More Baked Eggs

Lately I have been trying to make sure that we eat less meat and also that I don't waste the rather expensive organic eggs we pick up at the store. To that end I decided to try another take on the Baked Eggs with Mushrooms, Onion, and Croutons that I made a month or two back. I was planning on making some roasted asparagus to go with the shark fillets that I just wrote about, so I reserved 10 stalks to use in place of the mushrooms. I decided to forgo the croutons this time and instead tossed a bit of feta in. And droooooool. It was so, so good. I know this picture isn't much to look at, but this was sincerely delicious. Blissful even, if you ask my taste buds.

Baked Eggs with Asparagus, Onion and Feta
Adapted from Everyday Food; Serves 2














2 eggs
10 stalks asparagus, cut into 1"-2" pieces
1/2 small white onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cream
2 tablespoons feta
1 tablespoons butter, plus more for ramekins

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter four 8 oz. ramekins or custard cups. Set a kettle of water to boil.
• Melt butter in skillet on medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until onions have softened, about 3 minutes.
• Dividing evenly, spoon onion and asparagus into ramekins, and top with feta. Gently break 1 egg into each ramekin (keeping yolk intact). Top each egg with 1 tablespoon cream, and season with salt and pepper. Place ramekins in an 8-inch square baking dish, and pour enough boiling water to come halfway up side of ramekins. Bake until whites are set, 15-18 minutes.
• Carefully remove ramekins from water bath, and serve immediately.

Marinated Shark Fillets

To be honest I don't know anything about shark. I know people buy shark steaks, but how are sharks caught? Is it a terrible, unsustainable practice? Our friend Chris was telling me this weekend that people cut the dorsal fins off sharks and throw them back in the water to die, just for making shark fin soup. That hardly sounds like a decent way to do things. So, let's be clear, just in case there is something disturbing and/or improper about consuming shark. My father-in-law caught this shark while fishing on the coast. We didn't spend exorbitant amounts of money on a brutally caught ingredient. (Is shark expensive? It seems like it would be.) And it wasn't a big majestic predator of the sea, but some little sharky who was fool enough to bite on his line. I'm not one to look a gift fish in the gills, so to speak, so I decided it was time to cook it up. I have never made shark before, and my father-in-law suggested grilling it. To make things a bit more interesting I went looking for a marinade for the fillets and had something with soy sauce in mind when I started my perusing. I ended up choosing a marinade from Everyday Food. What else, right? I went with this marinade mainly because it offered the option of substituting ground ginger for fresh. I like fresh ginger, but I so rarely use it that it seems wasteful to buy it. I'm sure fresh would make it better, but this was a good marinade all the same.

Marinade for Shark Fillets
Recipe from Everyday Food; enough for 2 pounds














1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons sugar

• In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, ginger and sugar.
• Pour marinade over fish and let sit for at least 1 hour.

My notes: I quartered the measurements for the marinade, since I only had two fillets. I soaked the fish overnight in the fridge, turned it in the morning, and then cooked it for dinner when I got home. I grilled it for a few minutes on each side in a grill pan, and served it with roasted asparagus and brown rice. Very tasty. Father-in-law is going to the coast in a few weeks, maybe I'll get lucky and he'll catch another shark!

Five in the Freezer

You'll have to forgive me for not having anything yummy to show you just yet, I still have to upload pics I shot over the weekend. In the meantime though I thought I would share what I've been doing lately, which is emptying/restocking the freezer. We have meat we purchased in a small bulk amount and fish we received from some of Josh's dad's many successful trips to the river and the coast. I've been slowly cooking my way through the fish and trying to use the meat as efficiently as possible. Here is what I've made recently to restock the freezer for a rainy day, be it due to busy schedule or tight budget.

Meatloaf- My meatloaf recipe makes a loaf that serves six. Since there are just the two of us to feed in our house I molded my ingredients into three smaller loaves meant to make a single dinner for the both of us. Now, this does break my heart a little bit because I love meatloaf and this leaves no leftovers for the next day. But, on the other hand I have two ready to go loaves in the freezer, meaning I can eat meatloaf again soon and I get three portion-controlled meals out of my meat supply.

Vegetable Enchiladas- I love making these enchiladas because not only are they slightly healthier than your typical pan of mexican food, but they are delicious and takes so little effort or cost to have two trays worth. I use aluminum pans for my freezer batches and I always wrap it first in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil to protect it well from freezer burn. I made these enchiladas Friday for guests and stocked the freezer as the same time.

