Classic Deviled Eggs for One (maybe Two)

You're looking at my Easter celebration! I'm pretty equal opportunity when it comes to religious holidays, so I'll probably be eating these later with some matzo toffee bark. (Hey, it all starts out with the same book, right?)

If you live alone like me, and have no children, you may find yourself still craving some Easter favorites, but in smaller volumes. So after a disastrous first attempt at making deviled eggs last night (I put the eggs on to boil and promptly became engrossed in a TV show in the next room. The next time I thought about them was when I heard them explode in my kitchen. Easter fail.), I tried again this morning. It went much more smoothly, mainly because of the lack of explosion involved.

Because it's just me, I only used two hard-boiled eggs, and it made just the right amount. But hey, if you're even less hungry, or if you're saving room for other Easter or Passover treats, go ahead and halve this recipe.

Classic Deviled Eggs for One


2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
1 tbsp. Ojai Lemonaise (or your favorite brand of mayo)
1/8 tsp. white vinegar (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Dash of salt (to taste)
Dash of paprika + more for sprinkling

Remove the yolk from the halved eggs and place in a small bowl. Add the mayo, vinegar (optional), and spices and mix well. Place back onto the egg whites in equal amounts, then sprinkle with paprika.

Voila! Chill until ready to eat. 

Cheesy Eggy Toasted Quinoa

Toasted quinoa. Where have you been all my life?

This is one of those meals that is so simple, and so quick, that you couldn't imagine it would be quite as delicious as it is. But I did not want this one to end. This was an absolutely heavenly new way to experience one of my favorite grains (I got the idea from this blog).  The slightly nutty flavor of quinoa becoming crunchy and toasted on the stovetop, with melted Daiya cheese and dried thyme, and then topped off with a runny fried egg - perfection. Simple flavors that combine into a lovely meal that is at once both light and hearty.  I would eat this for any meal, to be honest with you, but have had it mostly for dinner so far. One of my friends did make it for breakfast and loved it in the morning. So there you go - solid proof that it's delicious any time of the day.

Cheesy Eggy Toasted Quinoa
Serves one

Cooking spray
1/2 - 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and spread the quinoa out in a single layer (or as close as possible).  Sprinkle the thyme in and toast it over medium heat, stirring only occasionally, until it starts to brown. 

Make a good-sized well in the middle of the quinoa and crack the egg into it.  Make sure it has enough room to spread out and cook evenly or the quinoa will burn before it's done!  Sprinkle the Daiya cheese over the whole thing and continue to to toast, reducing the heat slightly.  When the egg is as done as you'd like it to be and the "cheese" is melted, transfer the whole thing to a plate.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Pad Thai

I cannot remember the last time I had Pad Thai.  It's not something I ordered very often in Thai restaurants to begin with, being much more of a coconut curry fan, but there's something about obtaining a bottle of gluten-free soy sauce that makes you feel adventurous and ambitious.  All of a sudden, you crave Pad Thai for the simple reason that now, you can eat Pad Thai. 

A quick survey of my kitchen revealed that conditions were perfect for my first attempt at this dish.  I had a bottle of tamarind sauce from an international grocery shopping spree of long ago, a bag of scallions in the freezer, frozen chicken tenderloins, stir-fry rice noodles, and several cloves of garlic.  And that new bottle of soy sauce.  It was a done deal - Pad Thai was happening.

I looked up a few recipes to get a general sense of what to do and then started frying.  I make no claims that this is a remotely authentic method of preparation, but what I can say is that my kitchen quickly started to smell amazing, and what resulted lived up to the smell.  This comes together pretty quickly and is easily doubled if you're cooking for more than one.  Whether this is an old favorite or you're developing a new taste like I was, I think you'll love this recipe.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Pad Thai
Makes 1 serving

Small handful of Stir-Fry Rice Noodles (just enough for 1 serving)
1 - 2 tsp. olive oil
1 small chicken tenderloin, chopped into small pieces (or about half of a chicken breast)
1-2 scallions
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. crushed cashews or peanuts
1 tbsp. reduced sodium gluten-free soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. tamarind sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 - 2 tsp. lime juice
Ground black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper to taste
Salt (optional - you probably won't need it because of the soy sauce)
1 egg


*If you have a wok, that will be the optimal pan to use, but a nonstick pan will work just as well.

