A Vacation Meal to Tide You Over

Thought that I would tantalize you with an easy meal that has become my "Breakfast of Champions", which I have repeatedly enjoyed during my time in Australia. The best part? It's easy enough to make when half asleep and only takes one pan to allow for easy cleanup. High in protein and vitamines, this meal will leave you feeling satisfied until lunch without skimping on big taste.

Breakfast of Champions with bok choy

Also, who says that breakfast is the only time to eat breakfast? This meal works well for lunch or dinner because of the rich flavors and lack of fillers. I love cooking foods without added oils and if your bacon is too fatty, simply drain some of the fat before cooking the other ingredients. Mmmm, just thinking about this hearty, yet surprisingly healthy, meal makes me hungry. Bon Apetite, until next time.

Breakfast of Champions
Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 pieces of thick cut bacon, cut in half to fit easily into the pan
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms (get the pre-chopped to save on time)
5 oz baby spinach (that's half a bag) or chopped kale or chopped bok choy
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat a skillet over medium to low heat until warm. Add bacon.
2. When bacon has released some of the liquid fats and is sizzling, move bacon to the middle so that there is space to crack eggs into the pan on one side and cook the mushrooms on the other side.
3. When eggs start to solidify, add greens to mushroom side of pan and flip the bacon to prevent charring.
4. The meal is done when the whites of the eggs are completely solidified, the mushrooms are gray, the greens have turned a dark green and wilted without releasing too much water, and the bacon is cooked fully without being charred. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Note: the directions for these eggs and bacon are for runny eggs and floppy bacon; if you want over-easy eggs, flip the egg and keep cooking; for crispy bacon, keep flipping bacon to prevent burning while cooking bacon to a crisp consistency. Don't over cook the mushrooms ro spinach.

Jessie's Last Day Before Hiatus

Good morning gentle readers. Today is my last lunch before I leave you for about three months. While I'm gone, Patricia will be cooking fantastic meals for you; please give her the consideration you have given me while she adjusts to the position. As a special treat, I will be making mussels in a white wine broth. To accompany the mussels I made broccolini, a mixed greens salad featuring dried cranberries, and sautéed chicken for those that don't enjoy shellfish. A nice french bread is perfect for sopping up the sauce. Enjoy.

Mussels in a White Wine Sauce
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
6 shallots, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups white wine (choose something you would drink)
1 bunch parsley, chopped
6 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/2 tsp salt
3 loaves french bread, sliced

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, melt the butter.
2. Add shallots and garlic, saute until things start to smell good.
3. Add wine, parsley, and salt, bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer until flavors have combined, about 5 minutes.
5. Add mussels, increase heat to high, and cover.
6. Cook until the mussels open, stirring a couple of times to get them even, about 5 minutes.
7. Serve mussels in a bowl with some of the broth and the bread. If you're gluten free, try sweet potato fries as a substitute.

Broccolini
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 lbs broccolini
everyday seasoning, to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot heat a few inches of water and as much broccolini as will reasonably fit in the pot over high heat. Cover.
2. Steam the broccolini until it is a vibrant emerald green and they start to smell yummy.
3. Set aside broccolini and season with everyday seasoning.
4. If there is more broccolini, repeat steps 1-3 with the same water.

Sautéed Chicken
Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 lbs chicken breast tenders
2 Tbs olive oil
2-3 Tbs liquid aminos (I use Brags) or soy sauce.

Preparation:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat until it starts to smell like olives but not smoking.
2. Carefully place the chicken into the pan so you don't splash yourself.
3. Cook chicken until it is turning white around the edges when looking down on it and the bottom has some browned bits.
4. Flip chicken and cover with aminos. Cook until no longer pink in middle of the thickest piece.

Mixed Greens Salad Featuring Dried Cranberries
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 large box mixed herb salad
2 large handfuls dried cranberries
1 large handful roasted pumpkin seeds
1 large handful parmesan cheese
2-3 Tbs red wine rosemary dressing

Preparation:
1. Dress the greens so that the leaves are evenly covered but not drowning.
2. Layer toppings over the dressed greens.

London Broil with Mushrooms and Grilled Onions, Bell Peppers with Sautéed Greens, Brown Rice, Lemon Mustard Salad

London Broil with Mushrooms and Grilled Onions
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 lbs London broil
1 package sliced cremini mushrooms
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Season meat with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until warm but not smoking.
3. Cook meat until browned on both sides.
4. Set aside meat to rest and heat 2 more Tbs oil int he pan.
5. Saute onions until golden brown and soft.
6. Set aside onions and cube the meat so that people can portion control better.
7. Heat 2 more Tbs oil in the pan and saute mushrooms until they are done on one side, flip, and return meat and onions to the pan.
8. Cook until the mushrooms are done and the meat is reheated.

