Eggs to go!

I recently started a new project that transferred me to work in another office. It adds 30 minutes to my commute every day and they're a little stricter about being timely and hitting the ground running. AKA for me, no shredded wheat and yogurt at my desk at 9:30 am - I need to eat before I get there. (Getting up EXTRA early? Super bummer.)

As you may have figured out by now, I'm a big fan of poached eggs. Eggs make perfect breakfast foods because they are single small servings that are packed with protien that will keep you running through the day. I made a serving of bacon kale last night for this morning and splurged on buying turkish pide bread I found at my supermarket. But I wanted to have my egg and eat it too!

The microwave-engineers-that-be are one step ahead of me! http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/eggs/microwaveeggs.htm

Microwave poached egg

Grab a mug and fill with half a cup water. Mugs are perfect because they're deep and will make your egg the perfect circle!
Grab a fresh egg. Crack the egg and gently ease it in the mug. The egg will fall to the bottom. If the yolk is still whole, poke it with a fork. (The yolk can explode).
Cover the mug with plastic wrap.
Cook the egg on full power for 1.5 to 2 minutes.
If you're doing this for the first time, better to overcook when in doubt. If the egg doesn't looked completely done, let it sit in the water for another half minute and make sure the egg white is solid. (Mine took 2.25 min but I was also running the toaster for my pide!)
Pour out excess water slowly over a slotted spoon. Serve with a pinch of salt and pepper

Brunching in Style: Poached Egg over Collard Greens with Bacon

Weekend mornings are special times. You wake up late and want something rich and decadent, not too much, but enough to last you until dinner. This is how brunch was made, my friends.

Today's brunch is rich and full of color. Its sure to impress if you had a midnight guest and will be filling enough to last you through the afternoon.

The collard greens can be replaced with spinach or green beans or practically anything. But the richness of the egg yolk and bacon complement the slight bitterness in leafy greens. The bacon renders a lot of fat so you should not need any oil (unless you replaced it with turkey bacon or ham).

Serve with toast triangles, a mimosa, and follow with coffee and a piece of chocolate.

Poached Egg over Collard Greens with Bacon
Serves one. 30 minutes

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, halved, then thinly sliced (julienned if you will)
5 big leaves collard greens. Separate leaves from stems. Leaves should be sliced in ribbons, stems diced. (It looks like a lot but it shrinks)
1 1/2 slices bacon, diced 1/3rd of an inch squares (I like thick cut canada bacon, and try to get the leanest one. We like fat, but not enough to kill you)
1 egg, as fresh as possible.

1. Heat a pot of water to boil. Put a drop of oil in a ladle and spread around. Put you egg on the counter so its room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, heat up your skillet to high. Wait several minutes so you know its sizzling hot (a drop of water should hiss and evaporate)
3. Drop in the bacon and let cook in a single layer. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, so they're cooked through but not crispy yet.
4. Turn heat down to medium, add garlic, and onions. Stir to deglaze the pan, pulling all the flavor from the bacon on the bottom of the pan.
5. Add collard green stems, cook for two minutes before adding leaves. Try to push the greens to the bottom of the pan and layering the bacon garlic onion compote on top. Add salt and pepper to taste and reduce to low heat while you poach your egg.
6. Crack the egg into the pre-oiled ladle. Hold it in the boiling water for about 5 minutes. Don't submerge it until the egg white starts to turn solidify. You'll lose some white but just make sure to not puncture the yolk. Cook as desired - I like my yolk thick but a little runny.
7. Plate the greens and bacon into a little mound on the plate, creating a hollow in the middle for the egg to sit. Drain all the water from the ladle before separating out the egg. Drop egg carefully in center of collard green nest.

Enjoy!

Leftovers --> Stuffed Peppers

Facts of life: Suanne hates leftovers. Suanne hates processed food (I'm looking at you condensed soup). Suanne also hates wasting food and taking obscene amounts of time to make a meal.

So what does she do when she has a cup of tofu casserole and half a cup of chinese sliced mushrooms? She reinvents dinner - and makes it look good to boot. These would look fantastic for entertaining and just replace the leftovers with other yummy things, like fresh mushrooms, sausage, quinoa, cilantro, salsa... You get the idea. If it goes will with peppers, you're golden.

Stuffed Peppers
3/4 cup stuffing + 1 pepper = 1 serving. Today's recipe came out with about 4 servings so I'm going to halve the recipe here since I bet you don't want leftovers either.
Total time = 30 minutes prep and 30 min in the oven.


