Tag Archives: eggs

Indian Omelette Breakfast Burrito

Posted by Dave in breakfast, indian, vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,
Indian omelette breakfast burrito served with curry salsa.

Indian omelette breakfast burrito served with curry salsa.

Yesterday, an Indian friend said this Indian Omelet recipe “looks legit,” so I decided to try it; the Indian omelette reminds me of the Chinese omelette, egg foo young, and is prepared quite similarly just with different spices and a lot less oil.

For my version of this omelette (2 servings), I used the following ingredients:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup minced red onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped napa cabbage
  • 1/3 cup minced fresh mushroom
  • fresh coriander leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (to taste)
  • salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • canola oil (1-2 tablespoons)

(I reduced the turmeric quite a bit from the original recipe because I’ve found that if I don’t cook it in oil in the pan first, it can taste metallic to me.)

To prepare:

As with any omelette beat the eggs, I added a bit of water.  Next whisk in all the other ingredients (except the oil for frying). Over medium heat add the oil to an omelette or other non-stick frying pan. When oil is hot, but not smoking, be sure it’s spread evenly over the pan surface and add the egg mixture, spreading it evenly. Cover immediately with a pan lid or serving plate, and cook for a few minutes, checking to see that it is solidifying, but not yet cooked through. (Expect the bottom to brown in the oil.) Before the egg is completely cooked on top, slide the omelette onto a plate that is larger than the pan, then place the pan upside-down over the plate and flip it over so that the omelette is back in the pan. Cook this other side for a minute or so and slide it onto a serving plate; garnish with cilantro leaf.

An Indian omelette topped with coriander leaf.

An Indian omelette topped with coriander leaf.

Despite all the ingredients and spices, I found my omelette uninteresting on its own (and I’m not really a fan of breakfasts dominated by egg), so as I’ve done before, I chopped the omelette into large pieces and used it to fill a large, warmed flour tortilla as a breakfast burrito.

As an additional burrito filling and flavorful accompaniment, I prepared a hot curry salsa by stirring about 1/2 teaspoon of Indian curry paste into about 1/4 cup tomato-based Mexican salsa.

Mixing up a curry salsa.

Mixing up a curry salsa.

I used less than half the omelette for the burrito and served it with additional hot curry salsa on the side.

An Indian omelette and breakfast burrito.

An Indian omelette and breakfast burrito.

This was a nice Indian-fusion variation of the wonderful Tex-Mex breakfast burrito. Another way to make it more Indian would be to use chappati instead of a mexican-style tortilla. I was first introduced to the frozen variety of chappati by an Indian housemate; they’re quite good, you just take them from the freezer right into the fry pan for a few minutes, but the frozen ones are smaller than burrito-sized tortillas, so would make for tiny burritos.

The Indian omelette is yet-another way to put some variety into your breakfasts of vegetables and eggs!

Here is the recipe I used as the basis for this omelette:

And some related recipes:

UPDATE (Feb. 2015):

I made an “egg roll,” (nothing like a Chinese egg roll) as in this video, with scallion, black pepper, scrambled egg, and a tortilla and that works out great too and is yet-another breakfast burrito variation!

Leftover Curry Frittata

Posted by Dave in asian, breakfast, indian, tips, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,
Leftover Curry Frittata

Leftover Curry Frittata (chickpea, cabbage, and coconut) served with cumin rice.

I make a lot of curries; they’re flexible and amenable to creativity with whatever vegetables you have on hand.
I’m not a big breakfast person, but I do occasionally make a frittata; it’s easier than most might think (and you don’t bother with a crust like quiche), as long as you have a skillet you can move from the stovetop to the oven.

This Leftover Curry Frittata is simply a frittata made with your leftover curry from the night or nights before.
Here, I used a leftover curry made with cabbage, chickpeas, and coconut cream.
I bet you could even add a bit of leftover rice to the frittata, but rice also makes a nice side for breakfast.

Below are some related posts with preparation details for frittatas and vegetable curries.
Another tip is that I find that frittatas turn out fine with just egg and water (instead of milk), if you prefer to keep it dairy-free (or are out of milk, like me).

Asian-inspired frittatas are nice too, with chinese vegetables and a touch of hoisin and chili garlic sauce. Also, these are a bit less work than Egg Foo Young, that makes a great breakfast and reheats well.

Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

Posted by Dave in shellfish and tagged with , , , , , , ,
Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

I found a week or two old dried chunk of a country wheat boule in the refrigerator that I was hesitant to simply discard… it was a tasty, hearty bread.  I decided to essentially make a frittata but add bread cubes to it, making it a sort of savory bread pudding. This was the successful result. :)

Most of the ingredients.

Most of the ingredients.

Ingredients: olive oil, chopped sweet onion, mushroom, spinach, a couple cloves of garlic (sliced), oregano, black pepper, raw shrimp (thawed from frozen and most cut into bite sized pieces), a large handful of bread cubes or torn pieces , 4-6 eggs beaten with perhaps 1/4 cup of half and half.

Sautéing ingredients.

Sautéing ingredients.

