Peanut Butter Berry French Toast

We cook breakfast every morning on our boat, but we don't always have a lot of time (too many repeats of the snooze button). So something extra yummy but still easy will always catch my eye. When I saw this French Toast, I knew we had to try it.

Adapted from Self Magazine
You will need...

Bread! I'm a fan of Squirrely, 16 grain, or Steady Eddie bread, but use what you want. 2 slices per person should be plenty.
Peanut butter, 1 T. per person
Strawberries, 4 per person
Eggs, ~2/person
1 T. milk/person
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
splash of vanilla
butter for pan

NOTE: My pictures are all with half slices of bread. I did this because after seeing my husband's plate, I didn't think I could eat a whole serving. After doing it though, I don't recommend it. On a whole slice of bread, the crust works as an "egg barrier," and you need that. When you slice the bread, you lose your barrier along those edges, and the egg doesn't cook enough on those edges. Lesson learned, use whole slices!

1) Beat eggs, milk, spices and vanilla in a small bowl.

2) Slice strawberries and set aside.

3) Soak one piece of bread in egg mixture, both sides. While first piece is soaking, spread peanut butter on one side of second bread slice.

4) Warm skillet over medium-low heat. When first bread slice is ready, melt butter in pan and cook first side of french toast until golden brown. After putting first slice in pan, begin soaking second slice, PB free side only.

5) Flip first slice and place a layer of strawberries on top. Remove second slice from egg and place PB side down on top of berries.

6) Continue cooking as you would usually cook french toast. When bottom is golden brown, flip and cook other side.

7) Serve with more strawberries sprinkled over top, plus maple syrup. YUM!

PROS: This is a super filling and easy breakfast, but also a step away from the norm.
CON: Making a half portion doesn't work too well, for reasons in opening note.

Spicy Shrimp Salad

The other day I bought a magazine. It was a treat, bought to accompany me to the laundromat for a marathon session. In it, I discovered a three week meal plan. Everything looked yummy, and the recipes were incredibly short. Sold.

Spicy Shrimp Salad

I wish I had a little tomato garnish to brighten up the above picture... Anyway, this recipe was originally written up as a single serving crab salad, using canned crab. After taking a look at the canned crab ingredient list (more than just crab in there!) and price of a single little can ($4.99), I headed to the seafood section. I don't usually buy shrimp, but these little guys from Oregon looked pretty yummy.

Recipe adapted from Self magazine, four to five large servings

You will need...

12 oz. bag frozen corn, thawed but not warmed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 lb salad shrimp (usually pre-cooked)
2-3 cups fresh spinach per serving
crushed corn chips (I took two large handfuls and squeezed)
juice of 1 lime
3 T. olive oil
hot sauce (to taste)

1) Open bag of corn chips and start to munch. If you have a little salsa on hand, even better.

2) Prepare dressing. In small bowl, mix together lime juice, olive oil and hot sauce.

3) In a large bowl, toss together the corn, beans and shrimp. Add crushed corn chips and toss again.

4) Plate the tossed mixture over 2-3 cups of fresh spinach leaves. Drizzle with dressing and serve with a few chips on the side.

PROS: First, I loved the simplicity of this recipe. I didn't even turn the stove on, and used only two dishes for prep! Second, it tasted great. And finally, even my husband, who is hard to fill up at dinner time, felt full and satisfied (with two servings).

Still here!!

This month started off great, and I thought for sure I would be posting even more recipes than I did in March... but then I got the most painful sinus infection. I have never known anything like that before. Ibuprofen, Excedrin for Sinuses, Aspirin, nothing really helped. I did steam tents, ice packs (that felt good) and finally invested in a Netti pot. After two weeks of "Netti potting" I began to climb out of the sinus pit of despair. I never want to go back. I might have to be better friends with my Netti pot than initially planned... maybe have weekly get-togethers as preventative care.

