Breakfast for Dinner: Savory French Toast w/Poached Egg & Honey Drizzle...

Leftover from weekend festivities, we have SO many dinner rolls.  Seeded, plain...probably at least 20.  What to do with them?!  I know I'll be making breadcrumbs, but one great use for day-old bread is French Toast.  To give it a savory flare, I added some herbs and onions in the egg wash, topped it with a perfectly poached egg and a drizzle of honey...seriously delicious!

Savory French Toast (2 servings): 
2 leftover Italian sandwich buns (6 medium slices of bread)
3 eggs
1/3 c milk (I used almond milk)
2 tbsp finely chopped Vidalia onion
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (I did thyme, rosemary and basil, equal parts)
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Butter & Olive oil (for the pan)

Heat a large pan or griddle with a little bit of butter and olive oil.  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with the onion, herbs and S&P. Slice bread into 1/2 - 3/4" slices.  Soak each piece in the egg wash for about 45 seconds.  Place slices into hot pan. Spoon extra egg wash onto slices as to avoid waste and to get some of those tiny onion pieces on.  Pan fry on on each side until they are golden brown with some crispy texture to the edges (approx 5 minutes per side).


Poached Eggs:
2 large eggs
2 tbsp white vinegar
Ice bath

Fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and the vinegar.  Heat water until hot, but not boiling.  Don't let any of the little bubbles break the surface of the water.  When the water is hot, crack one egg at a time carefully and place into a small bowl.  Pour each egg gently into the water and with a slotted spoon, create the motion that you are spooning the egg back into place, so that the egg white stays as in tact as possible.  Cover the pan and let the eggs poach for 2-4 minutes, until the egg whites are medium-firm and yolk is still runny.  Carefully spoon each egg out into an ice bath for 30 seconds and place gently on a paper towel to dry.

Arrange 3 pieces of French Toast onto a plate and gently use your hand to cup the poached eggs on top.  Finish each plate with a drizzle of honey and some more fresh thyme.  Enjoy!

What are Greens???

Baby greens growing in the garden (6/20/11) MUSTARD GREENS (LEFT), RAINBOW CHARD (RIGHT) and BEET GREENS (BACK)

WHAT ARE GREENS??

I've realized that a lot of people are unaware of what a "dark leafy green" is. Friends will ask what I'm growing in the garden this year. I start listing "tomato, cucumber, eggplant, soybeans, colorful peppers"...but then when I get to "rainbow chard, mustard greens, kale, beet greens", they have this confused look. "What is rainbow chard? What does it taste like?" Even the cashier at the grocery store stopped me mid-order the other day to marvel at the GORGEOUS orange, red, pink and yellow stalks of the rainbow chard I was buying. "What IS that??", she asked, in awe of the beautiful colored stalks and perfect slightly crinkled hearty leaves. She wanted to know what it tastes like and how to prepare it.

I thought I'd write a little bit about greens and how they are SO healthy and beneficial for a lot of your body's key functions. Once I started incorporating them into my diet (at least 3-4x a week), I noticed that I even developed cravings for them. Greens are wonderful for bone health, digestion and supporting free-radical oxidative damage. And, eating them makes me feel positively vibrant!

What does the "dark leafy green" category consist of, you ask? Sorry, not broccoli, peas, green beans or leaf lettuce. Here's a pretty comprehensive list describing what you'll find lining the walls of the produce stores and farmers markets here in Michigan:

VARIETIES OF GREENS (at least, here in Michigan!):

