Tag Archives: food

Savory Herbes de Provence French Toast with Chive Butter and Sriracha

Breakfast is what’s for dinner tonight. I can’t imagine not liking breakfast food. I can eat eggs at any time of day or night and often eat hard boiled eggs as a snack or scrambled eggs at dinner. Several months ago, after trying Sriracha mayonnaise, I decided to top a deviled egg with a few drops of Sriracha. I never looked back. That turned into me adding Sriracha to my scrambed, fried, or sunnyside up eggs as well. Just for kicks, I wondered what it would taste like to make a savory French toast and top it with Sriracha instead of syrup. You guys, I can’t even tell you how happy I am with this result: Savory Herbes de Provence French Toast with Chive Butter and Sriracha.

Herbes de Provence are added to the egg and milk mixture which coats thick slices of hearty bread. Cooked until golden brown, these slices are topped with a flavorful chive butter (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light and didn’t miss the extra calories!) and drizzled with as much (or as little) Sriracha as you want. The result is a mildly herby French toast with a buttery tang and spicy bite. The floral herbes de Provence can easily be replaced with dried thyme or oregano and you can definitely leave off the Sriracha if you’d like (but why would you?). For an even bigger oniony bite, use the chive butter to brown the slices if you desire. Everything about this French toast is savory and perfect for your next breakfast dinner. I’m ecstatic!

Savory Herbes de Provence French Toast with Chive Butter and Sriracha (serves 2)

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon butter
4 slices hearty bread (such as French loaf or Artisan Wheat)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sriracha

Combine the softened butter and chives in a bowl. Transfer to plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Over medium-high heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to a large skillet. While butter melts, whisk together eggs, milk, herbes de Provence and salt in a shallow dish. Add one slice of bread at a time and soak, flipping frequently, until saturated with egg mixture.

Add 2 soaked slices to the hot skillet and cook until the bread is golden brown; flip and continue cooking, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer cooked slices to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining bread slices.

Garnish each slice of French toast with one pat of chive butter. Drizzle with Sriracha.

Smoky Weeknight Chili

I was shocked the other day when I was driving around and noticed how few leaves are on the trees already. Didn’t summer just end? Did I miss the full color of bright yellow, red, and orange leaves that I’m typically in awe over every single Autumn? It’s only the middle of October! And, I might add, it’s going to be 80 degrees in Philadelphia today! Where are my leaves? I shake my head thinking about how quickly Christmas will be here, which means winter, which means cold, which means…sad face. I love Fall, and all that comes with it: bright leaves, football, pumpkin beer, and warm chili. I may not be able to do anything about the leaves but I can certainly make some chili. This Smoky Weeknight Chili is perfect for the busy person who doesn’t have time to hang out in the kitchen before dinner.

With two different kinds of beans and no meat, this vegetarian chili gets thick tomato flavor from tomato sauce, smokiness from fire-roasted tomatoes, and a warm, surprising undertone from cocoa powder. Don’t worry, there is nothing sweet about this chili which is hearty and fulfilling, even though it’s vegetarian. Sure you can add meat if you’d like but there is no need. The white beans are creamy, the chickpeas are chewy and the onion and peppers round everything out. This is a perfectly quick meal for the middle of the week in the middle of month like today.

In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add sweet pepper and onion; cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.

Add beans and chili powder; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

Cover and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Top with sour cream, green onions, and additional chili powder, if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Cannellini beans

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Better Homes & Gardens magazine

Smoky, Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Empanadas with Chimichurri Dipping Sauce

I was in Buenos Aires for work last week and was either working, eating, drinking, or sleeping and didn’t have time for blogging or much else. In Argentina, people don’t eat dinner until sometime after 9pm. One night, we didn’t even finish eating until after 12:30am! I was worried about finding something to eat in Buenos Aires since I’d heard that they eat a lot of meat down there, primarily beef and pork, both of which I don’t eat. But luckily, they had plenty of grilled chicken, plenty of fried cheese, and tasty cheese empanadas. The empanada options there were typically either cheese or pork so I decided to come home and make my own with some chicken and spinach. The result were these Smoky, Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Empanadas with Chimichurri Dipping Sauce.

Precooked chicken, cheese, spinach, onion and pimientos are combined with a creamy mixture of cream cheese and smoked paprika before being folded into empanada dough and baked until golden brown. A quick chimichurri sauce of parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flake adds a bold, fresh flavor which would also be a great addition to any beef, chicken or pasta dish. These empanadas are full of flavor and are perfect for a small meal on the go.

Tip: I found the empanada dough discs in the freezer section of my market, near the international and vegetarian frozen meals. To quickly thaw the dough, remove the discs from the packaging, separate them by the paper between each one and sit at room temperature while you make the filling.

Smoky, Cheesy Chicken and Spinach Empanadas with Chimichurri Dipping Sauce (makes 10 empanadas)

For the empanadas:

1/2 pound rotisserie or leftover chicken, shredded
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pimientos
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 ounces 1/3-less fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce package frozen empanada discs, thawed (such as Goya Empanada Discs)
1 egg

For the chimichurri sauce:

2 cups flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh oregano
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
salt and red pepper flake to taste

To prepare the empanadas, cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and cool slightly. In a bowl, mix chicken, spinach, mozzarella cheese, pimientos, onion, and pepper.

In a small saucepan, mix broth with cornstarch. Add cream cheese and smoked paprika. Whisk over high heat until mixture is boiling, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape over chicken mixture and combine well, adding salt to taste.

Place thawed empanada discs on a flat service. Stretch each disc carefully to expand dough slightly. On each disc, spoon heaping 2 tablespoons of chicken mixtures.

Fold dough over filling to form a semi-circle, then fold edges together and pinch to seal, using a fork. Gently place empanadas, slightly apart, on baking sheet.