Migas (Scrambled Eggs with Corn Tortillas)

I’ve had this recipe for a couple of years, and finally got around to making it last night. I am really sorry that I waited so long! This was excellent! Other than the chopping of veggies, this comes together really quickly. Liam is not a fan of eggs really, but he took one bite of these and said “wow, these are actually pretty good!” I guess it’s the tortilla strips that make them so good. I didn’t make the Chipotle Sour Cream, but instead sprinkled some Adobo Salt (or Powder?) in some sour cream, and that was good enough for me. Again, excellent!

rating: 9.5

Migas (Scrambled Eggs with Corn Tortillas)
(from Weeknight Kitchen with Lynne Rossetto Kasper)
serves 4

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, preferably clarified
1 small to medium yellow onion, finely diced (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup finely diced bell peppers (preferably a mixture of green and red)
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas cut into long, narrow strips (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup Chipotle Sour Cream,optional
1/2 cup store-bought salsa
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, (white and green parts; about 6)

Directions:

1. Place a large (12- to 14-inch), nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat for several minutes. Add the butter, onions, and peppers, and sauté, stirring now and then, for about 2 minutes or until softened. Add the tortillas and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until they start to get slightly golden and the onions begin to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes more. Season with the salt and pepper.
2. Pour the eggs into the onion-tortilla mixture and cook, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the eggs are almost fully cooked but still a little wet (though not liquidy).
3. Add the cheese and stir to combine and finish cooking the eggs (don’t add the cheese too soon or it will make the eggs runny).
4. Divide the eggs among serving plates and top with a dollop of sour cream, a heaping tablespoon of salsa, and a sprinkle of scallions. Pass around extra salsa separately.

CHIPOTLE SOUR CREAM

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon minced chipotle chile (from canned chipotles in adobo)

 

Tomato-Cheddar Strata with Broccoli

Well, I can add stratas to the list of foods I shall never attempt again. I have never had luck with these bread dishes. They get all brown and crunchy on top and you think they are done, but in the middle, they are a soggy Salmonella mess. Ugh. Same with this recipe. It looked good, and it was good around the edges, but in the middle it was undercooked and gross. I am not sure what I am doing wrong here. So I made cookies to make up for dinner.

rating: 3

Tomato-Cheddar Strata with Broccoli
(Country Living magazine)
serves 8
working time: 15 min.
total time: 2 hours, 15 min.
Ingredients:

4 1/2 cup(s) (about three-quarters of a French loaf) 1-Inch Bread Cubes
Butter, for greasing dish
6 ounce(s) Shredded Cheddar (About 1 1/2 Cups)
1 cup Halved Grape Tomatoes
1 cup Frozen Broccoli Florets
1 1/2 tbsp Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
8 large Eggs
3 cups Milk
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp Herbes De Provence
Directions:

Place bread in a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Top bread with 1 cup Cheddar, tomatoes, broccoli, and 1 tablespoon parsley.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over bread and gently press to soak every cube. Add dollops of ricotta over top. Sprinkle strata with herbes de Provence and remaining Cheddar. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight.
Remove strata from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until strata is puffed and lightly golden brown, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
per serving: 299 calories

 

Denver Omelet Cups

Sigh. So I thought that I had jumbo muffin cups, but apparently I do not. I had to use regular size muffin cups, and apparently those don’t work for this recipe. I had extra hash browns left over. It was really hard to make a little “cup” with the hash browns, therefore, there wasn’t really a whole lot of room left over for the veggies, cheese, and especially the eggs. I had to put the muffin tin on top of a baking sheet, because I knew the eggs were going to spill over. Then, to top things off, these suckers were really hard to get out of the muffin pan! I practically had to chisel them out! But, they actually tasted OK. Toby said that although they didn’t look like much, it was a “neat concept”.

rating: 6

Denver Omelet Cups
(Everyday Food, Jan./Feb. 2012)

serves 6
time needed: about 40 min.

