Focaccia Breakfast Rollups

These focaccia wraps were a very nice change from our usual breakfast. Usually we have something pretty simple, a.k.a,. fast for breakfast around here. When I do make something heartier on the weekends it's usually breakfast burritos or something of the like. I actually got this idea from a Starbuck's while Jim and I were out of town a while ago. They had a very simple, egg white, cheese ( i forget which kind) and spinach focaccia roll up. Of course these are much heartier, full of more veggies and of course way less expensive!

I was very happy with the result!

 You can't tell by looking at them, but the focaccia wraps were a very yummy change from tortillas

Ingredients:  (spinach or any of your fav veggies will work!)

Eggs, herbed feta, Leeks, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, asparagus, focaccia wraps,

 EVOO, Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper.

Putting it all together:

In a large non-stick skillet ( not teflon) heat 1 tablespoon EVOO over med-high heat.

Chop the white parts of the leeks and rinse very well in a collander.

 (leeks are roots and hide dirt in their layers)

Cut the ends off the asparagus and discard (about the bottom 1/4). Chop the remaining tops into thirds.

Add chopped bacon and asparagus to saute pan. Cook about 3 minutes.

 Add chopped leeks and chopped mushrooms. Cook 1-2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, whisk desired amount of eggs in a small bowl with 1 tabelspoon water and the feta.

Add eggs to saute pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Using a rubber spatula, slide eggs towards center of pan, working your way around.

 Transfer ingredients to a bowl.

Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Return to heat. Lower to medium heat and add 1 tabelspoon EVOO.

* I warm my focaccia in microwave for about 10 seconds to make them more pliable.

Fill  wraps with cooked ingredients.

Fold bottom of foccacia up and then sides, making an envelope with an open top.

Gently transfer to pan, folded side down. Cook about 1-2 minutes just to seal the wrap.

* Serve with fresh fruit!

**(always eat something RAW and a MUFA before/with your meals)

I just wanted to show you the folded/sealed side, not pretty I know ;-)

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Chitarra alla Carbonara

My husband and I went to this restaurant, PastaBar, in downtown Phoenix several months ago. I can't stop thinking about their food. I'm not a huge pasta fan, but this place was awesome! It was a place I never would have walked into given that it has a very modest exterior and is tucked away from the mainstream downtown businesses. Thankfully, my husbands boss Janie, whom I adore, lives downtown and knows good food! She had taken her group, including my husband to the PastaBar for lunch and my husband said I would love it. The man knows me. ;-)  I was imediately in love with the romantic, quaint setting inside. I am in love with unique, good quality appetizers. PastaBar's appetizer menu was right up my alley. Luckily,  I found myself there a little early during happy hour, half price appetizers. Yay me!  I  had fun ordering a few delicious appetizers like their version of salad caprese/bruschetta was to die for; Buffalo Mozzarella, basil pesto, heirloom tomatoes, anchovies served on toasted baguettes. I also had a plate of local grown, assorted olives. Oh, and of course a glass of wine. 

Their philosophy at the PataBar is to use quality ingredients from Local farmers and ranchers which I love! Heirloom tomatoes, a wide variety of eggs, local honey, micro greens and herbs, lamb, apples and cider just to name a few.  I love it!

So, as I was saying. I really liked the idea of the Chitarra alla Carbonara, which literally translates to
"Guitar Pasta", not sure why.  Anyway, it is a freshly made pasta with tempered eggs and usually prociutto or pancetta crumbled throughout the pasta.While this pasta was very good, it was also very, very rich. So, I decided to try making a healthier version. I am very excited to say that it turned out fabulous! I had them add asparagus to mine and did the same at home. I just have to have my veggies! I'll bet they're making it that way now. ;-)

The key I believe is to use quality, fresh ingredients. Especially when it comes to the cheese and wine. I would have loved to use organic, fresh brown eggs but alas, I can not afford to. Also, be sure not to overcook your pasta or asparagus!!! This dish is all about fresh, summery crisp goodness. Also, this is FANTASTIC the next day cold!!!

Bon Appetit!

SERVES  8-10     TIME  20 MINUTES

Ingredients:

1 pound semolina spagetti

1 pound thin asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces on an angle (discard the ends)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 pound Canadian bacon ( or Italian bacon such as prosciutto or pancetta)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine4 egg yolks, beaten ( save the egg whites for an omelet in the mrng)

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated in very thin strips

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente.Drain, reserving 1 & 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is boiling, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the bacon and asparagus and saute for 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the garlic for 2 minutes.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan by scraping the browned bits off the bottom with a flat spoon or spatula. Cook about 1 minute until wine is reduced slightly. Don't over cook!! Do this part quickly so as not to overcook the asparagus. Lower the heat to the lowest setting. Add drained pasta, cheese, thyme and lemon juice. Gently toss to mix.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the still hot, reserved pasta cooking water with the beaten egg yolks to temper the eggs. Pour in the egg mixture and toss with two big spoons to thicken the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve with a glass of chilled white wine!   Bellisimo!

