Breakfast Style Kale + Eggs

Breakfast is definitely one of my favorite meals of the day. On the weekends, we make slightly indulgent breakfasts with many components. One breakfast I've been making off and on is this kale and eggs. I will eat kale ANY time of the day, in any form, and breakfast is the perfect way to get in some dark leafy greens! I eat a lot of eggs too, so they are obviously my pick for breakfast. I'm not a big sweets person because I feel like the sugar wears me down in the morning, but sometimes I want pancakes too.

This dish is so easy to make, delicious, and hearty. It makes no sense to go out for breakfast when you can have whatever you want in your own kitchen (plus mimosas!). What do you enjoy having for breakfast?

Breakfast Style Kale + Eggs

Serves 1

• 1-2 eggs per person
• paprika or Old Bay 
• garlic powder
• salt
• 1/4 yellow onion, very thinly sliced
• olive oil
• 3 cups of kale (you don't have to measure, just eyeball)
• lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• for serving: sliced avocado, hot sauce, mimosas, grits, GF toast; whatever you enjoy with breakfast!

1. Preheat a pan on medium high. Add a thin slick of oil. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes, until slightly caramelized and light brown.
2. Add the kale to the pan. Stir around a bit. Add a big squeeze of lemon juice or just a splash of vinegar (vinegar is more acidic so use a little less). The pan should sizzle, so stir everything around. Add a heavy pinch of paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Stir again. Add a little more lemon/vinegar and stir.
3. When the kale is wilted, dark green, and seasoned to your preferences, remove to a plate.
4. Wipe the pan out. Spray a thin layer of oil and crack 1 or 2 eggs away from each other. Push the whites together as much as possible, to make it easier to flip. 
5. For a runnier egg: cook until the whites are almost completely set, then flip and cook 30 seconds more. Flip again, then remove to the plate with kale and add toppings.
6. For a firmer egg: cook until the whites are completely set, then flip, and cook 45 seconds more. Flip again, then remove to the plate with kale and add toppings.
7. Enjoy! 

Strawberry Lemonade Salad

I have finally gotten myself back into a regular salad routine! I find myself eating them for lunch most days of the week because I am (successfully) trying to ignore processed foods. Lucky for me, processed foods does as much damage as gluten/dairy/wheat to my stomach, so it's easy for me to avoid. Another way I easily avoid them is my stocking my fridge and pantry with healthy, fresh items. 

I like to keep organic romaine lettuce, a big bag of organic carrots, and the occasional celery or fruit to throw in. Having a variety of nuts and seeds also adds a nice crunch to your salad. Today I wanted to try something different. I had half of an avocado in my fridge, some strawberries, and the usual carrots/lettuce. I stumbled across this post which more or less inspired this salad. I was too lazy to make the dressing, so I created my own. This salad is lemony, bright, and refreshing! Just adjust the amount of ingredients to your liking/how many you are serving.

Strawberry Lemonade Salad

(adapted lightly from this)

• romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
• half of an avocado, diced
• 4-5 strawberries, hulled and halved
• a handful of almonds/sunflower seeds, toasted 
• juice of 1 lemon or less (I used about 3/4 of a whole lemon)
• splash of olive oil
• a few glugs of raspberry/strawberry vinegar (balsamic or white balsamic works too)
• optional add-ins: feta, goat cheese, pickled red onions

1. Toss lettuce, carrots, avocado, nuts, and strawberries together. 
2. Squeeze lemon juice over the salad. Add olive oil, vinegar and any other add-ins.
3. Toss and enjoy!

