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

 

 

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.

 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Simple and delicious, these roasted brussel sprouts are flavorful and simple to make. Great under some poached egg and salt and pepper.

Ingredients

2 cups brussel sprouts, washed and dried, cut into quarters

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, as desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish, spread brussel sprouts on sheet and lightly spread with olive oil. Top with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or a couple minutes longer until the bottoms of sprouts are crispy.

Enjoy!

Great with sriracha and greek yogurt.

 

Kale

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

 

No Fuss Tuna Salad on Romaine Leaves

Yesterday, I decided to run around my neighborhood for some mental clarity and to tire myself out since it has been harder and harder to fall asleep at night. Mostly the fault of Orange is the New Black, but still.  It was a good run considering I don’t run often anymore, and I hate/love the feeling. I want to run more though, and I am trying to convince myself that getting up early is not the worst thing in the world. I can’t tell if it is true that cardio wires you and makes it harder to fall asleep. Stay tuned. I feel like my bones are made from metal lately, because I wake up feeling like I am 90 years old. This was the perfect, refreshing light dinner and you can easily make itt in a tupperware container for lunch and assemble on romaine or collard leaves.

Ingredients

1/2 cup tuna in water

2 tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt

2 tsp or less, freshly ground black pepper, depending on your taste

1 tsp sriracha or hot sauce

1/4 cup chopped cucumbers

1/8 cup olives, optional

2 tsp lemon juice

2 large romaine leaves, washed or 2 large collard leaves

Directions

Mix the everything together except romaine/collard and assemble on the leaves.

xx

R

Happy last week of July! Where does time go? Seriously?

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa with Blue Cheese Crumbles and Scallions

If you have not noticed already, I don’t post calorie counts, and most of my recipes involve whole foods with limited processing. I do this because I don’t think that I am going to spend much of my life calorie counting, and it did not help me that much when I was calorie counting through MyFitnessPal. I love that it is such a useful tool for some people, but there is a major design flaw, and that is that since it only focuses on numbers, it ignores all the good stuff. For instance, you can eat really well and still be under your calorie count or you can eat something or nothing all day and be under your calorie count. To me, it is not really focusing on a well rounded experience. I know that gluten is a trigger for me, so I steer clear when I can, but since I am not completely intolerant, I indulge once in a while. There are foods that I would definitely suffer for. The mac and cheese with Silk city cheese sauce is one of them. Mac and cheese and all its comforting loveliness is one of my favorite meals. This dish is a buffalo style kind of mac and cheese but it is a quinoa and cheese instead, so it is still incredibly delicious but also keeps you fuller longer, since it is protein heavy. I was inspired by one of the recipes on my Pinterest Board, that led me to this recipe. This is cheesier than what i was craving, since a lot of cheese also makes my stomach pretty unhappy, so I did a very basic version. Feel free to add more cheese if you want it cheesier and follow the Iowa Girl Eats recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup roasted chicken, or rotisserie chicken 

1/4 cup reduced fat blue cheese crumbles or regular blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup plain 0% greek yogurt

1/3 cup Frank’s Buffalo sauce, depending on your taste

1 cup steamed broccoli

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

Directions

Mix cooked quinoa and steamed broccoli together. Combine the greek yogurt and buffalo sauce in a small pan on low heat. Pour heated sauce over cooked quinoa and steamed broccoli and mix well. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and blue cheese, top with more cheese to taste and scallions for garnish and flavor.

xx

R

Tropical Mango Chia Seed Pudding

Reminds me of a tropical island somewhere, even if I am still just in an over air conditioned office.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mango puree (mango blended in a blender)

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk/rice milk

 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut

Directions

Mix all ingredients together in a glass jar and let sit overnight or 4 hours if you are in a pinch. Enjoy!

 

xx

R

Steamed Shrimp with Simple Mango Salsa

Steamed shrimp with a sweet and spicy mango salsa on top. An easy, light summer meal that is a pinch to put together. Would be great with some grilled shrimp too.

 

Ingredients

8 or 10 jumbo shrimp, about a pound

1 ripe mango, cubed

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste

Juice of one lime, freshly squeezed

1 jalepeno, thinly sliced, to taste

Cilantro, to taste

Directions

Steam shrimp and set aside. I used a microwave steamer but you could use a bamboo one or whatever you have. In a separate bowl, add all ingredients except the lime juice. Top the mango salsa with lime juice and toss lightly. Serve with steamed shrimp.

 

xx

R

Happy light meals!

Quinoa Protein Bowl

Complete proteins, a rainbow of veggies, and the perfect post workout meal. I promise.With an array of fresh herbs and mouthwatering cheese, it satisfies everyone’s warm, salty gooey craving.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa, warm (1/4cup cooked) 

1 hardboiled egg, diced

1/2 cup black beans

1/4 cup white corn

1/2 avocado. diced 

1/4 cup shredded low fat or sharp cheddar, or your favorite cheese

1 cup spinach

4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup cooked mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

Pink Himalyan Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Assemble all ingredients together and mix well. Top with salt and pepper as desired!

xx

R