Vegetarian Migas & The Best Weekend. EVER. (veg, gf)

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This is the first in a flurry of recipes I’ll be posting from the Best Weekend Ever. Somehow, the planets aligned and Dave and I had not only a banking holiday tacked on to our weekend, but we had no plans to leave town. And we had no guests coming in. And we had no solo obligations. And the only things we did have on the books were FUN. And both of us were home. And the weather Saturday was insanely pretty. And we got to eat a lot. While this might sound boring, and while we do love our out-of-town loved ones and house guests, this kind of Dave-and-Lauren long weekend never happens. It’s been months or maybe a year since we had time like that with each other that we didn’t enjoy a plane ride away (stressful in itself). And even then it wasn’t just the two of us. This weekend was like a second honeymoon!

We swam, got a bike ride in (on The Windiest Day Ever), saw the new James Bond- two thumbs up, went bowling, went to dinner with friends twice, went for a long walk around our neighborhood, watched movies and took naps every single day. And I furiously cooked my way through the whole thing. For every calorie burned on the bike or in the pool, I’m pretty sure I cooked two to replace it as soon as we got home. But I probably burned half of those off from intense and loving, Pepe Le Pew-style smiling.

le sigh

I made my sweet potato and black bean burritos on Saturday night, and we headed to Illinois to ride on Sunday morning. My ride was shorter and I beat Dave home; I wanted to make a hearty and healthy brunch for when he got back, and I thought the quickest way to do this was to combine the leftovers from saturday and a dish we love- migas. The migas we order in the Midwest are a Tex-Mex version of a Spanish dish. Scrambled eggs, strips of fried corn tortillas, tomatoes, chorizo, chile peppers, onion, and cheese. I health-ed this up a bit (surprise!!) by starting with the veggie and bean mixture and by baking the tortillas.

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN MIGAS

Ingredients:

  • half recipe sweet potato and black bean burrito filling, AG! recipe found here
  • two corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
  •  1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
  • 6 eggs, beaten with: 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 bunch scallion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped 
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced
  • salsas, cheeses, sour cream for serving

Directions:

Heat your oven to 350 and spread the remaining teaspoon of olive oil on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cut the tortillas into one-inch pieces and spread onto the oiled baking sheet. Pop these into the oven for 5-7 minutes be sure to check them 5 minutes into cooking. When they’re slightly browned and crispy, remove them from the oven. We’ve been hooked on Mission’s Artisan whole wheat and corn blend tortillas– they have the earthy taste of corn and the addition of wheat makes them pliable. Best of both worlds!

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet (preferably cast iron), heat the tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sweet potato and black bean mixture, and cook over medium for about 5 minutes, until heated through and browned more than it was when you put it in the pan. Add the crispy tortillas at this point, and cook for another 3 minutes.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with the milk and kosher salt. Pour the eggs over the veggies and tortillas and lower heat, stirring the mixture frequently. The eggs will cook quickly! Once they’re set, top with cilantro and scallions and serve with avocado and salsas. Kiss your significant other. Ta-da! Brunch is served!

Carrot Apple Muffins (veg)

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Mmm, breakfast!! Dave loves baked goods in general, and these muffins are a tasty and healthy option that can be eaten in the morning or as a snack. They’re great toasted and buttered too. Next time I make them, I want to use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking mix in place of the whole wheat flour. Until then, here you go:

CARROT APPLE MUFFINS

Adapted from Whole Foods

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
  •  1/4 c sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup shredded carrots, chopped through several times (you may instead grate whole carrots)
  • 1/4 c walnuts and/or raisins
  • 1- 3.9 oz container unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 c milk
  • 1/4 c canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla

my sweet whole wheat flour canister, a $2 antique shop find

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a muffin pan. I always use shortening to grease cake and muffin pans- it has a neutral flavor and a little goes a very long way. I dip a paper towel into the container and swirl a bit into each cup, then flour with the type of flour I’m using in the recipe at hand.

wet & dry

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another mixing bowl, combine chopped shredded carrots, walnuts and/or raisins, oil, milk, eggs, and applesauce. Stir half of the wet ingredients into the dry ones; combine well and then add the rest of the wet ingredients.

my sous chef

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full (1/2 for a large tin)- this will make a dozen muffins. Bake for 20 minutes, and you’re done. Very good buttered, served with scrambled eggs, or as a coffee snack. Such a nice treat for fall!! Enjoy.

all done!

