Breakfast Egg Muffins To Go

Eggs are one of the most versatile breakfast foods around, but few of us can spare the time to cook them in the morning. These eggs muffins are designed to be cooked ahead of time, then grabbed on the go. Egg muffins will keep one week in the refrigerator. Microwave 30 seconds to reheat.

Just add a variety of different goodies to your tin. Maybe 6 with bacon, onion & cheese and 6 with spinach, mushrooms and ham. You can’t mess this up! In the morning, just grab a couple from your ziploc and nuke them and away you go!

Lots of variations Enjoy!

Yield - 12 muffins

1/2 pound minced reduced fat beef/chicken/turkey
4 ounces chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (reduced fat cheese if you  prefer)
12 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

12 parchment paper muffin wrappers or 12 silicone muffin cups or muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C

Heat frying pan over medium heat. Add mince and cook, draining any fat.

Stir the broccoli into this and turn off the heat

If using a muffin tin, either spray with non stick spray or line tin with parchment paper wrappers. If using silicone muffin cups, place cups on a baking sheet lined with foil (to catch any egg overflow and making clean-up much easier!).

In a large bowl, combine mince, broccoli and cheese. Spoon mixture into cups, filling them 2/3 of the way, leaving room to add the egg mixture.

In another bowl with a pour spout, beat together 12 eggs. Add salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup, being careful to leave a little room (1/4 inch or so) at the top.

Bake 25 minutes, or until muffins have risen and are firm.

Variation: Instead of minces meats, try diced bacon fried until crisp before draining off the fat. Try other veggies such as diced red pepper, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, etc. Mix and match with whatever you have.

Cauliflower Puree

This is a nice change from Cauliflower Cheese or plain boiled cauliflower and has become a family favourite - in fact it has replaced mashed potatoes in the ‘favourites stakes’.

These quantities make 2 good servings

Half a head of a small cauliflower, separated into florets
2-3 tablespoons of cream (or plain, unflavoured yogurt if preferred)
1/4 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Salt and ground white pepper

Cook the cauliflower in lightly salted boiling water until very tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Drain.
Place the cauliflower, cream (or yogurt) and mustard in a liquidizer and process until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For a different taste, substitute ground Cumin for the Dijon mustard.

I make this soup often. There are not a lot of ingredients and is made in a really short time. Yet, it never ceases to impress friends.

You will need:
little bit of oil (I use olive oil)
1 small onion, chopped
3 courgettes (sliced) - about 1lb
450ml of chicken stock (veg stock if vegetarian)
175g of ready made hummous (the small tub in the supermarket)
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper

Method:
Heat oil in pan. Fry onions until soft. Add the courgettes. Fry them a little bit, then add the stock and boil the vegetables until tender.
Remove some of the liquid (and keep) and blend/food processor the vegetables until smooth. Add the liquid back into the mixture. Stir in the tub of hummous. I normally then blend it for a further few seconds in order to incorporate the hummous with the rest of the soup.
Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Variation: Sometimes I peel the courgette and the soup changes into a very pale soup.

Serve it on its own as a starter or with some pitta bread as a meal.

Use only the best dark chocolate you can buy with at least 70% (minimum) cocoa solids.

40g (1.5 oz) plain very dark chocolate
2 tablespoons hot water
4 tablespoons fromage frais
a handful of toasted chopped nuts

Melt the chocolate over a saucepan of boiling water. Simmer the water until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the water, making a thick paste. Allow to cool.
Stir in the fromage frais

Scoop into two espresso cups and chill in refrigerator.

Toast the nuts in a heavy bottomed pan for a few minutes. Just heat up the dry pan and toss nuts in it, adding no oil at all.
When chocolate is chilled, sprinkle some nuts on top and serve.

Humous

1 400g (13oz) tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Cloves Garlic
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 \tablespoons soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

Put all ingredients in food processor and blitz until smooth.
add additional pepper, soy or lemon juice to taste

As a variation you could add either 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds or 1-2 tablespoons of tahini.

Serve in a bowl with a little olive oil drizzled on top and a sprinkling of chilli powder or paprika.
Eat with crudities, spread on oatcakes, wholemeal toasts or wholemeal crackers.

Heat oven to 180 degrees.

While this is happening, take a square of foil that will be big enough to wrap your salmon in.

