Eggs and Asparagus Broiler Breakfast

I got this idea from Nom Nom Paleo, where the main flavoring is furikake, which I don't have, but sounds delicious. Basically, you just saute some asparagus in a cast-iron skillet for a few minutes, then crack some eggs in the same pan, and put the whole thing under the broiler until it's done to your liking (for me, like 2 minutes or so, but I'm a time optimist, so I could be wrong about that estimate).

The flavorings I use are also inspired by Nom Nom Paleo - before I read her cookbook, I'd never thought of using powdered mushrooms before. She has a flavor mix she calls Magic Mushroom Powder, which I've made before and which is good. Lately, though, I've been using an onion powder mix, which I made partly with spices from an outfit called Burlap & Barrel, and I also sprinkle some dried porcini powder on top.

You can get dried porcini mushrooms in small packs at the co-op, and then blitz them in a spice grinder or coffee grinder (if you don't also use it for coffee). I just keep mine in a jar next to my stove.  Add it to anything, for FLAVOR.

SPICE BLEND
Onion Powder
Sumac (I used sumac that was flaked and then cured in oil and salt, as opposed to whole berries)
Pepper flakes (I used "Aleppo-style" pepper flakes - also cured in oil and salt)

I think I used fairly equal parts of the three ingredients, but possibly more onion powder than the other two, as it's kind of the base. I keep this in a jar by my stove, like the mushrooms. It does get kind of caked up, so you have to crumble it with your fingers over the food. I think the oil-cured ingredients help it to not turn into a total brick, which has happened to me before with other onion-powder blends.

BROILER BREAKFAST
Handful of asparagus, washed and chopped (or you can cook them whole)
Two (or more) eggs
Your favorite fat to fry eggs in (I've been using some schmaltz I made)
Oniony spice blend to taste
Dried porcini mushroom powder to taste
Salt to taste

1. Turn on the broiler.
2. Heat the fat in the skillet on the stovetop.
3. Add asparagus and saute them for a few minutes, to par-cook them.
4. Crack the eggs into the skillet and turn off the heat.
5. Sprinkle everything with salt, the spice blend, and the mushroom powder.
6. Put the pan under the broiler and cook until the eggs are done how you like them. I don't like undercooked whites, but I do like the yolks to run a bit, so I wait until there's a skim of white on the top of the yolks (see picture above, and below, where I've scraped that white away so you can see the yolks aren't overcooked).

Dinner of Champions

Well, I am feeling some MN pride for the Lynx, who won the WNBA championships in an AMAZING game last night against the Atlanta Dream. I went and watched the game at the Riverview theatre (which was showing the game for free) along with about 600 other people. It was so great, it was like being at the game but with a much smaller crowd and I could see way better, and everyone was cheering together and it just felt really exciting. The Lynx have been playing incredibly during the play-offs: amazing teamwork and lots of passing among all the players on the floor. I've really enjoyed watching them. My fave highlight (that got the cheering riverview fans to their feet) was when Janel McCarville got a steal and made a bad-ass pass to Rebekkah Brunson between her legs:

The video doesn't show it, but after the basket, there is also footage somewhere of Cheryl Reeve, the head coach, pounding on the scorers table in an excited fervor! Ah!! I'll share one more video of the Lynx - another reason why I love them: their pre-game warm-up routine. It is from the Star Tribune and it won't upload here. You can watch it from this link though.

Really, I don't have any fabulous meals to post - I just wanted to share some Lynx fandom. Tonight I'm having a venison burger with fermented pickles and tomato slices from the garden, grilled onions and mayo. This photo is actually from awhile ago: burger with raw beet, carrot and arugula salad, and I'd make that salad if I weren't feeling tuckered out. I am calling this my celebratory Lynx dinner - why not?! Yay Lynx!

Quick Stiry-Fry (of whatever's in the fridge!)

