lazy sundays

I love Sunday mornings. The New York Times Sunday crossword, slippers, strong coffee and a hot breakfast. This morning I made migas with bacon. Normally, I keep my migas a strictly vegetarian affair, however, I'm having vegan company for an extended period of time and decided to use up the last rashes of bacon in the fridge before the vegan invasion. A little while ago, I wrote about my good friend Kristen who was riding her bicycle from Vancouver to Mexico. She got as far as San Deigo and then got offered her dream job back in Vancouver, so this afternoon she'll be arriving in Vancouver and will be living at my apartment until she can find a permanent place to live. I'm excited that she's back and though it will be cramped having 3 people living in a 450 sq. ft. apartment, I'm sure we'll all manage fine. So expect vegan recipes and spotty blog updates for the next little while.

In the meantime, check out some of my favorite archived vegan recipes listed below. I've got some Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies in the oven and I'm already chopping up vegetables for a butternut squash and chickpea soup (recipe to come, I'm sure).

African Yam & Peanut Soup
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Couscous Yam Salad
Tofu Tenders
Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Softies
Red, White & Green Barley Salad
Cashew Chili

migas
3 corn torillas, sliced into strips or diced into 1 inch squares
3 strips of bacon, diced
1/4 c small dice onion
1 t mexican chili powder
1/4 t chipotle powder
2 T small dice sweet red peppers
4 eggs, beaten with a bit of skim milk & a dash of salt
2 T grated partly skimmed mozerella cheese
4 T salsa

1. In a large cast iron pan, heat up bacon until crispy. Drain some of the fat and add in the onion, red peppers, chili powder, chipotle, and corn tortillas. Gently stir around until onions and peppers have slightly softened. Reduce heat.

2. Pour egg mixture over top of tortilla hash and gently scramble eggs. Add in grated cheese and stir about until melted. Plate and top with salsa.

lazy sundays

I love Sunday mornings. The New York Times Sunday crossword, slippers, strong coffee and a hot breakfast. This morning I made migas with bacon. Normally, I keep my migas a strictly vegetarian affair, however, I'm having vegan company for an extended period of time and decided to use up the last rashes of bacon in the fridge before the vegan invasion. A little while ago, I wrote about my good friend Kristen who was riding her bicycle from Vancouver to Mexico. She got as far as San Deigo and then got offered her dream job back in Vancouver, so this afternoon she'll be arriving in Vancouver and will be living at my apartment until she can find a permanent place to live. I'm excited that she's back and though it will be cramped having 3 people living in a 450 sq. ft. apartment, I'm sure we'll all manage fine. So expect vegan recipes and spotty blog updates for the next little while.

In the meantime, check out some of my favorite archived vegan recipes listed below. I've got some Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies in the oven and I'm already chopping up vegetables for a butternut squash and chickpea soup (recipe to come, I'm sure).

African Yam & Peanut Soup
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Couscous Yam Salad
Tofu Tenders
Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Softies
Red, White & Green Barley Salad
Cashew Chili

migas
3 corn torillas, sliced into strips or diced into 1 inch squares
3 strips of bacon, diced
1/4 c small dice onion
1 t mexican chili powder
1/4 t chipotle powder
2 T small dice sweet red peppers
4 eggs, beaten with a bit of skim milk & a dash of salt
2 T grated partly skimmed mozerella cheese
4 T salsa

1. In a large cast iron pan, heat up bacon until crispy. Drain some of the fat and add in the onion, red peppers, chili powder, chipotle, and corn tortillas. Gently stir around until onions and peppers have slightly softened. Reduce heat.

2. Pour egg mixture over top of tortilla hash and gently scramble eggs. Add in grated cheese and stir about until melted. Plate and top with salsa.

rainy day breakfast

I awoke this morning to the sound of rain and i pulled up my comforter tight around my face while I reached around the floor for my book to help me stay cozy for a bit longer. When I finally did get out of bed, I already had our breakfast planned. A potato, black forest ham and egg frittata. Pure comfort and joy with just the right amount of heat from the oven to counteract with the slightly cool air coming in from the open kitchen window. Morning perfection with a cup of strong, milky coffee.

potato & ham frittata
1 T butter
1 large potato, sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices of black forest ham, sliced paper thin
4 eggs, beaten with some milk
salt, pepper & some rosemary
a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese

1. In a heavy cast iron pan, melt butter over medium-high heat and layer potatoes, garlic and onion and cover with a lid. After a bit, move about the potatoes, making sure nothing burns.

2. When the potatoes are nice and soft, tear the thin ham slices over the potatoes and cover the whole thing with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with the spices and then lift up the potatoes so that the egg gently falls under the potatoes. Grate over a bit of cheese on top and then place under the broiler for a few minutes until the egg is set and the cheese is bubbly. Serve with buttered toast.

trading places

Today a crazy thing happened. Through some kind of magic osmosis, Cornelius and I exchanged places. At 7pm tonight I realized that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast! Instead of thinking about food, figuring out what I could prepare for dinner, or checking the fridge for snacks, I was lost in a pile of freelance work. I didn't think about food or eating once. Cornelius, on the other hand, called me from work to tell me that he felt guilty because he went out for dinner at a restaurant I've been wanting to go to for a while now. Now, this may not seem strange to you, but I know Cornelius. When we first started dating, I asked him what his favorite food was, and he replied "uh...flour?". You see, Cornelius couldn't really care less about what goes into his mouth. He's definitely thankful that he gets to share in the food bounty I cook up, but as long as his stomach isn't rumbling, he doesn't worry about it. So it was a definite shock that he not only told me about going to Senhor Rooster, but he raved on and on about how amazing the food was, intricities on the preparation of the food, about how there was a magazine doing a shoot the same time as he was eating and how he got to speak with the chef. Grrrrr!

But no worries, dinner is better late than never in my opinion! So at 7:30 tonight, I got back onto the computer and checked out Joe's recipe archives at Culinary in the Desert. I landed on the Broccoli Cheese Pie and dinner was settled. By 8pm, dinner was in the oven and 45 minutes later, I was able to cut myself a nice piece of cheesy, broccoli goodness. Delicious! And in just a few minutes, Cornelius will return from work and eat his second dinner of the night. Hmph!

Broccoli-Cheese Pie
(Adapted from Culinary in the Desert)

4 large eggs
1 1/4 c skim milk
1 t hot sauce
1/4 t salt, or to taste
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
2 c cubed multigrain bread
3 c broccoli florets & stems
2 t olive oil
1/4 c black forest ham
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 10" pie dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add bread cubes and stir to coat. Set aside.

3. Steam broccoli until bright green and just tender. Chop coarsely.

4. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ham and stir about until heated through. Add the onion mixture and broccoli to the egg mixture. Stir in cheese. Pour into the prepared pie dish and evenly spread the mixture.

5. Bake until light golden and set about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then cut into wedges.