Mango & Tomato: breakfast

7/10/20

Crystallized Ginger, Dried Cherries & Tangerine Zest Buttermilk Scones

What can you do with crystallized ginger? That's the question my friend Sylvie asked me when we hung out this past Monday. SCONES was my answer.

Alas, her daughter did not feel like baking scones, so we made friendship bracelets, went on a walk to see turtles, had a dance party, watched episodes of Bluey, and made lasagna.

But the idea of scones lingered in my mind. I found a recipe for basic buttermilk scones on Wild Wild Whisk blog and added chopped crystallized ginger, dried cherries, and zest from 3 tiny tangerines.

The recipe could not be easier to follow. I wish I would have refrigerated the dough before cutting it into scones and also that I would have made them smaller. The scones turned out the size of my head (maybe a slight exaggeration!), and I'm planning on cutting them in half and freezing most of them.

These are slightly sweet with great crumbly texture, and a great flavor coming from the add ins. I'm looking forward to eating one of them Saturday morning with iced tea!

5/11/20

Garden Vegetable Focaccia

After seeing photos of gorgeously decorated focaccia all over social media, I finally decided to give it a try yesterday. After all, what else do I have to do Sunday during quarantine? I mean other than yoga, reading, sewing face masks, trying to keep anxiety in check, going for walks, chatting with friends and family, cooking, and admiring my plants....

Garden Vegetable Focaccia

I used a recipe I made 8 years ago, but instead of adding sauteed onions, grated cheese and herbs, I added these fun garden ingredients:

fresh asparagus, sliced lengthwise
pickled carrots I ordered from Phickles
parsley
dill
grape tomatoes, sliced in half
red onion, sliced into circles
mini peppers, sliced into circles

Use your favorite focaccia recipe and press your garden ingredients lightly into the dough after spreading focaccia onto your baking sheet.

Allow the dough to rise again for about 30 minutes lightly covered with a clean kitchen towel, then lightly brush the top of focaccia with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt before baking it in the oven.

I think my Garden Vegetable Focaccia turned out pretty!! It smelled amazing. I gave part of it to my friend who ate it to break her fast!!!

4/24/20

Kalamata Olive & Basil Challah With Sunflower Seeds

If it's Friday, it's time to bake challah! Kidding.

You can bake challah any day you want. You just need to have enough flour and yeast. Luckily, I had both. Unfortunately, something went wrong with my trusty recipe: maybe the yeast did not bloom? Maybe it was too cold inside my condo?

I had to add almost an extra cup of flour to stop the dough from being sticky. Also, it took almost 20 extra minutes to bake the challah in the oven.

What's going on!?!?

I also tried to make a 6 braid challah (that's the one on the left): it was quite a disaster. That's why I made a regular 3 braid challah with the remaining dough. Both lost their definition while baking.

But let's talk about what did work: the flavor!

Kalamata Olive & Basil Challah With Sunflower Seeds

1. Make your trusty regular challah recipe, but use sunflower oil instead of canola or vegetable oil. Try to find Ukrainian or Russian sunflower oil if you can.
2. Before braiding the challah, add 10 chopped kalamata olives (use paper towels to remove any extra moisture from the olives) and 5 chopped basil leaves.
3. After brushing unbaked challah with an egg wash, sprinkle the tops with sunflower seeds.

Here you go!

4/6/20

Sourdough Pickle & Scallion Pancakes With Creamy Spicy Mango Sauce

If you are following me on instagram or are friends with me in real life and on FB, you know that I have a new addition to my family: Bubbly Olguita. Who??? It's my sourdough starter!

I'll write more about Bubbly Olguita in upcoming posts. For now, let's just say it's been an interesting 12 day experiment, and she's now hibernating in my refrigerator until the days when it'll no longer be a big deal to procure flour.

One of the steps in the sourdough starter process is to discard part of the starter. There are many recipes for what to do with that starter, but I decided to make Sourdough Pickle & Scallion Pancakes With Creamy Spicy Mango Sauce after seeing
Dan's (aka The Food in my Beard) Pickle Pancakes. Dan uses flour and pickle juice in his pancakes with vinegar. I just used my starter straight up.

Dan's recipe has actual measurements. Mine are approximations.

