Category: Recipes

On the go egg muffins

Published on by Vicky4 Comments

The other day, a friend asked me about on the go breakfast ideas. She was looking for something that was healthy, portable, lower carb and most importantly could be made ahead of time. My favorite standby is oatmeal but that doesn’t work if you’re trying to go for a low carb breakfast. I did a quick search and came across a recipe for egg muffins. These remind me of mini frittatas. Yum! I think my favorite thing about this recipe is that it uses items that most of us already have in our kitchens. Plus they’re healthy, high in protein and easily transportable in a sandwich bag or plastic container. Works for me, as most of you know that I’m not much of a morning person on the best of days.

For my egg muffins, I used a southwest seasoning blend, salsa, green onions, chicken bacon and a bit of emmental cheese. But if you don’t like that combination, use a Greek seasoning, some black olives and feta cheese. Maybe you want to go with a western style omelet and use onions, ham and cheddar. Or get fancy and use some prosciutto, goat cheese and asapargus. There are a ton of combinations. Go crazy and use your imagination! After you’ve finished baking and they’ve cooled off, put them into a plastic sandwich bag and presto, you’ve got breakfasts for the rest of the week. You can easily reheat them in the microwave or eat them cold. Paired with a piece of fruit and a mug of green tea, you’ve got a nice and healthy breakfast.

For this recipe, you can use a silicone muffin tray or a metal muffin tray with paper liners. I prefer the silicone muffin tray because it’s easier to clean up and the egg muffins are easy to remove. I would also suggest placing a tray underneath the muffin tins. It makes cleaning up a lot easier should there be an accident.

What are some of your favorite breakfast foods when you’re on the go?

Egg Muffins
(Yield: 6-9 muffins)

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 egg white (optional)
  • 3 green onion stalks
  • 1/3 cup fresh salsa
  • 1/4 cup emmental cheese
  • 1 teaspoon of your favorite seasoning
  • 3 strips of cooked chicken bacon, diced

Directions:

  • Preheat your oven to 375F
  • Spray a silicone muffin tray with cooking spray or line a metal muffin tin with two paper cups.
  • Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat with the egg white until the eggs are well combined. Mix in the seasoning.
  • Transfer the egg mixture to a large measuring cup or a bowl with a spout. This will make it easier to pour the eggs into the muffin tins.
  • In the bottom of each muffin cups, add the diced chicken bacon. The follow with your veggies or salsa. If you’re using salsa, you’ll want to strain some of the excess liquid from the salsa before adding it to the cups.
  • Pour the egg mixture into each cup until it is about 3/4 full and sprinkle with a bit of cheese.
  • Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the egg has risen and the tops are slightly browned and set.

(Adapted from: Kalen’s Kitchen)

Custard filled phyllo pie

Published on by Vicky3 Comments

It’s National Pi day and what better way to celebrate. Okay wrong kind of pie but I’m guessing this will be more fun! So I have to admit that I did a bit of a double take when I first saw the recipe and looked at the ingredients. Cream of wheat? Isn’t that just porridge? So this is an porridge and phyllo pie? Eww … But never having had this combination before, I was willing to give it a chance. Actually I didn’t have much of a choice given that the pie was part of a class I’m taking. However, it turns out that the cream of wheat helps to form the custard filling. If you’re wondering how the filling tastes, well it’s pretty good. So good in fact, that my lab partner ate ALL of the leftover filling! I’m not complaining – that makes it easier to clean up.

And with the finished product, you get the flaky, buttery crunch of phyllo pastry together the creaminess richness of a sweet custard. Add to that a cinnamon sugar glaze made with Grand Marnier! It makes it pretty impressive and hard to resist.

Although the recipe we were given didn’t have a name, I believe this is similar to a pastry I’ve eaten in many Greek restaurants called Galaktoboureko.

If you’ve never worked with phyllo pastry before, here are some tips:

  • Allow the pastry to fully defrost in your refrigerator overnight.
  • Place the phyllo underneath a piece of parchment paper to prevent it from sticking to your work surface.
  • When applying the butter, brush the phyllo gently and use a pastry brush (not a silicone brush).

What are some interesting or odd combinations of food that you’ve been skeptical of at first but turned out liking?

Custard filled phyllo pie

Ingredients:

Filling:
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cream of wheat
3 eggs
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Shell:
10 sheets of phyllo
1/4 cup melted butter

