Breakfast

Poached Egg and Arugula Salad Bruschetta

This might be a little embarrassing for me to admit but I’ve never poached an egg before. The primary reason for this, as I’ve mentioned before, is I didn’t start eating runny yolks until recently. Now that I’m really starting to understand the runny yolk goodness (or dippy egg as my friend calls it), there was no longer a reason to not attempt the poached egg. I really love Eggs Benedict but it’s the hollandaise sauce, not the poached egg, that makes me weary about making it at home. This Poached Egg and Arugula Salad Bruschetta is a perfectly simple recipe for a first-time egg poacher to try at home.

Fresh arugula is tossed with a simple shallot/Dijon mustard/white wine vinaigrette, draped over browned baguette slices and topped with crispy, crumbled bacon and a perfectly poached egg. The vinaigrette is light and the arugula’s peppery flavors pair so perfectly with the creaminess of the runny yolk and poached egg white. The bacon (I used turkey bacon) adds just another layer of flavor but vegetarians will be just as impressed with this even without the bacon. I’m a big brunch person and a big egg person but I honestly didn’t expect to love this dish as much as I do. I could easily eat this for brunch every weekend, hands down.

Combine shallots, oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat (or pre-heat broiler). Lightly coat both sides of each bread slice with cooking spray. If using grill, add bread to grill pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until toasted. If using broiler, place bread on sheet pan and broil both sides until desired brownness (about 3 minutes each side).

Add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; add remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar to pan. Break eggs into custard cups. When water cools to a simmer, gently pour eggs into pan; cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon.

Place 2 toast slices on each of 4 plates. Add arugula to oil mixture; toss. Arrange about 1 cup arugula mixture on each serving; sprinkle evenly with bacon.

Top each serving with 1 egg. Serve immediately.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Turkey bacon

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Tomato

Ahh, eggs. I swear I could eat them everyday. And I almost do. Until recently, I wouldn’t eat any egg that had even a hint of a runny yolk. As in no over-easy eggs, no “dippy” eggs (aka sunny side up), no eggs Benedict. Then all of a sudden, I became obsessed with vegetarian eggs Benedicts. So now, I’m no longer grossed out. Well, I am a little. But I’m getting over it quickly. Because of this new revelation, I am now suddenly even more drawn to eggs than ever because now I have so many more options (how many times can you eat fried, scrambled, or deviled eggs?)! These Baked Eggs with Spinach and Tomato are slightly dippy in the middle but filled with tons of other flavors making this a not-so-standard breakfast.

Onions, spinach and tomatoes are mixed together with spices before being spooned into ramekins, topped with a fresh egg and feta cheese and baked. This dish is filled with flavor and puts plain old scrambled eggs to shame. Serve this with a side salad and you could have this for lunch or dinner. I left mine in the oven a little longer than the recipe said but not because of the runny yolk, but because I wasn’t sure if the whites were cooked fully. I haven’t quite mastered the “baking” of eggs yet so I never quite do it right. But this is a really fantastic alternative to eggs which would be festive for a holiday breakfast one day this week.

The ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and sauté until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, and, if desired, hot sauce. Add onion-spinach mixture and stir to combine. Divide among 4 oiled 10-ounce ramekins.

Crack an egg into the center of each ramekin, then sprinkle on feta.

Bake until whites are set but yolks remain soft, 12 to 15 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Reduced-fat feta cheese

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Country Living magazine

Walnut Cream Cheese Sandwiches on Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

I will never look at grilled cheese the same way again. Never in my life had I ever considered a sweet grilled cheese. I’ve had sweet sandwiches before (like this Panini with Chocolate and Brie) but nothing like this Walnut Cream Cheese Sandwiches on Cinnamon-Raisin Bread. Every once in a while when I go out to get a bagel from the bakery, I’ll splurge and get the walnut-raisin cream cheese but it’s rare because it seems so decadent. Well, the walnut cream cheese in the middle of this sandwich tastes nearly identical. And I’m obsessed.

Cream cheese (I used reduced-fat), walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon are mixed together until creamy and spread between two pieces of cinnamon-raisin bread which is then grilled in a little light butter until golden and slightly crispy. Even with using reduced-fat cream cheese and light butter, I still found this sandwich to be a little rich so if you aren’t into sweets for breakfast, this would make a great after dinner dessert. I mean, why not? You can control however much cream cheese you want in your sandwiches so you can make it as hearty as you like. Trust me, any leftover cream cheese mixture is stunning on a toasted bagel. Or licked from a spoon. Or licked from your fingers. Not that I know anything about that.