Sunday, June 2, 2013

Breakfast at your Tailgate

Tailgates start early.....football and early make me thing of two things; eggs and bloodies.  How about this week we feature eggs and in the coming weeks I will re-create my bloody mary bar (horseradish, pickled okra and olives, do I have your attention yet?)  Oh wait, we are talking about eggs....here is an easy way to load up on protein before you hit the hot dogs and french fry stand at the stadium.  Not sure this post is going the way I want, I should be hungry for eggs and instead I am thinking about fries and a spicy Bloody Mary.  I feel like the book, If you Give a Pig a Pancake.....

The Ultimate Veggie Omelet

Ingredients:

2-3 eggs per omelet
1 T water
Fresh baby spinach
Baby portabella mushrooms, sautéed*
Caramelized red onions*
Brie or goat cheese
Salt and Pepper
Cooking spray

*In a sauté pan combine 4T olive oil and one sliced red onion, cook over med heat until onion is soft and tender. 
Remove stems from portabellas and wipe clean with a wet paper towel. Slice thin and add to same sauté pan, onions removed, no need to clean or wash.
Add 3T olive oil and baby portabellas and cook until tender and wilted.  Turn off heat and sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

To make omelet:
Crack eggs in bowl and add water, whip well with a fork or whisk
Heat pan up on grill…you want it smoking hot
Remove from grill and spray with cooking spray, place back on heat
Add eggs to very hot pan
You can stir them a bit from the inside out before they settle too much…you want to move the uncooked egg to the outside edges
Add spinach, mushrooms, red onions and cheese about 2 minutes before omelet needs to be flipped.
Try you had at flipping your omelet or fold in both edges to make an egg burrito. 
Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and eat immediately….no one likes cold eggs! 







My obsession with black and white sesame seeds

Sesame seeds dress up a dish the same way high heels dress up, well, just about anything.  Add them to salads, Brussel Sprouts, cole slaw and this dish!  It is so easy to find good salmon these days and we have all heard about the health benefits of eating salmon; namely because of its high omega-3 fatty acid content.  Studies show Omega-3 fatty acids are responsible for overall cardiovascular health and can also combat some cancers, depression and even offer joint protection.  The best Salmon to eat is Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon and you can eat it often, 2-3 times per week.  That being said, you may want to start with this easy and delicious recipe, sounds like we all need to "Eat more Salmon!"

Grilled Asian Salmon with Sweet Pickled Cucumbers



Salmon
1 salmon filet per person, skin on is fine
¼ cup Soy Sauce
¼ cup Terraki
1 teaspoon garlic, minced (the kind in the tube is great)
1 teaspoon ginger, mined  (tube again)
3 T brown sugar
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T honey
2 T olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and add the salmon to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour; longer if needed for your tailgate.

Note:  You don’t have to measure if you don’t want to…just throw everything together or omit anything you don’t have on hand.

Sweet Pickled Cucumbers
Sliced English cucumbers and/or pickling cucumbers, 
do not peel (use a mandolin or slice as thin as possible)
1 teaspoon salt
1 T sugar
1 t white sesame seeds
1 t black sesame seeds
Rice wine vinegar

Place cucumbers in a jar or container with a tight fitting lid, add all ingredients and cover with rice wine vinegar. 

Make at least 1 day in advance to allow cucumbers to soak up sweet and salty flavors.

Note:  You can serve this Salmon as a main course with a refreshing side or throw it all on a toasted poppy seed bun topped with your cucumbers for a Salmon Sandwich!