Orange Syrup:
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
zest from an orange
zest from a lemon
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
2. Add milk, butter and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, slowly add cream of wheat in a steady stream while constantly whisking. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and comes back to a boil, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer to a large bowl.
3. To the cream of wheat mixture, add in vanilla and orange juice and stir.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together. Slowly temper the eggs into the filling.
5. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard mixture and allow to cool. The plastic wrap will prevent a skin from forming on the custard.
4. Melt the 1/4 cup of butter.
5. Butter a pie plate and set it aside.
6. Place the first piece of phyllo dough onto a piece of parchment paper and gently brush with butter. Make sure to cover the remain sheets of phyllo with a damp cloth.
7. Lay the next piece of phyllo on diagonally top of the already buttered piece of phyllo and brush it with butter. Continue layering and buttering phyllo in that pattern until five pieces have been completed. Place the five sheets onto the buttered pie plate. The sheets may need to be trimmed slightly with a pair of scissors or sharp knife if the overhang is too long.
8. Layer and butter another five pieces of phyllo dough in an offset manner – these pieces will be the top of the pie.
9. Put the filling into the pie tin and fill until 2/3 full.
10. Place the final layer of phyllo dough onto of the pie and trim as needed if the layer is too long. The overhang pieces from the top and bottom layers can be pressed and pinched together to create a flower like pattern.
11. Place in the oven and bake at 400F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325F (160C) and bake for another 30 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool for 10 minutes.
12. To make the syrup, place the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, cloves, orange zest and lemon zest into a pot and bring to a boil. Brush down the sides of the a pot with a pastry brush that’s been dipped in water if needed. Simmer for approximately 8 minutes or until the mixture forms a syrup. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes before adding Grand Marnier.
13. Using a strainer, pour half of the hot syrup over the pie, allowing the syrup to absorb. Then strain the rest of the syrup over. Allow the pie to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Directions:
(Source: George Brown Baking Arts)

Tonga Toast

Published on by Vicky1 Comment

Back in January, I took my running group to the Kona Café at the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World. The Polynesian is my favorite resort at Disney and I was hoping they would enjoy eating there as much I have.

One of the most popular breakfast items on the menu is Tonga Toast. What is Tonga Toast you might ask. Well, it’s banana stuffed French toast, fried and covered in cinnamon sugar. And it’s not just any old kind of French toast – this thing is a 3″x3″ piece of bread. Saying its huge would be an understatement. I would say its one the most popular items on the menu. It’s delicious with maple syrup and especially so with a strawberry compote. Well imagine my surprise when my friend Mike, asked for not one but two orders of Tonga Toast! And not only did two orders of Tonga Toasts show up at the table but he finished both plates completely!

Does it help you run faster? You’ll have to ask Mike! Today’s he’s running a marathon in Arkansas and while he can’t get Tonga Toast in Little Rock, I thought I’d make and eat a batch in his honor. If you want to give the recipe a try at home, here it is.

Tonga Toast Recipe
Yield: 4 servings

Batter:
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Tonga Toast:
1 loaf unsliced bread (12″ in length)
2 bananas
1 quart canola oil

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oil to 350F in a pan or deep fryer.
2. For the cinnamon sugar coating, combine cinnamon and sugar in a dish, mix together and set aside.
3. For the batter, beat eggs in a bowl. Add milk, sugar and cinnamon and mix well together with eggs and set aside.
4. From the loaf of bread, cut 4 – 3″ slices of bread. Using a paring knife, slice down the middle of the bread to create a pocket. But do not cut the bread in half.
5. Cut a banana in half and then cut each half length wise. Slide two banana halves into middle of the bread.
6. Take the stuffed bread and dip it into the batter, making sure you coat all four sides. Allow the excess batter to drip off the sides and place it gently into the hot oil.
7. Cook approximately 1-2 minutes and then flip over and cook the other side 1-2 minutes. Remove from the oil and toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat for the next piece of toast.

(Source: A Taste of Disney)

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Published on by Vicky1 Comment

 

So the Oscars are on tonight and I think I’ll celebrate too! Having company over is the perfect excuse to make a special dessert. I figure you can’t go too wrong with chocolate cake.

This cake is moist and rich with chocolate flavor and I will warn you ahead of time that you will want a glass of cold milk to go along with your slice. I dare you to eat just one piece!

And in case the Oscars get boring, at least you’ll have the company of good friends and an amazing chocolate cake!

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

For the glaze:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chocolate liqueur

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 325F and thoroughly grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
  2. Using a double boiler on low heat, melt the bitter sweet chocolate. Set it aside and allow it to cool slightly.
  3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder onto a piece of parchment paper.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Slowly add in eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is incorporated and scraping down the bowl in between additions.
  6. Mix in the vanilla.
  7. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture on low speed, only until incorporated. Then add in 1/2 of sour cream. Mix until just combined. Alternate adding in flour and sour cream to the batter, ending with the flour. Ensure there are no lumps.
  8. Once incorporated, gently fold in the melted chocolate.
  9. Pour the batter into the bundt pan until it is approximately 3/4 full.
  10. Bake in the oven for about an hour at 325F or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  11. Cool cake upright in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.

To make the glaze: Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the chocolate liqueur.

Place a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper underneath the wire rack. Invert the pan onto the wire rack, removing the cake from the pan. Using a pastry brush, coat the warm cake with the glaze. Allow the cake to come to room temperature. Dust the cake with icing sugar just before serving.

(Recipe adapted from: Williams Sonoma)