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

 

 

Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Sesame Seeds

This simple yet elegant dish adds some classy sophistication to any meal, even if your main course is something as delicious as mac and cheese out of a box.

Ingredients

2 cups green beans, fresh, ends trimmed, washed

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper as desired

Directions

In a saute pan, add olive oil. Heat on medium heat for a minute or so. Add the beans, and top with the lemon juice and minced garlic. Cook for 6-10 minutes, keeping an eye on the beans. They should still have some crunch by the time you are through but also be slighty crispy on the sides. Top with sea salt and black pepper as desired.

 

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 Cauliflower

These thick cauliflower steaks are fabulous next to a green salad, and have enough flavor that you won’t even miss the meat. If you want to make this a vegan meal, you can add nutritional yeast on top or you can use cashew cheddar.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, cleaned, and sliced into thick steaks (about one to one and a half inches, in one head you can probably get 4-5 slices depending on thickness and ease of cutting)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup cheese of choice (I used parmesan)

Olive oil, for greasing and for spreading on cauliflower steaks, about 2 tablespoons

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow baking dish or parchment paper, place cut cauliflower steaks. Top with olive oil. Top with cheese and panko bread crumbs. Roast for 15-20 minutes.  Top as desired with more cheese, salt and pepper.  Service with a fresh green salad.

This is a simple, perfect recipe that really feels like winter.

 

XX

Reth

Baked Eggs on Gruyere Toast with Scallions and Black Pepper

This can be a beautiful, simple breakfast or brunch, dinner, or lunch. I love eggs. I love how they make just about anything a meal. This is best served on unevenly sliced, imperfectly perfect slices of sourdough or a nice, hearty artisan loaf. Since this dish is baked, it is easy to serve a large crowd (brunch party anyone?). This recipe will serve four people or two very hungry people.

Ingredients

4 slices sourdough bread, or artisan loaf of your choice (this dish would work with any kind of sliced bread)

4 eggs

4 slices of thinly sliced gruyere or any choice of choice (but the flavors of this combination are spectacular)

1 tablespoon of chopped scallions

Black pepper, as desired

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a baking pan or dish, spray with PAM or cooking spray (I used coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s but butter or olive oil would also work). Layer the sliced bread on the pan and top with the cheese and one egg per slice of bread. Let the toasts bake for 15-20 minutes until the whites are cooked and the yolk is baked to perfection (which means nice and runny to me but feel free to cook it to your liking). The eggs can also be poached and then placed on the toasts but I haven’t figured out the prettiest poaching method yet!

 

Enjoy!

Top with scallion and black pepper to your liking.

 

xx

RE

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

 

Mushroom Goat Cheese Toast

I love the earthy flavors of this toast! I have been eating it for two weeks now since I have been trying to budget with groceries and seeing what I actually need versus what I want. Meal planning helps a lot since it gives you a list of ingredients you will need for that week, and nothing will go to waste. I usually stick with things that don’t go bad too quickly, and brought over a bunch of dried foods for the apartment from my house in Philadelphia. This weeks fascination has been rosehip tea which is super high in vitamin C. Luckily, I haven’t actually gotten sick in a long time, and I must credit my new eating habits to that. I have gotten to the point where I crave veggies after a week where I don’t eat as many as I am used to. Sandwiches have really helped when it comes to eating on the go, since NYC can costa  pretty penny when you have to buy food everyday. They say you either cook a lot or not at all depending on your interests and schedule here. I am leaning towards the type that cooks all the time.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked mushrooms in olive oil or coconut oil, seasoned as desired with salt and pepper

2 teaspoons of goat cheese, or more as desired

2 slices of your favorite bread, toasted if desired, I love Eziekel

Directions

Spread goat cheese on toasted bread and spread with goat cheese, and top with cooked mushrooms!

 

xx

R

Fall Spinach Salad with Apples, Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Honey Miso Dressing

Sorry for my lack of posting my loves! I moved to Brooklyn two weeks ago and it has been pretty incredible so far. I am addicted to this salad, and I have made it numerous times since I have moved.

The miso honey dressing is what makes this salad extra special.

Ingredients

Salad

Thinly sliced cucumber, as desired

Thinly sliced apple, as desired

Spinach

2 tablespoons crushed walnuts

1/8 cup crumbled goat cheese

Pepper

Miso Honey Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 tablespoon honey

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions

Whisk all dressing ingredients together and add water if too thick. Drizzle over salad and toss.

 

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