Brunch

When I started this healthier me journey (almost three years ago), I was worried about all the wonderful food I would be giving up. The reality is that I haven’t given up any food just added more wonderful foods to my list. I love creating and trying to new recipes. I love playing with flavor combination. Today’s brunch menu was no exception to this. Everything was pretty, flavorful, and each piece was 100 calories or less.

The menu-
Mushrooms stuffed with spinach
Eggs and salmon with asparagus & red pepper
Granola cups with yogurt & fruit
Mini huevos rancheros using quail eggs



Mini huevos rancheros using quail eggs
small corn tortillias
quail eggs
vegetarian refried beans
salsa
a very small amount of cheddar cheese

Put about a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Make a hole in each mound of beans. Crack eggs into each hole. Bake for about 4 minutes or until eggs are set. Garnish with salsa and cheese.

Eggs and salmon with asparagus & red pepper
8 eggs
8 oz of salmon
1 package of frozen asparagus
1 red pepper
garlic
pepper
thyme
basil
olive oil
Sauté in about a tablespoon of olive oil red pepper, garlic, and spices about 2 minutes later add the salmon. When the salmon is half way cooked add the asparagus. Cook until asparagus is hot and salmon is cooked through. Divide the mixture between 12 muffin tins. I use the square ones just because I like the way it looks. Beat eggs with some water. Divide over the mixture. Bake until eggs are set about 12 minutes.

Granola cups with yogurt & fruit
This is the only recipe I did not make up. I got the recipe from here-
http://www.mommiecooks.com/2012/01/09/granola-bars/

Stuffed Mushrooms
12-large mushrooms
1 package of frozen spinach
1 cup of TVP prepared according to the package
olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
fresh garlic minced
1 vegetable bullion
sage
brown sugar
clove
black pepper
red crushed pepper
Bake the mushroom caps for about 10 minutes. In about a tablespoon of olive oil add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is done. Add the TPV and spices (I don’t measure things so you’re gonna have to guess). Add spinach cook until heated. Stuff into caps and bake for another 10 minutes.

Food!

It is no secret that I love cooking. I love feeding people. I love food. I love creating things in the kitchen. I like flavor and pretty presentations. When I first started my healthy new me one of the hardest things was cooking. I thought I was going to give up my love. I didn’t know how to cook without butter and oil. One of my favorite dinners included an entire pound of butter.

These days I hardly ever use butter. I am still cooking with the same bottle of olive oil I bought last year. My big surprise is I still love cooking. I find it a whole new challenge and joy. All of my recipes are new and exciting. When I cook dinner now, I worry about taste, nutrient, fat, and calories. I want the people that I am cooking for to leave the table feeling good about the tasty meal they just enjoyed.

I don’t eat a lot of meat or dairy anymore. So, I cook a lot with my new favorite food- Black Beans. We have black bean tacos, black beans and (brown) rice, black beans and eggs, and one of my new favorite recipes poblano peppers stuffed with black beans.

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Black Beans
1 can of Bushes Fiesta Black Beans
1 can of Black Beans (please look for the low sodium ones)
1-2 table spoons of garlic chopped (I love garlic)
1-jalapeno pepper chopped
6-poblano peppers with their seeds removed
Fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray the bottom of a pan. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stuff the mixture into the six peppers. Cook for about 20-25 minutes. They are done when the peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
These are good by themselves but can become a nice dinner by topping with shrimp and served on top of rice.