Eggcellent Breakfast 'Sandwich'

I know Kate and William got married today but this is more important. I love breakfast. I used to not eat breakfast because I thought that I could save the calories for the rest of the day and cheat the system. I, of course, was wrong and also about 20 pounds heavier when I had that awesome theory.

Every morning I wake up, take my dog for a walk, make a pot of coffee, and make a delicious and healthy breakfast that I eat while admiring Al Roker on the Today Show. I generally eat the same few things for breakfast every week like greek yogurt with berries and walnuts, a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut or almond butter and half a grapefruit, or eggs with kale and feta cheese and a half a grapefruit. But yesterday I was looking in my fridge and wanted something different and also wanted to use up food I had leftover. I had some avocado, black beans, and half a zucchini, so I decided to make a little sandwich. I use the term sandwich loosely because I only use one slice of bread- so it's an open face sandwich. This 'sandwich' is easy and healthy and most importantly, really tasty.

Eggcellent Breakfast Sandwich

One slice of whole wheat bread (if you want to one up me, you can use two and make it a real sandwich)

Avocado, 3 slices

1/4 cup black beans

1/2 a zucchini, chopped really fine

1 tbls diced onion

1 tbls evoo

1 egg

1/4 cup salsa

1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

Toast the slice of bread. Meanwhile, heat up the evoo in a small pan and add the onion and cook for a few minutes. Add the zucchini, cumin and salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add the black beans and cook another few minutes. Once the toast is done, put the sliced avocado on it and then spoon the veggie and bean mixture onto the toast, spoon over the salsa, and let sit while you cook the egg. In the same skillet, cook your egg. You can scramble it or fry it, however you like your egg. Top your sandwich with the egg, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and serve. Preferably with berries on the side or half a grapefruit or a coffee with baileys. Whatever. I don't judge.

Brown Rice Tex Mex Chili

I'm craving this chili. I actually crave it, like heroin. Except this is better than heroin. It's pretty warm here in southern California so you'd think I wouldn't want to eat a hot bowl of chili, but you'd be wrong. Not only is this chili delicious, it's also a one pot meal so it's super easy to clean up and since this recipe yields 4 servings and it's just lonely old me, I can eat this chili for days and save money to buy actual heroin. See, this is really working out.

This chili is a recipe from Rachel Ray's magazine that I got about a year ago- and I'm always looking for chili recipes because I love them. Side note; Rachel Ray is amazing. She is single handedly responsible for introducing me to the joy that is cooking. I love her. So anyways, I found this and instead of using ground turkey or ground beef, I use Yves meatless ground.

I generally don't like fake meat because I think it tastes fake meat. Weird, I know. I also try and limit my soy intake, but once in awhile, fake meat can be great,

and in this recipe, it's soooo good. The texture is awesome and it's really tasty. So give this chili a try, and I'm pretty sure you'd fool a meat eater into thinking this chili has meat in it. Serve it to them and tell them it is and see if they know. Then hide behind a wall while you watch them eat it and twist your curly mustache as you smile sinisterly. And if you want to add veggies, saute some up with some cumin and go for it. I always encourage more vegetables.

2 tbls EVOO

1 onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (or leave the seeds in if you're not a wuss)

2 tbls chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil

1 12 oz bottle of light mexican beer (corona light is my fave)

3/4 cup brown rice

In a large pot, add the evoo, jalapeno, and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook another minute. (it smells so amazing) Then stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the bottle of beer, and 2 cups of water. Stir in the rice along with a tsp of salt bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 35 minutes. Then, stir in the package of meatless ground, cover, and cook another 20-25 minutes.

Serve in a bowl with delicious toppings such as my favorite: cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, hot sauce, cilantro and avocado. Then eat. Then repeat.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara and Roasted Veggies

You want vegetables? I'll give you vegetables. I went to the Farm of Beverly Hills tonight before seeing a show at the Nokia Theater because I'm fancy. On the menu was a spaghetti squash with vegetable meatballs. It was delicious, and more importantly, nutritious, and more importantly, that rhymed. This tasty meal reminded me that I used to cook spaghetti squash all the time, and I wanted to smack myself square in the face for ever stopping. If you've never cooked with it, it's so awesome. The squash itself is a big yellow oval thing with a little woody stem on the top like a pumpkin. It's pretty tough to cut in half, so use a big sharp knife and put your muscles in it (or have your strong boyfriend or girlfriend do it for you). Once you split it open, chug a glass of wine as a reward, and start scraping all of the seeds out, again, just like a pumpkin. Once all of the seeds are out, you're ready to start cooking and that much closer to start eating. So give it a try while they're still around- I think you can still find 'em at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Also, keep this recipe in mind for winter when pumpkins and gourds and squash are bountiful.

Spaghetti squash with marinara and roasted veggies

Serves 2 (Unless you're me and eat both halves)

1 spaghetti squash

1 zuchinni

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 onion, chopped

3 tbls evoo, divided

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Once the spaghetti squash is cut in half and the seeds are scooped out, drizzle 1 tbls evoo on each half and add salt and pepper. Put cut side down on baking sheet and roast for about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, prep your other veggies to roast. On a second baking sheet, add the chopped veggies and toss with 2 tbls evoo and salt and pepper. With about 25 minutes left on the timer for the spaghetti squash, put the veggies on the lower rack of the oven and toss halfway through.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce ( I make a lot so I have extra, or use it all because I love marinara)

3 tbls evoo

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil (if you can't find 'em with basil, add fresh)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbls dried oregano

1/3 cup water

1 tbls butter

salt and pepper

With about 15 minutes to go on the squash, start the sauce. In a large saucepan, add 3 tbls evoo and the minced garlic and cook over low heat. Once they start to smell amazing and before they brown, add in the crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, water, and salt and pepper. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash and veggies are done. Right before you put it on the squash, add in the butter and let it melt.