Place the rice noodles in a bowl and pour several cups of boiling water over them.  Set the timer for 8 minutes and let them soak.  You want them to be soft but not too soft; otherwise, they'll break up in the pan when you fry them.  When they are al dente, drain them and set aside.  If you aren't going to be using them right away, you might want to cover them in the interim with a bit of cold water to keep them from sticking to each other.

In a nonstick pan or wok, heat the oil.  Add the garlic, scallions, cashews, and chicken and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the cooked noodles, soy sauce, tamarind sauce, sugar, lime juice, and spices and cook until the sauce is mostly absorbed.  Push it all to the side of the pan and crack the egg into the open space.  Quickly scramble it, keeping it on that side of the pan until done, and then mix to combine it with the rest of the ingredients.  Serve immediately topped with another squirt of lime juice and crushed cashews or peanuts.

Noodle Omelette

Has anyone perfected the amount of noodles to make for one serving?  I often add just a few too many to the pot by mistake and end up with a little container with the unused ones sitting in my fridge.  They sit there, plain, sauceless, and sadly forgotten.  Too few in number to be a full serving of pasta, but too many to throw away.

The other day, determined not to let them go to waste, I got a little experimental.  I tossed them in a bowl, added an egg, some frozen kale, and Daiya cheese.  I crossed my fingers and poured it all into a hot skillet, forming it into a pancake-like omelette.  And what resulted was pretty delicious, I have to say.  It was so simple to make and accomplished simultaneous goals of using up leftovers (thus avoiding the guilt of throwing food away) and having a meal on the table quickly (it took me all of 5 minutes from start to finish).  So if you're like me and have some leftover noodles taunting you from the fridge, give this a try!

Noodle Omelette
Makes 1

1/3 - 1/2 cup cooked brown rice noodles
1 egg
1/4 cup frozen kale or spinach
2 -3 tbsp. soy creamer
1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Pour into the skillet and cook for 2 - 4 minutes, or until the omelette is set.  Flip it over carefully and continue to cook until the egg is cooked through.  Serve with a fresh salad or on its own.

Crustless Quiche for One

Here's a lovely meal to make when you don't have a lot of prep time and want something quick, easy, and healthy for dinner.  The beauty of this is that it's an individual serving, and you can make as many or as few as you have people (or mini loaf pans).  It's great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  You can use any vegetables you happen to have on hand or in your freezer.  Serve alone or with a fresh salad.  With Daiya, or your favorite non-dairy cheese.  I think that cumin and eggs are amazing together, but you could add any other spices you like.

It's versatile, is what I'm saying.  Versatile, foolproof, and delicious.

Crustless Quiche for One

2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. soy creamer
1/2 - 3/4 cup sauteed vegetables (I used onions, garlic, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and spinach)
1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese (either mozzarella or cheddar is fine)
Small piece of soy feta cheese, crumbled (if you can't find this, you can just use more Daiya or omit)
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cumin

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray a mini bread loaf pan with cooking spray.

Sautee the vegetables until tender.  (I sauteed the mushrooms separately so they would brown more nicely.)  Layer into the bottom of the mini loaf pan.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and soy creamer.  Add in the Daiya cheese, soy feta cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and cumin and stir just to combine.  Pour over the vegetables.

Bake at 350 until the eggs are set.  The time may vary depending on how big your mini loaf pan is; mine baked for about 35 minutes.  Test for doneness by inserting a fork or knife into the top center.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes in the pan before removing to a plate to serve.  You could also serve right from the oven in the hot mini loaf pan, placed on another plate.

Potato Frittata

This is an excellent way to use leftover roasted potatoes, and to get away from what I usually do, which is just to reheat them and scramble a few eggs to make it a meal. This is much more elegant-looking, and much more delicious.  I will warn you that this might take a long time to cook, so don't make this if you're already hungry!
 
