Coddled egg for one

Coddled egg for one with buttered toast.

 
This morning I wanted coddled eggs. 

Coddled eggs is a dish that seems very indulgent and in the traditional version it is since it uses butter and cream.

I still wanted all the texture and flavor but made in a way that trimmed down the heaviness of the dish.

The first step to trimming down the recipe was using a sandwich thin instead of regular bread to line the ramekin and using Earth Balance spread instead of butter to coat the inside of the ramekin.

Next I used some finely shredded cheese so I could get good coverage over the bread without using a lot of cheese.

 And keep in mind that this ramekin is small.

To replace the cream, I combined 1 tsp. of Tofutti cream cheese and mixed it with 1 tsp. of unsweetened soymilk. 

2 tsp. of the 'cream' mixture went on top of the egg along with some fresh chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

 

Then I placed the dish in a shallow pan that I filled with 1/4" of water. The steam from the water is essential in making these eggs. 

Then the whole thing went into a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cook for a little less or a little more depending on if you like your eggs runnier or firmer.

This dish turned out great! 

The egg was cooked through but still had a silky texture. The combination of the gooey-ness of the cheese with the richness of the 'cream' and the bright herb flavor of the parsley made this dish a winner.

Coddled egg for one
 Serves 1

Ingredients:  

1 egg
1/2 of a sandwich thin
1/2 tsp. of Earth Balance spread
2 tsp. of shredded cheese
1tsp. of Tofutti cream cheese
1 tsp. of unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp. of chopped fresh parsley
1 pinch of salt
ground black pepper to taste


Instructions:

Line a single serving size ramekin with the Earth Balance spread. Cut the sandwich thin to fit the bottom of the ramekin. Press the bread into the bottom of the ramekin.

Top with the cheese and crack one egg on top.

Whisk together the Tofutti cream cheese and the soy milk until the mixture is smooth. Spoon 1 - 2 tsp. of the mixture over the egg, depending on how rich you want the dish. Sprinkle the top with the parsley, salt and pepper.

Place the ramekin in a shallow baking dish and fill the bottom of the baking dish with 1/4" of water.

Cook in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Corn chowder and I think I could be a model

I could be a model but only with my feet and only if it required a really bad pedicure.

That pedicure was a three stage affair. 

Step 1:

Paint toes in a shade that is unfortunately so similar to my own skin tone that I get the oh-so-popular skin-on-skin look.

Step 2:

Have the horrible idea that adding sparkles will improve the situation. Now I have a sparkly skin-on-skin look...

 Step 3:

Make a vain attempt to stop the pedicure train wreck with the trusty bottle of ruby red.

For lunch I decided to try out the soup mix I bought the other day.

I was attracted by the 'just add water' tagline.

I don't know why I had high hopes for this because from the get go it did not look promising.

It looked like a big bag of powder...

I followed the package instructions and it resulted in this:

There was nothing really wrong with it but there was also nothing really right about it either.

And it had this odd chemical aftertaste that I just couldn't get past.

I guess eating so much fresh food in the last few months has really altered my taste buds.

 

A jam of a find

I picked up some new jam to try.

It wasn't very sweet which I liked. It tasted like you were eating black raspberries out of a bowl.

Very yummy.

And I liked that it came in a clamp lid jar so that when I finish the container I will have a new jar!

Happy hump day everyone!

My toe socks arrived!!

My toe socks arrived!!

Imagine I look like this:

Which I don't. 

But that is all just fine, because I can now stare at my freshly painted toes with abandon during yoga class. 

And this is a very important thing - I kid you not...

I did spend a big part of yesterday ignoring the fact that my water was turned off and did spend it picking out paint colors for my sisters new home.


And I ate this for lunch:

I ate this with some of my sister's salad dressing (the only one she had in the fridge) and some of the dressing that came with.

 I did pick up other interesting stuff while I was out.

More about that later...

I ate the whole thing

Split pea soup.

I spent most of the day on Saturday working on my split pea soup recipe. 

I would like to say that I ate one bowl and put the rest in the freezer for future meals. 


But, that isn't exactly what happened. 


I finished making the soup on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday night it was all gone.

Yup, I ate it all. 



But since it is a soup that contains barely any fat and is packed with goodness, the fact that I ate it for almost every meal for the last two days is not such a horrible thing.


Really...


Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups of split peas
6 cups of chicken stock
2 Tbsp. of dried onion (you can find this in the spice aisle)
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
1/4 tsp. of dried thyme
1/8 tsp. of cumin
1/2 tsp. of olive oil
cracked black pepper to taste


Instructions:

Add the split peas and the chicken stock into a large dutch oven over high heat. When the split peas begin to boil, turn the heat down to low and let the simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. 

Then add in the onion, celery, carrot, garlic powder, thyme, cumin, olive oil and pepper. Give the split peas a stir. If they are looking a bit dry, feel free to add in water at this point. 

Let the soup simmer for 2 - 3 hours, checking occasionally to stir or to add more water as needed.

When the peas have broken down and are tender the soup is ready to eat. Keep in mind the longer you allow this soup to simmer, the richer the flavor will be.

I recommend serving  the soup with some shredded Parmesan and lots of cracked black pepper.

Enjoy!

They are shutting off the water today in order to check the water main. 


So I will be eating out the rest of the day!!