• Swiss Chard - Mild, sweet green similar to spinach. Large leaves (about 8 inches long, 5 inches across) and a light green-white stalk. Baby greens are great in salads, large mature leaves can be steamed or sauteed.
• Rainbow Chard - Swiss Chard's more beautiful cousin. Gorgeous bunches of red, orange, yellow, pink stalks with a bright green leaf.
• Spinach - duh, Popeye's fave! Nice mild flavor, softer texture. Baby spinach leaves are nice raw in a salad or scrambled with eggs; the bigger more dense, crinkled leaves are best steamed/sauteed/incorporated into pasta dishes.
• Kale - comes in many different varieties: dinosaur, curly, flowering (a green and purple curly leaves that grow in a beautiful flower formation) etc. Kale is one of the heartier greens! I recommend either massaging it, and eating it raw in a salad or steaming or sauteeing. Sometimes I throw a handful of greens into my smoothie in the morning for added nutrition. 
• Beet Greens - the green tops of a growing beet root. The leaves are smaller and more delicate, but resemble that of rainbow chard. This is a tasty sweet green that has a bit of the beet flavor to it.
• Mustard Greens - a SPICY variety of green. This is a lighter-in-color green. The leaves have lots of texture to them and curl around the edges. It's one of the more potent greens. I like to saute mustard greens with a bit of Dijon or whole ground mustard, lemon, olive oil, salt. It also makes for a delicious addition to a salad for a bit of a kick.
• Collards - known for their use in soul food, collards have big, flat leaves. This is one of the more hearty greens. My favorite way to prepare is chopping and sauteing with bacon/bacon grease, red-wine vinegar, S&P. Delicious!!!
• Turnip Greens - like the beet greens, turnip greens are harvested off of growing turnips. Has a spicy, slightly bitter taste, and a more narrow, delicate leaf.
• Dandelion Greens - the most bitter of all of the greens, this is actually the green part of your dandelion weeds growing in the backyard. This makes it a very cheap green and easily accessible. My grandmother and grandfather told me stories of their parents, born in Greece, harvesting dandelions to eat on the side of the road for cheap nutrition.  They are best cooked in olive oil, lemon, garlic & onions (see a trend here?)  Fair warning, if you're new to greens, you may want to work your way up to this one!  

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREENS:

...the benefits of incorporating greens on a regular basis are innumerable and I'll go as far as to say "critical". Greens provide fundamental nutrition that support everything in your body. I'm no Doctor, Nutritionist or Dietitian, but working with a certain Naturopathic Medical Doctor is where I get boundless information about nutrition for holistic health & wellness. I also do a lot of my own research on the web, by checking in with World's Healthiest Foods, and NutritionData. Greens are fantastic to help "move things along" in your digestive system. They're cleansing, fresh and to boot, a CHEAP super food.   Unlike $15/lb Acai berry, you can buy a huge bunch of greens from $1-3 bucks (depending on if you're at the farmer's market or Whole Foods organic section)! ;) Greens are high in:

• Iron - Many people claim that you need red meat in order to get enough iron, however 1.25c kale has the same amount of iron as 4 oz lean beef. Vegans, vegetarians...all plant-eaters rejoice!
• Calcium - supporting bones, preventing colon cancer, PMS, cataracts, high blood pressure and poly cystic ovarian syndrome to name a few. Greens have between 86mg (spinach) to 266mg (collards) per 1 cup serving. This is about the amount you'll find in an ounce of cheddar cheese!
• Vitamin A - preservation of eyesight, helps fight viral infections, supporting cell growth, preventing of vaginitis, acne, AIDS symptoms, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, varicose veins, inflammatory bowel syndrome. Greens have in the range of 6,519 IU (spinach) to a whopping 17,709 IU (kale) per serving of Vitamin A. If you want another source of Vitamin A, turn to carrot, sweet potato, squash or Calves Liver (mmmm).
• Vitamin K - critical to bone health, preventing oxidative damage, regulating the inflammatory system, supporting the brain and nervous system, preventing calcification of blood vessels and heart valves and preventing dreaded kidney stones. Greens contain anywhere from 420mcg (mustard greens) to 1,062mcg (kale). Greens, romaine lettuce and broccoli are pretty much your ONLY good source of Vitamin K.
• Magnesium - good for muscle and nerve relaxation, circulation, building bones, imbalanced blood sugar, elevated blood pressure, controlling diabetes, PMS, hypertension and asthma.

...among the MANY other nutrients are Folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Potassium and Copper.

*Not only are greens rich in nutrients and super cheap...they're very LOW-CALORIE. Each serving (1 cup) has between 21 (Mustard Greens) and 49 (Collards) calories per serving. Great for dieting.*

GREENS FOR GUT HEALTH:

So, maybe you've heard a lot recently about friendly gut bacteria and how it plays a huge role in our digestion, mood, immune system and overall health. These friendly gut bacteria (pro-biotics) occupy our stomach by the billions and need PRE-biotics as food. The fibers in our foods provide fuel for these gut bacteria and guess what? It just so happens that greens are a fantastic source to feed your gut bacteria.

Not only do they help your stomach feed it's army of healthy gut bacteria, but the high folate content may aid in the prevention of cancer.

