends and corners, but that time isn’t all the time.  Sometimes you just want what’s in the middle without having to bother with anything else.  If you’re a big pumpkin fan like I am, you might prefer no-holds-barred, maximum pumpkin, especially at this time of the year when it’s okay to see how many ways you can serve it.  (Seeing as pumpkin pie doesn’t go over too well in the sweltering heat of August…) 

Enter, then, the crustless individual pumpkin pie, served in ramekins, crocks, or custard cups.  They’re practical and cute!

Crustless Maple Pumpkin Pies

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 eggs, divided into yolks and whites
1/2 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1/2 cup whole milk, preferably organic/local (if you’d like to make this dairy-free, use whole coconut milk)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
15-oz. can of pumpkin, preferably organic
Chopped pecans for garnish

Dissolve the gelatin in the water in a small saucepan over low heat OR microwave water and gelatin in a small microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again, repeating once more if necessary. Set aside.

Separate yolks from whites, placing the yolks in a medium saucepan and the whites in a large mixing bowl. Set whites aside.

Stir the yolks with a whisk. Blend in maple syrup, milk, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin. Heat mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until it’s thick and smooth. (This will take about 6 minutes.) Add the dissolved gelatin, stir thoroughly, and remove from heat. Let cool.

Beat the egg whites for about 3 minutes or until they’re tall and white and form stiff peaks. Using a spatula, carefully fold the whites into the pumpkin mixture, then carefully spoon pumpkin into individual ramekins, crocks, custard cups, or even small bowls. Garnish with pecans and a drizzling of maple syrup.

These pies can be served fresh or can be kept in the refrigerator for about 4 days. (They make good breakfasts, too!)

Enjoy!

Fresh Pomegranate Seeds

It’s pomegranate season!  Bottled pomegranate juice is good, but the 100% fresh version is even better, plus the whole seeds add a chewy crunch to anything they adorn.  And once you’ve excavated the seeds from a few fruits, the process gets much easier.  I’m not even worried about the Stain Factor any more.

Some tips and suggestions for using this brilliantly-hued, tangy fruit:

- Stir seeds into plain yogurt or cottage cheese for a quick snack/breakfast.

- Strew seeds atop chicken or fish before serving to add an extra burst of acidity.

- Scatter seeds onto pancakes and serve with honey or agave (blueberries and maple syrup are good, too, but it’s fun to try new things).

- Make a durable fruit salad by combining pomegranate seeds with blueberries and kiwi.

- The next time you watch a movie, try munching on pomegranate seeds instead of popcorn.

- If you’d like to add a burst of fresh pomegranate juice to your homemade salad dressings — which are simply oil + an acid (vinegar, citrus, etc.) + salt & pepper + herbs/garlic/mustard (optional) — fill your garlic press with as many seeds as it’ll hold and squeeze out the juice.

Another great thing about pomegranate seeds is that they’ll last for up to a week in your refrigerator.  You can cut the pomegranate in half and then wrap the other half for later (leaving the seeds in place), or you can excavate all of the seeds and save them in a plastic bag or sealed container.  Either way, pomegranates will brighten up your winter!

Bananas with Coconut Cream & Ginger

There are plenty of non-dairy creamers out there:  hazelnut, French vanilla, Irish creme, extra-rich…the list goes on and on.  (Literally.  Take a look at the ingredients sometime.)  All of those flavors do, however, have something in common  — they’re usually accompanied by hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup, two of the worst substances you can eat.

Here’s a better idea:  instead of a manufactured non-dairy cream, why not use a natural one? Left on its own, whole coconut milk naturally separates into a thick, creamy layer and a more-watery one.  You can either stir the two back together or scoop some cream off the top to use in soups, smoothies, puddings, drinks (hot chocolate with coconut, anyone?), ice creams, curries, mashed into potatoes, served atop desserts, etc.  You just can’t go wrong with coconut.  (Unsweetened natural coconut, by the way, does not taste anything like the horrifically sweet flakes I remember as a kid.  Natural coconut is smooth and rich and blends with anything I’ve tried blending it with.)  And you can have your cream and your milk, too — after you’ve finished stealing some cream, stir whatever remains back into the milk.  You’ll still have beautifully thick milk.

For this dessert — okay, I’ll admit that it was actually my breakfast — I topped a sliced banana with coconut cream and a sprinkling of ginger.  It tasted exotic and tropical and was ready in 30 seconds.  Since then, I’ve used more of that can of coconut milk in a pea-curry soup, in smoothies, and as a toppping for pumpkin-cranberry muffins.  Later today, I’ll probably make chai-coconut tea.  The possibilities are endless…

Enjoy!

