Category Archives: Breakfast
Indian Omelet Sandwiches with Potato Home Fries
After a busy, hectic but delicious Thanksgiving weekend I am usually in the mood for ethnic food. I crave really spicy food. In fact I wanted it so much that I went to Edison and ate Indian street food to my hearts content.
The craving for spicy food prompted this particular meal. It makes a great breakfast but I made it for dinner. This Indian style omelet is served on the streets in Delhi, where I grew up. I remember going to an open market near our home and eating this with white bread. Yum- white bread is delicious and so I decided to buy a crispy baguette and make omelet sandwiches. Onions and chilies are chopped and sauteed. Eggs are beaten with fresh cilantro, salt, cayenne pepper and garam masala. I added extra cayenne in mine- yum!
While I was trying to decide what to serve with the sandwiches, home fries came to mind. While I was in school, my parents owned a deli. My Mom would make the most delicious potato home fries to serve with breakfast sandwiches. I replicated those for this meal. The home fries are quite easy to make – boiled potatoes, green or any colored peppers and the key ingredient was dried oregano. The were cooked on the griddle until crispy. At home, I made them in a cast iron skillet to ensure a nice golden brown color and even cooking.
The whole meal turned out really delicious. I made a cheese omelet for my daughter as she is not into the spicy egg concoctions. I gave her some veggies on the side and called it a night. I somehow didn’t feel like drinking wine with this particular meal- I guess my childhood memories didn’t include the alcoholic beverage. Although a beer or a riesling would be delicious!
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cayenne pepper
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Beat the eggs with salt, garam masala, cayenne pepper and cilantro and beat well. Keep aside.
- 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 serrano chilies, chopped
2 sour dough rolls, cut in half and toasted
In a large non-stick frying pan, add olive oil. Add the onions and chilies and sauté on medium heat till the onions are golden brown- about 5 minutes. Add the egg mixture and cook on medium heat till the egg mixture begins to cook. Roll into an omelet shape and cut into half. Serve each half in the toasted roll with home fries on the side.
Home Fries
- 4 medium yellow potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
In a small saucepan, add the potatoes and top with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or till the potatoes are soft.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ½ red pepper, chopped
- ½ yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
In a non stick frying pan, add the olive oil. Add the peppers and potatoes. Mix well and cook on medium high heat, turning once in a while so the potatoes begin to brown. Add the oregano, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well and cook for another 15- 20 minutes or, till the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. Check for seasonings and sprinkle with cilantro and serve with egg sandwiches.
Homemade Baked Apple Sauce
This is first time I have ever made apple sauce. I never understood why someone would make iy- what is the point? You either eat them raw or use them in a dessert or maybe even cook them on the side with pork or duck.
Then I started writing this blog and apple season came along. Well, I had to come up with a few apple recipes- and I did.. I made the apple cranberry bread, which by the way is delicious. I was thinking what else to make when an apple ice cream came to mind. I was of course going to make my healthy gelato- but what else should I was I going to add to it??
That is when apple sauce came to mind. I looked for different recipes and that is when I came across Ina Garten’s apple sauce recipe- I just love her recipes- don’t you want to invited to her house for a fabulous meal?
I adapted her recipe and came up with this. After the big saucepan came out of the oven and I tasted the results- I understood why people make their own apple sauce. It was absolutely delicious! Fresh, yummy and just the right sweetness and tartness. The wheels were turning in my head- all the things I can do with this- dessert topping, with a pork loin, on top of pancakes- sky is the limit… I can’t wait…
Try this recipe- it’s really good. I will be testing the apple sauce gelato tomorrow and posting the recipe soon- stay tuned.
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Scrambled Eggs with Sausage and Mushrooms with Gruyere Cheese
I love it when I can make two completely different meals with the same exact ingredients.
In this case, I made the sausage and mushroom mixture for the quesadillas yesterday. I had about a cup of the mixture leftover after dinner. While I was cleaning up and putting away everything in the fridge, I told my husband he will be getting scrumptious scrambled eggs tomorrow morning.
I woke up the next day and quickly took the mixture out of the fridge. I beat the eggs with salt, half and half and the Gruyere cheese. The scrambled eggs were made in a matter of minutes. I heated a tortilla and served the eggs with leftover tomatillo salsa.
It was a delicious and quick breakfast. I on the other hand, had my usual spelt toast with a dollop of strawberry jam and a chunk of low fat jalapeno cheese. Of course I had a big, huge, delicious cup of coffee with it. I was happy and so was my husband. Sia was happy munching on whole grain pancakes with fresh raspberries and maple syrup. All in all it was a good Saturday morning.
