A Fork In Each Hand

Avocado and Asparagus Egg Sandwiches

Because Easter is this weekend, eggs are in the stores cheap so I’m taking advantage of it. I thought about making some wacky version of deviled eggs (because those seem to be “in” right now) but I’m too much of a fan of simple, plain deviled eggs to do that. I like my deviled eggs with good ol’ mayonnaise, not with chicken or avocado or bacon. And even though I plan on eating one or two deviled eggs this weekend, I’m still left with several eggs that I have do something with. So this past weekend, I pulled out this recipe for Avocado and Asparagus Egg Sandwiches. I love asparagus so I’m no stranger to putting them in my omlettes but I hadn’t yet tried eggs with avocado. A mixture of mashed avocado and chopped asparagus are spread on toasted bread and then topped with bacon, a cooked egg, and blanched asparagus. After just one bite, this sandwich didn’t stand a chance – it was gone in seconds. Egg sandwiches are great for any meal, not just breakfast, and this version is perfect for a light dinner. Delicious!

The ingredients:

Boil 2 cups of water in the microwave or on the stove and pour over asparagus in a shallow dish. Let stand for 10 to 12 minutes and drain.

Mash avocado in a small bowl with lime juice. Chop 3 asparagus spears and add to the avocado.

Cook eggs in a skillet with melted butter over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook the eggs for 6 minutes, until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken. For a fried egg, turn the egg over and break the yolk to fully cook (as I did).

Spread the avocado-asparagus on toasted bread and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Layer bacon, egg, and asparagus over avocado mixture. Top with another piece of toast or eat as an open-faced sandwich.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Turkey bacon

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

Mmm…coffee cake. Whenever I hear the words “coffee cake”, see coffee cake, smell coffee cake, or anything with any sort of brown sugar-cinnamon crumbly topping, my mouth waters incredibly. I’m one of those people that loves chocolate but sugary-cinnamony goodness is a very close second. Coffee cake was a common dessert we had growing up because we always seemed to have the ingredients on hand and even now, sometimes I find myself wanting to make it. Since I’m counting calories, I love these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins because they give me the coffee cake flavor I crave while being portion controlled. The sour cream in these muffins help make them light and cakey and the topping is warm, nutty, and crunchy. I left off the icing drizzle to save some calories but I’m sure it only makes these even more decadent. These muffins would be perfect for Easter morning with a cup of coffee. How appropriate!

The ingredients:

Combine the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. When combined, add in the egg substitute and beat together. Then add in the sour cream, water, and vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of mixture and add sour cream mixture. Stir just until combined.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Fold the remaining mixture into the batter 4 times.

Spoon batter into a muffin tin filled with cupcake liner sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over the top of the batter. Bake in a 400°F oven for 25 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Powdered sugar
Orange

Substitutions:

Whole-wheat flour

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Sausage-Spinach Quinoa Bowl

I admit that I’m late to the quinoa party. Quinoa recipes are everywhere now and I’d been so curious about this superfood for a while but had never tried it. My grocery store doesn’t carry it so I finally went to another grocery store slightly farther away that always seems to carry whatever it is that my grocery store doesn’t. When the check-out girl saw my bag of quinoa, she asked me if it was good, saying her mom wanted to try it for weight loss. I came home and made a batch just to keep on hand to eat as a side in place of my usual brown rice. Even though brown rice is good for your diet, quinoa is better because it’s a complete protein (meaning it has all of the essential amino acids we need). People say it has a nutty taste but I think it tastes more like corn which isn’t at all what I expected.

I wanted to try a recipe using quinoa in place of rice and since the spinach in my produce drawer was close to going bad and I needed to cook the leftover turkey sausage from the gratin I made earlier this week, the perfect dish to make was Sausage-Spinach Quinoa Bowl. With hot turkey sausage, spinach, and quinoa, this dish came together very quickly since I’d already cooked the quinoa. (Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Bring one part quinoa, two parts water to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.) The spiciness of the turkey sausage pairs terrifically with the bitter spinach and the red pepper flake gives it the slightest hint of kick. The quinoa made for a great substitute for the rice which is exactly what I was hoping it would do. I look forward to making this superfood more in the future!