Banana-Avocado Smoothie

In the U.S., we tend to view avocadoes as a savory vegetable, to be served alongside tacos as guacamole or to be sliced and used as a sandwich topping.  In other areas of the world, though, you’re just as likely to find avocadoes on the dessert menu:  in Tanzania, avocado ice cream is a favorite; in Brazil, you can enjoy avocado pudding.  (Being an avocado fiend, I’ve made both, and yes, they’re delicious!)

So why not blend avocado into a morning smoothie? The thought struck me as I was taking stock of my fruit basket and realizing I was down to bananas.  They’re both tropical, they’re both creamy, and to top it off, I had some leftover coconut milk from having made a curry dish the night before.  The idea was too good to pass up.  The resulting drink is too good to pass up, too — if you want an exotic, smooth way to start your morning, give it a try!

Banana-Avocado Smoothie

For one serving, blend half an avocado and half a banana with about a cup of coconut milk or regular dairy milk.  (Check out Avocadoes:  The Ultimate Condiment for more info on selecting and storing avocadoes, including leftover halves.)  Take a moment to admire the beautiful pale peridot hue before transporting yourself to paradise!

Homemade Sausage Patties

Making your own patties is easy — all you need are some spices, an egg, an onion, and top-notch pastured pork.  (The latter can be found at farmer’s markets, on co-op farms, and occasionally at markets that stock sustainable and local foods.)  With ingredients like that, you’re guaranteed to sink your fork into the best patty you’ve ever tasted … and you’ll also have some great leftovers on your hands to use with homemade pizzas and pasta dishes.

You can even wrap the patties separately in wax paper and then bag them in a freezer-safe plastic ziploc so that you’ll have your very own freshly-made frozen breakfast patties on hand.  (Likewise, you could make and freeze sausage with free-range poultry, grass-fed beef, or pastured lamb.)

Best Damned Patties Ever

1 lb. pastured (i.e., grass-fed) ground pork
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. winter savory
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. sage
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
1 medium onion, diced fine
A few grinds of sea salt & pepper

Note: while you can use many different spices to make pork sausage, this mixture of sweeter spices (the coriander and ginger) balances the strong warmth of the sage; meanwhile, the thyme and winter savory provide a bit of sharpness in the background. Using sea salt and freshly-ground pepper — which are more strongly flavored than conventional S&P — will also give the sausage a deeper character. (Using a peppercorn blend with a higher amount of pink peppercorns will really accentuate the flavor of the pork.)

In a glass bowl, use your hands to mix together all ingredients. Form into patties and set aside. (One pound of pork makes either 10 small patties or 6 large ones.)

If you have a griddle, now’s the time to use it!  Cook patties in batches over medium heat until both sides are are nicely browned.  Notice that there’s enough fat in the patties themselves to provide oil in the pan — no butter needed.  If you want to maximize your sausage flavor, fry eggs in the griddle as soon as you lift out the last patty.  (You can stack the patties on a plate and stick them in a 150-degree toaster oven to keep them warm.)  Or make toast by frying bread in the pan juices.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Coconut Muffins

Perhaps I’ve spent too many hours in the Caribbean sun, but I think pumpkins and coconuts should occupy a more prominent place on the American table.  They both have a smooth, silky flavor, are durable to ship and easy to grow, and are endlessly versatile in sweet and savory dishes.  There’s pumpkin bread, pumpkin-stuffed raviolis, pumpkin dip (especially terrific with apples and pears), and pumpkin soup…and equally-luscious coocnut smoothies, coconut fish curries, coconut macaroons, and coconut chicken.  (If you’re still not convinced, try to imagine the world without piña coladas.  Takes some of the fun out of it, doesn’t it?  And Thanksgiving would seem incomplete without pumpkin pie.)

Since I’m such a proponent of pumpkins and coconuts, I thought I’d create muffins with both.  (Coconut milk is also a great substitute for dairy milk, especially if you skip the “light” coconut milk and go straight for the much-better-tasting, much-more-nutritious whole milk.)  These muffins make a great breakfast or snack; you could also top them off with a scoop of high-quality ice cream and a splash of maple syrup for dessert.  And making the muffins is simple — all you need is two mixing bowls, a whisk, and a mixing spoon.

Pumpkin-Coconut Muffins*

*Note:  these are gluten-free muffins.  If you want to make them with standard wheat flour, use 2 cups of wheat flour and only 1 T. of baking powder.  All other ingredients/proportions stay the same.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins by either greasing them well or filling them with paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together:

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup teff flour
2 T. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. sea salt

In a smaller bowl, whisk together:

1 cup pumpkin, either canned or freshly-roasted, peeled, and mashed
1/3 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Stir wet ingredients into dry ones until just blended. If you like, add a handful of dried berries (cranberries or cherries work best) and/or chopped nuts (walnuts and pecans are tasty options).

Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Also note: in addition to being gluten-free, these muffins just happen to be dairy-free, egg-free, and sugar-free — if you know someone with lots of food sensitivities, these might just be the muffins for them!