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!   

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!

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!

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!)
  

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!!

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).