Breakfast Egg Skillet and Bloody Mary

Some days just call for a spicy, ice cold Bloody Mary and a big hearty breakfast.

Today was that day.

The shining ingredient? Celery salt. Boy, do I love celery salt. I put it in both the skillet and the drink because I love it so much.

The egg skillet works perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The eggs keep me full and the vegetables burst with flavor. The entire dish takes about 10 minutes to make and requires little fuss.

The Bloody Mary, on the other hand, requires a bit more effort than the skillet, but is more than worth the time. The spices blend together perfectly, creating a salty drink that is almost a meal in itself.


Egg Skillet (serves 1-2)

-2 eggs
-5 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
-14 grape tomatoes, halved
-4 green onions, chopped
-2 cups fresh spinach
-1/2 avocado, cubed
-1 tsp celery salt
-red pepper flakes
-cracked pepper
-fresh fruit

Warm a large skillet pan on medium heat. Spray with a non-stick spray and add the sliced mushrooms. When the mushrooms have cooked for about 1 minute, crack the eggs into the skillet. Then add the tomatoes, green onions, and spinach. Sprinkle everything with celery salt, red pepper flakes, and fresh cracked pepper. Place a lid on the skillet to allow the tops of the eggs to cook. When the eggs are slightly white on top, take the pan off the heat and add the cubed avocado. Serve hot and enjoy with your favorite fresh fruit.


Bloody Mary (2 servings)

-2 cups cold tomato juice
-juice from 1/2 lemon
-1/2 Tablespoon horseradish
-1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
-1 teaspoon curry powder
-1 teaspoon sweet paprika
-1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1/8 teaspoon black pepper
-1 teaspoon celery salt, plus more for the rim of the glass
-1/4 to 1/2 cup cold vodka (depending on your own preference)
-dill pickle spears for garnish
-olives for garnish
-lemon slices for garnish
-celery stalks for garnish
-ice cubes, if desired

In a pitcher, combine all of the ingredients, minus the vodka. Place the mixture in the fridge for at least 25 minutes. When mixture is chilled, mix the vodka into the pitcher. Run a slice of lemon around the rim of your serving glass and dip the glass into a dish of celery salt. Fill glass with ice, if desired, and pour the mixture into the glass. Garnish with pickle, celery, lemon, and olives.

I love when restaurants get super creative with their Bloody Mary garnishes, so get creative with yours!

Lemon, Coconut, and Lavender Tarts

While the month of April has mainly consisted of torrential downpours, flooded sidewalks, and even a touch of snow (ugh!), this past weekend was a lovely and sunny exception. I finally had the chance to step out of my galoshes, slip into some walking shoes, and explore spring in Chicago. First stop: The Spice House, where I was completely taken by a little bag of lavender buds. As you can see, those tiny purple flowers were the inspiration for my latest baking endeavor. I also purchased some lavender-vanilla sugar, which is good on pretty much EVERYTHING! Seriously, I sprinkled some on my pancakes this morning and it took them from an average 7 to about a 10/10. If you ever get the chance to go to a Spice House, do it! Though I must warn you, walking into the shop is an assault on the senses. After about twenty-five minutes of perusing the spice shelves, I was in need of some fresh, non-fragrant air. :)

In my mind, lavender is meant to be one of those subtle spices. I currently have a jar of lavender honey and I think it's the best thing since sliced bread -- the hint of lavender compliments the sweetness of the honey without being too overpowering. With my tarts, I was aiming for a similar taste. I wanted to let the lemon and coconut shine, with hints of lavender floating around and gently surprising the taste buds. Maybe I put too much thought into that. Oh well...

Here are some pretty flowers for you!

You know what? I've noted something recently... When one area of my life gets crazy busy, all of the other parts are like "I want in on the crazy too!" and then, before I know it, I am running all over the place, overbooking my schedule, forgetting about appointments, and acting like a complete maniac. Anyway, what I really want to say is that I'm hoping these tasty little tarts will make up for my lack of posts lately.

Edamame Dumplings

Guess what? Spring is on its way! (I literally smiled when I typed out that sentence.)

Birds are chirping in the mornings, the sun stays in the sky a tiny bit longer each afternoon, and that large mound of snow by the bus stop has melted down to a small mass of blackened ice and cinders.

March is always an exciting time of year -- new projects, new plans, new wardrobe, and let's not forget about those lovely tax returns. Soon everything will be budding and green and sunny and happy. Okay, maybe those are just my high hopes, but I certainly have a good feeling about this year. I can hardly wait until I don't have to wear socks or tights anymore.