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So Simple Frittata

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

This is a mother's day inspired post because this dish is one of my favorites!
There are a lot of very pretty frittata recipes out there! I love it! This one is very simple and super yummy.
A frittata is an Italian dish similar to an omelete or quiche. I love them because they are so versatile.

• You can put any veggies you have on hand into your frittata to change up the taste a bit.
• You can add the traditional pancetta or prosciutto or add ham, canadian bacon, turkey bacon etc to make it more hearty.
• You can use whole eggs or egg whites to make it lighter
• You can use any cheese you want for a different taste, ricotta, swiss, pepper jack, goat, gruyere etc
• You can use different fresh herbs to make for a completley different taste; chives, thyme, basil, parsley
• You can have frittata for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner
• A frittata can be made simple for a last minute meal or very easily made into a pretty dish for a great get together brunch.
• Perfect for an end of the week meal when you've run out of ideas, ingredients and energy to cook.
• It makes for great leftovers for a quick, healthy breakfast.
• KIDS LOVE FRITTATAS!  

You will need:

12 large eggs

2 TBSP water

1 cup frozen spring peas

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 small bunch asparagus

1 TBSP fresh parsley

1 TBSP fresh thyme

1/2 TBSP no salt added butter

1 tsp EVOO

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Trader Joes 21 season salute or Herbamare

Putting it all together:


Rinse asparagus under cold water. Cut the bottom 1/4 of the asparagus off and discard. Cut the remaining stalks into thirds. Pat dry. Put into cast iron skillet, sprinkle with kosher salt and roast at 400° for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, set aside. Turn heat up to Broil.

In a medium bowl crack eggs and whisk together with 2 TBSP water, cheese, asparagus, peas, spices and herbs.

In a large non-stick (not teflon), OVEN SAFE pan heat butter over medium heat. Saute chopped onion for about 3 minutes. Add egg mixture. With a small spatula or flat spoon, push eggs towards center, working your way around the pan once or twice.

Put pan into oven on top rack about 6 inches from top. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook! Eggs will continue to cook after you remove from oven and will be dry if you cook them to long.

Remove from oven and shake pan a little to loosen frittata. 

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Tuna and White Bean Cakes with Shaved Spring Asparagus and a Light, Lemon Tarragon Sauce {gluten free}

Question.  How do you make crab cakes when you're craving them like nobodies business but you   a.) don't have any crab and  b.) are on a budget? 

Answer.  You doll up some tuna with fresh herbs, lemon and shaved asparagus, dip it by the forkful with no shame into a tangy lemon, tarragon yogurt sauce and wash it down with a glass of Pinot Grigio.


Delima averted.





Then, just to gloat, you tell yourself that you are being super health conscience because you ate a practically perfect meal by utilizing the antioxidants in the wine and gave your body a good dose of healthy Omega 3's which are hard to come by these days, thereby forgetting all about the fact that you aren't  in fact  having crab cakes.  Pssshhhh, who needs em?

These tuna cakes are easy enough for a Monday night dinner -- or in my case a Tuesday night dinner. Tuesday's, without fail, are the crazy busiest Orthopedic days in surgery for some reason. Coincidentally (or not) it's also when people tend to call in sick, have some sort of emergency or just decide to spend the day soaking up the Spring sunshine (I would choose option 3 but I'm too chicken to make it happen).


This particular Tuesday provided to be all of the above plus an added curve ball. Seeing as we were short staffed (more than usual) I didn't get to work with the Ortho Doc who I usually assist during Makoplasty surgeries. Instead, I ended up doing total hips and knees with a Dr. I hardly ever work with meaning I couldn't rely on my "Auto Pilot" and had to use my memory/mommy brain instead....  at least until my coffee kicked in.... around noon. Not good.


My point,  I am mentally and physically and in all other ways exhausted on most every Tuesday. These tuna cakes are just a tad bit more complicate that spaghetti and meatballs or in our house, spaghetti and Italian sausage. You get the point. They are super easy to throw together.


A few chopped veggies and herbs thrown in a bowl with an egg and a can of tuna and you have yourself a  not so  fancy meal.

How can you not add asparagus to every meal during the Spring? Wait, am I the only one who worships this gorgeous veggie? No wonder since it's cousins are onion and garlic! 

I pulse a bit more than half of the white beans in my food processor and reserve some to add texture. 

Instead of using bread crumbs which you already know are high in gluten and cause bloating, stomach fat and various other ailments, I used finely chopped veggies and green onion and  nutritional yeast to bind the ingredients together. As you can see, they formed patties quite nicely.

If I had to pick one one of my top 3 favorite kitchen tools, my stone baking pan would and will be on the list forever! It browns veggie patties quickly and evenly using NO added oil and cleans by scraping with a spatula and hot water. Good bye fryer! 

{If you are at all interested in purchasing a stone baking sheet or any of my other favorite kitchen gadgets or ingredients, please consider buying through Simply Healthy Family's 'Store' and help support this blog. It's very much appreciated!} 

Using a simple veggie peeler, shave thin strips of asparagus and pile on top of your cooked tuna cakes. There is no need to cook or even blanch the asparagus, it tastes amazing when shaved into such thin strips and pairs perfectly with these tuna cakes. In fact, I found myself nibbling on my pile of curled asparagus while admiring the beautiful purple and green of my favorite vegetable.

