Ashamed No More

Remember the days when Ramen was its own food group? It could be eaten at any point in the day, but was usually consumed at 3 AM after you realized the $1 pizza shop's line was too long.

Ah, Ramen. It was glorious.

Until you "grew up" and realized that Ramen is probably one of the worst things you can ever possibly eat. You might has well take shots straight up from your salt shaker with a chaser of MSG. While you would never admit to actually eating Ramen as a mature adult, we all know you have a packet of it hiding in the back of your pantry closet. No need to be ashamed. There's a way of classin' up that 49 cent square.

By tossing the seasoning packet altogether and making your own flavorful broth, you can enjoy that Ramen any time of day. Though if you wanted to try it out at 3 AM, I wouldn't hold it against you.

DIY Ramen

by Bonnie Graham

Cook Time: >20 minutes

Keywords: soup/stew ginger sriracha eggs spinach

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Ingredients (2 servings)

• 1 packet of ramen, any flavor
• 3 - 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sriracha, or to taste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 12 shrimp, optional
• 2 cups baby spinach or kale
• 2 - 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Heat the garlic and ginger in a pot over medium heat until fragrant and slightly brown.

2. Add sriracha, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and broth. Allow to come to a boil.

3. Begin to preheat a frying pan for your eggs over medium heat. Fry your eggs to your desired doneness.

4. Once the broth has come to a boil, add your noodles and spinach. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the noodles are tender.

5. As the noodles come to the end of their cooking time, add your shrimp and cook until the shrimp are curled and pink, approximately 2 - 3 minutes.

6. Once everything is cooked, fill your bowl with the ramen mixture. Top with an egg and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

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No More Cookies....

I seriously think I experienced a Sugar Hangover last week. Seriously. I had a headache. I felt nauseous. Smelling chocolate chip cookies elicits the same response as when I smell cheap tequila. Ugh.

Between multiple cookie parties (when did this become a thing), Christmas Eve, Christmas, and then the left-overs the day after Christmas, I have had my fair share of all things gluttonous. What I havebeen fiending (word? maybe.) for is a salad. But not any limp lettuce, weak veggie salad. I wanted a REAL salad. A manly man's salad. One filled with delicious healthiness. 

I'm not sure if I ever would have considered anything from France as a "manly man" thing, but this Tuna Niçoise Salad hit the spot. In reading the directions, you're going to think that it seems like a lot of work for just a salad. But it's definitely worth it and you can throw this salad together in 25 to 30 minutes. 

If you multi-task like you're schizophrenic. But it can be done. 

Tuna Niçoise Salad

by Bonnie Graham

Prep Time: 25 - 30 minutes

Keywords: roast salad entree potato eggs tomato tuna

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Ingredients

• 1 bag of baby spinach
• 4 tuna steaks
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 bag frozen green beans
• 1 lb teeny tiny potatoes (or fingerlings)
• 4 tomatoes
• olives of your choice
• 2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp ground mustard
• salt and pepper
• 1 lemon
• olive oil

Instructions

1. Begin by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees and heating a medium pot of salted water on the stove.

2. Prep baby potatoes, rubbing them with olive oil and salt and pepper on a cookie sheet. Place them in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes or until tender.

3. While waiting for the water to boil, begin to season your tuna steaks with the rosemary, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper. Add olive oil to help the seasonings stick to the steaks. Place a skillet on the stove over medium high heat.

4. When the pot of water has boiled, quickly blanch your frozen greens, allowing for no more then a minute or two in the water. Remove green beans from pot.

5. Re-fill pot with water, placing the 4 eggs in the pot to make hard-boiled eggs. Place eggs in the water and allow pot to come to a boil. Boil for approximately 1 minute and allow eggs to sit in hot water with heat turned off until ready the salad is ready to be served. Then, crack and peel.

6. With your skillet heated, sear your tuna steaks, making sure there is enough room in the pan to have them heat evenly. Cook fish on each side for 7 - 8 minutes or until desired doneness.

7. Once all the ingredients are done cooking, plate each ingredient over baby spinach. Squeeze lemon over each plate and a swirl of olive oil. Salt and pepper as needed.

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"Fun" Food

Do you have "fun" foods in your kitchen? The foods that you tend to eat first because there's something more appealing about them. It's like eating all of the flavored yogurts before getting to the vanilla one. Choosing the BBQ chips over regular plain. Who wants to eat plain chips?! Using strawberry jam before the boring grape jelly. You know what I'm talking about.

With Jerry home for the last few weeks, our "fun" foods have been disappearing much more quickly then usual. Because of the never-ending (but now over) ConEd lockout, Jerry has been eating at home more. Which is probably great for his health. Not so great for our food supply.

Because I've really been trying to hold myself to that weekly grocery budget of $50, I've stopped myself from running to the grocery store every time we are low on "fun" foods. Which means I've needed to get slightly more creative with some of the basics in our fridge and pantry.

Usually, I pack myself a lunch every day and never leave the house without eating breakfast first. When I realized that we were out of salad fixin's and I had maxed on PB&J, I decided to make myself a frittata with whatever veggies were in my fridge. It turned out to be pretty damn yummy and quite packable for lunch!

For me, I realize that I prefer my frittatas slightly undercooked. If you prefer to have your eggs more stiff, then leave under the broiler for a few minutes longer.

