MONDAY RECIPE POST - QUINOA BREAKFAST BOWL - VEGAN

I don't have a link for this one.  It's something I came up with for the things I had on hand.  Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it enough to want to keep it on my blog, to make again sometime.  It's not entirely my own idea as I have looked through many breakfast bowl blog recipes for some time now.  I just added what I wanted as I fetched things out of the fridge, vegetable bin or pantry.

1 cup of uncooked quinoa

2 cups of water (to cook the above)

1 carrot, finely diced

2 slices of yellow onion, finely diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

1 cup of peas

1 pkg. of Moroccan Tofu Cubes 

Avocado oil cooking spray, or any kind of cooking spray

Drizzle of low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili crisp

Prepare and measure all the ingredients.  

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Mine said to bring 2 cups of water to the boil and add 1 cup of quinoa, stir.  Turn stove top down to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes.  Take off the heat and fluff with a fork, cover again and wait 15 minutes.

Heat frying pan, coat with cooking spray, add carrots and onion.  I steamed my sweet potato separately, and added the peas a few minutes before taking off the heat.  To cut out this step you can probably add both of these to the same frying pan along with the carrots and onions, sautéing until they are all tender, stirring occasionally.  I can't remember the actual minutes but by time the quinoa was ready, so were my vegetables.  

Place the tofu on top of the other veggies in the frying pan.  Stir to combine and continue cooking for a few additional minutes, just long enough to heat through. 

Mix the veggies with the added tofu into the quinoa until well combined.  Then serve in a bowl, adding a drizzle of low-sodium soy sauce, and a tablespoon of chili crisp on the top.

That was it.  A little fusion going on here.  I do this for myself usually when Gregg is out having father-son time.  

If I have written anything that is unclear, please ask in the comments.  

There are enough portions for four to five more meals. I was happy doing a little meal-prep, dividing my portions to eat over the next few days, or freeze if necessary.

This is the tofu I used and was very happy with it. It is easy to crumble.  The tofu was our son's recommendation as he and our daughter-in-law enjoy it occasionally.  (I don't get anything for advertising any products on this blog.  I like to share what I enjoy.)

It would be nice to add a fried or poached egg on the top.

This recipe is very easy to alter and you can use any favorite vegetable.  You can also easily leave things out, like the chili crisp for instance.

You might also prefer to substitute cooked rice or pasta for the quinoa.  

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BROWN RICE BREAKFAST WITH EGG - FOR ONE PERSON

I never thought of eating rice for my first meal of the day until I found this recipe here at "thekitchn".

Brown Rice Breakfast with Egg For 1 Person  

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (I found I only needed 1 teaspoon)
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cooked brown rice (I have also used Jasmine Rice)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 large egg

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over low heat.  

Add the onion and cook for about one minute, until the onion turns a bright green.  

Add the rice, season with salt and pepper and stir gently until rice is hot.  

Add the peas and cook until they heat through and are bright green.  

Spread the rice in an even layer over the bottom of the frying pan.  

Crack the egg into a small bowl and carefully transfer them to the top of the rice layer.  

Season with salt and pepper and cover.  

Cook the egg the way you like it.

Carefully spoon into a bowl.

What did I think of this recipe?  

This is one of my favorite breakfasts.  It is very yummy if you enjoy rice.  I'm thinking you could use Cauliflower Rice in this also.

I have made the recipe several times since I found it, not only for breakfast but it has made a lovely lunch and a nice light supper.  

I have substituted Edamame for a few of those meals  if I don’t have peas.  I bought the PicSweet Steamables - shelled Edamame soy beans - from the freezer section in my supermarket, and took out half a cup at a time.  They were a good substitution for  the peas.

This would be one of those meals for changing ingredients to suit your own taste.  Suggested veggies in original recipe, chopped carrots or chard, after being cooked for about 3 minutes first before adding the green onion. You can also add garlic, ginger or peppers. Other suggestions are the addition of chicken or salmon, as well as tofu. Basically, anything that appeals to your taste buds.  

I liked this with the ingredients mentioned but did enjoy it once with tofu that I sautéed to crisp up a little, in the same pan as the onions and peas.

I ended up cooking the egg separately but in the same pan, after I had put the rice mixture in my bowl and covering it with aluminum foil.  It didn't take long to cook and the rice mixture was still hot when I popped the egg on the top.  I sautéed the egg in about a teaspoon of olive oil but I have also poached as well, and I am sure scrambled would be very nice.

A little cracked pepper sprinkled on the top is a nice addition.  I don't usually add a lot of salt to my food and didn't use any while preparing.  

A new favorite condiment in my collection is Furikake, pronounced "fury-kah-key", which I like to sprinkle over the top at the table.  I use it on other meals whenever I feel like it.  This is the one I have and I enjoy the taste very much.   It is one of those items introduced to me when we used to buy Blue Apron food packages.  

There is a lot of information about its nutritional value at the link above.  My Furikake is Umeboshi which you can read about here.  I bought it from Wegmans Supermarket but I expect it is available in several other places, maybe under different brand names.

It is always a good idea to read the original recipe, and look at all the other delicious recipes available. I go back to The Kitchn often.

Bon Appetit!

MONDAY FOOD POST - BREAKFAST BOWL WITH MULTI-GRAINED RICE, LEEKS, PEAS AND A POACHED EGG

I have become a big fan of breakfast bowls and though I followed no recipe for this one, I did get the idea from here.

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup peas, frozen

1/2 cup leeks, frozen

1 cup rice of choice, cooked to package directions

1 poached egg

Low sodium soy sauce, a sprinkling

I usually heat up the olive oil in a small frying pan for a couple of minutes, but please be careful you don't get it too hot so that it will spatter once the food is added.  Just go carefully.  

Into the oil cook your leeks and peas for a few minutes, stirring so as not to burn.  A little caramelizing is okay in my book.  To test if they are done, put a piece of leek and a pea on a spoon and taste, again going carefully.  You might want it to cool down a bit beforehand.  

Meantime heat the water in a pan for your poached eggs.  For those who are not sure how to poach an egg I will put in some directions below this recipe.  

The rice I use comes from Trader Joe's.  It is frozen and you pop it in the microwave for three minutes.  Today's choice was what you see below, but you can use any of your favorite rice cooked to the package directions.

When the leeks and peas are cooked, add the rice and mix in well.  

Cook your poached egg until done, depends on you for how long.  (I like mine nice and soft so that the egg will mix into the rice when in my dish.)  Carefully, and the operative word is carefully here, take your egg out of the pan with a slotted spoon, and place it on top of the rice mixture and you have your breakfast.  Alternatively you can fry an egg instead of poaching.  I use a sprinkling of soy sauce on top for taste but it is really good without. 

This makes enough for two meals.  The other half is in the fridge to be heated up later, minus the egg. I fixed another when I reheated the rice mixture. I would have this for lunch or dinner, not just for breakfast.

This is nothing fancy.  I just wanted to put it on here for me to remember later on.

If you can't see the video below, you can go here.