Breakfast of Roasted Asparagus with Hard-Boiled Egg

This morning when I thought of what greens I had in the fridge that I could eat for breakfast, Asparagus came to mind.  I decided to roast asparagus and hard boiled a few eggs for everyone.

Simply put.  It was easy to turn the oven on, let it preheat and twenty minutes later, here is what I ate for breakfast.

The What's:

Fresh Asparagus, as many as needed
Fresh Eggs, as many as needed
EVOO
Parmesan Cheese, or any hard white cheese that you prefer (optional)
Kosher Salt, to your preference
Pepper, to your preference

The How's:

Heat oven to 350.  Place asparagus, on parchment covered cookie sheets, in a single layer.  Drizzle EVOO over them lightly.  Roast these for 20 minutes, 15 prefer if you a crunchy asparagus.  Peel eggs that have been boiled for 10 minutes and remove asparagus from the oven.  Layer asparagus on plate, crumble hard boiled egg over asparagus, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and top with a small amount of freshly shredded cheese.  Enjoy.

Plain Kale Chips

Today, I am sharing an easy and tasty recipe that you can kill in a good way, or a bad way depending on how well you follow directions.  These are a good match to a plain potato chip that is thinly sliced.  No doubt, they have got to be a better choice.  Create an option for yourself and your family.

This recipe can be found here.  What I want to share with you today, my the technique I used.  My husband and one of my daughters also enjoyed these as well.  A lot.  

Homemade Kale ChipsThe What's:

1 bunch kale, rinsed, thoroughly dried, and chopped (remove thick stems, or not)

olive oil

sea salt

(I added sesame seeds)

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and cover your cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Place your kale in a large ziploc bag and place enough olive oil in the bag to cover each pieces of kale.  This amount will varied by how much kale you are making.  I added three sprinkles of sesame seeds and at least 1/2 Tbsp of Kosher Salt.  Seal the ziploc bag and shake the bag until every piece of kale is covered.  Open the bag and spread the kale evenly on two cookie sheets. 

Bake your kale at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes until the edges are browned but not burnt.  I tossed the kale around a bit and when I saw the edges were browning, I turned the oven down to 225 and let it bake until they were equally crunchy.  If you want a crunchy chip like I do, keep watching and tasting them, at a lower oven temperature, every ten minutes until they are equally toasty.  Let them cool before serving, if you can resist.  

Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Chicken. GREEK Style!

I love most things Greek. Their marinades, the way they roast, grill and the simplicity of eating!

Tonight, I bring you a dinner plate that you may eat in the Isles of Greece or if staying local, at a Greek restaurant.  The recipe came from Andy Sonima Chef.  The marinade is easy.  I mixed the ingredients together in a bowl then, I spooned it over the chicken as it sat in a ziploc bag.  I left this bag in the refrigerator for almost 36 hours.  Something came up and we had to make alternate plans for dinner; that's life folks!

Since I have tried this recipe, I can tell you it's pretty good.  The herbs that slather the chicken, give this a good taste that I want to try on grilled shish-kabob's.  My husband has yet to rate this but I don't see why he wouldn't enjoy it after all; I didn't douse it with citrus all in the name of Greek food! I would follow instructions on the oven time to avoid drying and sprinkle with salt as tastes prefers.  

Again, this is the link to the recipe but I will show you The What's and The How:

The What's:

2 bone-in chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1 cup yogurt
1/4 onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
drizzle olive oil
salt and pepper, per your preference


The How's:

Wash the chicken and place in a mixing bowl.
Chop the onion and herbs, and combine with the chicken.
Add yogurt, salt and pepper, and mix all the ingredients together.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Put the chicken on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF to 165ºF.

Before cutting the chicken, let it sit for 5 minutes. Then cut, serve, and enjoy!

Enjoy!
-Enriching Ego

Vegan. Warm. Hearty Soup.

It's a rainy day and I have a sick child at home.  What a great reason to combine pantry items for a delicious and hearty soup!  

Today's recipe is brought to you from Elizabeth Rider's blog.  I swapped out the black beans for garbanzo beans because that is what I had in my pantry.  Here is the recipe folks, simply put. 

ELIZABETH’S DETOXING FIESTA SOUP RECIPE

Prep time: 20 minutes    Total time: 45 minutes    Serves about 8

The What's:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, scrubbed or peeled and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeño or serrano chili, finely sliced (leave out if you want your soup mild)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder (or taco seasoning, whichever you have on hand)
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes (include the juice in the can)
1 25 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (or use two 15 ounce cans)
1 bay leaf (I added two)
1 quart veggie or chicken stock
2 cups purified water (or more stock)
2 cups already cooked quinoa*
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon course black pepper
fresh cilantro for garnish
sliced avocado for garnish

The How's:  (I love her detail here!)

Preheat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper and jalapeño with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and sauté until soft and the onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Turn the heat to low (to prevent burning the spices) and add the garlic, cumin and chili powder; cook 2 minutes until the spices are fragrant. Turn the heat to medium high and add the tomatoes with their juices to deglaze the pan, using your wooden spoon to scrap up everything on the bottom of the pan. Add the drained and rinsed black beans, stock, water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer. Simmer at least 20 minutes to let the flavors combine. Adjust seasoning to taste if needed.
While your soup simmers, prepare the quinoa–it takes about 15 minutes.

I plan on serving this to friends at my church this Sunday and I have a feeling they will love it!  Great things about this soup, and detoxification is just an added bonus!

Quinoa Black Bean Fiesta Salad

Tonight's recipe is a Quinoa Black Bean Fiesta Salad.  The link is provided here.  What a fresh way to celebrate Fajitas.  Fajitas are great.  They are versatile and you can make them work on any budget for any dietary need or preference you have.  Tonight, I am serving my family this side dish and I hope one day you will too.


The What's:


2 cups cooked quinoa
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, pressed, grated or finely chopped
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 red bell pepper, quarter inch chopped (about 1 cup)
6 green onions, root removed, white and part of the greens chopped (about 1 cup)
1 handful of cilantro, rough chopped (about 1/3 cup)
(I omitted the red pepper and added in fresh tomato).



The How's: Prepare the quinoa (see below). I used an Inca Red Quinoa.  While the quinoa is cooking, combine the olive oil, cumin, garlic, lime, salt and cayenne (if using) together in the bottom of a large bowl to let the flavors marry while you chop the veggies. Rinse and drain the black beans, then chop the green onions and whatever other veggies sound good to you.  The author suggests, to cut the peppers and onions about the same size as the beans.  Add the cooked quinoa, beans and veggies to the bowl and gently fold it all together with the dressing. The quinoa can be warm, room temp, or cold when you make the dish. Regardless, I suggest letting it chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together. It tastes best served room temperature or chilled.

If you are interested in this recipe please see what tips the author and chef give by clicking this link.

Arriba!

-Enriching Ego

Veggies in my Waffles - Say What?!?

Yes sir.  It's breakfast time so let's get down.  It's WAFFLE time!

Who doesn't love eating breakfast, whenever?  I love all elements and enjoy breakfast with friends, family, alone...I just enjoy breakfast.

Today the recipe I used came from The LEAN Green Bean and I followed it exactly as written. My flour was whole wheat flour but you can change it as you need to meet your home's dietary guidelines.

Batter up!

1/3 C cooked, mashed sweet potato (I scooped out the filling and smashed it with a fork)
1/4 C Plain Greek Yogurt
2 Eggs
1/4 White whole wheat flour (or oat flour)
3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

I cooked my sweet potato in the microwave while I heated up the waffle maker.  I then mixed everything together until it was well blended. If your waffle iron needs spray oil, please use it now.   Place batter onto the hot waffle griddle and cook as manufacturers guidelines.

That is it folks.   That is how you get a vegetable in a waffle.  I will share with the kids tomorrow so see if the syrup and butter masks the taste of the vegetable.

---Toast!  (get it?)

Enriching Ego

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

It's a Monday and meatless or not in your house, 

here is a great side dish that can quickly become an entree. 

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli 

Yum! 

Today we have Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli and while it is simple in recipe, it's just as tasty.

Simple:

4-5 Broccoli Crowns, or as many as your family will eat
1/2 C Egg Whites
Tamari Sauce
Parmesan Cheese, the fresh kind

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cover your baking sheet in parchment paper.   Cut and clean your broccoli.  Place broccoli in a large mixing bowl. Pour egg whites over the broccoli.  This doesn't turn your broccoli white like a scrambled egg, but it helps the seasoning stick to the vegetable.  Add two Tablespoons of Tamari Sauce, and grate fresh cheese into the bowl and toss.  Place all of the broccoli onto the parchment lined baking sheet.  You know your own taste and preferences so don't hesitate to add pepper, or chili pepper flakes or heck, more cheese!

Cook for 15 minutes then flip them over.  Let cook for another five minutes then remove from oven.  Add a little more grated cheese and serve hot.

I really hope you try this.  I wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction on this gluten-free side dish.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus

Super Simple Side

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  It's time to eat.  I had a bag of asparagus' that were a prime target for a new recipe.  With a quick glance, I decided on a Roasted Garlic Parmesan Asparagus.  

