Green Power Breakfast Sandwich

I felt kind of silly writing the title for this recipe, but at the same time it seemed appropriate. The title was inspired by two different things: green/”power” smoothies and also the Breakfast Power Sandwich at Panera Bread.

This breakfast sandwich includes lots of yummy healthy green foods, such as spinach, avocado, scallions, and basil pesto. It’s a filling and nutritious sandwich that is sure to keep you satisfied and give you energy. I love to eat these an hour and a half or two before the gym, or when I know I won’t be eating again for a while because they’re very filling. I’m in love with the flavor combination and have been making these at least once a week lately.

I actually never really used to eat eggs until a little over a year ago. An egg by itself kind of grossed me out and the only way I would eat it was in a sandwich. That’s when I came up with the post Ideas for a Healthier Breakfast, which also included my first photo to make it onto foodgawker about a year ago. Since then I’ve been kinda crazy over breakfast sandwiches and all the different combinations I can come up with. I went from eating eggs on a rare occasion to almost everyday. Shows how your tastes change as you get older!

I’ve also tried to photograph this sandwich on three separate occasions, and none of the photos have come out quite how I wanted them to, but oh well. Some recipes just don’t photograph well, and I still have a lot to learn about food photography. But I really wanted to share this sandwich with all of you, so here it is!

Green Power Breakfast Sandwich
serves one

Ingredients:

• 1 whole wheat or 100-calorie English muffin
• 1 large egg
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp basil pesto
• small handful of fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 avocado, sliced thin

Directions:

1. In a small frying pan, cook your egg to your liking. While your egg is cooking, toast your English muffin. After flipping your egg, top with chopped scallions and parmesan cheese and cover with a lid to let the cheese melt. Remove from heat.
2. To assemble your sandwich, first spread 1 tsp of pesto on each side of your English muffin. Put spinach leaves on the bottom piece of muffin and place egg on top. Top off with sliced avocado and the other half of the muffin and enjoy!

Cook your egg to your liking. I like to sprinkle a garlic/pepper blend and red pepper flakes on mine.

Top off your egg with scallions and parmesan cheese. Cover with a lid to allow the cheese to melt and remove from heat.

Spread the pesto on your English muffin

Assemble your sandwich by layering the spinach first, then the egg, then your sliced avocado.

Bon Appétit!

 

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

This is a recipe I stumbled upon on Pinterest, only to find out it comes from Ina Garten. Barefoot Contessa is one of my favorite shows on the food network. I love Ina ‘s calm demeanor and her versions of classic dishes. This particular recipe has awesome ratings on Foodnetwork.com and seemed like a perfect dish for the beginning of the summer.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables includes roasted bell peppers, onion, and eggplant, served over orzo and finished off with feta cheese, fresh herbs, and a light lemony dressing. After reading through the comments on this recipe’s Foodnetwork page, I tweaked some of the ingredients a bit and left out the pine nuts but overall tried to keep all the wonderful flavors intact. You can view the original recipe here,and you can even watch a video of how it’s done.

My mom makes an orzo pasta salad with tomatoes, black beans, corn and feta which we always enjoy at home. This recipe reminds me a bit of my mom’s orzo, but perhaps with a Mediterranean twist. I like dishes like this because they can be served hot or cold, for lunch or for dinner. You can also play around with the ingredients and incorporate your favorite vegetables or herbs. This recipe makes a large batch, so if you’re cooking for a smaller crowd you may want to cut it in half like I did.

I’m not a big fan of traditional pasta salad, but I loved this dish. The tangy dressing and salty feta perfectly balance the sweet roasted vegetables, and the combination of the basil and scallions is just right – not to mention how wonderfully colorful it is. This recipe will definitely be making an appearance at any cookouts I attend this summer.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
slightly adapted from Ina Garten’s Orzo with Roasted Vegetables seen on Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
serves 6 (but can be easily cut in half)

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil for drizzling
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 pound orzo
• 4 scallions, chopped + 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 8 oz. feta, crumbled
• For the dressing:
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons – I used slightly less, closer to 2-3 Tbsp)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Prepare the chopped vegetables and garlic by tossing them with enough olive oil to coat (about 3 Tbsp) and arrange them on a large baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until veggies are tender and lightly browned.
2. While the veggies are roasting, cook your orzo according to box directions. After draining, transfer to a large bowl and toss with the roasted vegetables.
3. To make the dressing, simply whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pour over the orzo and vegetables and stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature and then add the scallions, basil, and feta.* Serve as a side dish or for lunch or dinner.

