McMuffin, Marinated mushrooms

Mushroom, tomato, bacon, egg, provolone, avocado, on an English Muffin

Onion, mushroom, tarragon, white wine vinegar, olive oil.

Vegetable soup, Tomato Egg

 Vegetable soup: in an effort to eat more vegetables, quickly combine them together with any herbs and spices you have handy. Boil mirepoix and chicken broth. For added effect, add mushrooms, ginger, tarragon, thyme, red pepper, french onion soup mix.

 Mom's Taiwanese signature dish. I noticed my tomatoes were getting a bit squishy and suspect, so I had to do something with them right away. Rule of 3's: 3 tomatoes, 3 green onions, 3 eggs in that order, in a frying pan. I added salt and paprika.

Bundled up for the refrigerator. Serve over rice.

Paella, shrimp salad, turkey salad

Shrimp salad by my friend and classmate EK. It looks like shrimp, mango, and avocado wedges over a bed of greens, with a side of peppered couscous. Of importance is a dressing that brings all the flavors together. I'd recommend a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

A new way to present an orange, imitating a Japanese sushi chef.

Arugula salad with a slice of turkey, chopped tomato, and balsamic vinaigrette. Best dressing: water, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt pepper.

This combination of ingredients works equally well as a sandwich. Cold cuts are handy ways of adding salt to your dishes: I used a slice in a vegetable soup.

Paella: a Spanish rice dish. The cooking method is similar to risotto; create a tasty broth, then cook your rice in it. The process combines all the ingredients into a tight powerful flavor. Garnish with lemon juice.

To a large, deep pan, add in order: oil, garlic, onion, bell pepper, parsley, seasonings, chicken breast, chicken broth, rice, water, peas, seafood. Cover and simmer.

There will be crispy rice at the bottom. Don't forget to scrape it off!

Red Cabbage

Red cabbage, onion, garlic. Seasoned with salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, olive oil. 

Smells tangy. Tastes like sweet garlic. No meat needed.

Updates

This last week has been quite the rollercoaster of cuisine:

Mirepoix: what started as a practice exercise for knife skills turned into a versatile vegetable topping.
Sauteed carrots, onions, and celery, seasoned with french onion soup mix. It's paired here with a slice of the cheddar bread. Tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing.

Chicken Tikka Masala: basically, a tomato onion sauce with a custom 6 spice blend (literally, blended).
Sautee onions, ginger, and chili peppers. Add your spice mix. Add canned tomatoes (puree and chopped). Liquefy it in the blender. Pour it over the chicken. Stir in cilantro and yogurt.

Cheddar Beer Bread: will require tweaking, possibly a KitchenAid mixer. At least it looked pretty.
Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder. Add a bottle of dark beer. Stir in cheese, onion, dill. Bake.

Thank you to JD for the inspiration.

Avocado Adventures

Avocado with mushroom, onion, salsa, and a burrito.

Halve the avocado, use a knife to twist the pit out, use a spoon to dig the skin off, then slice!

It becomes easy to fan out for presentation.

Works well on an omelet.

Filled with onion, mushroom, pastrami, cheddar cheese.

BACON! Add either maple syrup or ground black pepper. Cold oven, set 400F, 25 min. bacon bacon bacon yeeeee

Frittata

This is my favorite recipe for brunch eggs. It's almost totally technique-free (unlike an omelet), feeds several people at once, stays just as good as it cools (unlike fried or scrambled eggs), requires zero maintenance as it cooks, and it's lighter than a quiche or strata (no buttery crust or carbs). Once you get the basics down, feel free to improvise with the filling.

Preheat the oven to 400. Slice up two shallots and soften them in a oven-safe skillet (no non-stick!) with some butter and olive oil. I bought too many mushrooms earlier this week, so I threw them in along with the shallots. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper.

While the shallots cook down, whisk six eggs with 1/2 cup of milk. Pour over the shallots and evenly distribute your vegetables/cheese/herbs/meat. For this morning, I used a pint of cherry tomatoes that I roasted in the oven the night before, basil, and smoked mozzarella. Without stirring, let the eggs cook over the stovetop until the edges start to set. Move the skillet into the oven.

 

Bake for 10 minutes or so until the center is set. Remove from oven and let the frittata sit for five minutes before serving.