Folks, this recipe is super simple.  I had a large bag of asparagus, probably two dozen spears at least.  

I am sharing this recipe courtesy bobbiskozykitchen.com

Here it is folks:

1lb of Asparagus, 4 cloves of garlic (I used the pre-minced kind), 2TBSP of Olive Oil and 1/2C Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Once you have washed your Asparagus, cut the ends off because if you cook them without cutting them they taste like cardboard.  What a waste.  Anyways, throw the asparagus into a large bowl, combined the other ingredients into the bowl and toss them so everything is coated.  Place them on a cooking sheet and roast them for 15 minutes.  Toss them around and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, if you like them crunchy check them after a total of 20 minutes.  

Enjoy these!

-Enriching Ego  

Apples and Bananas Waffles

Today the kids are home so it was a great morning to try out a Apples & Bananas Waffles recipe from Bless this Mess.  Earlier this week, I peeled apples that were ripening too much and made homemade applesauce.  Same thing with the bananas.  Some weeks the kids love them.  Some weeks they love something else.

Here is the recipe from Bless This Mess Please

Healthy Banana Waffles
Yield: 6 medium waffles

The What's
2 ripe bananas, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 eggs, 1 ½ cups almond milk, 1 cup quick cook oats,
1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, ½ tsp. cinnamon

The How's
Turn on your waffle iron and allow it to preheat while you mix the batter.  In a medium bowl mash the bananas with a fork until they are well mashed and make a smooth paste. Add the applesauce and eggs and whisk to combine. Add the almond milk and combine. Add the oats, wheat flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer instructions for your waffle iron.  Serve with fresh banana slices, pure maple syrup, or honey.

I had five taste testers to make this recipe for.  Two of the taste testers did not have an interest in eating this for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Two of these eaters, the more mature eaters, really enjoyed the fruit and cinnamon in these whole-wheat waffles.  I did sneak a bit dipped in warm syrup and it is a great replacement to a boxed breakfast.

Honey Lime Pan-Grilled Chicken

Hello Folks.  Its pretty much the dead of winter here in the Carolina's.  It's been pretty mild but these last few days, have been the coldest days so far. To lighten the place, I am reaching into my pocket of tricks to bring summer into the house through food.  Today I made the children Cherry Limeades topped with very sweet red maraschino cherries.  I love drinking and eating things that make my taste bud's pucker.

Tonight's meal is a Honey Lime Pan-Grilled Chicken.  Along side, broccoli was it's partner for me, rice and corn for the kids.  This is where the limeade ties into our meal. The chicken I bought came in bulk so I co-marinated the Honey-Lime batch with a Sesame Chicken recipe which I will post later about.

Honey Lime Pan-Grilled Chicken Recipe

(Adapted from http://www.blessthismessplease.com/)

The marinade consists of:

Juice and zest from 2 whole limes, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tea. sea salt

1/2 teas. fresh black pepper, 4 trimmed, skinless, boneless chicken breast sliced lengthwise.

Trim your chicken and discard the fatty pieces, or keep them for the doggie like I do.  Add all the ingredients to a large zipper-top plastic bag, close the top and turn it over in your hands until the marinade is well-blended and all of the chicken is evenly covered. Lay the bag in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish and put it in your fridge.  This the BEST advice ever! Marinade the chicken at least four hours but up to overnight.  

Since it was wintertime here, we used a pan to grill the meat.  You don't want to move it around too much but be sure that you let the chicken reach the internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Serve warm. 

Although I marinated the chicken for six hours and I did enjoy this recipe, I didn't taste the lime as pronounced as I was hoping.  I added a little bit on top for an added kick!  The original author of this recipe mentioned cooking this on a George Foreman grill and I actually think that may be the best way to cook this.  Once the honey begins caramelizing, the pan becomes brown.  Therefore so does your chicken.  Be watchful that the honey doesn't burn but oh, what a treat to have chicken with a taste of honey.

I can't wait to make this chicken this summer!  Be blessed with this Honey Lime Pan-Grilled dinner.

Friday Night Chinese!

I eat chinese once a week.  It's from a really nice asian bistro, so it makes me feel fancy.  Fancy bento box filled with beef and broccoli, brown sauce included, sweet carrots, white rice and a fried eggroll.  I eat the whole thing.  So far this week, I  have skipped my fancy feast.

As I meal planned for the end of the week, I thought Teriyaki chicken would appeal to us all so I tried  this recipe.   I am normally not a huge ginger fan but I found this tiny bulb at the grocery store and used a microplane to shred it all.  I hope you try it in your sauce because it really made it!