In a non-stick skillet on the stove top, I first lightly sautéed the vegetables, partially cooked the shrimp, and seasoned. Meanwhile, the bread is soaking in the egg/milk mixture.

Starting the pudding in a skillet on the stove top.

Starting the pudding in a skillet on the stove top.

Then I added the bread/eggs, that had been soaking for perhaps 1/2 hour in the beaten eggs, and cooked until it began to solidify, just as one would prepare a frittata or omelette.

Finishing the pudding under the broiler.

Finishing the pudding under the broiler.

Lastly I topped the pudding with raw, blanched slivered almonds and finished it under a low broiler until nicely solidified and browned on top.

Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

To serve, I cut the pudding into 3 generous servings (each with one whole shrimp on top) and drizzled it with a simple sauce of mayonnaise and sriracha pepper sauce, and accompanied it with a salad of fresh spinach tossed with Goddess Dressing and sprinkled with toasted almond slivers.

A bite of Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

A bite of Almond Shrimp Skillet Bread Pudding

A Very Yellow Breakfast: Omelette and Cornbread

Posted by Dave in breakfast, gluten-free, vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,
A Sharp Cheddar and Kyopolou Omelette with Cornbread

A Sharp Cheddar and Kyopolou Omelette with Cornbread

Maybe it’s just the winter weather, but I was definitely in the mood for something bright for breakfast, and yellow is my favorite color, so I decided on cornbread and eggs. Actually, that’s about all I had left in the house… so more than one reason for this meal.

This is merely a two-egg omelette with sharp cheddar cheese and kyopolou. I simply used the prepared Trader Joe’s variety that they call “Red Pepper Spread,” but authentically from Bulgaria. On the side is cornbread, prepared round from Jiffy brand corn muffin mix. (I substituted greek yogurt diluted with a bit of water for milk in the cornbread, since, *surprise*, I was out of milk.)

A Sharp Cheddar and Kyopolou Omelette with Cornbread

A Sharp Cheddar and Kyopolou Omelette with Cornbread

The omelette was served with a sprinkle of dried oregano and it made for a cheery, basic breakfast… it’s practially sunshine on a plate and maybe great fuel for wintertime Coldplay. :)

Vegetable Frittata

Posted by Dave in breakfast, mediterranean, vegetarian and tagged with , , , ,
Vegetable frittata and romaine lettuce with oil and vinegar.

Vegetable frittata and romaine lettuce with oil and vinegar

I’m not a big fan of just eggs for breakfast – one is usually enough for me, and must be accompanied by more interesting textures. But, of course, eggs are inexpensive and nutritious, so I decided to try a frittata again. I had some fennel stalks around, and was curious to try them (since I love the flavor), after having used the milder fennel bulb for fennel au gratin at Christmastime and not wanting to merely discard the green stalks.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 – 2 T. canola oil
  • 3 small to medium red potatues, cut into small cubes
  • 1/3 fennel stalk, finely sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 T. basil pesto
  • white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • scallion, white portion cut finely, greens coarsely
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites, whisked with milk
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • swiss cheese, shredded

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425° F.
In an oven safe skillet, over medium low heat, sauté potato and fennel with salt and pepper until potato is somewhat tender. Add white portion of scallions and mushrooms, and lighly sauté. Stir pesto into vegetables and immediately pour egg mixture into skillet evenly over sautéed ingredients.  Cook for a few minutes, until egg mixture begins to set and top with tomatoes, shredded cheese, and scallion greens. Place skillet in oven for 7-15 minutes, until egg appears firm on top and is cooked through.

Vegetable frittata

Vegetable frittata

I served frittata wedges with chopped romaine lettuce and a dressing of simply olive oil and red wine vinegar. This one came out nicely, and the bit of fennel stalk worked nicely to flavor the potatoes.

Chicken and Egg Breakfast Nachos

Posted by Dave in breakfast, texmex and tagged with , , , ,
Chicken and Egg Breakfast Nachos with pasilla salsa and jalapenos.

Chicken and Egg Breakfast Nachos with pasilla salsa and jalapenos.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
It was the egg. (Dinosaurs, the ancestors of the chicken, and many other animals layed eggs.)

This morning, I got up late (as usual), saw this beautiful snowy scene outside, and perused two generous online invitations to brunch this morning.  Hmm, shower, dress, find the shovel, … drive the 4×4 to one of these restaurants or just sit my ass on the couch? Guess which one won.

DSC06857

My backyard with the first proper snowfall of the season

For this breakfast I boiled a couple fresh jalapenos, whipped up some scrambled eggs, stirred in some chipotle-seasoned pulled chicken; bell pepper and jalapeno strips (leftover from yesterday’s fajitas); and shredded cheddar.  Then I assembled the nachos on a plate with blue corn tortilla chips, topped with a pasilla salsa (the first I opened from the summertime canning) and a tender jalapeno.

Breakfast nachos on a wintery morning.

Breakfast nachos on a wintery morning.

A pleasant, if not lonely, breakfast on this beautiful wintery morning.
I even eased into the season with some holiday music.

I hope my friends fared as well with their brunches.