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A Great Recipe for Leftover Bread: Egg in the Bread
I love cooking this dish for breakfast- the problem is that most of the time I forget to make it. Usually on the weekends, my husband makes pancakes for my daughter and I make scrambled eggs. The other day, I came down to make coffee and breakfast- I saw part of a leftover baguette sitting on the kitchen island. This particular dish came to mind right away. I had eggs and parmesan cheese in the fridge- so I decided to whip it up. One of the reasons I like making it so much is because it is so easy and fast. It’s a great way to use up left over bread. I love the idea of cooking an egg right in the middle of the bread. I added a couple of fresh garlic cloves and cooked them slowly in the same pan for the flavor to emanate through the bread slices. I made two for my husband and one for me. He likes his yolks cooked all the way- I on the other hand, like my yolks nice and soft. I topped the toasted, crispy egg filled slices with grated parmesan cheese.
Besides eating them, the best part is cutting into the yummy slices- the gooey egg paired with the crispy parmesan crusted bread is heaven. The subtle garlic flavor is amazing as well. The only downside about this is that you want to eat a bunch of them- they are surprisingly light.
I ate mine with a perfectly brewed cup of coffee and my husband had his with a big cup of masala chai– it was a great way to start the weekend…
Baked Omelet with Fresh Herbs
Apricot Kuchen- Gesa’s German Cake Recipe
My favorite breakfast would be a big-huge cup of perfectly brewed coffee with a huge slice of toasted pound cake!- oh and a big chunk of salty cheese as well. I don’t think I have indulged in just cake and cheese for any meal in a long time. Pound cake has a special place in my heart. I remember eating lots of it in India growing up. My Mom would make it at home but the one I remember fondly is from Standard Bakery. They made their pound cakes in round molds. It was small in diameter but baked really high. It used to be wrapped with a brown parchment paper, which I remember peeling off and devouring a big slice of cake as soon as it came home. I do try to eat that particular one whenever I go back.
I ate an apricot cake a few years ago at a friend’s baby shower. Her Austrian friend had made her Mom’s recipe. It was delicious! It reminded me of the pound cake I used to eat years ago. It was not too sweet but had the pound cake texture. The apricots on top were a great accompaniment- sweet and tangy. The cake was served with sweetened whipped cream- again, my favorite. I could have eaten that whole thing by myself.
Recently my friend made her aunt Gesa’s apple kuchen (word for ‘cake’ in German). I ate some and it reminded me of the apricot cake I had at her shower. I took the recipe, tweaked it a bit and added apricots instead of apples. It was delicious. It is not as rich as a pound cake but has a similar feel. It is not too sweet so it can be eaten for breakfast and tea. Most importantly, it tastes delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. I served it with a mixture of creme fraiche and ricotta cheese. I decided to use creme fraiche because its thick and creamy. I added ricotta cheese for it’s great texture. Both mixed together made a really yummy accompaniment to the cake. I sweetened the whole thing with a bit of vanilla sugar.
Vanilla sugar can be bought but it is quite easy to make. Every time a recipe calls for a vanilla bean, I scrape the seeds out and save the rest. I add the emptied pods to a jar of sugar. After a week or so, the entire jar of sugar is flavored with the yummy vanilla taste. I always have some on hand – it’s a great way to flavor anything. Every morning my daughter, Sia get a bowl of berries topped with a bit of vanilla sugar- she loves it!
Easy Summer Dessert Recipe: Raspberry Cake
I have been making this cake for a few years now. I like it because it is quite easy to make and a little different- the berries are cooked into a thick sauce by adding cornstarch and then poured over the cake batter. I love how the berries sink into the cake and spread through out, resulting in a very appealing looking dessert. The initial recipe called for blueberries, which are delicious in the cake. I used raspberries this time, I love the tang and the color they impart. I also switched the regular flour with white whole wheat flour and regular sugar with evaporated cane sugar. It makes me feel good to be able to use healthier ingredients and still make a delicious dessert!
I made this dessert for a barbecue this past weekend. It worked really well- we sat outside and enjoyed the food and drinks. I didn’t think the kids would want the cake, but they all enjoyed it with their vanilla ice cream.
Speaking of ice cream- I was planning to buy some creme fraiche or whipping cream to serve with the cake- but then I saw a television show about fromage blanc. It’s a french style cheese made out of non-fat milk. It is usually mixed with honey since it has an edge to it- like goat cheese. It is then served with fresh fruit. Until recently it was hard to find fromage blanc around here, but now it is available at some stores- I found it at Whole Foods. I bought a small tub and added a bit of honey and lemon zest. The honey gave it a subtle sweetness and the lemon zest off set the tanginess of the cheese really well.
I loved the idea of serving the non-fat cheese with the raspberry cake. The flavors went really well. Although the cake is healthy, it does have a stick of butter- so, I felt a lot better serving fromage blanc- it has the creaminess of whipping cream without the calories but most importantly it has a different flavor- which I love- it’s nice to experiment a little and surprise your guests.