Sourdough Pickle & Scallion Pancakes With Creamy Spicy Mango Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup sourdough starter
1 huge pickle, diced
2 scallions, sliced (more for garnish)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

olive oil

mayonnaise
mango chili sauce
soy sauce
sriracha

Directions
1. Combine sourdough starter, diced pickle, scallion, and cornstarch in a bowl.
2. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan. Pour batter into the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. {You can make many little pancakes or a few large ones.}
3. Meanwhile, combine equal amounts of mayonnaise and mango chili sauce in a small bowl. Add enough soy sauce and sriracha to satisfy your salty and spicy taste buds.
4. Serve sourdough pickle and scallion pancakes garnished with scallions and a side of spicy mango sauce.

These were spongy in the best way possible. I loved the crispy edges the most!

3/23/20

Vegan Overnight Oats

Week 2 of telework. Decided to keep some sense of normalcy in the days of Corona isolation by setting up overnight oats Sunday night to eat for breakfast Monday through Thursday.

Given that I'm eating breakfasts at home now instead of in my cubicle, I thought using an actual bowl (I actually made this one in a pottery class years ago) was in order.

Vegan Overnight Oats
Serves 1
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cups almond milk
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced
1 banana, peeled, sliced
handful blackberries

The night before, add oats, almond milk, and chia seeds into a container with a lid.

The morning of your breakfast, pour the oatmeal into a bowl and top with kiwis, bananas, and blackberries.

Clearly you can use any fruit or berries you like as well as nuts.

Feel free to drizzle syrup on top if you want something sweet.

2/20/20

Challah With Hibiscus Poached Pears, Yogurt, Blueberries & Pistachios

If you are like me and love a big breakfast, Challah With Hibiscus Poached Pears, Yogurt, Blueberries & Pistachios should appear on your table this weekend.

By appear, I mean, MAKE it for yourself.

Last weekend I saw a picture of Hibiscus Poached Pears on my friend Laura's instagram and knew I'd want to make them. I followed the recipe from Diana Henry loosely and loved the gorgeous color of the syrup and the pears, but wish it wasn't as sweet.

I then used the pears to pair with toasted challah, Greek yogurt topped with blueberries and pistachios, and drizzled the entire plate with the syrup.

Add freshly squeezed orange juice and hot coffee, and you are set!

1/27/20

Meatless Monday: Rice With Plantains, Fried Egg, And Avocado

I love leftovers (imagine Oprah's I love bread). One of the best things about not eating an entire meal at once is that you have a second meal to look forward to.

If you don't have enough leftovers to make an entire meal, you can add a few ingredients and turn the leftovers into an entirely new dish.

Over the weekend, my friend Jenn came and brought Peruvian chicken with yucca fries, rice, and plantains.

I turned the leftovers into a big breakfast, but you can easily eat it for lunch or dinner.

Meatless Monday: Rice With Plantains, Fried Egg, And Avocado

1. In a cast iron skillet, crisp up leftover rice in a bit of olive oil. Add defrosted peas.
2. Reheat plantains.
3. Add a fried egg.
4. Add a sliced avocado.
5. Drizzle with Peruvian green sauce and add a few spoons of salsa.

This was so satisfying!!!

12/9/19

Breakfast For Dinner: Baby Bella Toast With A Fried Egg

Sunday morning, after not being able to sleep in once again, I decided to treat myself to something other than an overnight oatmeal for breakfast and created Baby Bella Toast With A Fried Egg.

There's really not a recipe for this toast: it's more of an idea, but I think you'll like it, and it'll be perfect for a light Meatless Monday dinner.

My friends at Seasonal Roots send me a produce basket once a month and in return, I create a fun recipe and tell you all about it. If you've not tried them, you can use mangotomato code to receive a discount on your membership fee.

Last week's basket included baby bella mushrooms which inspired this dish.

1) Thinly slice bella mushrooms and onion.
2) Heat a swirl of olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and onions and saute slowly until they have browned. Don't overcrowd the pan. Don't rush. Don't burn the mushrooms.
3) Season with salt.
4) Meanwhile, fry an egg.
5) Toast a slice of olive oil and rosemary bread and smear it with hummus.
6) Top with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a fried egg, a bit more salt, and chopped parsley.
7) Drizzle with green chile hot sauce.

12/4/19

Cranberry Sauce With Asian Pears & Orange Zest

Why is it that we only eat cranberry sauce once a year for Thanksgiving? It's such a vibrant, versatile, and beautiful sauce or condiment or topping!