In order to urge spring to move a little faster, I made a fresh dish of edamame dumplings from my favorite Sprouted Kitchen cookbook (by the way, if you don't have this book, you need buy it immediately). These dumplings require a good amount of prep time, but they are absolutely delicious and taste healthy and fresh. Plus, who doesn't love dumplings and soy sauce??

Sunshine and Bakes

St. Lucia has taken my heart.

It's true.

Each morning the island greeted me with roosters calling back and forth across the hills. As the early sunbeams dried the dew from the grass, I would roll myself out of bed, splash some water on my face, and walk up the path to the main building to take in the overwhelming beauty of this gorgeous little island.

My precious days in St. Lucia were mainly spent building houses, visiting nursing homes for the poor, and working at elementary schools, among other activities. While the working days were tough at times, seeing the joy on the faces of the people there made every moment meaningful for me. 

 

One of the perks of visiting an island in the Caribbean is all the delicious fruit available. We often had fresh guava, starfruit, grapefruit, mangoes, and bananas lying around for us to eat. For breakfast I would usually eat oatmeal, fruit, cereal, toast, or eggs. 

Besides all of the fresh fruit, some of my favorite treats in St. Lucia are called bakes. Bakes are essentially a type of fried bread and can be paired with sweet or savory items. Some people ate them with cheese and summer sausage, while others ate theirs with cinnamon and sugar. This year, I took a little cooking lesson from my friend Noella, who took the time to make bakes for our entire group. After the dough was made, we broke pieces off, rolled them into balls, flattened them into circles slightly larger than the size of our palms, and fried them for a few minutes on each side--until golden brown.

When I got home from St. Lucia, I was determined to replicate Noella's bakes because they are just SO delicious! ***Warning: bakes are addictive and not at all good for you, but you must try them. :) 

Make sure you use canola or vegetable oil...olive oil is too heavy for frying foods. Also, make sure the oil is nice and hot. I let mine warm up on medium-high before placing the dough rounds in the oil. 

When they are finished, they should be puffy in the middle and golden brown. Let the bakes cool on some paper towels before enjoying. Oh, and here's a small hint: bakes + nutella = heaven.

Apple and Brie Sandwich with Caramelized Onion

Let's talk lunch. I am a big fan of lunch. Mainly because I get to tear myself away from my desk (even if it is just to walk to the kitchen and back) and focus on my one, true love: food. Lately though, I've been a little too obsessed with this one particular sandwich place near my building called Hannah's Bretzel. The sandwiches there rock my world. Not only do they use healthy and delicious ingredients, but almost everything there is organic and much of it comes from local farms. Neat! If you live in Chicago and have not been to this restaurant, I strongly urge you to go there next time you are craving a sandwich. I promise you'll dig it.

The sandwich in this photo is my own personal take on my favorite sandwich at Hannah's Bretzel. I started the sandwich by spreading some fig butter on a fresh whole grain baguette. I then layered the bread with thin apple slices, English cucumbers, slices of brie, caramelized onions, and arugula. The sweetness from the fig butter, apple, and onions mixes with the peppery arugula and cool cucumber to make a ridiculously satisfying sandwich. Now that I think of it, avocado would have been a nice addition to this creation. Maybe next time!

In all seriousness (or as serious as we can get about lunch) this sandwich completely satiated my appetite, and kept me pleasantly filled all afternoon. I've listed the ingredients below if you are interested!

On a side note, I will be taking a little blogging hiatus for a few weeks while I travel to St. Lucia to work with the Good News Project, Inc. (Check them out on Facebook too!) Not to worry though, you will get the chance to hear about some of my adventures when I return.

Thanks for reading, loves :)

Waffles with Fruit

      

Every once in a while my stomach craves a hearty, delicious waffle. Unfortunately, I have high standards for waffles...standards that my cooking skills cannot meet. You see, once upon a time I traveled to Brussels, Belgium with a friend of mine. Without knowing much about the city, we traveled to the city center (like every good tourist in Europe does) and decided to pop into a cozy little restaurant for a waffle. I know, I know, it sounds cliché--a Belgian waffle in Belgium. I'm okay with being cliché though because it was the *BEST* waffle I have ever had. Every waffle I will ever eat will be compared to this waffle. Luckily, I was able to dig up a photo to share. I also found another picture that I think you might all like, but I've placed it at a more discreet location at the bottom of this post.

