A new take on 'beans on toast'

Toast and adzuki beans in a butter chicken sauce.

I had a last minute dinner invitation last night. Unfortunately, it seems everyone else in the area had the same idea.

We went to 3 different restaurants before we found one that did not have an hour long wait.

We ended up at an Indian restaurant in a small strip mall. It was the best food I have tasted in a long time - I am so glad we found it. 

The dishes came with lots of sauce which I was thrilled about because I love having extra sauce to bring home. 

I woke up this morning and realized I had a pan of these soaking overnight.

Adzuki beans.

These tiny red beans are often used for the filling in Asian pastries. They can be eaten in a savory or sweet form and they have a wonderful firm texture with just a hint of sweetness.


Since I had a container of sauce from the butter chicken left over - after the beans were cooked I combined them with the sauce - then came the toast.

Next up? Douse the toast with with the saucy beans.

This was astounding!! The silky butter sauce combined with the meaty beans and that kick of spice along with a hint of sweet = perfection.

I am off to check out the farmer's market and see if I can find ingredients for the first recipe I am going to try from the Vegan Italiano cookbook. 


Happy Saturday all!

My go-to breakfast

On mornings when I want something quick and easy (or it is a Monday, like today) I always tend to go with this breakfast:

Toast with peanut butter and honey, orange juice and coffee.

This breakfast is filling and I love the combination of the savory peanut butter along with the flowery sweetness of the honey.

And the blast of Vit. C from the orange juice and, of course, the kick-start I get from the caffeine in the coffee? A perfect combo.

The dogs will be getting a treat at lunch and dinner today. They have been lacking in the treats department.

What is your go to breakfast?

Now, I must head back into the fray.

Happy Monday everyone!

Just keep trying

In my never ending quest to use up the ingredients in my fridge I made an odd breakfast.

I took the rest of the peas set them to simmer on the stove on low heat. 

I pureed them with the immersion blender and added in some chunks of mozzarella to make it creamy.


After the mozzarella melted I spooned the peas on a piece of toast.

Peas topped with basil pesto and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

With some strong coffee.

Unfortunately, even though the combination sounded like a good idea - the toast ended up being very soggy and the flavors just didn't blend well together. I just couldn't eat it.

Breakfast take 2:

Toast with mozzarella melted on top.

With basil pesto on top.

This version was much better. It just shows to go 'ya - it always pays to keep trying.

It is still raining buckets here today - the dogs ran out about 3 feet from the doorway - did their business and ran right back in this morning.

I am going to spend doing things that involve spending as little time out in the rain as possible.

Friday brunch

I woke up this morning and I didn't feel like eating anything.

I just had black coffee.

When 11am  rolled around I started to get hungry.

Burger time!

Toast with mustard and ketchup.

Red leaf lettuce.

Perfectly cooked turkey burger.

Stuffed with mozzarella cheese.

Happy Friday everyone!!

Tea and toast

My stomach is still on the mend so it is a simple breakfast of tea and toast this morning.

I am hoping that laying on the couch and watching horror movies will speed up my healing.

Anyone have a favorite tummy soothing snack or meal they want to share? 

Preserves and insomnia

I had another one of those odd nights when I wake up at 3am and there is no hope of getting back to sleep. Even warm milk didn't help.

By 6am I was starving so an early breakfast it was.

Blood orange slices, strips of toast with butter, slices of a Cortland apple and in the center - nectarine and blackberry preserves.

If you have never tried a Cortland apple you should. I grew up in Massachusetts and I have fond memories of going to the apple farm every November and picking up bags and bags of McIntosh and Cortland apples. My mother preferred to use the Cortland apples for baking. They are firm and have a nice tart taste that hold up well to cooking. 

But I think they are delicious any way you can get them. 

I gave up on falling back to sleep at around 5am so this is my third mug of tea. I will be vibrating by noon time...

The dogs were especially interested in the toast this morning so they got this as a snack:

Connor gobbled down pieces of toast with apple, a juicy wedge of blood orange and a drizzle of Udo's oil.

Most dogs don't enjoy citrus fruits - in fact citrus scent is used in dog repellents - but for some bizarre reason Connor enjoys the occasional nibble of orange. 

Abby munched on apples and toast drizzled with Udo's oil.

The dogs have gone back to sleep with contented and full tummies. Sigh, I wish I could do the same.

Strawberries and mochas

Ugh, it is Monday. I am sure it is all in my head - but Monday mornings are tough ones. I feel like the effects of gravity are tripled and centered around my bed. It is very difficult getting vertical on a Monday morning.

Cue the mocha:

If I am going to have chocolate - I go for the good stuff. This E. Guittard drinking chocolate is dark and more bitter than sweet - a flavor profile that is right up my alley.

I put together 2 tsp. of instant coffee + 2 tsp. of the drinking chocolate + hot water and milk to taste.

And I picked up some gorgeous, plump strawberries at the market yesterday so I paired that with some doctored-up toast.

Toast with peanut butter and honey.

A very bright, cheerful breakfast with a triple shot of caffeine on the side. It was just what I needed to start off my Monday just right!