Red and Black Bean Pie- Another one of my favorite meatless meals, this recipe was a freezable feature in an issue of Everyday Food. This recipe could be especially great for families where a family member gets home late, or for a single guy or gal who doesn't have a lot of time to cook for themselves in the evening, as it can be made in ramekins for individual servings. I typically cook mine in a deep pie plate and put my freezer batch in a 8" square aluminum pan, wrapping as I described above.

False Alarm Vegetable Chili- This is a recipe I came across very early in our attempt to start eating a bit healthier. I normally halve this recipe when I cook it since it's actually meant to feed a firehouse! But since I've been stocking the freezer up lately I decided to pull out my big stock pot and make a full batch. In fact, I just made it last night. We both had a hearty dinner, with enough for lunch leftovers, and two approximately 4 cup containers in the freezer. Each one of those should feed us a dinner and lunch again.

Bread- One of these things is not like the others, you might be saying to yourself. And you're perfectly right. Bread is hardly a recipe, nor is it a meal in and of itself to be popped out of the freezer for a fast dinner. However freezing bread is one of my favorite tricks for making sure I get my monies worth, and being able to whip something up at home instead of running out to grab fast food. I like the fresh and yummy breads I can get at Central Market. But the idea of eating an entire loaf of sourdough before it turns into a science experiment or letting it go to waste and throwing dough (both literally and figuratively) into the trash definitely doesn't appeal to me. So I experimented with freezing the bread and had great results. I pair slices of bread and wrap them in plastic wrap, then foil and then place the little packages in large freezer bags. I like to keep challah for making french toast, sourdough for grilled cheese, toast, or croutons and this week I bought some yummy rosemary bread to do some fun stuff with. When I unwrap slices to use I keep the plastic wrap and foil paired together in a drawer. Then when I buy my next loaf I can reuse it, which helps cut down on waste and save money.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

The same weekend I made the Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes I had some over-ripe bananas and a pint of blueberries that needed to be put to good use. On the weekend I usually hate making dinner, but am more than happy to make breakfast since I don't have the opportunity to all week long. So, breakfast was the obvious use for the surplus fruit. I did some searching online and came across a recipe from Everyday Food that I thought would fit the bill perfectly. These muffins were in the January 2008 issue, but I apparently overlooked them. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of banana-flavored baked goods. Banana bread and I were never fast friends. But I needed to use these bananas up so I thought I'd give this recipe a go. These muffins were just sweet enough, and not too detrimental to your health thanks to the whole wheat and wheat germ. If you've got some bananas waiting to be used then I recommend you give these muffins a shot.

Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins
Recipe from Everyday Food; Makes 12














1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.
• With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
• Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

My notes: I used soy milk instead of 2%, and I used fresh blueberries since I had them. This recipe was printed in January, which I assume is why they used frozen.

Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes

I like pancakes. I mean, I love pancakes. I probably think about them at least once a week. But I rarely make them. Pancakes always seem such a chore to me. They are one of those foods that just when I think I've got the process down pat I have a disastrous go round with them. And that happened this time around too, but luckily I was able to work through my frustration and had a delightful breakfast when all was said and done. The biggest problem this time around was the electric griddle that I typically use for making pancakes. I have just about decided to give that thing the heave-ho after this last experience, and get one of those griddles that goes on the stove burners instead. Once I switched over to a frying pan things went much smoother, although slower since I could only fit 2 pancakes in the pan at a time. I was intrigued with this pancake recipe when I saw it in the May issue of Everyday Food, but my general pancake apprehension caused me to repeatedly put off making them. I finally got to it on July 4th, and I'm glad that I did. Cause as I've mentioned, I love pancakes and these were good pancakes. They cooked up fluffy with a great flavor and texture from the oats. If you, like me, like pancakes, give these a flip.

Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes
Recipe from Everyday Food; Makes 20














2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for skillet

• In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup oats and pulse a few times to coarsely grind oats. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil. Add dry ingredients and 1 cup oats and whisk just until moistened.
• Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Lightly oil skillet. Using 2 to 3 tablespoons for each pancake, drop batter in skillet and cook until a few bubbles have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until browned on undersides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with more oil and batter.

My notes: I substituted half the all-purpose flour with some white whole wheat for a little bit of a healthier version. I also used soy milk for these. I came out with several more than they claim the recipe yields, but that was no problem since I now have another weekend breakfast awaiting us in the freezer. We had our pancakes with syrup, and EF suggested powdered sugar and bananas, but I think the cinnamon lends itself to lots of fruit options. I think peaches or apples, fresh or preserves, would both be quite nice with these.

No Heat Week Part 4- The Groceries

I actually didn't make the last meal I had on the weekly menu when the A/C was on the fritz. They installed our brand new compressor halfway through that week, and instead of spending an evening cooking I tried to catch up on some of the chores that had fallen to the wayside to be replaced with laying in front of a fan. But for reference, the last meal I had on the plan was Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Potato Chips and a Salad.

In lieu of having a recipe for the last dinner of the No Heat week I thought I would share just what it was I bought at the grocery store that week to help us have plenty to eat without plenty to "cook". So, here's what I put in the shopping cart that week.

• Orange juice
• Organic lemonade
• Izze blackberry soda
• Red leaf lettuce, 1 head
• Romaine lettuce, 1 head
• Red onion
• Carrots
  
• Celery
• Bell Peppers- red, yellow and green
• Cucumbers
• Baby spinach
• Roma tomatoes
• Avocados
  
• Basil
• Lemons
• Apples
• Peaches
• Blackberries
• Red grapes
• Small watermelon
• Bananas
• Whole wheat pitas, 2 packages
• Roasted red pepper hummus
• Marinated olives
• Fresh mozzarella
• Organic salsa
• Organic tortilla chips
• Sea salt & cracked black pepper potato chips
• Jalapeno potato chips
• Strawberry fruit bars
• Coconut fruit bars

And there you go. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and a few ready to eat items helped ensure that we had plenty to eat- without having to create any additional heat with the stove or oven, or relying on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I got up early the morning after grocery shopping to clean and cut all the veggies during the coolest part of the day. I prepped all the lettuce for salad, per usual, and chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, and the bell peppers for adding to salads or snacking as crudites.

Have a Happy July 4th- with Blueberry Crumb Bars

I wanted to quickly share this treat with everyone for the holiday weekend. If you're like a lot of people, and okay maybe like myself, you might be having a last minute look around for something to take to that picnic/barbecue/cookout/fireworks extravaganza that you've been invited to this Independence Day. Look no further. In fact, you don't really even have to stick around here if you don't want to, because this recipe originally comes courtesy of Deb at Smitten Kitchen. If you read that blog, then you have probably already made these. How could you not? Her pictures nearly endangered my laptop due to the excessive drooling that occurred on sight. And truth be told these things live up to their photographic image. This is in fact the third time I've made these bars and I'm just now sharing them with you. Can I help it if any thoughts other than eating them went out the window, resulting in no photographs being taken? This time around I made these to take with us to Concert In The Garden last weekend. You may recall that last year I made these Fresh Peach Drop Cookies. I was tempted to make those again, but since we were doing a Friday concert this year I needed something I could make the night before and have no doubt of it holding up well till the next evening. These bars fit the bill perfectly. So, if you're even still here reading this and not already over at Deb's page drooling, here's the recipe. Make these. For reals.

P.S.- Since these are made with fruit they make a completely acceptable breakfast with a cup of coffee. No arguing, they do.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen; Makes a 9 x 13 pan















1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks), cubed
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or a pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the berries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berries.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

My notes: I have used both frozen and fresh blueberries for this recipe and both worked just fine. This time around I halved the recipe and used an 8 x 8 pan and fresh local berries. I think the fresh berries hold their shape a little bit better through the baking than the frozen, but that is completely unimportant as far as the flavor goes so feel free to use what you've got. Happy Fourth of July!

No Heat Week Part 3- Bean, Corn, and Tortilla Salad

This isn't the first time I'm sharing this recipe, but it makes repeated appearances in our kitchen. Thanks to it's beloved status in our hearts and stomachs it was a natural choice for our week of cooking as little as possible. This recipe does involve some heating, but it's all via the microwave which results in minimal heat created in the house and makes for a speedy meal too. And this salad is easily adapted to what you have on hand, as I'll share post-recipe. I didn't take a snapshot of dinner, so this picture is via Martha Stewart.

Bean, Corn, and Tortilla Salad
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4















1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels (2 cups)
1/4 cup prepared medium tomato salsa, plus more for serving
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
3 plum tomatoes, thickly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 (12 ounces) romaine hearts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups (3 ounces) broken baked tortilla chips
3/4 cup coarsely grated pepper Jack cheese

• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine beans, corn, and salsa. Microwave just until warmed through, 1 minute. Stir in scallions, avocado, and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Set bean mixture aside.
• In a large bowl, toss lettuce and chips together. Divide evenly among plates; top with bean mixture and cheese. Serve immediately, topped with additional salsa, if desired.

My notes: After the two previous salads I was out of tomatoes, so I used some red and yellow bell peppers to add more color and crunch to the salad. You could use black beans or kidney beans instead of pinto, or even a mixture of two or more. Substitute red onion for scallions, perhaps Monterrey or Cheddar for the Pepper Jack. Or even queso fresco or blanco, both traditional Mexican cheeses. What do you have on hand? Because it will probably work with this salad.