Last week I concocted a large batch of Cranberry Sauce With Asian Pears & Orange Zest for my friend Jazmin's Thanksgiving dinner and have been eating leftovers on top of yogurt, mixed into overnight oats, and added to sandwiches.

My cranberry sauce uses half the sugar usually called on packages of cranberries and has a great freshness from an Asian pear and orange zest.

Cranberry Sauce With Asian Pears & Orange Zest

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups cranberries
1 small Asian pear, peeled, cut into tiny cubes
zest of 1/2 orange

Directions
1. In a medium sized sauce pan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Add cranberries, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Turn the heat off and add Asian pear and orange zest.

That's all. You are done. Do not reheat the sauce.

I made 4 times the recipe and it was enough for 14 people with leftovers. In the picture above, I added the sauce to plain yogurt and home made granola.

11/25/19

How To Make Granola At Home: Pumpkin Seeds & Sunflower Seeds Granola Recipe

How to make granola at home? Well, first get yourself a twin sister who has been making granola at home for years. Then, finally decide to ask her for the recipe. Then, finally JUST DO IT.

If you don't have a twin sister, I'm sorry :) I'll share with you a recipe I adapted from the one Anna shared with me.

Pumpkin Seeds & Sunflower Seeds Granola Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1-2 teaspoons extract of your choice (I used almond because that's the only one I had)
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup craisins
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. On a large cookie sheet combine the first seven ingredients. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing periodically.
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and bake for 5 more minutes.
4. Serve immediately on top of plain yogurt with fresh pomegranate or berries.
5. Otherwise, allow to cool and store in a tightly closed jar.

This was such an easy recipe to make. Of course the possibilities are endless: you can avoid the sugar all together and/or add nuts, other dried fruit, or even chocolate chips!

9/30/19

Vegan Overnight Oatmeal With Strawberries & Crystallized Ginger

Oh hi there another Monday! Fancy seeing you here again. My usual Monday-Thursday breakfast in my cubicle is 2 Wasa crackers with smashed avocado and coffee, but for the last week I've tried something different: overnight oatmeal!

This is the second time I'm giving this concoction a chance: the first one was rather unsatisfactory, but perhaps my taste buds have changed.

My twin Anna and my friend Jenny have been making overnight oats for ages, and I finally decided to give this idea another try.

I found out I did not like the combination of yogurt and milk as it made the texture gluey. I now use almond milk!

Vegan Overnight Oatmeal With Strawberries & Crystallized Ginger

Serves 1

1/2 cup oats (regular, not instant)
3/4 cups almond milk
toasted almonds, chopped
crystallized ginger, chopped
strawberries, chopped
bourbon maple syrup

Add oats and milk to a glass jar. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Add your toppings in the morning.
Stir.

Other combinations to try:
walnuts and grapes
pecans and apples
hazelnuts and pears

Have you tried overnight oatmeal?

9/23/19

Savory Yogurt Bowl With Chimichurri & Vegetables

Bowls, Bowls, Bowls! They are everywhere: quinoa bowls, burrito bowls, oatmeal bowls, etc. Have you ever had a savory yogurt bowl though? Why not!?

Over the weekend, I visited one of my best friends and her husband grilled churrsaco (Argentinean steak) for dinner, while we made chimichurri, smashed potatoes, and a salad to round up the menu.

I had some chimichurri left, and used it to make a savory yogurt bowl!

Savory Yogurt Bowl With Chimichurri & Vegetables

Greek yogurt
radishes, sliced
cherry tomatoes, halved
olives, halved
chimichurri
salt
WASA crackers

1. Spoon Greek yogurt into a handmade ceramic bowl.
2. Add vegetables and olives.
3. Spoon over chimichurri.
4. Season with salt.
5. Serve with WASA crackers.

This turned out bright and flavorful and gorgeous, if I say so myself.

You can use whichever vegetables you like and also add fresh herbs. Or even an egg!

9/3/19

Spam, Potato & Pepper Hash With A Fried Egg

It may be hard to believe, but I've been thinking about making Spam, Potato & Pepper Hash With A Fried Egg for several days.

It all started after I saw my friend Jazmin post a photo of SPAM at a Minnesota State Fair. I've not had SPAM in ages and decided to buy it. The timing was somewhat perfect as I just had a dental surgery and needed to eat something soft. Oy.

I also had a leftover baked potato, which I think is the perfect potato to use for a hash because it's already cooked! Undercooked potatoes are one of my biggest pet peeves.

