Huevos Health-cheros with Home Fries and Fire Roasted Salsa

Huevos Rancheros is classic Mexican breakfast fare consisting of a fried egg on top of a corn tortilla, covered with salsa.  My parents occasionally ordered this delicious dish when we lived in New Mexico, despite the grease factor.  Traditional Mexican fare has never been known for being healthy.  My mom always looked for ways to lighten up dishes without sacrificing flavor.  This recipe is a tribute to the original, using many of my mom's tricks.

First, instead of fried eggs, use either 2:1 or 3:1 mixture of egg whites to yolks for an omelet.  Whisk the eggs to add air, creating a light and fluffy omelet.  The omelet is also stuffed with sauteed veggies for added taste and texture, and placed on top of a flour tortilla.  Also, good salsa is a must.  I decided to make fresh Fire Roasted Salsa, and was not disappointed.  A lightly sauteed mix of home fries, onions and red peppers provides the perfect accompaniment, and brings the meal together.  This new take on a classic dish will satisfy the taste buds without packing on the pounds.

 

HUEVOS HEALTH-CHEROS INGREDIENTS

Yield: 1 omelet

4 egg whites  (Use yolks to make Lime curd)
2 eggs
Olive Oil
1/3 cup diced veggies of choice (I chose mushrooms)
1 petal garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced onions
Sea Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup Fire Roasted Salsa or salsa of choice
1 flour tortilla 

HOME FRIES INGREDIENTS

Yield: 1 large or two medium sized servings

 2-3 large yukon gold potatoes
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
 1/4 cup diced onions
1 petal garlic, minced
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Home Fries
   1. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium high heat
      1. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup water, garlic, onions, salt and pepper, and cook until water is gone
      2. Add potatoes and red peppers, then cook on medium heat until the potatoes are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
2. Omelet
   1. Spray skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium high heat
      1. Add 1 tbsp olive oil , 1/4 cup water, garlic, onions, salt and pepper, and cook until water is gone
      2. Add veggies, and cook until onions are brown and beginning to caramelize
      3. Set aside
   2. Place eggs and egg whites into a bowl, and whisk for 2 minutes
   3. Spray a 10 inch skillet with cooking spray, and place over burner on medium high heat
      1. Add egg mixture when skillet is warm.
      2.  As the egg starts to set, tilt the pan and lift the edges of the omelet to distribute more egg to the hot surface.
      3. Add veggies, then fold omelet.  Remove from heat.
   4. Prepare a plate with a folded tortilla, and place omelet on top.
      1. Drizzle salsa on top of the omelet
      2. Add home fries and a side of salsa.  Garnish with extra cilantro.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

This is adapted from two recipes.  My initial recipe from Epicurious tastes fabulous and is exceptionally moist, however it tastes more like a muffin than a "cornbread" muffin.  I found another recipe that uses equal parts corn meal and flour, and adapted the changes to the original.  Fresh corn was added to give the muffins a real cornbread feel.  Many fruits can be substituted for the blueberries, including mangos and strawberries.  

This recipe makes 24 muffins or two 8 x 8 pans.

 

 

Ingredients

1 5/6 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup hot water
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c sugar (may substitute 1 1/2 cups agave nectar for the sugar and 1/3 cup water)
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 eggs

1 5/6 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 6oz cup Greek Yogurt, preferably without added sugar

2 pints fresh blueberries
2 ears of corn, cut from the cob

 

 

Directions

1. Mix corn meal with 1/3 cup hot water and olive oil.  Let sit for 20 minutes to allow cornmeal to soften.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray two 8-by-8- inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.
3. Beat butter. Add sugar and 1/3 cup water (or agave nectar) as mixer is running. 
   1. Add zest and juice. 
   2. Add eggs one at a time. Mixture will appear "broken" but it is OK.
4. In separate bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Stir to mix. 
5. Return to the butter-sugar bowl
   1. Using a low mixer speed, add the dry ingredients and yogurt to the butter-sugar mixture in three parts.  Mix only as long as necessary to combine ingredients. 
   2. Fold in blueberries and corn.
6. Scoop batter into muffin cups with an ice cream scooper or pour into the 8" pans. 
7. Bake the muffins about 30 minutes, until firm to the touch.  Bake the pans for about 45 minutes, until firm.

Reference

1. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BLUEBERRY-CORNBREAD-MUFFINS-50027841#ixzz1OUmnsCQs
2. http://www.preparedpantry.com/blueberry-corn-muffins-recipe.htm

 

Waffle Recipe

One of the best things about weekend mornings is breakfast. Even though my boys refuse to let me sleep late on my days off from work, I still let them help me cook and the look forward to Saturday / Sunday breakfast.

I've already shared our Pancakes recipe and another favorite are Waffles. We tend to alternate - pancakes Saturday and Waffles on Sunday. Like most recipes that call for flour, we use a 50-50 split of white and whole wheat to try to keep them at least a little healthy.

Obviously, you'll need a waffle iron. If you don't have a good one, we use this one and are very happy with it.

Pancakes Recipe

My two sons are great helpers in the kitchen and our new weekend morning tradition is making pancakes. We're not fans of the pre-packaged just-add-water pancake mixes in our house. If we wanted the pancakes made for us, we'd go to a diner.

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup White Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 Egg
1 Cup of Milk
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
Pre-heat a stove top griddle over a low flame.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make sure there are no lumps (especially the brown sugar). Make a well in dry mixture and crack your egg into the middle. Beat the egg slightly, then add the milk. Stir slowly at first so as not to make gigantic mess (something I have to remind my helpers of constantly). When everything is well combined and smooth, stir in the vanilla.

Melt a pat of butter on the griddle and ladle about 1/2 cup of the batter for each pancake. Increase the heat to medium-low and cook the pancakes until there are lots of bubbles appearing on the top. You can check the underside a few times, too, looking for a nice golden brown.

Flip the pancakes and cook for another 30-60 seconds. Again, check the bottom a few times to make sure they're not burning. If needed, reduce the heat to low after the flip. This will help insure they cook through without getting too dark.

Serve with a pat of butter and some warmed up maple syrup.

Yield: 4-5 Pancakes.

Options:
Here are some variations we've tried over the years - once you have the basic batter, it's great to experiment now and then.

1. If you're not crazy about whole wheat flour, you can use 1 full cup of white flour.
2. Add 1/4 - 1/2 Cup of oatmeal. You can grind it up in a food processor first to make sort of an oatmeal flour, or leave the oat whole. You'll need to add about 1/4 more milk to get the consistency right.
3. Add fruit and / or nuts. We like the oatmeal variation with banana's, but walnuts, blueberries and apples are all great additions, too.

Recommended Gear:

Lodge Logic Pro 20-by-10-7/16-Inch
Cast-Iron Grill/Griddle