Ingredients:

5 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 cups frozen hash browns (1 pound), thawed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 small red onion, diced small
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced small
4 ounces ham steak, diced small (I omitted, although you could use veggie sausage if you like)
3 ounces cheddar, grated (3/4 cup)
8 large eggs
Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Coat 6 nonstick jumbo muffin cups with 1/2 teaspoon butter. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt 4 teaspoons butter. Add hash browns and 2 egg whites; season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Place 1/2 cup mixture into each muffin cup, firmly pressing into bottom and up side of each cup. Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet, melt 1/2 teaspoon butter over medium. Add red onion, bell pepper, and ham steak. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among cups and top with cheddar. Bake 2 minutes. Remove from oven and crack 1 egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper and bake until whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8 to 10 minutes. With a small offset spatula, remove cups from pan and serve immediately.

 

“Morning After” Breakfast Casserole

First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, whatever you may celebrate! I have eaten way too many sweets and am still full! And speaking of food…

I have been looking for a breakfast casserole to have on Christmas morning. The last couple of Christmas mornings, I have made Gorilla bread. I really like it, but I think I was the only one. My husband isn’t as into sweets as I am. Plus, the Gorilla bread is a little time-consuming to make. Last year I made a French toast casserole that just did not turn out. It was so soggy on the inside, and no one ate it. So I’ve been on the search for something else, and someone (still haven’t found out who) sent me this recipe from a website. I was able to put it together Christmas Eve and cover it with foil and refrigerate it, then Christmas morning, all I had to do was pop it in the oven. I also served biscuits with “sausage” patties, just in case this wasn’t any good. But it was! The hash browns were really good, much better than I think bread would have been. We also heated up some leftovers the next morning and it was just as good. I think I have found my Christmas morning breakfast! Hooray!

rating: 8.5

Morning After Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

8 frozen hash brown patties (Ore ida!) Or you can use a 12 oz bag of shreded hash browns too
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pound cubed fully cooked ham (or cooked sausage and bacon!) – I used about 6 Morningstar Farms sausage patties, and I broke them into pieces
7 eggs
1 cup milk (I used Silk lite plain soymilk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
A few drops of Hot Sauce (Franks or Tabisco)- I omitted
P.S  No onions or peppers were added to this due to sensitive stomachs, but feel free to add

Directions:

Place hash brown patties in a single layer in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and ham. (or sausage and bacon)
In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard and hot sauce. Pour over the meat.
At this point, you can refrigerate, covered overnight.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

 

Vegetable Egg Scramble with Feta

I thought this would be a nice, easy recipe to have for dinner. I love having “breakfasty” foods for dinner, don’t you? I doubled the recipe, since it only serves 2. I think I my red onion wedges were a little too big. Red onions make me cry like I’ve lost a family member, so at a certain point, I just throw them in the pot and say I’m done. The veggies (probably the red onion, mostly) really discolored the eggs! They were a very unappetizing gray color. When Toby sat down to dinner, he said “What is this??” And then “well, they taste better than they look.” Nothing too special about this dish, other than it’s low in calories.

rating: 6

Vegetable Egg Scramble with Feta
(Everyday Food, Nov. 2011)
serves 2
time needed: about 20 min.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced medium
1/2 small zucchini, diced medium
2 ounces baby spinach (1 cup)
2 large eggs plus 4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 ounces feta, crumbled (3 tablespoons)
Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, tomato, and zucchini and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in spinach and cook until beginning to wilt, 1 minute. Season eggs with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until eggs are set, about 2 minutes. To serve, divide between two plates and sprinkle with feta.

 

 

Pumpkin Muffins

I am always afraid I won’t be able to find canned pumpkin when I need it (a pumpkin emergency?), so I always stock up on it. I was in a grocery store a month or so ago and they didn’t have any pumpkin! They weren’t carrying it yet!! I happened to have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe (well, all except the pumpkin pie spice, which I had to make myself), and I am glad I did. These muffins were really good, and you know what makes them so good? I think it’s the raisins and the molasses. This does make about 18 muffins, so get ready to share with your friends and family. These muffins taste and smell like fall.

rating: 9

Pumpkin Muffins
(Cooking Light, Cooking Through the Seasons)

makes 18 muffins

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in raisins; make a well in center of mixture. Combine brown sugar, canned pumpkin, buttermilk, canola oil, molasses, vanilla extract, and eggs, stirring well with a whisk. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.
Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

per serving: 202 calories

 

Arugula Pizza with Poached Eggs

We are pizza snobs in our house. We are very picky about the crust. I saw this recipe and wanted to try it, but Toby was a little hesitant because, well, it wouldn’t be the great thin-crust pizza we love. But I decided that we shouldn’t look at this as pizza, but as something else, like a little flat bread or something. And the verdict? This is GOOD! I wasn’t sure how all of that arugula would be, and if it would be too much, but it was just right. When I was mixing up the arugula mixture, I didn’t add all of the arugula, thinking it would be too much, but once it sat for a few minutes, it settled down a bit, and I could add more to the mix. I did end up using all of the arugula. I would totally make this again. I served this with some Crash Hot Potatoes.

rating: 9

Arugula Pizza with Poached Eggs
(Cooking Light, Sept. 2011)

time needed: 20 min.

Ingredients:

1 (11-ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust dough (such as Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved fresh Romano cheese, divided
1 tablespoon white vinegar
6 large eggs
1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Unroll pizza dough on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray; place in preheating oven. Bake as oven heats for 7 minutes.
3. Combine the ricotta and 1/4 cup Romano. Remove pan from oven. Quickly spread cheese mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Return pan to oven, and bake for 5 minutes.
4. While pizza bakes, add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer. Add vinegar. Break each egg into a custard cup, and pour gently into pan. Cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon.
5. Combine arugula, remaining 1/4 cup Romano cheese, and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; toss well. Top pizza with arugula mixture and eggs; sprinkle with pepper. Cut into 6 pieces.

1 piece= 323 calories

 

Lisa Oz’s Turkish Scrambled Eggs (Menemen)

This is a recipe that was in O magazine, in an article about Dr. Oz and his family. Most of his family is vegetarian! This is the first recipe I tried, and it was really good. Different, but good. Toby really liked it, but said that for next time, he would leave out a bell pepper. He thought that one would be plenty. Liam even liked this. I would suggest serving this with the olives. It was a really good combination, the eggs, olives, and the wheat pita bread. PS: I spaced on taking a picture, so I grabbed the one from Oprah’s website. Thank you,  Jonny Valiant!

rating: 9

Lisa Oz’s Turkish Scrambled Eggs (Menemen)
(O magazine, Sept. 2011)

Photo: Jonny Valiant

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 to 4 ripe tomatoes, diced (about 1 pound)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
6 eggs, beaten
4 ounces crumbled Feta cheese (optional)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I omitted)
Green olives, for garnish (optional)
4 whole grain pitas, for serving

Directions:

Total time: 35 minutes

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add scallions and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add peppers; continue cooking 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes and sauté until some of the liquid from the tomato starts to evaporate.

Add the eggs and Feta (if using), and scramble, stirring constantly, until eggs are fully cooked and coat the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, adding more to taste. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Serve with green olives (if using) and whole grain pitas on the side.

Per serving: 346 calories, 21 grams fat, 18 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates.

 

 

Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta & Broccolini

This is a great recipe for when you are short on time and need to get something on the table fast! The broccolini was so good right out of the pan- it was hard to keep from munching on it whilst I was cooking the eggs! I totally forgot to add the Parmesan at the end, but it was still really good. Toby said he wasn’t sure about the eggs. He said they tasted a little undercooked. But you know what, he still went back for seconds. I served these with a green salad and some French rolls.

rating: 9

Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta and Broccolini
(Food Network magazine, June 2011)

prep time: 10 min.
cook time: 10 min.
total time: 20 min.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large bunch broccolini, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Crusty bread, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the broccolini, 2 tablespoons water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the eggs are just barely set, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the broccolini and ricotta. Sprinkle with the parmesan. Serve with bread, if desired.

Per serving: Calories 335; Fat 25 g (Saturated 8 g); Cholesterol 451 mg; Sodium 633 mg; Carbohydrate 8 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 19 g

 

 

 

 

Banana-Agave Smoothie

I am not really a smoothie person, are you? I know they can be loaded with hidden calories, and if I am going to drink my breakfast, I would rather it be coffee. But- I tried this recipe for yesterday’s breakfast. It was good! And it was filling! It kept me full until lunchtime! I only had the dark agave nectar on hand, but that doesn’t make a difference, I am sure. This had a few more calories than I am used to eating at breakfast, but it was a nice change.

rating: 9

Banana-Agave Smoothie
(Cooking Light, Nov. 2009)

makes 1 serving

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed
2 tsp light-colored agave nectar
1 chilled sliced ripe banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

273 calories