1 cup of leftover stir fry. Will also work with pasta sauce, possibly mac n cheese, or rice casserole. Try it and find out! The less carbs, and the more veggies or meat, the better.
4oz of chicken, boneless, skinless, diced. (Leftover is fine here too)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp tomato paste
3/4 cup spinach, cooked and drained.
big pinch of oregano
tiny pinch cayenne and cumin
two red peppers - medium sized.
1 mozzarella stick
1 tbsp cream cheese
parmesan or bread crumbs for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the baking rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Heat up your saucepan on high with a tsp of olive oil. Saute the garlic, then the onions for a minute or two.
3. Add the raw chicken (if applicable.)
4. Add tomato paste. Toss in all your leftovers here and reheat them. Try not to add in extra water - you want a moist stuffing, but not soggy. When you've incorporated everything together, turn the heat off.
5. Now take the mozzarella and shred it.
6. Wash your peppers and take a look at them - you want to figure out how to cut them to get the most stuffable space. Most of the time people remove the stem and stuff through the top. I had a curvy pepper so I slit mine sideways. Slice a bit from the bottom so it stands up.
7. Take a baking pan with walls that are a few inches high. I used a glass 9x9 cake pan. Wipe the bottom with a few drops of olive oil.
8. By now the stuff in the pan should have cooled off. Stick it all in the food processor and give it a few pulses. Add the mozzarella and cream cheese. Just aim to get rid of the big chunks and make sure to scrap down the sides. If it doesn't look you have enough stuff to fill your two peppers, you can consider adding nuts, leftover rice, or more veggies!
9. Stuff the peppers. The stuffing doesn't expand so feel free to make a big mound on top. If you like, press breadcrumbs and/or parmesan cheese on top of the stuffing mix. Stand the peppers up in the baking dish.
10. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until the pepper is cooked through. Since the inside is cooked already, don't worry about undercooking it.
11. Remove the peppers from the oven and let them stand for about 10 minutes. Then devour!

Sesame Mustard Chicken

My oh so very awesome mother bought me some goodies this weekend: Sriracha hot sauce (my fave!) and sesame oil. Sriracha hot sauce is slightly sweet and is a warm hot. Its addictive, especially on dumplings. Sesame oil is great for marinades and soup - it imparts a very distinctive scent and flavor even with a tiny drop. Tonight's dinner incorporates both.

Sesame Mustard Chicken
single serving, super quick (25 min)

4 oz chicken diced (equivalent to one chicken thigh, no skin or bone)
1.5 tsp mustard (regular American French's is fine!)
2 squirts honey
2 squirts Sriracha (big pinch of cayenne/paprika is fine)
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp cooking wine (again, I have leftover beer so that was used instead)
1 pinch ginger powder (or one minced ginger coin)
1 clove ginger, minced

(optional, 4-5 oz chopped spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli to make it stir fry. Served over half a bowl of white rice.)

1. I keep all my chicken pre-diced in the freezer in ziplocs. Toss all the ingredients into the ziploc bag with the chicken EXCEPT the garlic. If you forget, that's okay too.
2. Defrost the chicken - that's right. After you toss stuff in when its frozen, the liquids will help it unfreeze. I also popped mine in a bowl and then the microwave (one minute on 50% power) to speed the process along.
3. Come back in 10-15 minutes. The longer you let it marinate, the more flavorful it will be. A 10 minute time leaves a very light, sweet mustard taste, so if you're in a rush, no pressure. If you're making this stir fry, chop your veggies here. Or reheat your rice, do 50 crunches, or turn on the TV.
4. Take the chicken and make sure its defrosted enough so that the pieces are separated from each other. 
5. Take your skillet, heat it up on high, and toss in a teaspoon of canola oil (or other. Peanut would be yummy but its not something I usually have). Swirl your pan and coat it evenly with oil.
6. Toss in garlic, cook a minute until fragrant.
7. Use chopstick or a fork to scoop and drain the chicken from the bag and into the pan. Leave the rest of the marinade in the bag - you'll be using it in a bit. 
8. Saute the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side. The marinade is watery compared to the oil in the pan, so the oil will pop. Don't freak, just wear long sleeves. As the chicken begins to stick, stir in a little of the marinade to deglaze the pan.
9. Turn the heat down to medium. Add veggies if you're stir frying.
10. Make sure your chicken is cooked through and serve!