Quickie: Chicken Avocado Omelette, or: “One Way To Use Grilled Leftovers” (gf)

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Today’s breakfast was fast, easy, healthy, and used leftovers! Fast, easy, healthy are pretty much the qualities I look for in cooking a perfect meal, and I was able to use some extra grilled chicken from earlier in the week. Be still my thrifty, beating heart. Here’s an idea for how to use those summer leftovers of your own- don’t forget that steak would work well, too!

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CHICKEN AVOCADO OMELETTES

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 eggs
  • 1 leftover chicken breast, heated and cubed
  • Half an avocado, sliced
  • Pico de gallo
  • Shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:
Whisk 2-3 eggs for the first omelette. Pour into heated omelette pan. Cook until edges are firm, then lift edges with a spatula to allow runny egg to flow under and cook. Sprinkle with cheese as desired, and add half the cubed chicken. Fold in half. Cook for a minute more, then slide onto a plate, garnishing with avocado and pico de gallo. Repeat and serve. Delicioso!

As we ate this morning, the possible moral dilemma of eating chicken and eggs at the same time came up. Is it wrong? The chicken, the egg? Together? Like a really delicious punch line to the classic joke? We didn’t decide. Probably out of guilt, since we had polished off both chicken and egg. I can say that if it is wrong [and topped with buttery avocado] I don’t want to be right. Enjoy!

Quickie: 4-Minute Bibimbap Fake-Out (veg, gf)

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Had four minutes yesterday morning to whip up something that would feed me for two lunches. That’s all the intro needed.

with first Sriracha application

 4-MINUTE BIBIMBAP FAKE-OUT

Ingredients:

Oscar Night Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings and Egg Drop Soup

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Growing up, Oscar night was always very exciting. My Mom would let my sisters and me stay up to watch the show, and we’d ooh and ahh over the actresses’ dresses, and root for our favorite movies and directors to win. Know this: I am no less excited now by the big show than I was back then. I don’t think I’ve missed a broadcast since those days. It’s my Superbowl.

For the past three or four years, I’ve had a lot of fun trying to see as many of the best picture nominees on the big screen as possible. This is, of course, more difficult now that there are NINE, but trying to keep up with what’s still out in theaters (often movies are re-released before the Academy Awards) is a blast- I see a lot of movies I may not have chosen to otherwise (ahem, Moneyball).

Since the Oscar night tradish starts with watching the red carpet broadcasts and snarkily panning sub-par dresses, I uncorked a bottle of wine, ogled Gwyneth’s Tom Ford-designed dress and CAPE (cape!!), and made these:

VEGETARIAN STEAMED DUMPLINGS

adapted, to the T, from Alton Brown

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound firm tofu (I used Nasoya sprouted tofu)
  • 1/2 c grated carrot (about half a large carrot)
  • 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (I used bagged angel hair cole slaw cabbage) 
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 large scallion, finely chopped (2 tbsp)
  • 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp reduced- sodium soy sauce (Kikkoman is delicious)
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 lightly beaten egg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • wonton wrappers (package of 35-40)
  • bowl of water and pastry brush
  • non-stick canola oil spray Read More

Quickie: Fried Eggs On Toast

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Because sometimes, Kashi Go Lean will not cut it.

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Fry two eggs while you toast a piece of good French bread. Butter the toast, place the eggs on top, shred Parmesan to cover. Place in broiler 3 minutes. Remove; crack black pepper over cheese. Savor. Very good with fresh fruit and someone you love.

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