PREPARATION OF GREENS:

Where to start? At your local farmer's market, in your garden (SUPER easy to grow) or at your nicer grocery store. Pick one or three and get cookin'. A couple basic tips: certainly don't over-boil them; it reduces the fiber content and reduces the overall nutrient value. Also, make sure to serve with olive oil or even bacon fat...and an acid. This helps to extract the nutrients in the food and make them more easily absorbed into the body. Here are my favorite ways to use greens:

Steam - heat a pot or pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Salt the water and heat to medium. Throw in the greens and saute just long enough for the greens to wilt and turn a nice bright shade of green. This will vary depending on the type. For example, spinach only needs a few minutes, while kale, collards and mustard greens will need the longest, more like five minutes. Season with salt, pepper, an oil and an acid. Olive Oil and Lemon are my standbys.

Saute - heat a large pan to medium heat with some olive or vegetable oil (or that bacon fat if you're doing mustard or collard greens...mmmm). You can toss in a bit of garlic and/or onions and get those browning before throwing the greens in. Saute until leaves are wilted.

In Salads - beet greens, spinach, baby rainbow chard and baby mustard greens all make for delicious salads, or just incorporate with your regular romaine or mix. Pictured below with grapefruit: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/01/kale-grapefruit.html

In Soups - Just today for lunch, I made a chicken, orzo and kale soup. Delicious. Just add your finely chopped greens when the soup is about 10 minutes from being done. Great way to make your soup more flavorful, nutrient dense, colorful and hearty!

Snack Foods - I posted a recipe a while back for Kale Chips: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/04/baked-kale-chips.html Great way to get your greens in during a DVR session snack-attack on the couch!

In a Lasagna or Vegetable Bake or Pasta Sauce - Yup. Put it right in there between the layers of sauce, veggies and cheese. Or even chop it up fine & put it in your homemade pasta sauce! Your family might not even notice. ;) Here's a hearty and healthy pasta sauce with a ton of veggies that I came up with over the winter: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/01/veggie-lovers-pasta-sauce-and-lamb.html

Eat your greens every day. Your body will thank you. :)

My ALL-TIME FAVORITE:

Southern Greens: Collard Greens sauteed with bacon and onions. MMMM!
http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2012/04/southern-style-greens-bacon.html














*NOTE: Bacon, hot dogs and most conventional lunch meat contains lots of sodium nitrites to preserve. When cooked at a high temp, they form nitrosamines which are carcinogenic. So let's be safe and find bacon at a local farm market or whole foods, where (MOST LIKELY) the meat is fresh, there are no added preservatives or hormones, and best of all, the pig was raised humanely.

Food Renegade!

Savory & Sweet: Vegan Mini-Muffins

Happy Freaking Summer. :) I have been completely slacking on new recipes since the weather has been nice! We've been grilling and eating al fresco as much as possible. 

So, I was invited to a vegan brunch yesterday.  Of course, I eat mostly plants, but don't have too many fun vegan brunch recipes under my belt, especially in the baking department.  I did a little internet research on substitutions, got some ideas, tweaked some recipes, and somehow happened to have everything on hand to make these delicious mini-muffins, Vegan style.  Perfect for parties, picnics or your daily brown bag.  Gotta say, they turned out beautifully and were a huge hit. GO OMNIVORES! ;)

Savory: Zucchini, Onion & Herb {Vegan}

Prep time - 10 min, bake time - 17 minutes
Makes 20-24 mini muffins

• 1 small zucchini, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme, parsley and mint from my herb pots)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (and more for sauteing)
• 3/4 c soy or almond milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1.5 tbsp honey, agave or maple syrup
• 1 c organic whole wheat flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt (I had rosemary gourmet sea salt on hand)
  
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
•  Dash cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375. In a large pan, heat some olive oil. Saute your veggies, seasoned with a few dashes of additional salt & pepper. Saute for about 7 min, until soft and starting to turn golden brown. Set aside to reserve in large mixing bowl.  In a another mixing bowl, sift flour and rest of the dry ingredients (including fresh herbs).  In the veggie mixing bowl, add lemon juice,  lemon zest, honey, olive oil and soy milk.  Stir.  Slowly fold in dry ingredients. Spoon into greased mini-muffin pan, filling cups almost to the top.  These don't rise too much.  Bake for 16-18 minutes (rotating pan at the 3/4 time mark) and let cool.

Sweet: Banana-Pecan {Vegan}

Prep time - 10 min, bake time - 17 minutes
Makes 24 mini muffins

• 3 very ripe bananas*
• 2 c flour (I mixed whole wheat and white)
• 1/2 c raw organic sugar
• 1/2 c organic brown sugar
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1/2 c shelled and chopped pecans (or walnuts)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 dash ground cloves

 *I freeze my bananas (sans peel) when they start to turn spotty.   They generally defrost very nicely in 5-10 minutes, ready for use.