Bell Peppers with Sautéed Greens
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
3 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 bags super greens
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Saute peppers until fragrant, set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tbs oil the pot over high heat and saute the greens in batches so that nothing gets over cooked; for each batch use enough oil to coat the bottom to prevent sticking, about 2 Tbs oil, and stir constantly. Remove each batch once everything has changed a darker green.
4. Combine peppers and greens and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Mustard Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
2 Tbs honey
3 Tbs stone ground mustard
3-5 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs water
fresh ground pepper
1 large box spring greens
1 avocado, pitted and cubed
1 carton blackberries
2 Tbs mixed seeds
2 Tbs sliced almonds

Preparation:
1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients, adjusting until a fantastic dressing is achieved.
2. Dress the greens so that all of the leaves are covered but not drowning.
3. Layer toppings on the salad so that they don't all fall to the bottom.

Roasted Leg of Lamb, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Tomato Salad

Today I was feeling like something a little special to end the week on, so I decided to roast a leg of lamb. To accompany the main meat dish, I decided to do a slight twist on the traditional mashed potatoes by making them with sweet potatoes instead of the typical russet. To lighten the dish up and help everyone get over the holiday gluttony, I made a mock caprese salad (I just dropped the mozzarella) with cherry tomatoes. Bon apetite.

Roasted Leg of Lamb
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 lbs boneless leg of lamb
8 cloves garlic
4 sprigs mint, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut slits in the meat and stick in the garlic.
3. Cover with salt, pepper, and mint.
4. Roast in a deep baking pan until this interior is 140 degrees F, about 20 minutes per pound.
5. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Serves 12

Ingredients:
6 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 cups lactose free milk
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, stem removed and minced
2 Tbs lactose free butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Place potatoes into a large pot and fill with water until potatoes are just covered.
2. Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain and return potatoes to pot.
4. Use a potato masher and mash potatoes, add other ingredients and continue mashing until desired consistency and flavor is achieved. The milk makes the potatoes fluffy, but too much makes them soupy, so add milk incrementally.

Tomato Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 cartons cherry tomatoes in various colors to add interest
1 package basil, stemmed and chopped
2-3 Tbs olive oil
2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Combine tomatoes and basil.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss to combine.
Optional: Add mozzarella cubes for more flavor and fill to this dish.

Patricia making lunch

Good morning gang. Patricia is, once again, gracing us with her delicious cooking to determine if she really wants to take over my position while I'm gone and if you guys really want her to be my replacement. I will be posting a picture of her lunch when she kindly brings me a plate after all of you have been fed and we will share her recipes here with you. Let us know what you think.

Pasta Salad and Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe

Yesterday while I was shopping I came across a fantastic product: veggie pasta. What the heck is that, you might ask? Veggie pasta is regular pasta with concentrated veggies added to the dough, like tomato, spinach, mushrooms, and more. the picture on the box inspired me to make pasta salad, which I think is a great way to get in all the veggies that make this comfort food into something healthy too. For the gluten free and lactose free constituency I made quinoa pasta and just cut out the feta. To accompany the pasta I made prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe, a delicious blend of salty and sweet.

Pasta Salad
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 12oz boxes of rotini veggie pasta (or other shaped pasta you have lying around)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs water
1/2 cup olive oil

2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
2 orange bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jar julienned roasted red peppers, drained
2 cans of green olives, drained
1 bag of super greens, chopped
1 package of crumbled feta

Preparation:
1. Cook the pasta and drain it according to the directions on the box.
2. In a container with a lid combine vinegar, water, and oil. Place lid on and shake until emulsified.
3. Mix together all ingredients so that everything is evenly coated with vinaigrette. Serve cool or warm.


Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe
Serves 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cantaloupes, seeded rind removed and chopped
3 packaged of prosciutto
Toothpicks

Preparation:
1. Wrap mellon in a small amount of prosciutto and skewer with a toothpick to hold meat in place.
2. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Simmered Chicken Breast, Sautéed Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Brown Rice

A request has been made for more meat heavy meals, so I made over 6 lbs of chicken. I'm not sure if you knew this, but a serving size of meat is 3 oz, or about the size of a deck of cards. At half a pound per person todays meal is almost three times the recommended serving of meat. To balance this abundance of meat I have paired the chicken with caramelized onions, sautéed kale and brown rice.

Simmered Chicken Breast
Makes 6 lbs

Ingredients:
6 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs sweet and spicy marinade
2 Tbs liquid aminos
pepper to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add chicken, marinade, and liquid aminos to the pot, stir frequently until there is no visible pink on the chicken.
3. Turn to low and cook until the largest piece is no longer pink in the middle.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken pieces from liquid.
5. Boil liquid stirring constantly until desired amount of sauce is reached, pepper to taste.
6. Add cornstarch slurry and stir over heat until sauce thickens, pour over chicken.


Sautéed Kale
Serves 12

Ingredients:
5 lbs chopped kale
olive oil
everyday seasoning (can be found at Trader Joe's)

Preparation:
1. Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add kale until pot is 3/4 full so there is still room to stir. Stir constantly.
3. When kale has become a more vibrant green and cooked down a bit, add a few grinds of everyday seasoning and set aside covered in tinfoil to keep warm.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until all of the kale is used, serve warm.


Caramelized Onions
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:
4 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter

Preparation:
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter has all melted.
2. Add onion and stir occasionally until onions are glassy.
3. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until the onions turn a lovely caramel color and have become nice and sweet.