(893) joyeaux Noël

I hate to say it, but I am relieved that Christmas is over. It came up way too quickly and right in the midst of trying to figure out new health issues that have been occurring. It has been quite some time since something so out-of-the-blue and painful has happened to me. I am trying to be patient until my regular doctor returns from leave so I can talk to her about it. I can only hope it will get better soon. Besides the craziness of Christmas, it was a lovely quiet one. I got to spend a lot of time with my family which was nice. I also ate a ridiculous amount of food! (surprise surprise)

I love stir frys because they are so easy to pull together, and they are especially quick when you prep the vegetables a day or so ahead. I cooked my quinoa two days before and chopped my vegetables one day before. This is probably my favorite stir-fry to date! Crunchy, golden quinoa with edamame, garlicky shiitakes and topped with lots of organic sriracha. This did not last two days in my house before I ate all of it. I love recipes like these because you add anything you want and adjust things to your liking. Next time I would like to add fresh ginger and some kale!
//love + lemons

I am not going to Bikram yoga for a while, until I figure this health stuff out, but this was a lovely post-yoga snack: grapes and avocado toast smothered in paprika/lemon juice/salt.

Sometimes you have leftover quinoa and most of the time you're not sure what to do with it. I was just thumbing through Foodgawker one night when I saw these easy quinoa sriracha bites. It's a great way to use up leftover quinoa and it has eggs! (protein!). I would like to try these sometime with blended tofu to make them vegan. I added extra sriracha, obviously, and really loved the way they soaked up GF soy sauce. Sesame seeds on top add a lovely crunch! //leaf + grain

More avocado toast (for breakfast): what I call "deconstructed guacamole" toast with avocado, lime/lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt and cilantro.

The best tofu/veggie burgers I've ever had! I scarfed this one down in a second. I just wish they were freezer friendly because I would love to always have them on hand.

I learned a little downside about food blog recipes: they are bound to have mistakes (more often, I would say, than cookbooks). That being said, I have seen cookbooks who had to publish an insert to go with the books because there were mistakes (printing errors etc.) but when you have a blog recipe, people try them out and if they don't work out so great, you will hear about it! So I made these little chocolate chip rice krispie treat cookies...and I kept asking myself why some of them spread and some of them didn't. So I checked the recipe and she had updated it two weeks ago (PS I write my recipes very early on if it interests me). The butter sugar: flour ratio was off and that's why they spread so much. Luckily, I have some lovely co-workers and family members who said these were some of the best cookies they've had (hope you guys weren't joking!) and they were pretty damn good. //spoon fork bacon

Beautiful romanesco cauliflower 

Vegetable tofu pad thai from my sister

A lovely english perry cider and my new cookbooks, which I so gratefully gifted to myself. My excuse is that I did pretty well this semester and deserved it, haha. I have finally read all of these and cannot wait to start cooking from them. Pictured: "Veganomicon", "Everyday Happy Herbivore", "Happy Herbivore Abroad", "Vegan Brunch", "Appetite for Reduction", and "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." (notice a trend? they're all vegan!)

The most amazing with out a doubt deliciousss black bean sweet potato stew with pineapple and fresh avocado. What?!?!?! My family and I (with all the aunties and uncles alike) met up at Blue Corn Cafe this weekend for a holiday get together. This stew is what the restaurant is famous for, apparently, and I can see why. I ate every last drop, along with two GF beers, and it was absolutely DIVINE.

I was so pleased at my options at this Mexican restaurant. While everyone else was chewing on sopapillas and fried ice cream, I had a beautiful glass of the best fresh mango sorbet I've ever had. Still drooling.

So I changed the Christmas dessert last minute to this lovely orange gingerbread with a cream cheese frosting. It was so fluffy, moist, and just the right amount of ginger and orange without being overpowering. I subbed in 1 C sorghum flour, 1 C tapioca flour, and 1/4 C almond meal alongside 2 1/2tsp xanthan gum. I used vegan butter and vegan cream cheese for the frosting and halved the frosting recipe. This is my mom's favorite cake yet, though she says this every time I make a new cake, but it's still really lovely! //joy the baker

I like to make my dad granola every year because he's incredibly hard to find gifts for. Last year I made this holiday granola, festively studded with cranberries and pistachios. I decided to make it again this year, but it was even better this time around! If you enjoy nutmeg, you will love this granola and it's so easy to make (like any granola recipe!). //yummy mummy

My mom made a lot of soup for us growing up, and still does. I think I got her soup making/soup loving gene because it is my favorite thing to make! If you asked me what her best soup is, corn chowder would be at the top of the list. She would make it during the dead of winter, when it was most comforting and heart warming, and it would be just perfect with crackers. I could eat that corn chowder for days. But, we all know I like to switch things up...so I made this roasted poblano pepper corn chowder with red bell peppers and cumin. Let me just say, this is a close second to hers (along with tarragon corn chowder). The amount of heat here is perfect (could even use some minced jalapeno) and it's so comforting. I love variations on classics, and this is my favorite yet! //knead to cook

Christmas French toast with maple syrup, powdered sugar + bananas.

My new 12-qt soup pot. So in love!

New iPad 2 and green case. I am kind of shocked at how well my dad knows me because this case is amazing!

I was going to make a shepard's pie for Christmas but things got turned around and I wanted to cook from things I only had in my pantry; so I made Happy Herbivore's GF hippie loaf. This was the easiest and most flavorful vegan loaf yet! Made with black beans, aromatic vegetables, quinoa and Italian herbs, it was a hit with everyone on Christmas! It was kind of torture to drive to my parents' house with this in the car because it smelled so good. //happy herbivore

Vegan christmas dinner plate: homemade biscuits (same ones I made for Thanksgiving), bourbon pecan sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, potato salad, and hippie loaf. Yum!

Trying to be more free-handed in the kitchen: Italian mushroom onion scramble, leftover biscuit, grapes and black currant tea for breakfast. Here's a half-ass recipe for the scramble:

Chop up equal amounts of mushrooms and onion. Preheat a small skillet with just enough oil. Throw in vegetables and stir, letting saute for 2 mins. Add a good sprinkle or two of Italian seasoning and stir. Let saute until mushrooms and onions are soft and fragrant. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a bowl with almond milk (I use the ratio of 1 egg:1 T milk, and I used 3 eggs). Season eggs with salt and pepper. Once vegetable mixture is cooked down, pour eggs directly over them. Let sit until the bottom begins to set, then push the eggs around with a spatula, scrambling lightly, until cooked. 

(833) the nature of evil

It has been quite a busy week, and an unexpectedly "crazy" weekend, so I haven't had a chance to post until this quiet Sunday morning, where I can finally gather my thoughts. tomorrow marks one week before my (21st!) birthday. I can hardly believe it, yet I'm so ready for it to get here. There will be lots of planning and running around this week, and next, so I better have some good meals under my belt!

trying to make breakfast more versatile, yet again: leftover fresh cooked chickpeas smashed with avocado, lemon juice, paprika and salt over tomatoes + GF toast rubbed with garlic.

Sometimes I need to bake to forget about things. That sounds silly, I know. The act of baking over actually eating what I make? Yes, to me it's more therapeutic. It helps me block out anything I am worrying about and just focus on what I'm doing. It's a well known fact that I am not a last minute/spur of the moment kind of girl, but these apple cider donuts definitely were. I have only made donuts one other time, but these were perfect. I used this recipe with a few changes, as per Babycakes' recipe: 3/4 C brown rice flour, 1/3 C sorghum flour, + 1/2 C tapioca starch. These were chewy, delicious, delicate, and everything I needed!

Farmer's Market haul

This could be my new favorite quinoa + tempeh dish. Oven baked almond flour battered and soy sauce drenched tempeh with nutritional yeast studded quinoa, and tomatoes + spinach of course. The best part was the creamy avocado, which slightly melted in the hot quinoa. Super delicious, filling, and nutritious. (and easy!) [source: Oh, Ladycakes!]

