Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Fresh French Toast

Ever delighted in a stale, crumbly, disgustingly dry piece of gluten free bread? Here's my favorite alternative- a chewy, marvelous french toast!

2 pieces of toast
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Brown sugar
Berries to serve

In a large bowl, whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and salt. Let the pieces of toast soak in the mixture for 5 minutes. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan on medium heat and plop on the first piece of toast. Reduce the heat to medium-low and once golden brown, flip to the other side. And repeat! Delight in a fantastically un-dry gluten free toast!

Cayenne Salmon Salad

1 salmon piece
1/2 diced tomato
Diced cucumber
1/4 bell pepper, diced
1/2 avocado
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
Salt
Cayenne
Diced cilantro

Bake the salmon in the oven at 425 degrees approx 15 minutes. Mix the cannelini, bell pepper, avocado, lemon, olive oil, salt and cayenne. Let the salmon cool a bit and toss it with the salad.
Enjoy!

Spring Omelett

Who doesn't love a light spring omelett bright and early in the morning?

2 eggs
3 tbsp milk
2 mushrooms
1 slice ham, diced
2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 avocado
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter

In a small frying pan, melt olive oil and butter at a high heat. Fry the sliced mushrooms and diced ham. Set aside the ham and mushroom on a cutting board. Mix the eggs and milk in a bowl. In the same frying pan, on medium heat add in the egg mixture. Stir gently with a plastic spatula, so that all the egg is equally cooked yet still light and tender. With the spatula, pat the egg flat and let it cook together for a few minutes. On one half, add in the cooked mushroom, ham, avocado and cheese. Fold over the other half and serve with a cilantro leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Veggie Monsters: Step 3 Chicken up your faces

Carve the chicken to fit underneath the veggies. To the barbecue chicken mouths, add gorgonzola for teeth! To keep the chicken and veggies together, stick a toothpick in them.
Viola! You've got your veggie faces!

Veggie Monsters: Step 2 Assemble your veggie faces

Slice onions into eyes, with cherry tomatoes sliced in half as pupils.
For the noses use the bottom of a bell pepper, and for the mouths use the middle pieces of bell peppers.

Veggie Monsters: Step 1 Rolling Chicken!

Start by carefully butterfly cutting the chicken breasts into two thin half-chicken breasts. Roll these out in a sealed plastic bag to make them thinner. Marinate the chicken in your favorite sauces. I marinated in barbeque, peanut, and basil garlic sauces. Bake in the oven at 400 for 12 minutes or until fully cooked.

Veggie Monster

My sesame street cupcakes inspired me to bring monsters to the dinner table. Originally I tried dying chicken different colors- Note to self: Chicken refuses to dye! Instead, the chicken ended up inside of these mini veggie sandwiches, all shaped into facial features. 

On the menu:
Barbeque Gorgonzola Chicken in Bell Pepper Mouths
Peanut Chicken in Onion Eyes
Basil Garlic Chicken in Bell Pepper Noses
To read more about how to create these veggie monsters, read Step 1: Rollin in the Chicken!

Reindeer Stir Fry

Rudolph's not on the menu, I promise! In Lapland, the north of Sweden, Finland, and Norway, live the Saami people- nomadic, indigenous tribes travelling alongside their reindeer who roam freely. When we were in Northern Sweden I made the classic Ren a la Ridberg... mmm mmm good!

Ingredients
1 yellow onion
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp creme fraisch or cooking yogurt
1 tsp tarragon
1 lb Reindeer "skav"
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 cup Lingon berry sauce
Mashed Potatoes to serve with

Instructions
Slice onion and fry on medium heat in butter until golden. Add in reindeer and spices and simmer ten minutes, stirring occassionally. Add salt and pepper, then crack an egg on top!