Roasted Potato Frittata

Leftover potatoes of any kind (I used leftover potatoes I had roasted with garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and black pepper)

4 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup soy milk

1 tomato, cut into thin slices

Mixed herbs (dried thyme, oregano, basil, and sage) Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Arrange the leftover potatoes into the bottom of a small casserole dish. Beat the eggs with the soy milk and mixed herbs, and then pour over the potatoes. Press down on the potatoes with a small spatula to make sure that the eggs have been disbursed evenly throughout. Place the tomato slices on top and sprinkle some mixed herbs, salt, and pepper over the top. Bake the fritatta in the preheated oven for 35 – 55 minutes, until it is set and the crust has slightly browned. Cool slightly before serving.

Spinach Potato Spanish-style Omelet

I say Spanish-style because I don't think I've *quite* mastered the art of the Spanish Omelet, but I will say that the flavor in this didn't suffer for the lack of true form. I ate half of this while it was still hot for dinner last night, and the second half this morning straight from the fridge, and I actually think I preferred it cold! The flavors seem to have mingled overnight and become more intense, which made for a delicious breakfast this morning!


Spinach Potato Spanish-Style Omelet

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
1/2 medium onion, chopped coarsely into slivers
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup rice milk (or your favorite milk substitute)
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut them into coarse thin slices. Chop the onions. Place the onions and potatoes in a small pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat, cover, and cook for about 6 - 10 min. until the potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, take the fresh spinach, chop it coarsely, and wilt it in a pan for just 1 - 2 minutes so that it is still bright green. (I used spray oil to coat the pan for this so I wouldn't have to add more olive oil calories to this.) In a mixing bowl, place the 3 eggs and milk, and whip until well-blended. When the potato/onion mixture and spinach are ready, pour them into the bowl with the eggs and mix together.

In the frying pan (you want one that's at least a little deep), heat the remaining olive oil and pour the egg mixture in and put over medium-low heat. Heat slowly until the bottom is well-set, then take a large plate and invert the omelet onto it, then slide it back into the pan and finish cooking until the entire thing is cooked through and both sides are well set. Serve hot, warm, or cold! This would be delicious with a garlic sauce over it, such as a garlic mayonnaise.

Moroccan Pastry-less Bastila

Lisa and I decided to have a Moroccan theme tonight for my "official" birthday dinner. I recreated and adapted a recipe for a Moroccan dish called "Bastila" that was served to me at a recent dinner party hosted by a previous Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. She served there in the 1970s and you can tell that it is still such a big part of who she is. It was wonderful to hear stories about that time of her life, and about the food we were eating. Traditionally, Bastila is a pastry-type dish reserved for special occasions, in which spiced chicken, seasoned scrambled eggs, and toasted, crushed, and sugared almonds are all wrapped up in layers in phyllo dough, slathered in butter, fried on both sides, and then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. A true mingling of tastes in so many ways! The Bastilas at this dinner party were individually portioned, but apparently in Morocco, they can be enormous and sliced more like a pie would be. Since the phyllo dough is out for me, I decided instead to make the fillings and serve them on a bed of lightly spiced rice. Lisa brought a squash from her garden as well, which we decided to marinate and roast as a side dish. I think this dish would hold up well if one were to replace the chicken with tofu to make it vegetarian, and certainly a vegan could simply leave out the scrambled eggs in the tofu version. This dish is probably different depending on the region of Morocco it is served in, and though I have no idea which region this particular variety comes from, it is so nicely balanced in terms of spicy and mild, crunchy and soft, and sweet and savory, that I think anyone who appreciates a complexity of flavor in their meals would enjoy it.


Moroccan Pastry-less Bastila

1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice
6 cardamom pods, optional
1 cinnamon stick, optional
1 cup slivered raw almonds
3-5 tsp. pure cane sugar, to taste
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, to taste
4 tbsp. Earth Balance "Buttery Spread), divided
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, to taste
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric, to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste (add only a little at a time so it doesn't get too spicy!)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, to taste
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, to taste
Salt and Pepper
3/4 cup water
6 eggs, whisked well


For the rice:

Bring 3 cups salted water to a boil. Add the 1 1/2 cups Jasmine rice, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to very low, cover, and steam for 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