I served this teriyaki chicken with a quinoa fried rice with roasted cashews.   Their picture of the fried rice is much better than my picture. I did not use bacon, I substituted with roasted cashews.  I also added napa cabbage and two crowns of broccoli.  Honestly, I prepped and cut everything in advance and I was still not happy with the process.  I also clean as I go so I was getting distracted. In addition to that, I was trying really hard to instruct my five year old daughter through the process and she was in charge of cooking the chicken.  What an important role to trust her with.  

As I placed this on the table, only one of my three children ate the quinoa. She was the chicken cooker and said she enjoyed it.  I think it helped that she was part of the process so I encourage you to embrace this opportunity and let your children cook.  One child didn't want to eat at all and the last child ate the chicken and at least tried the quinoa.  My husband and I both enjoyed the quinoa rice and I particularly enjoyed finding a roasted cashew.  The marinade on the chicken was perfect.  I was going to try to marinade them all day but I limited myself to a thirty minute marinade. 

Clean Clean Clean.

Hope you enjoy your clean eating chinese meal.  I enjoyed using ginger and tamari sauce, both new to me.

- XOXO,
Enriching Ego

CLEAN Chicken Piccata

Yes, I love lemon.  It's part of a Mediterranean culture that brings warmth to my heart not because of who I am, but because of people that I love.   Tonight I bring you a CLEAN chicken piccata.

The recipe I adapted for tonight's meal is from Clean and Delicious.  I added some shallots to the pan first them let the recipe carry me through. Through her link, you can find the nutritional details of the chicken portion of the meal.

I added in some green beans that I steamed then blanched then sauteed with some olive oil and kosher salt topped with a sprinkled of lemon juice to the top.  The kids like them, primarily because they can use their hands to eat and greens can't be bad for the body.  I decided to steam the kale and sprinkle on some feta cheese.  I bought a fair amount that I have and I have to use it.  Bad enough I had to throw away a container of arugula tonight.  Lemon juice made it's appearance again as I topped the kale with a dash of lemon with Feta Cheese.

What you see below is CLEAN chicken piccata, green beans and steamed kale with feta cheese and it's what was for dinner tonight.

A few things I want you to know is that you can use either fresh or frozen green beans.  I bought a generic store brand that worked fine.  It helps to steam them then blanched them. If you don't do that, they can overcook if you just add them into a saute pan.  

If you love chicken piccata like I do, you will enjoy this recipe.  It doesn't take more than 30 minutes to prep and cook.  Manage your time with the sides and it will be a quick meal.  Trust me.  My day was full but we were able to all eat at the dinner table by 7pm.  Dessert, clean up then bedtime.  

Kale Couscous White Bean Chicken Soup

Today was an absolutely beautiful day here in the Carolina's.  For dinner, we needed a healthy and quick meal that would satisfy hungry kids from playing all afternoon in the crisp weather.  I made a big batch of roasted chicken earlier this week and while I used it in this soup, along with chicken broth, this can be omitted to make a vegan soup.  As a vegan soup, I am sure this will be exactly what soup is to your heart and soul.

The recipe I followed started off from this link.  I had to at least double this recipe and even doing that, my family of five have left me no leftovers.  I added in two bay leaves but otherwise followed the recipe as instructed.  Even my children enjoyed the soup and for this in itself, I am thankful that they don't squeal when they see kale in their soup or watch me put spinach in their smoothies.

Toast some bread and enjoy this by the spoonful,

Enriching Ego

Nutritional Details:

335 Calories

27 Carbs

11g Fat

30g Protein

860mg Sodium (eek)

4g Sugar

Blackberry Honey Almond Yogurt Parfait

What is a parfait?  Certainly sounds like a dessert to me but it can be breakfast, a snack or in today's case, lunch!

Today's lunch is literally stuck in my teeth. Eek-I was running out of time for lunch and needed something quick!  I honestly didn't want to cook three square meals a day so in place of skipping meals, I took two minutes and measured the three ingredients, sprinkled chia seeds on top and grabbed a spoon. 

The best part of eating this was the layering of the blackberries and honey in the plain greek yogurt.  I think toppings should be spread throughout so they can be enjoyed until the very end.  This parfait is smooth with a bit of crunch from the slivered almonds and a kiss of sweetness from the honey.  

  

How to make this Blackberry Honey Almond Greek Yogurt Parfait with Chia Seeds:

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1/4c Blackberries

1 TBSP Slivered Almonds

1 TBSP Honey

Sprinkle of Chia Seeds

Enjoy this cool treat any time of the day and know that it is simple and part of a clean food program.