Chocolate Cake Indulgence

Say hello to my most recent creation! To celebrate a friend's birthday, I broke out my new Sticky Fingers cookbook and baked a classic chocolate cake. Oh, and it was vegan, which makes me jump for joy on the inside because the taste and texture were spot on. This cake beats any store-bought boxed cake mix, hands down, and was worth every ounce of effort it took to make. **One side note here: I am fully aware that a vegan cake ≠ a healthy cake. If I wanted a healthy cake, I would have made it with beets or something. I just like the fact that making a dessert so utterly delectable doesn't require any animals.

I had a little difficulty with this cake... not because the instructions weren't clear enough, but because I broke one of my own cooking rules: read the entire recipe and cooking instructions beforehand. I am writing this in the hopes that I will actually remember it next time I decide to take on such a large baking endeavor. You see, in order for this cake to work, there is a certain chemical reaction that takes place when the apple cider vinegar is poured into the batter (which contains baking soda), after which, the batter must be promptly poured into the pans and placed in the oven. My cake still turned out light and fluffy, thanks to some quick assistance from my roomie, but I just want to remind everyone to read the instructions before picking up any measuring cups.




My roommates and I decided to celebrate the special birthday occasion with a delicious roasted root vegetable and gnocchi dinner paired with some champagne while watching the Golden Globes. Yes, we are awesome. Tack some chocolate cake on the end and I call it a dang good night.

Mango Mint Lassi

Is anyone else out there sick of winter foods? Are you looking for a little sunshine in your day? If you answered yes to one or both of those questions, then you must try this Mango Mint Lassi recipe. It comes from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook and tastes like spring in a cup on a cold winter day. The mango-yogurt-orange juice combination creates a light texture (not quite as thick as a smoothie) and the mint provides such a refreshing taste and scent. 

Now, I bet you are thinking what I thought the first time I saw this recipe: what the heck is a lassi? Originating from the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan, the lassi is a yogurt-based drink that can be sweet or savory. For more info, just look on Wikipedia, or you could try the recipe for yourself. 

This particular lassi is the perfect way to begin your day, or it could be used to restore your energy post-workout. Either way, I assure you that you will not be disappointed. I literally had to tell myself not to gulp too much at once. 

Poached Egg with Red Quinoa and Microgreens

I have some good news, everybody. I learned how to successfully poach an egg! Huzzah! You probably think it's ridiculous that I am so excited, but I don't care. Learning how to cook doesn't always mean following a recipe or instructions, and it certainly doesn't always mean getting it right on the first try. Learning from my mistakes has taught me many lessons in the kitchen (and outside the kitchen, I suppose).

On my first attempt, the water temperature was too hot which caused the egg to cook too quickly. The whites didn't stick together and the yolk was fully cooked by the time I pulled it out. My second try was much better. After reading some tips from Smitten Kitchen I decided to use a smaller pan (for one egg a big pot is way too much room), I also added a splash of vinegar to the water, and turned the heat down so that the water was forming bubbles on the bottom of the pan. When pouring the egg into the pan, I made sure to create a mini whirlpool so that the whites wrapped around the yolk. See on the far right how my egg looks blurry? It's spinning! Cook the egg for three and a half minutes to create a runny yolk and four minutes for a non-runny yolk.

Quinoa Collard Wraps

Hello, friends. I feel like I haven't posted in ages, though it's only been a week and a half. Maybe because the new year has come and I feel like I have a fresh start again. The new year always invigorates me and makes me feel like I can conquer the world (or at the very least, conquer some bad habits). One of my resolutions this year is an ongoing resolution I made in 2012: no more frozen/boxed dinners. I originally made this resolution to inspire myself to cook more meals and eat healthier foods. Not only are frozen meals usually loaded with sodium, but they never fill me up! I find myself gazing longingly at the refrigerator an hour after dinner, wishing that Lean Cuisines made bigger portions. Making myself cook my own food has significantly increased my creativity in the kitchen, and makes me feel great from the inside out.

After a tough morning at yoga (I knew all those holiday goodies would take their revenge), I came home and made myself a quinoa collard wrap. I found the recipe in the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook by Sara and Hugh Forte--the one I received as a Christmas gift. Nothing feels better than re-charging my body with wholesome foods and this recipe caught my eye immediately. Now, I must tell you, these wraps took some dedication. I thought I would just come home and whip some ingredients together and call it a day, but they demanded effort. First of all, there were a lot of ingredients. Second, my fingers kept getting stained red from the beets, so I was continuously stopping to wash my hands. Despite the amount of time it took to prepare the wraps, I do not regret making them. In fact, they were so tasty and healthy that I will probably make myself another one for tomorrow's lunch.