In the middle of the square, lay down some veg, whatever you want, but I find thinly sliced carrots, leeks, fennel, cucumber, courgette as nice options (you don’t have to use all - vary it for different meals).
Lay your salmon on top of the veg, season it, lay a slice of lemon on top of the fish and drizzle some olive oil over the top. Then fold the two opposite ends of foil towards each other and wrap it up. Then take the other ends, fold them up and crunch them up so that any fluid won’t leak out.

By now, the oven should be warm, slide the foil parcel onto a baking tray and into the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Open the foil carefully and serve the salmon with the veg in the parcel with some more side veg, potatoes, rice.
Delicious and in less time than you can go and get a take-away!

This method for grilling fish uses a banana leaf to hold the fish together, steam it to perfection, while allowing the flavor to gently soak into the package. This is a great way of grilling fish that is delicate because the banana leaf holds it all together and lets you add anything you want to the packet. You can buy banana leaves from Asian or Caribbean food shops.
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pounds snapper
2 tablespoons fresh coriander root, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 large banana leaf
vegetable oil

Preparation:

Combine garlic, black pepper, coriander root and ginger in a blender or food processor. Mix into a paste. Add soy sauce and continue blending until well mixed. Set aside. Clean and pat dry the snapper with a paper towel. Rub mixture over the surface of the fish. Set aside for about 30 minutes. Preheat grill. Take a banana leaf large enough to wrap the fish (you can cut up the fish if you can’t find a large enough leaf) and wash it thoroughly. Blanch the banana leaf in hot water for a few seconds to soften it. With a knife or scissors remove the thick spine from the leaf and place it on a working surface shiny side down. Brush vegetable oil over the part of the leaf the will be in contact with the fish. Place the fish on the banana leaf and fold leaf to completely enclose the fish. Secure with toothpicks or skewers.
Place the package on a medium hot grill and cook on each side for about 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent the banana leaf from burning. It will blacken in parts but it shouldn’t be allowed to burn through. After about 16 minutes remove the packet from the grill to a place where you can work on it and gently open enough to test the fish for doneness. The fish should flake easy with a fork and have an opaque appearance through to the center. If the fish isn’t done, secure the package and return to the grill. When the fish is done transfer it to a serving platter and serve. It’s more dramatic if you open the banana leaf at the table

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 ounces raisins
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, diced
10 green olives, pitted and minced
2 ounces pine nuts
1/4 cup capers
2 pounds swordfish steaks
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Soak raisins in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over high heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in raisins, tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and capers. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and cover with the cooked sauce. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until steaks are firm.

Quinoa With Toasted Almonds & Dried Cranberries

Quick & Easy!

This quinoa stove top casserole recipe is delicious by itself, and goes well with moist curry dishes, or stews and casseroles

Not boring! Quinoa has lots of flavor, and the veggie cube, cinnamon & bay leaf, almonds and cranberries add even more flavor. And, of course quinoa is always gluten free.

4 - 6 Servings: This quinoa stove top casserole cooks quickly because the almonds and quinoa are roasted, and then boiling water is added. The quinoa should be drained well before roasting.

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Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 tsp light olive oil
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1.Soak the quinoa 15 minutes in cold water
2.Stir the quinoa with your hand, pour off most of the water and drain through a fine mesh strainer
3.Shake dry in the strainer, then set the strainer over a bowl.
4.Heat a wide bottomed pan on medium heat and add the light olive oil
5.Stir and toast the sliced almonds until golden, then remove from pan
6.Add the quinoa. Stir and toast until dry and turning color
7.Add boiling water, veggie cube, salt, bay leaf and cinnamon stick, and dried cranberries
8.Bring back to boil, cover, turn the heat to simmer, cook for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed
9.Remove from heat and allow to sit five minutes with the lid on
10.Fluff gently with a fork and serve

Use a wide, shallow casserole or baking tray so that the vegetables roast evenly.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (340 degrees F)

3.5 oz (100g) leeks diagonally sliced
3.5 oz (100g) parsnips
5 oz (150g) Sweet potato
5 oz (150g) celeriac
7 oz (200g) thinly sliced red onion
3.5 oz (100g) carrot
3.5 oz (100g) beetroot
4 whole cloves of garlic (keep skin intact)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
5 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1x 13 oz (400g) tin chick-peas, drained and rinsed
Drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil

Cut all the vegetable except the onion an leeks into even sized chunks.
Put them into the casserole/baking tray with the garlic and the caraway seeds.
Toss them in the olive oil to coat them and season with the black pepper.
Roast for about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
When almost done, fold in the rinsed and drained chickpeas and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Before serving, drizzle with a little more olive oil and lemon juice to taste and serve.