I made an easy, tasty stir-fry the other night - primarily due to copious amounts of Red Boat fish sauce. I don't know what it is about that sauce, but it is SO good! This is all done in one pot - no fuss.

I was pretty low on groceries and needing to get some veggies. What went in this was 1/3 of a red pepper, a handful of mushrooms, sliced carrots, sliced venison and onions. Plus a bunch of thinly sliced ginger - which, in addition to the fish sauce, was key. Originally I thought about serving this all on a bed of wakame seaweed. I don't know if that would be good or not, because in the end I had plenty to eat.

For 1 serving:
1/2 lb beef/venison, sliced thin (flank works well)
1 tsp coconut aminos
1 tsp cider vinegar
splash of sesame oil

Slice beef thinly and let sit in marinade for however long you've got (10 min - 2 hours, but the whole thing about this dish is that it is fast and last minute, so don't worry)

Veggies: (whatever you have on hand)
Red/Green pepper, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Carrots, sliced thin
Scallions, 2" pieces
Broccoli, cut into small florets
Onions, sliced

Sauce:
1 T coconut oil
sliced fresh ginger (a lot!)
1+ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp sesame oil
1 T fish sauce (Red Boat)
1 T coconut aminos
1 tsp cider vinegar

1. In a big skillet/cast iron pan, heat coconut oil. Add onions and ginger and saute a couple of minutes. Add veggies in order of how fast they cook: carrots/broccoli will take longest, so toss them in next and cook another few minutes. Add mushrooms, peppers and/or scallions.
2. Once all the veggies are in, add in red pepper flakes, sesame oil, fish sauce, coconut aminos and vinegar. Stir occasionally.
3. When veggies are just about done (about 10 minutes total from onions going in), add the meat and any marinade drippings. Stir often to brown the meat - it will only take a few minutes.

Heap everything in a bowl, and serve!

Rice and bean bowl

This very easy dish was inspired by a delicious meal that I had at Jaime's a few months ago. (Jaime, post on the blog!!) We had intended to make burritos but realized too late that we didn't have any tortillas, so we combined everything in a bowl and voila, had a quick and healthy dinner!

This the version I made for lunch today:

Brown rice
Pinto beans
Yam
Chipotle veganaise
Cilantro and avocado
Salt and pepper

Cube a sweet potato or yam into small chunks and saute in coconut oil for 10-12 minutes. (You could also roast it.) In a saucepan, heat a little olive oil and fry some onion and garlic until slightly browned; add pinto or black beans, a little cumin, and cook until heated. Add the rice into the pot to heat. Make a chipotle-mayo by adding a little adobo sauce (or a chopped chipotle) to some veganaise (or regs mayo). Combine it all in a bowl! Top with avocado, sprouts, cilantro, other veggies, etc.

couscous!

So I took a brief hiatus from the blog (but not entirely from cooking) in order to finish up a semester of student teaching. Charming as those kiddos were, they really cut into my time for culinary adventures. Alas, it's been all about easy around here, and couscous has been a welcome addition to the regular rotation. It's quick, it's easy, it's cheap, and it's tasty, right?
Here are two recipes from my straight aunt Martha. While you might not use them to dazzle your dinner guests, it's possible you'll find that you happen to have all (or at least most) of the ingredients on a cold winter night, thus preventing a last-minute run to the grocery store.

#1 Couscous with chicken and orange
1 cup couscous
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
1/3 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 navel orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper

In a medium bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over couscous. Cover and let sit until tender, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. In another medium bowl, combine chicken, pistachios, orange, mint, oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss couscous with chicken mixture.

I'm quite sure we had neither mint nor pistachios, but it hit the spot anyway.

#2 Couscous with spinach and onions
1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
some spinach, chopped
1 cup couscous
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt, pepper, whatev.

In a saucepan, cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Add the broth and spinach. Bring mixture to a boil and stir occasionally. Add in couscous; stir to combine. Cover, remove pan from heat, and let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.