The photo above is my breakfast from yesterday because I had a day off and love to have a big ass breakfast on such an occasion.

Spam, Potato & Pepper Hash With A Fried Egg

olive oil
onion, diced
green pepper, diced
SPAM, diced
baked potato, diced
salt & pepper
fried egg
ketchup

Start by sauteing onion and pepper in a skillet heated with olive oil.

Once the vegetables are tender, add SPAM and potatoes and season with salt (just a bit!) and black pepper. Continue sauteing until SPAM and potatoes are crispy.

Serve with a fried egg on top: I prefer mine to have a soft yolk.

Ketchup is optional. Feel free to use hot sauce or sriracha.

Do YOU love SPAM?

2/5/19

Tater Tot Tuesday: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole With Italian Sausage & Peppers

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole With Italian Sausage & Peppers is a great one skillet brunch or breakfast dish to make to share with friends, or can be an easy dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day.

You know about Taco Tuesday, but what about Tater Tot Tuesday? Let's start this new movement ;)

This past Sunday, a few friends came for brunch at my place, and I decided to make up my own version of a tater tot breakfast casserole after seeing quite a few versions on line.

First, I knew I wanted to make the entire casserole in one dish instead of browning the meat in a skillet and then transferring to a baking dish.

Second, I did not understand why some recipes put the tater tots on the bottom: who wants soggy tater tots?

Finally, instead of prepping all the ingredients first, I chopped peppers and onions while the Italian sausage was cooking, and shredded the cheese while the peppers and onions were sauteing: this saved me so much time!

Tater Tot Tuesday: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole With Italian Sausage & Peppers
Serves 6

Ingredients
16 ounces Italian mild sausage
2 orange peppers
1 onion
salt & pepper
8 ounce block cheese (I used a combination of Mozzarella and Cheddar)
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
28 ounce bag frozen tater tots
parsley, chopped

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large oven-proof skillet, brown Italian sausage.
3. Meanwhile, dice the peppers and the onion.
4. Remove the sausage into a bowl, and use the skillet to saute the peppers and onion seasoned with salt and pepper until tender, about 10 minutes. Depending on the fat content of the sausage, you may need to add a bit of olive oil to the skillet.
5. Meanwhile, shred the cheese.
6. Add the browned sausage back into the skillet.
7. In the bowl that held the sausage, whisk the eggs with the milk, season with salt and pepper, and add all but 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
8. Pour the egg mixture over the pepper/onion/sausage mixture.
9. Layer tater tots in concentric circles.
10. Bake the casserole for 45 minutes.
11. Remove the casserole from the oven and evenly top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes.
12. Top with parsley.

before

My Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole was a huge success! You can vary the recipe by adding mushrooms or broccoli and changing the types of cheese you use. The leftovers reheat quite well.

This is my table setting: flowers are a must!

10/9/18

Quick & Easy: Fried Egg, Sweet Plantains & Avocado

Some meals are planned. Others are thrown together in minutes. At least that's how I cook.

Yesterday, I had a day off, lunch was put together in minutes from a bunch of random ingredients I had on hand.

Quick & Easy: Fried Egg, Sweet Plantains & Avocado

1. Defrosted cooked white beans became a white bean dip with a bit of salt, bean cooking liquid, chili powder, and fresh basil.

2. Fried egg.

3. Frozen and baked plantains from the night before were reheated in the same skillet with the fried egg.

4. Cut up tomato and avocado were sprinkled with a bit of salt.

5. Everything got a bit of a freshness kick from the lime juice.

Quick and easy!

9/28/18

Weekend Breakfast: Challah French Toast And Bacon

Who is ready for the weekend!? I know I am.

I wanted to share with you an awesome, super non Kosher, breakfast I made a few weekends ago from the freezer!

Weekend Breakfast: Challah French Toast And Bacon

You see, earlier this month I made an apple and date studded round challah for Rosh Hashannah and had my friend Sarah over with her son to help me celebrate. I sent Sarah home with a chunk of challah for her husband Nick, and froze the rest after slicing it.

In my freezer, I also had individually wrapped slices of bacon. I defrosted both the challah and the bacon overnight, and made breakfast in the morning.

For the bacon, I highly recommend you bake it in the oven on a wire rack set into a baking dish. I sprinkled mine with Cajun spice mix and baked at 430F for about 10 minutes on each side.

