Curried sweet potato hash

Feb10

Ever since I had my first breakfast hash at brunch in District Commons, I realized that hash is one of the greatest things to ever happen to breakfast. Caramelized vegetables studded with bits of salty meat and topped with a runny egg – I mean, it’s completely irresistible.

This recipe is meat-less but it’s so flavorful that it doesn’t feel like anything’s missing. The way the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, carrots and onion mixes with the fragrance of curry is divine and unique, and I foresee myself returning to this flavor combination again and again in the future.

It is also important to point out that sweet potatoes are a power food. They are a low calorie food that is high in fiber and potassium, but most notably in Vitamin A, which acts as a powerful antioxidant and aids in preserving eyesight. They are very versatile so they’re easy to incorporate into any diet.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4″ cubes

1 yellow onion, diced

1 portobello mushroom, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp yellow curry powder

1-2 (to taste) tsp red curry paste

Salt + pepper

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp Butter

4 eggs

Procedure: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Add all vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 min.

Then season with a generous pinch of salt and add garlic and curries. Stir and cook for a few more min, until potatoes are fork tender. Turn heat off, stir in cilantro, taste and re-season if necessary, and keep warm on the stove. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Melt butter on griddle. Gently break eggs onto griddle and season with salt and pepper. Cook until edges are browned and middle is set. Divide hash amongst four plates and top each one with an egg. Serve hot.

What is your favorite way to cook sweet potatoes?

Potato and squash frittata

Jan2

Hello, readers. Happy new year!

Although I hope that you all have enjoyed a bountiful holiday season, along with the basted birds, creamy casseroles, grandma’s pies, and neighbors’ cookies, the holidays are O-V-E-R. The time has come for us to stop stuffing our faces and consider what’s happening inside our bodies. I’m sure I speak for more than myself when I say that January is the month when I want to put the indulgence on hold and bring my waistline back to the way it was before November 22nd. Here is a healthy, vegetarian, and might I add beautiful, dish to get us on the right track for this month.

Here is a healthy, vegetarian, and might I add beautiful, dish to get us on the right track for this month.

(Yield: 6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 large russet potato, sliced 1/8″-thick

1 small green squash, sliced 1/8″-thick

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp butter

4 eggs

1/4 c milk

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tbsp

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 chopped scallion for garnish

Procedure: Preheat oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/3 c cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. In another bowl, toss together potato, squash and thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Grease pie dish with butter. Evenly layer vegetables into dish and pour egg mixture over the top.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 min. Then, uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake for another 10-15 min, until the top is golden brown.

Let stand for 10 min before slicing. Garnish with scallions.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Nov19

About a week ago, I received two coupons for Land O’ Lakes All-natural eggs as part of the Food Buzz Tastemaker program. Thanks, Food Buzz and Land O’ Lakes!

I wanted to make something more distinguished than just an omelette or a frittata, so I decided on this classic Italian dish. Bacon, garlic and pasta, enveloped in eggs and cheese – those damn Italians…

I used hottie Tyler Florence’s recipe. The preparation of this pasta is very simple, yet the result is anything but.

The hot pasta absorbs the eggs and the cheese melts into a savory coating. The bacon works its usual magic by adding a salty, smoky aroma, and the pepper adds just enough heat.

Croque Madame

Nov11

This is one of my favorite French foods. During the month I spent in Paris, I ate it like every other day – it was cheap, and along with omelettes and crepes, it was on almost every brasserie menu. Oh the crispy, cheesy, saucy memories!

(Yield: 2 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

4 slices white bread

4-6 slices deli ham

2 slices Gruyere cheese

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter, divided

Salt and pepper

(For Béchamel sauce)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

8 oz whole milk

1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

Begin by preparing the sauce: Melt the butter in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 60 seconds, until it is tan in color, stirring constantly (this is a roux). Then whisk in milk. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce comes to slight boil and thickens, stirring frequently. Turn heat off. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Then the rest: Preheat the broiler. Butter one side of each bread slice. On a work surface, place two of the slices buttered side down. Spread one tablespoon of the sauce over the two slices, and top with ham and cheese. Cover with the remaining bread, buttered side up. Spread another tablespoon of the sauce over the top of each sandwich. Place on a baking sheet and broil until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, 4-5 minutes. In the meantime, fry the eggs ‘sunny side up’ in the remaining butter over medium heat until crispy at the edges. When the sandwiches are ready, top each one with an egg, and serve immediately.

As seen on Appetude

Mini breakfast quiches

Sep17

This is a great recipe to utilize if you are having guests over for brunch, or if you’ve broken the dishwasher or something and need to distract your housemates from being mad at you (no, this isn’t a personal anecdote).

*I forgot to spray the muffin tin with Pam prior to filling it so the quiches stuck a little and didn’t turn out as picturesque as I intended.

*I made a sun-dried tomato pesto to serve these with and while I enjoyed the flavor combo, I didn’t like the texture of the pesto. Therefore, I will not share the recipe because it needs some work.

(Yield: 8 tiny quiches)

Ingredients:

Apprx. 8 slices white bread (preferably country-style or Italian)

4 strips thick-cut bacon

4 eggs

1 c fresh spinach leaves, chopped

1/2 c shredded Gouda cheese

Salt/pepper

Cooking spray

Procedure: Preheat oven to 375F. Cook bacon until crispy according to package directions. Drain on paper towels, cool, and chop. Set aside.

Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir in spinach. Set aside.

Using a biscuit cutter or a glass turned upside down, cut out 8 rounds of bread – make sure size of rounds correlates with the size of circles in pan. Spray pan with Pam and place rounds into pan. (Use remaining bread to make croutons). Distribute bacon evenly amongst bread rounds. Then distribute egg mixture evenly over bacon.

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake for 12-15 min, until cheese has melted and eggs have set. Let cool in pan for 10 min. Then remove and serve warm.

Starting the day right.

Jan19

It is not often that I get to have a long breakfast at home, the kind that entails actual cooking, not just opening a Quaker packet, and Italian espresso. Fortunately today was one of those mornings and I made myself this omelette.

Eggs are indeed a power food. One egg contains all types of vitamins and minerals (mostly in the yolk), six grams of protein and only 70 calories. And although there is a considerable amount of cholesterol in egg yolks, it has not been officially proven that eating too many eggs is unhealthy.

Besides nutrition, a great thing about omelettes is that you can use whatever ingredients you have – vegetables, herbs, meats and/or cheeses. So here is a basic recipe for a beautiful, yummy omelette.

(Yield: One omelette)

Ingredients:

A pat of butter

1/2 c baby spinach leaves

1 egg + 1 egg white

A splash of milk

Salt/pepper to taste

Chopped tomato and Parmesan cheese for garnish

Melt the butter in a small non-stick pan on low heat. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, 1-2 min. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour into pan. With a spatula, swish the egg from the outside towards the middle for about the first 20 seconds until it starts to set (this will help it cook evenly). Then let it cook for about another minute until the egg is almost fully solidified. Then fold it in half and cook for another 30 seconds. Plate, garnish, serve with toast, and enjoy the rest of your day : )

Sautéed Eggplant and Tomato Frittata

Nov30

Hello, all! Missed me? I missed you.

First, happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a great holiday and by the looks of your blog posts, you did. My turkey day was awesome. The bird was juicy, the sides were fabulous and of course, my friends at the table were the best part.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been hard at work, staring into my books and my lap-top, writing, reading, working on outlines and presentations of all sorts. Phew! Just a few more weeks…

This is a frittata I made for dinner tonight. It came together very fast and turned out delicious, and in my father’s words “picturesque”. In my opinion, it is best served at room temperature, with a hunk of fresh bread and a glass of good wine. Also, make extra to take to work for lunch the next day, and make the whole office jealous. Or, make a lot of extra and feed the whole office… ; )

(Yield: 4-6 servings)
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp dried basil
6 eggs
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 vine-ripe tomato, seeded, diced
Salt/pepper

Peel and dice eggplant. Toss with sea salt and set aside for 10 min (to pull out bitterness and some of the moisture). Then rinse in colander.
Heat oil in pan on medium heat and add eggplant. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and paprika and basil. Stir and saute for 7-10 min. Then turn heat off and let cool for a few min.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk and half of the cheese. Then add tomato, parsley and eggplant. Stir and pour into a a greased baking dish (I like Pyrex for this). Place in oven. After 15 min, pull out and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook for another 15 min, and that’s all, folks.

P.S: Someone’s birthday is coming up a week from tomorrow : )

Mushroom and Pasta Frittata

Feb13

Yesterday I was watching Everyday Italian and Giada was making this frittata. It looked so easy and delicious that I decided I should make one myself – but then again, Giada could be making a heart soufflé a la True Blood and make it look easy and delicious…

Yesterday being Friday, official refrigerator clean-up day in my house, I had to use what I had on hand. The frittata came out tasty and certainly good-looking, although it was missing something, some layer of flavor. I wouldn’t want to add meat to this dish because the mushrooms are hearty enough, but maybe bacon? Any suggestions?

(Serves up to 6)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

3 tbsp milk

¼ c grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp chopped parsley

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped

¾ c slightly undercooked short-cut pasta

1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Pour mixture into a greased round baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve with marinara sauce.