To prepare almonds:

Melt 2 tbsp. of Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" in a pan over medium heat. Add the slivered almonds and toast for 5-10 min., until they smell very pleasant, but be careful because these will burn easily. Remove from heat and let cool a bit, and then place into a food processor or chop by hand. Place in a bowl and add the sugar and cinnamon to your own taste. This is what mine looked like:



For the chicken:

In a separate pan, melt the rest of the Earth Balance "Buttery Spread" with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When it is melted, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until the onions begin to turn translucent. At this time, add the chopped parsley and cilantro, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, and cinnamon and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring. Add the chopped chicken and saute with the onions and spices until it is browned, about 6-9 minutes. Add 3/4 cup hot water to the chicken, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for at least 15-20 minutes, or for longer if you'd like the spices to mingle a little longer. Test and adjust spices to your own taste.
For the eggs:
Remove the chicken pieces and about half of the sauce to a serving bowl. Bring the rest of the sauce back to a boil, and then add the whisked eggs and, stirring constantly, scramble them in with the rest of the spiced sauce. Stirring constantly will ensure that the eggs are scrambled loosely and in fine pieces. Once the eggs are done, remove them to a separate serving bowl as well.

To assemble:
As mentioned, this is normally a filling that is wrapped up in layers of buttery phyllo dough, fried, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. However, I decided that it would taste just as delicious and be a little better for the conscience to just stack it all up on a bed of spiced white rice. So to assemble mine, the rice went down first, followed by a layer of scrambled eggs, then the chicken with some extra sauce drizzled over it, and finally, the sprinkling of the toasted and sugared almonds.
And voila! Perhaps not as fancy as a pastry would be, but I promise you, you won't miss that part of it too much.

Spring Greens with Fried Egg and Herbed Rice

This is my first post on a food blog, ever. I started this blog after being put on a gluten-free diet by my doctor;  I had already given up most dairy several months before. I typically get a pitying look when I tell people about this, but it really isn't as bad as people think. I can still have lots of delicious meals, and now I feel good after eating them. And this is a way for me to chronicle the successful meals and share the recipes with others, since I have already benefited so much from the ideas and blogs of other the other geniuses at work in the gluten-free community.

My friend Lisa came over last night, and because we were a little pressed for time, we decided to throw something quick and easy together for dinner. It turned out to be fantastic! She brought some bok choy, and I had kale from the farmer's market, so we turned it into a layered assemblage of ingredients (which makes any food look fancier). I loved the contrasting flavors of this simple meal, and it was so easy to put together that I'm sure I'll be eating this again soon.




Sautéed Bok Choy and Kale with Fried Egg and Herbed Rice

3/4 cup Jasmine rice (or your favorite rice)
Fresh chives, oregano, and thyme
2-3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2-3 cups kale
2-3 cups bok choy
2 large eggs
Salt and Pepper
1-2 hot chilies (optional)

Cook the rice according to the directions (we used about 3/4 cup of dry Jasmine rice and had more than enough for the two of us). When the rice is completely steamed, add fresh chopped herbs (thyme, oregano, basil, chives), salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and replace lid until ready to serve.

Wash bok choy and kale, and chop off any rough ends of the stems. Heat approx. 1-2 tbsp. olive oil with 2 - 4 cloves garlic in a large pan or pot, depending on your taste. Place whole or chopped bok choy and kale in the pan, sauté for about 5 minutes, and add 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth. Cover and cook on medium-high until the broth starts to bubble, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let steam for about 10-12 minutes until the greens are wilted and bright green. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add one or two hot chilies or a dash of crushed red pepper to the broth while it is cooking if you would like this to be a little spicier. However, these greens are pretty delicious on their own, and you don't want to eclipse their natural flavors too much.

When the bok choy and kale are almost done, begin to heat another frying pan to low-medium heat and coat with cooking spray or olive oil. Salt and pepper the bottom of the pan if desired, then crack two eggs into the pan and fry until the whites are cooked and the yolk is still soft and runny.

Place a bed of rice on your plate, then add a heaping of the kale and bok choy, and finally, place the egg on top. Serve. Appreciate its beauty. Enjoy.