The challah French toast is super easy: eggs whisked with a bit of half and half. Challah slices dunked and cooked for about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Have a great weekend!

PS I used Molly Yeh's recipe for the scallion challah, minus the scallions and other extra flavors. I simply added about 3/4 of an apple, diced, and 12 dates also diced.

7/17/18

Cajun Smoked Salmon Salad Recipe

Love smoked salmon? Looking for something more fun than plain cream cheese to schmear on your bagel? Then you need to try my Cajun Smoked Salmon Salad Recipe.

You want to buy Cajun Flavored Smoked Salmon that comes in one piece instead of sliced smoke salmon. If you can't find Cajun Flavored Smoked Salmon, get regular smoked salmon that comes in a large unsliced piece and add some of this spice mix.

Cajun Smoked Salmon Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Cajun Flavor Smoked Salmon, flaked
zest of a lemon
finely chopped Vidalia onion
chopped cilantro
lemon juice to taste
enough mayonnaise to combine

I know...there are no amounts listed. I wasn't planning on blogging about this, but my friend Laura said I should. Trust your gut and add as much or as little of each ingredient as you wish. Combine them all in a bowl.

This salad is incredibly flavorful and yet light. I had it with an everything bagel, tomatoes and cucumbers.

4/23/18

Meatless Monday: Asparagus, Broccoli & Chevre Frittata Adapted From Ellie Krieger

Spring is finally in the air! Why not make a frittata to celebrate? I adapted Ellie Krieger's recipe by using dill instead of chives, adding broccoli, using more chevre (goat cheese) and topping the final dish with tomatoes.

This frittta is easy to make, can be served hot or at room temperature, and makes for great leftovers.

Plus, the title is fun: ABC (Asparagus, Broccoli, Chevre)!

Meatless Monday: Asparagus, Broccoli & Chevre Frittata Adapted From Ellie Krieger
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe on Washington Post

Ingredients for 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, thick ends discarded, the rest cut into 1" pieces
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped and washed well
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
7 large eggs
1/4 cup milk (use whatever fat % you like)
salt & pepper to taste
4 ounces chevre (goat cheese) broken into big pieces
1/4 cup chopped dill
2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in an oven proof pan. Add asparagus, broccoli, and leeks and saute for 8 minutes on medium heat. Stir in parsley.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with milk, salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables.
3. Cook frittata over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. You want the eggs to set around the edges but not in the center of the frittata.
4. While the eggs are cooking, preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the top.
5. Arrange chevre chunks on top of the frittata and broil for 2 to 3 minutes. Don't burn!
6. Top the finished frittata with dill and tomato slices.

3/16/18

Weekend Inspirations: Ricotta, Cucumber & Hard Boiled Egg Toast

If you, like me, are dreaming of the weekend and a big breakfast with a mug of coffee, and maybe a cactus (because why not?), I have just the idea for you!

Ricotta, Cucumber & Hard Boiled Egg Toast

1) Start with home baked bread
2) Toast the bread and slather it with ricotta
3) Season with truffle salt: why not be fancy?
4) Add sliced Persian cucumbers
5) Add 8 minute hard boiled egg (the center of the egg is not completely cooked)
6) More truffle salt
7) Add halved cherry tomatoes
8) Serve with coffee

3/5/18

An Ode To Molly Yeh's Scallion Pancake Challah: Meatless Monday

It's the second week of March. How are your New Year resolutions coming along? I'm doing pretty good when it comes to making new recipes. Here's one I made last week: Molly Yeh's Scallion Pancake Challah. I saw this recipe on food52, printed it out, and made it with just a few changes.

This challah was so easy to make: only one rise, no complicated ingredients, AND it has scallions in the middle of each braid part. The toasted sesame seed oil gives the challah a hint of unexpected fragrance, and I used the everything but the bagel Trader Joe's spice mix to round up the flavors.

Look at the texture!! I would add a bit more salt next time I make this recipe. 2/3rds of the loaf are safe in my freezer because I know myself: I would not be able to resist eating the whole thing in just a few days.

Over the weekend, I made breakfast of toasted challah slices with an Israeli inspired salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and white onions; hummus, and a hard boiled egg. And coffee. By the way, shout out to Melissa Maya Pottery who made this gorgeous mug I bought as a Hanukkah present from my parents. LOVE it.

Here's to more successful recipes!!

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