Breakfast | Be Nutritious

Huevos Rancheros aka Egg Tacos

Huevos Rancheros has been my favorite breakfast in the past few month. Ever since I prepared it once, it became my regular breakfast meal, which I eat even 3-4 times a week. I can honestly admit that I’m addicted to that stuff. Warm corn tacos, cilantro, Trader Joe’s salsa autentica (that’s the best salsa out there, better than restaurant one) are just fantastic when combined with runny egg yolk. Yummy, yummy, yummy, I could eat it all day long.

I like to call this dish egg tacos rather than huevos rancheros because I eat them like tacos. I fold the taco and take a bite. Just dont get discouraged when the runny egg yolk mixed with salsa will be falling all over your beard and hands back on a plate. Licking the plate afterward is the best part and if you’d rather not get messy, simply fry your egg little bit longer until the yolk is no longer runny.

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Pumpkin Muffins

In the middle of October pumpkin season is at its peak. No matter where you go, everything is decorated with a vibrant orange color and pumpkin lanterns glow in storefronts. Saying goodbye to summer can be quite depressing but Halloween season with its omnipresent pumpkin really soothes down pain associated with cold weather. Markets are full of delicious pumpkin treats such as pumpkin pie or muffins. Pumpkin muffins or cupcakes are probably the most common Halloween treats and definitely my favorite treats to make. Beautifully colored and spiced with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg make a fantastic after dinner snack or breakfast. As a matter of fact I like to eat my muffins either as an after breakfast snack or in the afternoon with a cup of hot latte. No matter what time of a day you like to treat yourself with sweets, you’ll be very rewarded because they taste and look scrumptious.

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Chakchouka (Shakshouka)

I saw this dish for the first time in some random cookbook I was browsing. It was named “Eggs Flamenco” and indeed, one might think that it’s a Spanish dish because it resembles Basque dish Piperade. However almost the same dish, known as Chakchouka is very popular in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Marroco and Middle East. The difference is that Piperade may or may not be prepared with an egg, while Chakchouka is always prepared with an egg. According to wikipedia, the dish is now also popular in Israel where it was brought by North African Jewish people. It is usually eaten for breakfast with a slice of bread but it might be also wonderful for lunch or supper.

The ingredients are only for one person (me of course), but the dish can easily be cooked in a larger skillet with more ingredients. Just make two, three or four wells for the egg, separated from each other so the eggs won’t be touching one another.

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Quick Banana Bread

This bread is so easy to make. I made it in no time, it took me no more than 15 minutes to combine all of the ingredients and put them into the hot oven. Even if you’re tired in the evening after work, you can easily prepare it and have fresh, sweet bread for breakfast. It actually is a perfect breakfast bread. Goes great with morning coffee and can be eaten alone or with tasty marmalade. It does not need yeast to rise, the leavening ingredients used are baking powder and soda, that’s why it’s so quick. Yeast breads, like my zucchini bread, require at least 2 hours before they can be baked. Banana bread is kind of a muffin like bread. The ingredients could be easily used in the muffin recipe and although I haven’t tried, you can pour the batter into muffin tin instead of a loaf tin. Just remember that it will bake faster (about 20-25 min) in the muffin tin.

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Ful Medames

Ful Medames is a national Egyptian dish. I would say it is the most famous Egyptian dish since I’ve never heard of any other. It’s made of Fava beans (sometimes called broad beans) and is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch with pita bread. It is very similar to Mexican refried beans although the flavors are slightly different. The dominant taste is lemony and even though plenty of garlic is used, you can barely taste it.

It can be made either with young Fava beans or old ones. I used older ones which have a brown color, young Fava beans are very green in color. If you’ll use young beans you probably won’t have to shell them but honestly I’ve never seen Ful Medames made with green beans that’s why I used older, brown beans. If you’re discouraged by the process of shelling beans don’t worry, it’s not that bad and since beans are really large, it goes pretty fast. Some people prefer to shell Fava beans before cooking but I find it easier to do it after they’ve been simmering for an hour. That way you can just squeeze them and they easily pop out of their shells.

You can always use canned Fava beans and not worry about shelling them. That seems like a good option especially when you’re in a hurry because they will also cook much faster. However lately I try to use dry beans instead of canned ones. Somehow it makes my cooking seem more natural.

By the way, I just read that Bob’s Red Mill Fava Beanshave been naturally blanched to remove the unsavory skins. Whoa, if I only knew before. Next time I’ll buy Bob’s Red Mill brand Fava beans.

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Oh what a mission it was to prepare these muffins. I really wanted them to be healthy with as little fat and white flour as possible so the first time I made them I used mostly whole wheat flour and just a little bit of vegetable oil. The result was a disaster, flat, dry muffins that did not raise at all. I decided that next time I’m gonna stick to the more traditional way. I still used whole wheat flour but in smaller proportion and I added 1/4 cup vegetable. This time my muffins came out perfectly moist and they did grow. They do grow more if you use only white flour because white four is not as heavy as whole wheat but at least this way they’re healthier. I also added ground flax seed mixed with water which was a great substitute for an egg.

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Pancakes with Caramelized Peaches

Most of the week I eat a quick breakfasts, just a toast witch cream cheese or a vegetarian sausage link, but not on Sundays . Sunday is a special day when you don’t have to feel bad about staying in bed till noon (except the fact that your dogs have been begging you for the past hour to take them on a walk) and eating breakfast in pajama. You walk into the kitchen and start mixing flour and eggs. And when you make pancakes the smell is just fantastic. Every morning should smell like that.

Breakfast like this is a little bit heavy with a lot of sugar and butter but trust me, it’s worth it. I’ll eat less for dinner. Besides everyone should be allowed to indulge himself at least once a week.

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Very Veggie Scrambled Tofu

One of the things vegetarians turning vegan might miss the most are eggs. Eggs give so many possibilities. You can eat them fried, hard boiled, poached, as omlettes, in desserts and of course scrambled. Fortunately there’s a miracle ingredient out there, tofu. It can imitate meat or eggs in some recipes and scrambled tofu is a typical vegan breakfast.

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Summer Sandwich with Avocado & Garlic-Herb Mayo

On hot summer days I absolutely love eating fresh, cold food. It’s refreshing and doesn’t load your tummy with trash. Veggies, fruits that’s what I love the most and this summer veggie sandwich is so yummy. It’s perfect to take for a picnic or to a park with your family.

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