Nutritional Hints:

267 calories

33 Carbs

5g Fat

26g Protein

117g Sodium

28g sugar 

Enjoy with Ease,

Enriching Ego

Cranberry Avocado Almond Spinach Salad with Roasted Chicken, Feta Cheese and Orange Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Looking through Pinterest for dinner recipes after my one week clean eating detox, I found a few spinach salad recipes.  What I have been looking for are ingredients that I would normally have in the fridge/pantry, agreeable palate for everyone in the family, wallet friendly and just plain awesome tasting.

I started off with a roasted chicken using the Big Batch Roasted Chicken recipe.  The recommendation here is to take out the chicken, place it on the roasting pan, season it and leave it out for thirty minutes so the meat can absorb some of the simple flavors as a marinade.  Once the kids came home for school, I roasted the chicken then turned off the oven while we went to dance class so that when I came home, I could remove the skin off the chicken and the chicken off the bone.

Next, I called my kitchen helpers into the room and began making the salad.  My helpers were aged 5 and 6 so sharing was very important as was them not using a knife. I was sure to keep a set of thongs nearby so they could easily toss the toppings into the already prepared, pre-cut spinach.  The girls laughed and giggled about avocado.  Then feta cheese then they asked each other what was on their list of favorites:  food, color(s), drink etc etc.  The conversation could go on for hours.

We followed this recipe and I know adaptations would work well.  It's a great salad to mix in fruit like mandarin oranges or blueberries, make vegan by removing the cheese and chicken as I felt the cheese was unnecessary.  The Cranberry Avocado Almond Spinach Salad with Roasted Chicken, Feta Cheese was a grand slam, even with my young kitchen helps.  The AWESOME Orange Poppy Seed Vinaigrette should be bottled, it's that good!  Phenomenal.  Fresh.  Perfecto!

Hope you enjoy,

Enriching Ego

Estimated Nutritional Value:

Calories: 370 Carbs: 19 Fat: 22 Protein: 26 Sodium: 281 Sugar: 12

(provided by:  Food Diary)

Day 4 of the Clean Eating Challenge

Here we roll into day four.  The deal with this challenge is not that the meals are hard to put together but I am feeling a little uneasy about next week's menu.  I am going to pray about branching out to a total strange to me menu.

The morning meal was a fantastic feta cheese and scallion omelet.  I think this meal is great and I feel more confident with making omelets.  If I were trying to adhere to this challenge, I would have sliced tomatoes.  I did add shallots and asparagus to my husband's breakfast and he was pleased!

Ease of preparation: I rate this a two or three.  You have to feel comfortable enough cooking eggs, but really, its all in the oil.  I sauteed the scallions a wee bit then add in scrambled egg finally adding feta cheese.  Not hard, just watch it not to burn.
Satiety:  This was a forkful for sure.  Really a go to breakfast for me and its a great basic omelet.  
Serving Size: I used two eggs in the omelet I am showing  you in the picture.  
Flavor:  Great basic breakfast.  Salt and pepper this and having feta cheese with my breakfast is a real treat!  

For a late lunch I bring you a Greek Style salad with lentils and lime vinaigrette.  

Ease of preparation: all I had to do here was cut the cuke and tomato! Bagged spinach, leftover lentils and a sprinkle of feta.  Pretty simple!   

Satiety: I can't comment on this section because I could not get through five forkfuls of this recipe.  

Serving Size: I grabbed two decent handfuls of spinach and added as much of the rest that I wanted.  

Flavor:  BLAH.  I couldn't get through this salad. What made the salad inedible were the lentils. They were mushy and congealed.  

Day 4 dinner was reheated roasted chicken with spinach and roasted spinach.  My picture shows a dissembled plate.  Sometimes I prefer my food separate rather than mixed together.  The picture found on the Buzz Feed Clean Eating Challenge shows their take which is a salad.  Eat your food however it works for you.  

Ease of preparation: Roasted most of the meal so it was fairly simple.  Not to mention grabbed a handful of spinach.  

Satiety: The portion size was good and I would imagine it will fill me a good while.  I am not sure anything but the protein will sustain me until morning.   

Serving Size: I grabbed two decent handfuls of spinach and added as much of the rest that I wanted.  

Flavor:  I enjoyed the roasted fennel.  It was like eating a roasted onion, smooth and a wee bit sweet.  Everything was fine, I am not sure I feel like the combination was great.  The meal was certainly missing something.  As far as a recommendation, this would not be on my list of recommendations simply because I feel like it was plain.  I feel there could have been a better execution of all of these flavors combined and still provide for a clean meal.  

Best meal of the day by far was breakfast.  Tomorrow is another good day so let's get some sleep and dream of growing our own spinach and fennel plants.