After three weeks (!) my teeth still ache, but I feel good. And ready to post again. I actually did try several new recipes that are now backlogged (backblogged?) on my camera, but I'm going to try to catch up before the month is over.

Maybe I can still beat my recipe count for March! I'll have at least one post up by tonight, and more to quickly follow. I'll give you a hint: 2 are crazy easy!!!

Delish Vegetarian Wraps

Yesterday I headed to the grocery store with no idea of what I would make for dinner. I'm battling a head cold, so didn't want to tackle anything too complex (my thoughts feel a little loopy). As I headed into the store, I spotted a rack of food magazine covers. Aha! All covers were beautiful, several were intimidating, and one was perfect: Veggie wraps. I took a quick peek at the ingredient list, and decided to wing it from there.

Wraps have often been a standby for us, but too often they have been simply unadorned beans and cheese.  These ones are different, and really yummy.

Delish Vegetarian Wraps

You will need:

1 package multi-grain tortillas
1 package vegetarian taco filling (I used the Fantastic Foods brand)
1 can kidney beans
2 tomatoes
1 carrot
4 mushrooms
1/2 onion
1 red/green/yellow bell pepper
couple handfuls mixed greens or spinach
1-2 T. olive oil for pan
grated cheddar cheese (as much or little as you want)
Salsa Verde for topping

1) If you have an oven, begin warming your tortillas according to package directions. If you don't have an oven, you will warm them at the end. Now, prepare your veggies! Dice the tomatoes and grate the carrot, then set aside in a small bowl. Slice the onion thin, 1/4 or 1/8 the mushrooms depending on size, and slice the bell pepper thin.

2) Saute the onion in olive oil over medium low heat. When transparent, add mushrooms. When mushrooms begin to soften, add bell peppers. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat while mushrooms and pepper are still slightly firm, cover.

3) While veggies are sauteing grate the cheddar cheese and set aside in small bowl.

4) Prepare the taco filling according to package directions.  While it is simmering, add one can drained kidney beans. When done, remove from heat but cover to keep warm.

5) You're ready to assemble! Warm tortillas one at a time in a large skillet on the stove top, or as you are able. I used a piece of foil laid over the cooking surface of our Dickinson Lofoten. It worked fabulously. Onto warm tortilla, layer first the taco filling/bean mix, then grated cheese, then veggie saute, then mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots and salsa. Wrap it up if you can (or get a fork), and enjoy!

Tofu Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

I used to make stir fry by simply lightly sauteing all of the veggies I had selected (sometimes even a bag of frozen ones), putting them over rice, and drowning everything in soy sauce.

I was never completely happy with the outcome (surprise). While okay, it was not good, but I never made the effort to find out how to make it good. My We Love Ginger post was the first time I made a really yummy stir fry.

A couple nights ago, I had several veggies in the cooler that were entering "the edge zone." Another day and their life would be over. I also had a box of tofu. Stir fry night! But I didn't have a specific recipe, and at the same time I wasn't willing to go back to the old soy sauce days. What to do...

Tofu Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

You will need:

The veggies of your choice (I used garlic, 1/2 red onion leftover from Goddess Bowl, 1 green bell pepper, 1 head broccoli and 2 big carrots)
One container of firm tofu, sliced into cubes
One spicy peanut sauce recipe (to follow)
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
olive oil for pan
3 cups cooked brown rice

1) Start/cook rice according to package directions. Prepare your veggies. Dice the garlic, floret the broccoli, slice the onion and carrots thin, and chop the bell pepper.

2) Lightly oil pan over medium heat and add garlic and onions. When just barely tender, add broccoli. When broccoli is bright green, add carrots and bell pepper. Stir occasionally.

3) While veggies saute, make your spicy peanut sauce:

2 generous T. peanut butter (natural, crunchy style)
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 T. soy sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sherry
and a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce (season to taste, depending on your sauce and what you like. It is easy to stir in more if you want)

Mix the above ingredients well. Add hot water slowly, stirring well, until your sauce is creamy and about the consistency of a cheese sauce.