*Ina says it’s important to pour the dressing over the orzo while it’s hot because it will absorb more of it, and I also read in the comments that letting the dish cool to room temperature makes for the best flavor.

Toss your chopped veggies and garlic with olive oil and bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes. While your veggies are roasting, begin cooking your orzo.

Once your veggies are tender and browned, they’re done. I cooked mine for about 35 minutes.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Combine your cooked orzo and veggies, and stir in lemon dressing. Let sit and cool to room temperature.

When your orzo has cooled, add crumbled feta, chopped basil and chopped scallions. Stir to combine.

Serve your orzo as a side dish, or as a meal. Yum!

Also, just wanted to mention that the other day my blog reached 100,000 views. Thank you so much to all my readers out there! It makes me so happy to be able to share my favorite recipes with all of you

Mongolian Beef

Hello everyone! I apologize for my absence in the past week or so. Last week was a very busy week for me and I couldn’t find the time to write a blog post, let alone make nice meals for myself! I think I cooked one large meal last week and have been eating the leftovers for almost 5 days in a row… time for something new fo sho.

Mongolian Beef is a meal often found at Chinese restaurants in America made from thinly sliced flank steak and green onions in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce. I admit I’ve never actually tried Mongolian Beef from a restaurant and it’s not something that would have appealed to me a few years ago, but lately I’ve been craving an Asian-inspired meal. I’ve come across a few recipes for Mongolian Beef or other similar beef stir-fry recipes, and yesterday when I found sirloin tips on sale at the store, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

After browsing a few more recipes, I decided this one from The Daring Gourmet appealed to me most. Thinly sliced steak is sautéed in vegetable oil, and then cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce made from soy sauce, hoisin sauce, green onions, and other spices. I’ve heard hoisin sauce described as the “Chinese version of barbecue sauce” and it can be found in most international/Asian sections of grocery stores. I also threw in some vegetables for some extra color and texture, and served it over chow mein noodles.

This is one of the few times I’ve cooked steak on my own, and the first time I’ve posted a steak recipe on this blog. I really loved this meal and it inspired me to incorporate a little more red meat into my diet. It isn’t the healthiest recipe I’ve posted on here, but oh man was it good.

Mongolian Beef
adapted from The Daring Gourmet

Ingredients:
serves 2

• For the sauce:
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp minced ginger + 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp Sambal Oelek chili paste or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 lb. flank steak or sirloin, sliced thinly
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1-2 tsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• noodles or rice, to serve
• optional: sliced onion and red bell pepper for stir-frying, sesame seeds to garnish

Ingredients for the stir fry portion

Ingredients for the sauce

Directions:

1. To prepare the sauce, simply whisk together all of the ingredients for it in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. If including stir-fried veggies, start by cooking them in 1 tsp oil in a large frying pan or wok until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. If serving meal with rice or noodles, prepare those at this time as well.
3. Spread the thinly sliced steak onto a cutting board or plate and sprinkle with cornstarch. Heat the vegetable and sesame oil in your pan over medium heat and add steak. Cook until steak is browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside with the veggies.
4. In your empty pan, pour in the sauce and let it cook over medium-low heat. When the sauce begins to simmer, whisk it gently for about 1 minute. Once sauce is thickened, stir in cooked steak and vegetables, along with the green onions. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Serve the beef and veggies over noodles or rice and enjoy!

Start by frizzling up some veggies. Set aside.

To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients for it and whisk together.

Next, prepare your steak for cooking by slicing in thinly (I actually recommend slicing it thinner than I did) and sprinkle it with the cornstarch.

Heat vegetable and sesame oil in your frying pan and saute the steak until browned, about 6-8 minutes.

After removing steak from the pan, pour in your sauce and cook over medium-low heat. Once the sauce begins to simmer, whisk it for about a minute until it’s thickened.

Stir in your steak, veggies, and green onions and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Serve your awesome meal over cooked noodles or rice and enjoy!

 

Easy Raspberry Vanilla Swirl Brownies

These brownies may look fancy, but I promise they’re simple to make.

I had a recipe planned out for some grilled shrimp, but my mom requested I make my “famous” brownies for our Memorial Day cookout tomorrow. Famous meaning, they come from a box and everyone knows it. But I must say, not all boxed brownie mix is created equal. I strongly recommend Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie mix. They are decadent, fudgy, and have dark chocolate chips in the mix. They are the best boxed brownies I’ve ever had and they never fail to please guests.

In honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to add a fun raspberry and cream cheese swirl to these brownies, inspired by two different recipes. Growing up, my aunt Ellen would often make brownies with cream cheese swirled on top and we always loved them. In college, my favorite dessert from the dining hall was their delicious raspberry swirl brownies, topped off with raspberry preserves. I’ve always loved the combination of chocolate and raspberry, and also raspberry and cream cheese, and so the idea for these brownies was born. But after a failed attempt using cream cheese for this recipe, I realized it was too thick to achieve the “swirl” and I decided yogurt would work better.

Anyway, these brownies are super delicious and decadent. They are deceivingly simple to make, using boxed brownie mix and using a tooth pick to swirl raspberry preserves and vanilla yogurt. The brownies are rich and fudgy and the yogurt and raspberry swirl is a nice break from the intensity of the chocolate. You certainly don’t have to use Ghirardelli brownie mix (though I seriously recommend it) – you can use whichever your favorite type is and they will come out delicious regardless.

Easy Raspberry Vanilla Swirl Brownies
makes 1 8 x 8″ pan

Ingredients:

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix, plus the ingredients required to make the brownies (mine calls for oil, water, and an egg)
• 1/3 cup raspberry preserves or jam
• 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF and lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Prepare your brownie mix as instructed on the box directions, and pour into greased pan.
3. In a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag, pour in raspberry preserves and seal. In a separate Ziploc bag, pour in vanilla yogurt and seal. Cut off the tip of the corner of each bag.
4. Squeeze the yogurt in a straight line onto the prepared brownie mix, from top to bottom. Make 4 stripes across. Repeat this with the raspberry preserves. Drag a toothpick across the surface from left to right starting at the top, and then from right to left directly under the first line, alternating until you reach the bottom and a zigzag or chevron design is achieved.
5. Bake according to box directions and let cool before slicing. Serve with a tall glass of milk or as dessert at your Memorial Day festivities

Prepare your brownie mix according to box directions, and pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. (Don’t forget to preheat your oven!)

Pour yogurt into a small Ziploc bag and cut the tip of the corner off. Do the same for the raspberry preserves, in a separate bag.

Gently squeeze the yogurt in a thin line across the top of the brownie batter. Do the same with the raspberry. Don’t worry if the lines aren’t perfect! (I left the part of the batter plain for some members of my family who prefer regular brownies.)

Gently drag a toothpick across the stripes, from left and right and then alternating to right to left, until you reach the bottom of the pan so a zigzag pattern is created.

Bake up your brownies and let them cool before cutting into them. (The raspberry swirl may be hard to see, but you’ll be able to taste it!)

Cut your brownies into neat little squares.

Happy Memorial Day!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites

This is a recipe I’ve seen floating around Pinterest for some time and I finally got around to trying out when I realized I had a plethora of peanut butter (always a good thing). These little bites may not look like much, but boy do they pack a punch – not to mention they are crazy addictive.

I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven and is one of the most popular recipes on their blog. They are similar to a granola bar, but in a miniature and convenient form. They’re filled with oats, peanut butter, honey, coconut flakes and chocolate chips and are wonderfully chewy and full of flavor. The original recipe called for flax seeds and chia seeds, which I left out, but they would add extra protein and crunch if you choose to use them. I played around with the ingredients a bit to suit my tastes, but feel free to stick to the original recipe if you prefer.

These bites are the perfect size to bring with you on the go or if you need a quick snack. I like to pop in one or two before the gym for a little pick-me-up. It’s recommend that you keep them refrigerated (which is how I like my granola bars anyway) but if you choose to keep them at room temperature, just keep in mind that they’ll need to be eaten within a few days or a week.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites
adapted from No Bake Energy Bites on Gimme Some Oven, originally seen on Smashed Peas and Carrots

Ingredients:
makes about 20 bites

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I recommend salted)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (1/3 cup if your peanut butter and/or coconut is unsweetened)
• 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (optional, but helps keep them together)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well until combined. Using your hands, roll the mixture into balls that are about 1 Tbsp or 1 inch big. My recipe made about 18 balls. Place on a large plate and refrigerate for 1 hour or more until firm. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl

Stir until combined

Roll into balls that are roughly 1-inch big

And enjoy!