Once the squash and veggies are cooked, take them out of the oven and let the fun begin. With tongs, turn the squash over and then get a fork. From one side of the squash, run the fork lengthwise gently down the flesh and start shredding, and you will see magical strands of 'spaghetti' coming out from under the fork. Once all of the flesh is shredded and you can't believe your eyes that you have a huge 'bowl' of spaghetti, top each half with half of the roasted vegetables, top with the marinara, and top with parmesan cheese. If you want to be the best person ever, top with mozzarella and parmesan and stick in the oven and let the cheese melt for about 3 minutes.

Then sit down, eat a huge plate of vegetables that taste like spaghetti, and call me to congratulate me on being awesome.

Sea Bass Deliciousness

OMG. I feel like this recipe should be framed. This is in no way mine, I got it from the unfairly thin and beautiful Giada DeLaurentis. I have been having a love affair with sea bass lately. Whole foods has an amazing fish selection- and I only buy wild caught sustainable. Try and not buy farm raised, because, well, fish shouldn't be farmed. That doesn't even make sense. Alright- so this sea bass at whole foods is delicious, and I've been looking for more recipes so I can try and make one of my own. I'm still a little hesitant about cooking seafood, because I don't do it often and am terrified I'm gonna mess it up. But I keep following recipes and try and find different ways of cooking fish and seafood so I can figure out which way I like best. I found this tonight, and decided to make it because it is SO simple, even my dog Oliver could've made it. Oh, he wants me to make sure and tell you that he minced the garlic.

So, I got some beautiful local broccolini and used some bulgur wheat I had in my pantry. If you have never had bulgur wheat, it's a delicious change from rice and you should definitely try it. It's kind of like couscous. It's higher in protein and fiber than white rice, and I love the texture, especially paired with fish. So I threw this beautiful, delicious and healthy meal together in about 15 minutes. For real. You can hug me later. Or now. I prefer now.

This serves 1 (yes, I live alone and eat alone. Just deal with it)- it's easily doubled

Roasted Broccolini

Roast the broccolini with some evoo and a little salt and pepper on a pan at 450 for about 10 minutes or until golden and tender. Meanwhile, cook the bulgur wheat according to the directions on the package. For me, I always cook bulgur in vegetable broth instead of water. These can both be cooking while you cook the fish.

Sea Bass alla Fiorentina

1- 6oz sea bass filet, skin off

1/2 cup flour

4 tbls evoo

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1- 14oz can crushed tomatoes, half of it (save the rest for a quick sauce later)

1/4 cup water

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbls basil, chopped

salt and pepper

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl, dredge the fish, tapping off the excess flour to create a light coating.

In a medium nonstick fry pan, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook the fish until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a plate.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, tomatoes, water, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the basil and the fish and simmer for 3 minutes. Spoon the bulgur onto a plate and make a nice little bed for the fish. Spoon the fish mixture over the bulgur, and put the roasted broccolini on the side. Serve immediately. Call me with praise for introducing you to this recipe.

Mexican Kale and Quinoa

I know I just did a kale and quinoa salad recipe, but what can I say? I can't stop. I love kale and quinoa. We're taking a trip to Cabo next week and might share a margarita with one straw.

So anyways, yesterday I went to the farmer's market and got some delicious vegetables and kale, and I always have quinoa in my pantry. It's a good thing I picked up ingredients yesterday, because today I had to wake up super early and take my dog Oliver to the vet for teeth extractions. They had to put him under and everything, and I was so nervous that something was gonna go wrong. I was a wreck. All I did was stare at my phone, pick it up, make sure I didn't miss a call, and then call the vet to make sure they didn't call me. Needless to say, I was preoccupied today. When I got home from my run, I realized I hadn't even thought of what to have for dinner- so I looked in my fridge and saw a bunch of delicious veggies and some kale, then I saw some quinoa I'd made earlier in the week, a jar of salsa and some tapatio. So I decided to see how it would turn out, and I licked my plate. For real. I took my finger, swiped it along the plate, and put it in my mouth. Like a fourth grader. So- make this with any combination of vegetables you have, or follow my recipe exactly. Happy eating!

This yields one serving- Double it if you'd like more!

2 cups kale- stemmed, rinsed, and chopped

1/2 cup quinoa

1 zuchinni

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper

1/4 onion

1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

3 tbls evoo, divided

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 cup salsa

salt and pepper

If you don't have any leftover quinoa, just cook it in vegetable broth according to the directions on the box. Meanwhile, add 1 tbls evoo in a large pan and add the kale. Cook on medium low, covered, stirring around occasionally. While the kale and quinoa cook, add 1 tbls evoo in a small pan and add the onion, cook on medium low until soft. Then add your chopped veggies and the spices and cook. Check the kale, and once it's wilted, turn of the heat and keep covered. Cook the veggies until they're nice and tender and browned. Once they're cooked, about 7-10 minutes, add in black beans, another pinch of cumin, salt and pepper, and then mix together. Add the veggie and bean mixture to the kale and add in the quinoa as well. Pour in the 1/2 cup salsa, a splash of hot sauce, and salt and pepper and mix well. Pour onto a plate, top with avocado (and cheese if you have some), and serve. To yourself...

Yum.