4) When veggies are tender but not soft, add tofu and gently stir/heat until tofu is hot. Spoon veggies/tofu over rice in bowls, drizzle with peanut sauce, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Protein Power God/Goddess Bowl

I have so many different ways I want to start this post... Here are a few of the opening lines I've felt torn about...

1) Am I a blog stalker?? I found this recipe by reading a friend's cooking blog who in turn had written of a fondness for a third cooking blog, which I then visited... and found this recipe.
2) This recipe has a whole 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast in it!!!
3) My kid ate a whole bowl of this high veggie count, high protein count meal!
4) I decided on this recipe in about 3 minutes of furiously searching for a new recipe, but failed to take note of the kitchen equipment required.

If I could, I'd set this post up like a Choose Your Own Adventure Story, and you could pick which line to start with. Since I can't, I'll just get started.

I did stalk two other blogs to find this recipe, so I'll give them credit now. I found Oh She Glows via Pure Hunger, and have adapted the recipe slightly so that you can prepare it on your boat (or in your home) without fancy machinery or electrical energy usage. The recipe was true to the original author's claim: delicious! The original name was simply the Protein Power Goddess Bowl, but since my husband ate a lot of it, I've adapted the name a bit.

Protein Power God/Goddess Bowl

You will need:

2 cups uncooked brown rice (or however much you want to make)
1.5-2 cups uncooked lentils (you need 4 cups cooked lentils)
1/2 red onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
8-10 sundried tomatoes, sliced
2 large handfuls of spinach or mixed greens
1/2 cup parsley, chopped (I left this out)
Lemon wedges and olives, for garnish (I bought these but forgot to use them!)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tbsp olive oil for sautéing
1 cup Tahini lemon garlic dressing (recipe to follow)

1) Cook lentils and rice according to package directions. When lentils are tender, rinse with cold water, strain, and set aside. The lentils will take 15-20 minutes, depending on how tender you would like them. Keep rice covered when it is done.

2) While lentils and rice cook, make the Tahini lemon garlic dressing!

1/4 cup tahini
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (yay!!)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

FACT: When you let a jar of tahini sit in your cupboard for over two years, unopened, it will take about half an hour to re-stir it. Treat your tahini better than I did...

NOW: The original recipe called for all of the ingredients to be tossed into a food processor and processed until smooth. If you can do that, you have more power (electrical) than I do. I made my own food processor. Here is a picture:

If you have a food processor like mine, mince up the garlic as small as you possibly can. Then, funnel all the ingredients into your processor (I had to spoon the tahini).

Once, all the ingredients are in, shake baby shake!!

That's your dressing! Now, back to the main recipe.

3) In a large skillet (really large! I ended up wishing I'd used my dutch oven), heat oil over low-medium heat. Add onion, garlic, tomato, bell pepper, salt, pepper, and sundried tomatoes. Sauté for about 5 minutes over low-medium heat.

4) Now add the cooked, drained, and rinsed 4 cups of lentils and stir well. Cook for another few minutes. Add 1 cup of tahini lemon garlic dressing and stir well. Cook until it starts to bubble and then remove from heat.

5) Add in 2 really bursting big handfuls of greens and your parsley (I didn't use parsley. just forgot to buy it) and stir well again. Portion cooked brown rice into the bowl(s) and then scoop the sauté lentil mixture over the rice. Garnish with olives and a lemon wedge if preferred. Makes about 6 large portions.

This recipe really did make a lot of food! We ate very well for dinner, our daughter at a whole bowl of this delightful veggie mess, and we had enough for two huge lunches the next day. Best of all, we all want to eat it again.

Would love to hear any thoughts! We can share them with the original blogger!

GRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I just finished all the text for a really great recipe, and then discovered that I failed to upload all my pictures to the computer. My camera is at home. I am not.

Frustration....

I will transfer the pics tonight at home and try to get my new post up then. Stick with me...