Veggie Frittata for One

by Bonnie Graham

Keywords: breakfast entree eggs corn spinach smoked paprika

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Ingredients (1 7' inch frittata)

• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/3 c fresh or frozen corn kernals
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1 handful of baby spinach
• 2 tbsp ricotta cheese (or preferred cheese)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and peper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler to low tempature. Then, heat omelet pan over medium heat. Spray with olive oil.

2. Add chopped onions to pan and saute for a few minutes

3. Meanwhile, beat eggs with tbsp of water until frothy. Add smoked paprika.

4. Add corn and spinach to hot pan. Saute a few minutes longer.

5. Pour eggs into pan. Add salt and pepper.

6. Using a spatula, move the eggs along as you would at the beginning of scramble eggs, but do not scramble them.

7. Let eggs cook for a few minutes until the sides begin to set.

8. Drop pieces of ricotta along the top of the frittata. Place under broiler until desired consistency in reached.

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Breakfast for Dinner!

As a kid, I knew when my dad had other dinner plans when my mom made pancakes and sausage for dinner. No offense to my father, but I loved the days when he wasn't home so we could have omelets at 6pm!

Now, on really busy (or lazy) days, I love to eat breakfast for dinner. I actually make eggs for dinner at least two or three times a week. Top anything with a poached egg and I'll eat it! Thankfully, eggs are also good for diabetics. Why? Because one extra large egg is 0.5 grams of carbs and has 7.3 grams of protein! Thank goodness for that because diabetes would definitely be on my shit list if I couldn't eat eggs!

Take my cake! Take my pasta! But leave my eggs! And if you could give me back those other things, that would be great too. Thanks.

Poached Eggs with Sweet Potato-Soy Chorizo Hash

 

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 garlic clove

1/2 medium onion

1/2 medium green pepper

1 peeled, diced sweet potato

1/2 package of Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo*

1 whole wheat english muffin

salt

pepper

olive oil

white wine vinegar

Method

1. Dice onion. Chop garlic into small pieces. Put onions and garlic into pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Begin to sweat the onions.

2. Chop peppers into 1/4 inch dice. Add to pan. Continue to cook. 

3. Dice sweet potato into 1/4 inch cubes. Add to pan.

4. Add TJ's soy chorizo to pan. Saute all together. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

5. Boil pot of water with 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar. This will help keep the egg whites together when poaching. 

6. Swirl water in the pot with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating a bit of a whirlpool in the pot. With the whirlpool swirling, crack an egg into the center. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until egg whites coagulate and turn white. Repeat with second egg. 

7. Toast english muffin. Place toasted english muffin on a plate, top with sweet potato hash and poached eggs.

* Trader Joe's soy chorizo is another ingredient (notice the whole wheat english muffins) that I'm mildly obsessed with. It has great flavor. If you're not a soy person, I suppose you can use black beans and smoked paprika or actual chorizo.

How Should a Diabetic Start Off Her Christmas Holiday?

With booze and pizza, of course!

Here's the menu:

Orange Carrot Ginger Mimosas

Ingredients
2 - 3 oranges

1 lb of carrots

2 inch piece of ginger

1 bottle champagne - we bought the cheap stuff. Andre is good enough for me!

Juicer

Method

1. Put carrots, ginger, and peeled oranges* in the juicer. 

2. Add 1 part juice to 2 parts champagne. Or whatever your taste is.

*Make sure to peel the oranges no matter what your juicer says! They're liars and the peels make the juice taste like citrus floor cleaner!

Breakfast Pizza #1 (with Eggs, Prosciutto and Potatoes)

Ingredients
2 eggs

3 - 4 slices of prosciutto

1/2 thinly sliced red potato

1 chopped garlic clove

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (always homemade!)
1 tbsp olive oil

whole wheat pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Thinly slice potato using a mandoline or very sharp knife (if you're that skilled). Chop up garlic into small pieces
3. Roll out pizza dough onto a cookie sheet and coat with olive oil. Using parchment paper is also helpful when baking. 
4. Layer on tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and scatter slices of red potato and chopped garlic around the pizza. 
5. Place pizza in oven and bake about 15 - 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and the crust is browned. 
6. Remove pizza from oven and crack two eggs on the pizza. Bake for 5 more minutes and then add the prosciutto. Bake until eggs appear to be done and prosciutto is slightly crispy.

Breakfast Pizza #2 (with Eggs, Potatoes, Smoked Salmon, & Capers)

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 thinly sliced red potato
1 chopped garlic clove
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 tbsp capers
6 oz smoked salmon
whole wheat pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Thinly slice potato using a mandoline or very sharp knife (if you're that skilled). Chop up garlic into small pieces
3. Roll out pizza dough onto a cookie sheet and coat with olive oil. Using parchment paper is also helpful when baking. 
4. Layer potatoes in a single layer with slightly overlapping pieces. Sprinkle potatoes with dried dill. Add the mozzarella cheese and scatter chopped garlic around the pizza.
5. Place pizza in oven and bake about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and the potatoes are slightly browned. 
6. Remove pizza from oven and crack two eggs on the pizza. Bake for 5 - 7 more minutes, or until eggs appear to be done. 

7. After removing the pizza from the oven, add smoked salmon slices and capers.  

Then enjoy your mimosas and pizza while watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer! Yay!