I am hard headed, I guess you could say. After I burn a pot of rice, I throw it out, soak the pot, and cook another one. When I mess up a shortbread crust, I throw it out and make another crust in the same bowl. I don't give up easily, especially in the kitchen. My first pot of curry was nothing short from a disaster: pot too small, burnt the entire bottom of the pot, etc. I was frustrated. I yelled a few "sacre bleu"s and "merdes" before going to the store for more potatoes and an instant pad thai to tide me over. The final result was a beautiful, delicious golden potato curry. It has few ingredients, and doesn't take much effort, but the flavor is complex from whole cumin seeds, tumeric, and soy yogurt. [source: WFM Cooking]

One thing my family used to eat a lot was Mexican food. They would go out maybe once a week or so to whatever little Mexican joint around here (there are more than a few) and come back with leftovers, of course. I grew up on the stuff. Sometimes I miss it: the atmosphere, the chips and salsa, the "caliente" plates. But, I have found more than a few ways to be satisfied with homemade, fresh, market friendly Mexican food. This one is a winner. Sauteed market squash + zucchini with red onions and garlic. Freshly cooked pinto beans in a spicy broth with peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and roasted red peppers. Vegan Queso cheese. Guacamole. I redid the leftovers as burritos and let me tell you, this could beat Chipotle's butt any day. [source: Adrienne Eats]

I try to plan meals that are balanced, nutritious, and delicious (most importantly). I made an Asian Slow-Cooker Cabbage + Corn soup this weekend (next post) and I made these tofu sticks to go along with them. The flavor of the GF breading is amazing (with fresh GF breadcrumbs) and they pair well with ketchup or any other dipping sauce. I will make these again, maybe for a vegan party or just to snack on while I'm busy. They were super easy to make too! [source: Good Things Grow]

I'll be back later this week before my birthday, I'm sure! 

(784) ce jeu

I'm about to start my fourth week of school tomorrow! That just sounds crazy. I was recently "elected" the co-secretary of our French Club, which I'm incredibly excited about! I am so ready to immerse myself in French culture, watch more French films, make crepes and madelines! Our first official meeting, after the preliminary, is tomorrow. I also took a lovely trip to Charlotte this weekend to visit a friend

Easy dinners are what have been keeping me going lately. This scramble was incredibly easy to put together and a great end-of-summer dish. Lee fried the potatoes, which were amazing

French toast skills are getting slightly better. This batch turned out just a bit burnt, but still delicious and filling

On our way to Charlotte after about 5 detours!

Beautiful mason jar lights at Fern, a restaurant in Charlotte

The most beautiful bloody mary. Tasted pretty good too!

Cory's dashi ramen topped with a poached egg. This was made with zucchini noodles, so it was gluten-free too!

My farmhouse vegetable ragout. Braised in a delicious, vegan sauce, the fingerling potatoes were so tender and that was definitely the best tempeh I've ever had. It was so soft and tasted nothing like the tempeh I've eaten for years.

My new found love: Amelie's French Bakery in Charlotte. Not just because they're the only place to have macarons outside of NYC, but the atmosphere was so inviting...and French! They had everything, from pate, to madelines, French cheeses, etc. It is definitely my new favorite place. The macarons were delicious! They're also open 24 hours, which is pretty lovely. If I lived in Charlotte I'm pretty sure I would live in this bakery...and be broke.

They also had lavender French lemonade, which is amazing. I have to say, I am a huge fan of that lemon San Pellingrino sparkling beverage I had.

These were the only jam filled ones they had, but they're marvelous! Look how perfect the feet are

Tried to start off today with a healthy breakfast: avocado toast drizzled with balsamic vinegar and salt.

My new apple pomegranate lemon tea from Teavana (yet another place I wish we had here).

I made a very interesting twist on granola today from Shutterbean: candied walnut, coconut, black sesame seed granola (with many other things involved!) It is currently cooling but I'm sure it'll be great for breakfast this week.