Omelette, Chorizo and Guacamole

One of my favorite breakfasts - cheese omelette, chorizo and guacamole.

Omelette has cheddar, chives and some bits of chorizo.

A recipe for guacamole can be found here.

Chorizo & Cheese Omelette Recipe

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 C chopped cheddar or jack cheese
1/3 C chopped, slightly fried chorizo
1 Tb chopped chives

Beat the eggs well then add the remaining ingredients. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, reduce to medium and add 1 Tb oil and spread evenly. Pour omelette mixture in and allow to cook on one side, then flip the whole mess over and do the other. I prefer to serve it roughly piled but if you like it more clean, fold the omelette as it comes out of the pan.

Images by MadeForJen

Sunday Breakfasts

Love Sunday breakfasts with Jen.

Favorites...French toast, fried egg, bacon. Yum.

Images by MadeForJen

Healthy Breakfast

Best way to start the day.

Omelette with soy mozzarella and scallions topped with alfalfa sprouts, steamed asparagus and warmed grape tomatos. Cinnamon-raisin toast on the side. Don't forget the flowers.

Image by MadeForJen

Egg, Avocado and Sprouts

Mmm. Avocado, alfafa sprouts, fried egg, toasted cinnamon-raisin bagel.

Image by MadeForJen

Grilled Egg and Cheese

I love grilled cheese. I mean, I really love grilled cheese. Something so wonderful about the buttery, caramelized bread filled with oozing velvety cheese stretching and pouring from inside. Brings back memories of childhood and everything in between.

This is a little spin on the basic grilled cheese because, well, I love eggs too. This is a great sandwich when you need breakfast on the run, or just sitting down for a little TV time with comfort food.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 slices bread
Cheese - here I used both mozzarella (in the eggs) and white cheddar (in the bread)
Chopped parsley
1 Tb butter
Olive oil

Blend 1 egg with some of the chopped cheese and parsley in a bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. Once hot (just beginning to smoke), pour the egg mix into the pan. Fry like an omelette, not scrambled (cook until brown on one side, lifting the edge and allowing the wet mix to slide under every so often, then turn over entirely). Remove from heat and set aside.

Drop half of the butter into a skillet (cast iron preferably) over medium heat and melt.  Place one slice of bread, cheese slices to cover, then add the egg on top, more cheese slices, and the other slice of bread. At this point leave it alone.  Let the bread become caramelized on the one side. Once ready, lift the sandwich with a spatula, put the rest of the butter in the pan, and flip over the sandwich onto the butter and caramelize.

Perfect by itself but even better with a cup of cappuccino!

Image by MadeForJen

Eggs Benedict

I've never met anyone, Jen included, who didn't like Eggs Benedict.  I've always wondered why it was considered to be an extravagant dish because it is so much simpler to make than people make it out to be. The only real trick is timing - you will have to have all 5 parts (muffins, eggs, meat, hollandaise, vegetable) cooking at the same time!

So this recipe will have everything timed. It takes a little practice but be sure to have everything out and ready to go before you start.

Ingredients (for 2):
2 English muffins
6 large eggs (4 to poach, 2 to make the hollandaise)
2/3 stick of butter
1 lemon, cut in half
4 slices ham, Canadian bacon, prosciutto or speck or 8 slices bacon
A green vegetable* (asparagus, spinach, or chard work well)
1 tsp white vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Tools:
2 qt pot for poaching
slotted spoon
Double boiler for hollandaise (or a pot and a metal bowl)
Whisk
Pan to cook meat (either fry or poach)
Pan to cook veggies (I prefer fry)
Toaster

Separate the yolks from 2 of the eggs. Discard the whites or save them for another meal. Put 1 qt water in pot and bring to boil then turn down to simmer. At the same time, bring the half-filled double boiler bottom to a boil and turn down to simmer. Turn both the meat and vegetable pan on medium. I use a scant dash of oil only - put it in when the pan is hot.

Put the vinegar in the egg pot. Put the muffins in the toaster but don't turn them on.Very slowly ease each egg into the poacher.  If you have to, poach one at a time. Poaching is a bit of an art so it may take a few tries to eventually get it right but at the end of the day it's just an egg - just cuz it looks funny doesn't mean it tastes different!

When the eggs are poaching, put the meat and veg on to cook. Once started, you can always turn off the heat when done. Begin toasting the muffins.

Put the butter in the boiler top (or bowl) and melt the butter. Once melted, it will begin to heat. Put in the separated yolks and begin to whisk evenly - not hard, not too gently though. The butter will begin to cook the yolks. When it thickens to near consistency, remove it from the heat and set aside, and quickly squeeze 1/2 of the lemon in and whisk it.  Check the consistency and taste and if more is needed, use the other half.

Check the eggs. When they are done, gently pull them out with a slotted spoon, shake off the excess water and put into a bowl to hold.

Ready to plate. Put the halves of one muffin on each plate then later with meat, vegetable and egg and then the Hollandaise. 

Image by MadeForJen

Sunday Early Breakfast

Nothing special - fried eggs on English muffins, grapes with cantaloupe and some coffee.

Image by MadeForJen