Pan-fried Noodles with Vegetables

Posted by Dave in asian, gluten-free, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Pan-fried Noodles with Vegetables

Here’s a quick vegetarian, and potentially gluten-free, noodle dish.

To prepare: place rice noodles in warm water to soften (20-30 mins.)  I used rice noodles that were approximately 1/4 inch wide, but wider noodles would work well too.

Prepare a sauce by combining fish sauce, soy sauce, water, and honey, and fresh lemon or lime juice … perhaps 1/2 cup total.  (To be gluten-free, use tamari rather than soy sauce.)

Sauté vegetables in canola or peanut oil to desired tenderness in a large pan or wok; for this dish I used matchstick carrot, sliced white button mushroom, sweet onion, and minced shallot, adding a portion of the sauce as well.
Remove the vegetables from the hot pan and set aside.
Quickly scramble an egg in oil in the pan, and place it with the vegetables.

Once the noodles have softened, drain pan-fry them likewise in a bit of oil, until they begin to crisp or brown slightly.  Control cooking with the sauce (which can also be used to add some color to the noodles.)

To finish, return sautéed vegetables to the warm pan, add any remaining sauce, add chopped fresh cilantro and chopped peanut and combine thoroughly.

I served this in one large bowl per serving… a pretty simple but satisfying meal just for myself, this time. :-)

Pan-fried noodles with vegetables.

Summertime Bounty Breakfast

Posted by Dave in breakfast, potatoes, vegetarian and tagged with , ,

A breakfast of summertime bounty

I’ve been away from blogging for a bit but have just wrapped up weeks of work (on this year-long project) that culminated in a research paper manuscript submission last night; now I’m looking forward to time for friends… and for breakfast, and perhaps the two combined.

Here’s my morning’s breakfast of summertime bounty with ingredients from the farmer’s market and some lovely friends:  scrambled egg and skillet potatoes with avocado and mesclun of arugula and other salad greens home-grown on my front porch, thanks to a lovely person that trusts me to babysit them.

The skillet potatoes are sliced red potato from the market, pan-fried in canola until tender, seasoned red pepper flakes, oregano, fennel seed, salt, and pepper and with shallots and garlic from a generous friend’s garden.

The scrambled egg is prepared with crisp corn tortilla strips and red pepper spread. Unfortunately, I did not know the chicken. :)

A breakfast of summertime bounty

Happy summertime eating with your fresh ingredients and friends!

Oeufs de Soleil

Posted by Dave in Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

So hot, you could fry an egg

Last week on Independence Day, July 4th, it was 100° F (38° C) where I live, as it was for most of the week, and it seemed you could fry an egg. Is that really possible?
Here, Bill Nye suggested that you might try it: So Hot, You Could Fry an Egg

From my cursory reading, it seems he found that a constant temperature of 130° F (55° C) can cook an egg.  Having a bit of time to kill, why not do some science? (Truth be told, I was partly just passing the time until the beautiful girl that suggested we try frying an egg, on the sidewalk, was done working.)

To perform this “eggsperiment,” I used one of my black cast iron pans and placed it in the sunshine around midday.  Fairly quickly, a thermometer indicated that the pan’s surface temperature exceeded 140° F and it was too hot to handle comfortably.

This looked promising, so I put a bit of olive oil and an egg into the pan.  A portion of the egg white, at the edge, immediately cooked to opaque.

Shortly after though, the action stopped; in part, I think, this was because the egg (which began at approximately room temperature, actually ~90° F) cooled the pan and decreased the pan’s ability to absorb the sun’s energy (by decreasing the non-reflective, black surface area).

After about 1/2 hour in this state, shadows encroached on my wooden deck, so I moved the pan to the sidewalk.

However, despite continuous sunlight on the hot sidewalk, the egg didn’t cook much more.  I believe this was because the sidewalk acted as a heat sink, pulling heat from the pan, resulting in a lower cooking surface temperature than when the pan was on the (insulating) wooden deck.

After perhaps 1/2 hour again, I returned the pan to the sunlit deck.

The half-cooked result

So, after about 1 1/2 hours total sunshine-cooking time, I ended up with this half-cooked, partially dried-out unappetizing fried egg.

My conclusion is that it is possible to cook an egg this way under some conditions, but maintaining the pan temperature, despite the egg being introduced and despite possible heat-sapping surfaces, is imperative.

Anyway, I hope you all stayed cool and likewise had a pleasant Independence Day!

Open-Faced Poached Egg and Hummus Quesadilla

Posted by Dave in breakfast, mediterranean, texmex, vegetarian and tagged with , , ,

Open-Faced Quesadilla with Poached Egg and Hummus

Here’s a colorful quick breakfast (and, for me, lunch) idea: poached eggs atop hummus on a open-faced quesadilla of flour tortilla with sharp cheddar cheese, tomato salsa, fresh scallion and habanero pepper.

This is simply a melenge of favorite ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Poached Egg and Hummus Quesadilla

Oh, on an urelated note, Happy Canada Day! :)
Here some interesting Canadian craft beers for the occasion: