Easy Tasty Breakfast Sandwich | Healthful

I love breakfast sandwiches but they're usually greasy and fatty. Here's a great breakfast sandwich, or lunch, idea that's very tasty and healthful. No need for cheese because the avocado gives it a cheesy flavor and creaminess.

Cook one pound of low fat ground beef (I used local meat) in a skillet with a little vegetable broth or water for moisture, mix in about one teaspoon of Italian seasoning, a touch of salt and pepper.  Add more seasonings to taste. The Italian seasoning will make the ground beef taste like sausage without all the fat. Drain well in a colander.

While ground beef is draining, peel and chop one avocado, chop one plum tomato, stir in about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Note: they'll be more egg/ground beef mixture than the avocado topping so if you need more topping, make it with two avocados and two tomatoes, etc.

Return the drained ground beef to the skillet and stir in six local eggs. Cook until the eggs are done. There was plenty leftover for the two of us to freeze or use another day, so depending on how many people you're feeding you may have leftovers for another meal also. 

Put it all together on a whole wheat wrap with some baby spinach and enjoy! 

Make it ahead and make mornings easy! The lemon juice will help keep the avocado topping from browning if stored in a tightly sealed container for a couple of days. Just assemble the sandwich and heat in a microwave for about 30 seconds.

Instead of making the avocado topping, this would be a good way to use up leftover guacamole. 

Also, it's a good way to use up any leftover scrambled eggs. Just add cooked ground beef separately and assemble the sandwich with the other ingredients and you're good to go.

Local and organic. 

Haricot Verts With Walnuts And Caramelized Onions

Great idea for the holidays or anytime! 

Fresh and easy!

Roast haricot verts (usually available around Thanksgiving) or green beans that have been coated with a little extra virgin olive oil at 400 degrees for a few minutes, until they start turning brown on the ends. While they roast, warm about two cups of chopped walnuts (or almonds) in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove from pan and then start caramelizing the onions (in the same pan to save dishes) that have been thinly sliced. Caramelizing onions takes time, about 20 minutes, but is easy to make. Patience is required and I find it easier when I'm in the kitchen doing other tasks anyway. For a pack of haricot verts, I used two large sweet onions. Cooking directions for roasting, heating nuts, and caramelizing can be found on the internet.

Leftover Idea
A few days after Thanksgiving, I used the leftover haricot verts and shrimp we had had as an appetizer in this pasta dish. So simple! While linguine or fettuccine cooks, reheat haricot verts (or green beans) in about two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (depending on how much is leftover!) and some chopped garlic. Add about 1/4 cup white wine and 1/4 cup leftover turkey stock (I had made turkey stock from the bones) and keep warm on low heat until the pasta is done. Mix with the pasta then add the shrimp (I removed the tails to make it easy to eat), and add a ladle full of the pasta water. The shrimp has already been cooked so it only needs to be warmed from the heat in the mixture. Top with freshly ground pepper and a little salt if needed. I would have added chopped fresh parsley if I had some. Maybe next time!

Potato Crust Frittata

Frittatas are crustless but there were just a couple of potatoes left in the potato bowl that were getting soft so it was time to make something with them or they'd end up in the compost bin. So rather than cook them separately for, maybe, breakfast potatoes or hash, I decided to use them in the frittata as a crust.

I thinly sliced the potatoes with a mandolin, tossed them in extra virgin olive oil and some Italian seasoning, and roasted them at 400 degrees until cooked through but not too soft, just a few minutes. (I always preheat the cooking sheet when roasting potatoes to prevent them from sticking.) 

While the potatoes cooked, I whisked 12 local eggs in a bowl, sautéed some savory local breakfast sausage in the same cast iron skillet that the frittata would be baked in, and chopped the left over roasted peppers, onions, and garlic from a previous meal, which amounted to about one cup. The chopped vegetables were then added to the whisked eggs.

When all the ingredients were ready, I first layered the potatoes and then the sausage on the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet that was first prepared with a little extra virgin olive oil. The egg mixture was poured in slowly so it wouldn't disturb the potatoes and sausage. 

The entire frittata baked in the oven at 350 degrees until it was firm in the center. I didn't pre-cook the frittata over the stovetop because of the potato crust.

So, this is a great way to use up leftovers and a general idea of what I did. There are many precise, simple, time-saving frittata recipes available on the internet. Try a frittata for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner sometime! 

Sliced Steak With Dijon Mustard Sauce Over Lemon Thyme Mushroom Wild Rice, Roasted Sweet Carrots

This dish was created from two leftover dishes, steak one night, and wild rice we had with East African Braised Chicken the other. It would have been fine to just serve the steak, rice, and carrots together, but I needed to use up the mushrooms so into the dish they went.

The bella mushrooms were so good just by themselves, I almost didn't want to mix them with the rice. But blending mushrooms into something else gets my kids to eat them.

The lemon thyme is finally growing in my garden and I was so excited to use some. 

I added the bella mushrooms after the lemon thyme softened a bit, and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.

After mixing the mushrooms with the leftover wild rice, I added a few fresh thyme leaves over the top and juice from half a lemon to brighten the flavor a little.

These huge sweet carrots are from the local farmer's market and they were simply washed, scrubbed, sliced, and placed on a baking pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. They roasted beautifully at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 

The mustard sauce was quick and easy. I blended Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, and 2 garlic cloves. 

The meat was left over from sirloin steaks the other night. I often buy extra steak it can be sliced and used in salads, etc., for another meal or two.

Wild Rice and Mushrooms

Rice

Prepare rice according to package

Mushrooms

1 medium package, bella mushrooms

2-3 sprigs fresh lemon thyme, or plain thyme

equal parts butter and olive oil, about 2 tablespoons each

salt and pepper to taste

juice from half a lemon

a sprig of lemon thyme to finish

Gently brush dirt off mushrooms with a soft brush or towel, slice into halves or quarters. Heat pan over medium heat, add butter and oil, add sprigs of thyme and stir until they become soft. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, being careful not to crowd pan otherwise they'll steam more than saute. Stir occasionally and rough up thyme to release the leaves. Saute mushrooms until tender, but not mushy, about 3-5 minutes depending on their size. Remove thyme sprigs with tongs, pull off any remaining leaves and add to mushrooms. Mix mushrooms into rice in a bowl. With remaining sprig, scrap off thyme stems and add to mixture, squeeze lemon over the top and blend. Season to taste.

Roasted Sweet Carrots

2 large sweet carrots, or 4 regular carrots

1-2 tablespoons olive oil, or extra virgin

salt and pepper to taste

Slice carrots in half, and then slice lengthwise, into quarters (if using regular carrots, slice in half lenthwise). Lay on a baking sheet and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

Dijon Mustard And Garlic Sauce

Equal parts Dijon mustard and olive oil or extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons each

2 garlic cloves, halved

(double, if more sauce is needed)

Process in a small food processor until blended. If you don't have a small food processor, mince garlic (or mash into a paste) and vigorously stir all ingredients together.