Happy Monday everyone!

Namaste yoga and the perfect egg

My split pea soup turned out great. I was going to post the recipe this morning but I got distracted with making the perfect hard boiled egg.

Not a sign of that icky green ring!

I found this great picture illustrating the progression of the icky green ring as you continue to overcook an egg.

[source]

My trusted method for cooking perfect hard boiled eggs? 

Start with a pan of cold water. Carefully place the eggs in the pan of cold water and put the pan on a burner set to high.

When the water just starts to boil (and before it starts a roiling boil) pull the pan off the heat and cover the pan. 

Set a timer for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, drain off the water and run cold water into the pan for a few moments and let the eggs sit in the cold water until they cool.

I chopped up two of the egg whites along with a bit of yolk.

The dogs got to enjoy one 1/2 of a yolk each.

Egg yolk with a drizzle of olive oil for the dogs.

I enjoyed the chopped egg with a small bowl of my split pea soup.

I will include the recipe for this soup in my next post.

This was my entire breakfast:

Split pea soup topped with chopped egg, one scoop of Amazing Grass with water and a small cup of coffee.

I am currently fairly obsessed with doing the 30 minute Namaste yoga segments that used to air on the Discover Fit&Health channel.

Thank goodness for DVR's otherwise I would have been out of luck when the Fit&Health channel decided to cancel the show.

Have I ever mentioned that I am also obsessed with collecting demitasse spoons??

Mirrors and side salads

It turns out that when you spend most of the morning staring at your new hair color with a compact mirror, you don't get much work done.

I know, I was surprised too...

But I did realize that I need a much bigger hand mirror. I cannot fully appreciate the glory of my new hair color with this tiny compact mirror :-)


I am busy trying to tweak an old recipe for dinner so I wanted something simple and fast for lunch.

Salad with raspberries and cubed tofu.

I wasn't too hungry so this was more of a side salad.

And since cubing tofu can take so much time, I picked this up at the store.

I tossed everything in a fat-free raspberry vinaigrette.

I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Changes for summer

 

Chicken dumplings with Sriracha sauce and raspberries drizzled in vegan ranch dressing.

I got my haircut yesterday. And...I decided to go blonder for summer!

Well, it is not really blond, it is more of a strawberry blond. 

Here is a picture for reference:

[source]

 And no, I look nothing like Kate Blanchett, unfortunately...
 
This is a shade most hair dressers have a terrible time trying to match. I think my color came out very well but as anyone who colors their hair knows, it takes a day or two for the color to 'settle'. 

I will see if I can get a good picture of it later today.

For breakfast I enjoyed chicken dumplings and fresh raspberries.

The ranch dressing with the Sriracha was delicious on the chicken dumplings. 


The question of the day is - Do you change your hair color in the summer?

My favorite breakfast bowl (vegan)

I wish hotels would include this breakfast bowl on the room service menu.

 

Vegan breakfast bowl with vegan ranch dressing.

This bowl is also one of my favorite ways of including a vegan meal into my weekly diet.

The best thing about this bowl is the vegan ranch dressing that gets drizzled over black beans. 

When you make this dressing you will be licking the bowl and using your fingers to get up every last drop.

Yes, it is that good.

But back to the bowl:

Start with a layer of chopped romaine lettuce.

A layer of brown rice and a layer of black beans.

And here comes the star of the show:

See there? Off to the left? That is a jar of vegan ranch dressing.

And because it's Friday I won't make you wait till the end of the page for the recipe. (I slightly modified a recipe I found here.)

Vegan Ranch Dressing


Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Vegenaise

1/4 tsp. of onion powder


1/4 tsp. of garlic powder


1/4 tsp. of black pepper


1 tsp. of flat leaf parley, chopped fine


1/4 cup of unsweetened soymilk

Instructions:

Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!

And once again back to the bowl:

A healthy drizzle of the vegan ranch dressing.

Lastly, I top the bowl with some diced avocado and some salsa.

But, of course I can't let the bowl sit like that.

All mixed up and ready to eat!

What I like most about this bowl (other than the dressing) is the fact that in one bowl I get a nice hit of protein from the black beans, some healthy carbs from the rice, a dose of greens AND some healthy fats from the avocado.

A perfect way to start the day IMO.

Even if you are not a fan of a black bean/rice/salad bowl for breakfast, you should make the vegan ranch dressing as soon as possible. 

If you are a ranch dressing lover like me, you will have a very hard time not chugging this dressing straight from the bowl.

And be sure to use fresh, flat leaf parsley because I think that one ingredient was the key to dressing.

Happy Friday everyone!

All in a day

Mustard rubbed salmon with brown rice and green beans.

I scrapped the idea of doing the recipe I had planned because the idea of something simmering on the stove for 2 hours was just too much to bear.

Instead I made some salmon. I rubbed the salmon filet with yellow mustard (use dijon if you like that wasabi bite) and then sprinkled it with bread crumbs, paprika and a pinch of salt.

Then it went into a hot skillet, skin side down, for 4 minutes and then I flipped it and cooked it for another 4 minutes.

On the side I added some leftover brown rice and some green beans that steamed while the salmon cooked.

A great lunch that was ready in under 10 minutes. 


Yup, it's all in a day - fast, simple food that doesn't come out of a can or a box.