Oh, you'll want to cut off the very tips of the asparagus, the spear, and save it for tomorrows salad or stir fry. The tips don't shave well but are conveniently most peoples favorite part.

This light and tangy dressing is the key to these tuna cakes.  I must admit that however healthy and flavorful they are, tuna cakes as well as any other fish cake are a bit dry without some sort of sauce to jazz it up. It makes a mundane meal extraordinary.

Crab cakes usually come with some version of aioli paired with them not only to compliment the flavors, but to add moisture. My tuna cakes are no exception. Instead of aioli, which base is mayo (if you know me, I can't stand mayo) I made a thick and creamy yogurt lemon-tarragon sauce to spoon on top of my cakes.  Not sure which I ate more of, the tuna cakes or the sauce.

TIME    30 MINUTES        SERVES    4-6

INGREDIENTS

2, 6 oz cans of Chunk Light Tuna, drained

1 cup cooked (or 1 can, drained and rinsed) cannellini beans

1 lemon, juiced 

2 eggs

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

2 tablespoons green onion, finely diced

1/4 cup carrot, grated finely (optional, adds sweetness)

2 tablespoons green onion, finely diced

 4 asparagus spears (tips removed and saved for future use) 

2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast

1 tablespoon dried Tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

 1 cup Greek yogurt 

1 lemon (from above) zested

1 tablespoon dried Tarragon

pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F

In a food processor, pulse 3/4 of the beans until smooth. Spoon beans into a large bowl and add remaining whole beans. Add tuna, eggs, lemon, bell pepper, onion, nutritional yeast, tarragon, salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. 

Using hands, shape mixture into small patties and place onto stone baking sheet or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Flip patties over and cook another5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lemon tarragon sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. 

Shave asparagus as instructed above. 

Remove tuna patties from oven and place on plate.  Dollop with lemon, tarragon sauce and top with shaved asparagus.

Serve with a side of mixed Spring field greens and chilled Pinot Grigio.

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Fish en Parchment 101 with Asian Veggies and Miso Sauce

This is for all of you fish lovers and haters as well. I stand by my theory that if you don't like seafood it's because you probably haven't had it properly cooked. Just a theory. Maybe you don't even realize that you've been over cooking your fish all this time. It's really easy to over cook fish, even a couple of minutes to long in the oven will dry it out. Most fish, especially the delicate white fish varieties and salmon is best served just cooked long enough that it flakes when you put a fork in it. Generally speaking, white fish should be cooked about 8 minutes per inch of thickness in an oven heated at 375F-400F.  

If you're worried about food safety and heating your fish thoroughly so you tend to over cook your fish, then this cooking method is for you. Cooking fish in parchment paper is one of my favorite ways to enjoy one of my favorite foods. It locks in moisture and flavor and it is harder to over cook your fish. Also it makes for a super quick clean up. 

Use your favorite fish, I used Hake:

Hake

Sole

Flounder

Tilapia

Red Snapper

Salmon

Halibut

Add a variety of your favorite Veggies, I used these:

In a deep baking dish, place a square of parchment about 8 inches.

Add your denser veggies on the bottom to act as a trivet and to cook them faster.

Place your fish on top and lightly season with salt, pepper, herbs and red chili flakes if you like.

Top with your other veggies

Pour about 1/4 cup of Veggie broth into the bottom of the parchment making sure the sides are folded up.

You can also add some white wine and/or lemon or lime juice if you like.

Now, fold the ends of the paper over the fish while pulling up one side.

Grab the other side of the paper and gently roll just enough to secure the contents. 

You want a bit of air in the 'basket' so will steam.

Place the dish in an oven pre-heated to 400F. and cook for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness

and density of the fish you are using. So tilapia and sole will take less time to cook then Hake or Halibut.

Enjoy your pretty little individually wrapped seafood dinner with some brown rice and {organic} miso sauce.

After dinner enjoy the fact that you don't have to scrub a baked on messy casserole dish.

For the miso sauce:

Choose an organic miso paste in the refrigerated section of your specialty store or Asian market. There are  a few different types of miso, yellow, red and brown. Yellow being the mildest flavor. Miso will keep in your fridge for a very long time, like 8 months or so and you can use it to flavor fish and veggies as well as add to soups. It is a fermented soy paste and is very, very good for your digestive tract and over all health. It can also be made from rice or barley.  Because it is fermented with a B12-synthesizing bacteria, miso has been commonly recommended as a B12 source for vegans.

You do NOT want to cook miso or it will destroy the live cultures in it which are what makes it good for you.


Warm  a cup of water for a minute, you should be able to touch it with the back of your finger to make sure it's not to hot.  Put a spoonful or two of miso paste in a bowl and add the water a few tablespoon's at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Nutrients in
Miso
1.00 oz (17.19 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

tryptophan9.3%

manganese7.5%

vitamin K6.3%

protein4%

dietary fiber3.7%

copper3.5%

omega 3 fatty acids3.3%

zinc2.9%

choline2.9%

Calories (34)1%

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