deviled eggs with sharp cheddar cheese

Let’s face it; it’s summer and it’s hot and you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen! Deviled eggs are another easy breakfast meal. Deviled eggs also make a great snack or appetizer. They really do not need additional salt or seasoning because I put in sharp cheddar cheese, a bit of mayonnaise, and Sriracha hot sauce.

Deviled Eggs
5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Sriracha sauce to taste
Cilantro or scallion, minced, for garnish if desired

Put the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cool water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 more minutes. Drain the eggs in the saucepan. Move the pan back and forth so that the motion cracks the egg shells. Hold the pan under the faucet and run cool water over the cracked eggs in the pan. Let the eggs rest in cool water until they are cool enough to handle. Change the water once or twice. Peel the cooled hard boiled eggs and slice in half vertically.

Carefully scoop the cooked yolks into a small bowl without tearing the egg whites. Using a pastry blender, cut the yolks fine. Add the mayonnaise and the cheese and continue blending. Add Sriracha to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the yolk mixture is dry add a teaspoon more of mayonnaise.  The yolk mixture should be the consistency of a thick paste. Using a rubber/silicone spatula, scoop the yolk mixture out of the bowl and into a plastic bag. Snip off one corner. Squeeze the yolk mixture out of the snipped end into the bowl of each egg white. Garnish with scallion or cilantro, if you wish. Enjoy!

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poached egg on arugula

It’s been hard to keep up with blogging, dissertation-ing, and a full time job. And as if I don’t have enough to do, I also signed up for a course this summer on teaching reading. So I’m definitely  in the mood for some baking therapy. I just borrowed a cookbook from the NYPL about baking cakes from scratch.  To keep myself sane, I’ve been indulging in some of my food cravings. After all, how can I live in New York City and not eat a bagel, especially a bagel from Absolute Bagels. The people behind the counter are Thai and they make the best Jewish bread, in my opinion, on the Upper West Side. But this is New York. And  I digress. Here’s something healthier… a poached egg “hat” on fresh arugula.

I had some arugula (organic, what a splurge), that spicy green leaf that tastes like black pepper, and is it ever so yummy! I dressed it up with a poached egg. And for a non-vegetarian variation, I put in some sliced pepperoni. The saltiness of the pepperoni is the perfect complement to the sharp flavor of the arugula. Delicious. This is a great, simple, and easy to make breakfast.

How to poach an egg

To poach an egg, boil three inches of water in a small saucepan and add about a teaspoon of white vinegar. Bring to a near boil–the water should have big round bubbles. Crack open an egg into a small bowl. Stir the water and slip the egg into the center of the whirling water. Cook 5-7 minutes; 5 minutes for runny yolk, 7 minutes for barely runny.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the poached egg and place it on top of a cupful of arugula with a few slices of red onion. If desired, add some slices of pepperoni on top of the arugula and serve with toasted cheese on top of a slice of multi-grain bread.

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florentine tortellini

Still continuing my quest for quick and easy meals that are healthy and low cal/low carb. This one met all my requirements, but I think I would have preferred the ravioli instead of the tortellini. I used Cheese Tortellini from Trader Joe’s, and it wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t that good either. No flavor. I liked the spinach bed–I used fresh instead of frozen–it was flavorful because of the red pepper. Next time I would add some lemon juice to it. And caramelized onions.

Florentine Tortellini (adapted from Eating Well)

Ingredients
1 20-ounce package frozen cheese ravioli, or tortellini (4 cups)
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 bunches fresh whole-leaf baby spinach, washed, drained,stems trimmed
1/2 cup water, optional
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the ravioli or tortellini according to the package directions.
2. While the ravioli/tortellini is cooking, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 to 7 minutes. If the spinach is too dry, add a tablespoon of water up to 1/2 cup.
3. Divide among 4 bowls, top with the pasta and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil over each portion. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Nutrition Per serving : 263 Calories; 13 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 28 mg Cholesterol; 28 g Carbohydrates; 13 g Protein; 5g Fiber; 660 mg Sodium; 730 mg Potassium

times square, june 18, 2012

Personalize a picture collage

I made my favorite chocolate raspberry pavlova today. It’s the kind of dessert that deserves its own classification, not a cake but not a macaron either. It’s the kind of dessert I reserve for once a year.  The meringue was crunchy on the outside and sticky and sweet on the inside. “Squidgy” Nigella declares, using that quirky English-ism that’s neither Julia Child nor Harold McGee. I put a crème fraîche on top instead of whipped topping because I like the tanginess of it. And of course, raspberries. This year, I splurged on a block of Callebaut unsweetened chocolate and what a difference a superior chocolate makes. Now that I’ve had a year’s worth of experience making pavlovas, I’m no longer worried that it won’t come out. It’s supposed to crack and collapse under the weight of its own superiority.