Mushrooms with Poached Eggs and Crusty Bread

Before we get started, it is important to learn how to poach an egg. I had to learn a year or two back, and I cannot go back to ife before I knew how to do such a fabulous thing like poaching eggs. So live a full, complete life and learn this necessary life skill my friends, I implore you! – – How to Poach an Egg from the Kitchn

There are not many things in life I enjoy more than a poached egg, bread and mushrooms. The earthy and simple flavors of this vegetable adds to a simple. balanced, perfect breakfast. I am such a fan of breakfasts that I would eat this dish anytime and for any meal. The crustier the  bread, the better in this situation. The nooks and crannies of it will absorb the sauce of the paoched egg, and it will be a flavor explosion in your mouth.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cups mushrooms, washed, rubbed dry and chopped, sauteed in olive oil for 5-8 minutes on medium heat until soft, with a couple teaspoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons scallions, chopped

1 teaspoon of fresh herbs of your liking, chopped

4 eggs, poached

1/4-1/2 a crusty loaf of french bread, as desired

Directions

Toast your bread if desired. Set some butter out on the table. Use the nice plates. Top sauteed mushrooms with scallions. fresh herbs of your liking, and salt and pepper. Place mushrooms on french bread slices and top with poached egg. Use a fork or your fingers and devour. The simple flavors of this dish are immensely satisfying.

 

xx

R

 

 

Brussel Sprouts with Honey Miso Glaze

How has your week been guys?

I am having a really great start to 2014, which is nice considering that last year was just not that much fun for me overall. Some great things happened, including me moving to NYC and qutting a horrible first job, but overall it was a pretty stressful process to get acclimated. Our apartment is feeling more and more like home these days. It has come a long way from the bare bones loft it once was, even though it is still to the point where there is not an overwhelming amount of things. One of my worries was that since the apartment has so much space, there would be the possibility that we would feel the need to clutter it. My roommate and best friend has a keen eye for finding some great things for free, and that is how we scored a spice hutch for food, teas, and dry goods as well as a beautiful ornate frame that compliments the brick wall nicely. We even got a bar cart thatI made simple syrup for last night. The apartment has a lot of good memories made in it already. It is the first time that I have lived with a group of people that does not infuriate me with their cleaning habits and that I want to hang out with all the time. We all compliment each other pretty well. We go out together, have dinners together sometimes, but also have our own lives too, which is a good balance. It has made moving to a big, new city much easier. I have met new friends, and slowly but surely, my life here is one that I am growing happier and happier in. Since it is the first time that I can entertain and have people over to my place for dinner, I have taken advantage of it. When I lived at home, I used to cook or bake for the family whenever I wanted to focus on somethign else for a while. I think recipes, written in such a simplistic yet direct manner, are comforting in their predictability. You always add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Sometimes, I wish there were a recipe for life. Too philosophical? Sorry, I get stuck in my own head and I am a part of team idealist.

I am like anyone else and there are definitely days when I do not feel like cooking, but getting everyone together for a simple yet elegant meal is really fun sometimes. I have made polenta witha  poached egg, parmesan, chives, and butter for my first dinner and even hosted a dinner party for the neighbors in our building where I made mushroom quinoa and beet salad with goat cheese and oranges. Last night was a simple girls night with plenty of veggies (green beans with a squeeze of lemon and garlic with black pepper and salt) and the classic Annie’s white cheddar made with butter and greek yogurt. I am excited the year has been so fun so far (all eight days of it). Now onto these brussells:

This honey miso glaze is awesome and flavorful. I especially like it on top of fresh green spinach salads with goat cheese, walnuts, apples, and cucumbers as well. Whip up this nice gaze for your guests and they will think you are a five star chef (or at least I like to think that is what they think).

Miso Glaze

1 tablespoon white miso paste

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients

2 cups brussel sprouts, cut in half and roasted at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes until crispy and brown on the sides (spray with a cooking spray, coconut oil or butter before roasting)

Directions

Combine everything for the miso glaze in a bowl and mix well. Drizzle over the roasted sprouts. Great witha couple sprinkles of goat cheese!

xx

R

Lentil and Brown Rice Bowl

A perfect little bowl of comfort for those winter weeks where getting out of bed is a feat. This is going to be my lunch for the week and it was perfect to relax to this weekend while Sex and the City was playing in the background. A little alone time can be really refreshing. This is one of those bowls that is easy to make a big batch of for lunches throughout the week and  is a perfect balance of carbs, protein, healthy fats (we are going to top with some avocado) and greens. This dish reminds me of a macrobiotic bowl and has many of the components of one.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice, cooked in broth if you want more flavor (I used veggie)

1/2 cup cooked red organic lentils, cooked in broth if you want more flavor

1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup tofu, firm, chopped into cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

Freshly cracked black pepper if desired and/or soy sauce, liquid aminos, or tamari

Directions

Saute your tofu cut into cubes and mushrooms in a pan on medium heat. Season with red pepper flakes if desired and garlic. Cook until garlic is transculent and mushrooms are browned, and tofu is crisped on sides. Mix mixture with brown rice and lentils. Top with freshly cracked black pepper, soy sauce and baby spinach leaves. Top with avocado for some great heart healthy fats!

 

xx

Reth

P.S. This lunch or dinner reheats excellently and has even more flavor the longer it sits in the fridge so I have been making a huge batch and then taking a cup or two cups to work each day and topping it with fresh greens and avocado.

 

Spinach Shots from the Little Red House

Kale

How to Make the Perfect Salad

Parchment Paper Salmon with Kale and Mushrooms

Parchment paper fish gives the best flavor and keeps all the moisture in the bag, which means it is delicious and amazing, and even better: easy.

Ingredients

1 serving of fresh salmon

1 cup raw kale, cut into bite size pieces with tough stems removed

1 cup baby portabella mushrooms. sliced

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 wedges lemon

2 tablespoons your favorite white wine

1 teaspoon olive oil or truffle oil

Parchment paper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble all ingredients except seasoning in parchment paper and wrap well.

Add the wine, oil, and seasoning last.

You can fold the inner and outer edges to create a packet. Don’t worry if the packet ends up opening because the ingredients will cook beautifully anyway. Add the wine, oil, and seasoning last.

This should take 10-12 minutes!

 

xx

R

 

Kale Chips with Crisped Parmesan

I have been on a kale chip craze this week and experimenting with new flavors. What kind of kale chips do you guys usually make?

Ingredients

4-5 cups kale, chopped, tough stems removed, washed, and dried

1/4 cup shaved parmesan

Salt, as desired, optional since parmesan is salty

Pepper, as desired

Coconut oil spray, coconut oil, or olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan with oil of choice and spread kale in a thin layer on top. Top with more sprays of coconut or olive oil and salt and pepper as desired. After 10 minutes of baking, top with parmesan cheese and bake for a couple more minutes until cheese is melted and crispy.

 

xx

R

 

Salmon Kale Salad with Cucumbers, Red Onion and Sharp Cheddar

A kitchen sink salad. I usually keep a small salad bar in my fridge that I make up on Sundays and assemble a salad quickly in the morning or the night before. Kale is a tough green so it can take a lot of abuse and not wilt. Feel free to accommodate this with your tastes!

Ingredients

Salad

1/2 cup smoked salmon, chopped

2 cups kale , tough stems removed

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 cup chopped cucumber, or sliced

1/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

1 hardboiled egg, chopped

Pink Himalayan salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Dressing

1 tablespoon grain mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

Whisk dressing and set aside. If it is too thick, add a couple teaspoons of water. If too thin, add some more lemon juice.

Toss ingredients in a separate bowl or container, and add dressing when ready to eat.

Transports well!

 

xx

R

 

Sweet Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

No mayo necessary.

Ingredients

1 cup chicken, roasted or rotisserie, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 grapes, halved

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped 

1 cup plain greek yogurt or plain yogurt

Freshly cracked black pepper and Pink Himalayan Salt, to taste

Lemon juice, optional

Directions

Toss all ingredients together and serve with some nice multigrain bread or romaine leaves.

xx

R