Pre-heat oven to 360 degrees. Cream together oil and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. Mash bananas into the sugar/oil with a potato masher.  In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, sifting the flour and baking powder & soda to avoid clumping.  slowly fold into banana-sugar mixture.  Fold in pecans at the end.  Spoon into greased mini-muffin pans.  This one will rise nicely.  Bake for 16-18 min (17 min works really well for me!), rotating pan 3/4 through bake time.  Let cool.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Salsa

5 medium tomatoes
1/2 medium onion
1/2 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
Handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 habanero or jalapeno pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt (to taste) **I used smoked sea salt
Olive oil


This is a seriously flavorful, slightly smoky and easy to make salsa!  Preheat oven to broil. Cut tomatoes in half and onions in quarters and arrange on a tin-foil lined baking sheet. Add the red pepper, garlic cloves (whole & with skin) and hot pepper.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil & salt.  Broil for 10 min, until skin on tomatoes and pepper begins to char.  Cool for 5 min.

Remove tomato, pepper and garlic skins.  Throw all veggies (except cilantro & lime) into food processor. Pulse 2-4 times (you want to leave it a bit chunky).  Toss in a bowl with cilantro and lime juice.  Add cumin and salt to taste.

Serve with corn chips or toasted pita chips.  They were out of corn chips at the corner store, but DID have whole wheat pita.  Cut in triangles, drizzle salt and olive oil nd bake for 10 min at 375. :)

Easy snack ready in <20 min. Serve with icy Corona (with lime) and some fresh cut avocado wedges or guacamole! Fiesta!!

Baked Kale Chips

1 head or bunch of kale
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300. Wash kale thoroughly and pat dry (important!).  Toss in a bowl with salt and olive oil.  Arrange in a single layer and bake for 20 min or until crisp.

I just baked some and they were gone in <10 minutes.  Perfect if you're looking to incorporate more greens into your diet.  Next I'll add some vinegar and make salt & vinegar style chips.  Don't expect these to last. :)

Serving = approx 1/4 recipe

63 calories
4 g fat
7 g carb
2 g protein

Banana-Avocado Smoothie

Learned this one in an Argentinian Bakery in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.  I saw it on the menu and had to have it.  It's a perfectly tropical, nourishing breakfast.  YUM.

1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
1 - 1 1/2 c milk (regular, soy, rice, coconut - I'm sure they all work well)
1 tbsp honey**
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 c ice
(Optional) 1 handful of washed, prepped greens (spinach, kale, chard collards, etc.)

**NOTE:  Use real honey.  This is an old post, before I found that most of the store-bought honey (especially in cute little bears) is  NOT real honey, but a concoction based on corn syrup.  I now buy honey from a farm market or at least make sure it is a local source of real honey.

Blend & enjoy!

Nutrition:

Calories: 345
Fat: 20g
Carb: 39g
Protein: 8g

Lemony Crushed Lentil Soup

 ALMOST as good as La Shish ;)


Lemony Crushed Lentil Soup {VEGAN}

2 c red lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
pinch Cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 handful fresh cilantro (chopped) and more to garnish
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Juice of 1.5 lemon (more to garnish)
10 c water (sub and/or mix with veggie or chicken stock if you'd like)

**Disclaimer: this soup is very spicy, just how I like it. If you aren't the biggest fan of heat, reduce the coriander and black pepper by half to start and see how you like it. :)

Dice your onions and garlic.  Heat a large soup pot over medium and add olive oil. Sautee garlic and onions until soft & smelling delicious.  Stir in the lentils (make sure to wash them in a strainer) and pour in about 10 cups of water.  You may need more depending on the consistency you like (I happen to like mine thick).  Get the lentils and onions up to a boil for about 20 min. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the rest of the ingredients except lemon juice. Simmer for a few minutes and then either use an immersion blender or puree in a blender to blend until smooth.  Add more water if needed.  Pour back into pot and stir in lemon.  Add more salt, pepper and/or spices to taste. Let simmer for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve hot and garnish with lemon and cilantro.  Serve with a crusty baguette or if you're carb-conscious, a side of greens! YUM.

Sidenote: ARGH this soup is so easy. This is the kind of soup that makes me want to scream when people say they can't afford to eat healthy foods.  YES YOU CAN! You can feed a whole family with this soup for a couple of dollars. Beans & greens...cheap as can be!  Anyway, enjoy!