Lettuce Redeem Ourselves

I'll admit it. I had a very bad day today, food-wise. I started out innocently enough, but boredom and procrastination led me time and again to the kitchen, seeking out chocolate, lollies, meaty pasta and pad thai. It got to the point where I was making single portions of chocolate chip cookie in a mug. That was the bottom. After that I felt a little bit sick. So I got up, and did those jobs I was meant to do. It actually felt quite good doing something, because before then I had been feeling lethargic, disappointed and angry at myself. And dinner was another attempt at redeeming myself too.

Baked Eggs

You know what I love? Breakfast. Which is partly why I'm partial to these baked eggs. They have everything you need: perfect for when you feel like eggs, but can't really be bothered dealing with all the dirty dishes and the longer processes (measuring, mixing…) of what might be eggs benedict, or even scrambled eggs; but you want something a little more exciting - and healthy - than runny eggs and soldiers.

 Packed with about one serving of your daily veg, there is no measuring, no stresses about curdling, just chop, layer, done. Out of the oven comes this unassuming little package, it's top gooey from feta, crumbled there less than ten minutes before. The veggies retain some bite after being cooked, but are still hot and soft enough to meddle seamlessly with the burst egg yolk. This breakfast  really is the prefect balance between being seemingly indulgent and perfectly healthy. And who doesn't love that?

Notes: I said above that there is no measuring involved in this recipe, yet below I have included measurements such as "one tablespoon". These are all approximate measures, because this recipe won't end in disaster if you put a little more or less of each ingredient into the mix. Also, feel free to change it up a bit to suit your tastes or what you have in the fridge. I have included some variation suggestions below the recipe.

Baked Eggs

Serves 1

8cm piece (1 Tbsp) spring onion, finely sliced

small handful (¼ cup, firmly packed) baby spinach leaves

4 - 6 (1 Tbsp, firmly packed) basil leaves, roughly chopped

3 - 4 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 egg

1 Tbsp feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease one small ramekin.

Spread the spring onion around the bottom of the ramekin, and place on top the spinach, basil and tomatoes. Keep each ingredient as a separate layer, and do not mix the vegetables together.

Crack the egg on top of the tomatoes, and sprinkle the egg with feta.

Place in oven for 10 minutes or until egg white is cooked and the yolk is just set.

Serve immediately on small plate.

Variations: Replace feta with slices of mozzarella. Add roughly chopped ham or prosciutto, or shredded  cooked chicken on top of the bail before adding the tomatoes.

Raspberry Quinoa Porridge and a new regular!

Firstly, I apologize for by brief disappearance from cyberspace. Since my last post I've had heaps of fun at my senior ball, held a bake sale at two local markets to raise money for Sir Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust, and on top of all that sat mid-year exams! So it's been pretty busy lately. Yet amongst it I managed to make myself a hot breakfast or two and come up with a new regular post! Was it procrastination maybe…?

I therefore introduce Flavor of the Month, where I share my favorite things of the moment, every month! It'll be a good way to keep me blogging regularly, yet won't be too demanding. Fingers crossed I can stick with it!

Apples

Image

With the colder month upon us, the refreshing crunch of an apple is now just what I need to bring a bit of vitality and freshness back. Also, it is oh so sweet and comforting in a pudding, cake or a classic pie. Delish.

Long-sleeved Dresses

I do try to embrace winter, really I do, but there's always a part of me that is stuck in a summery mindset of light dresses and cool treats. To try and curb my craving for the warmer months, I have been on the hunt for an elegant yet playful long-sleeved dress. Any suggestions?

Dress

Movie Night

I recently went to a close friend's birthday party. It was nothing fancy. No theme, no party favors, no gimmicks. Just a tight bunch of her closest friends, enjoying good food, a surprisingly decent movie (Step Up 4) and each other's company. It was unbelievably good fun.

Ice-cream

It's funny. As soon as the days grow shorter and blustery, I find myself tiptoeing my way to the freezer in the laundry, ready to eat ice cream straight from the tub. My favorite is usually chocolate ice-cream drizzled with berry jam (don't knock it 'till you've tried it), but lately I've found that I can settle for vanilla when the craving possesses me. If I had a less hectic schedule, I would dedicate one saturday to making my own, but for now I'll fantasize over gourmet flavors like blackberry and lavender and all these.

Recipe for left image here.

Have I mentioned my latest infatuation with breakfast? It's hard to justify, but it started somewhere around my boredom with usual old "cereal or toast" option on weekday mornings. I mean, there must be something more, right? So, when the weekends rolled around, I got inspired. Smoothies - green or otherwise -  packed with fruit and nice and thick. Pancakes stacked with honey and banana sandwiched between the layers. Omelets. Bagels, topped with fresh veggies, pesto and cheese and grilled. And a super-healthy quinoa porridge. 

If you have been tuned in to the food universe lately, you'd know that this ancient super grain is So Hot Right Now. Packed with protein, vitamins and a unique nutty flavor, it's not hard to figure out why.

The autumn air embraces you as the distant fields are painted gold by the sun's first strokes.

 Cocooning the robust china in your palms, you hasten to eat it's contents before the dawn's last breath renders your breakfast unsatisfying.

 Spoon delves in, past the sticky golden apple towards the creamy underbelly.

 A quarrel between the red tape of the sliced apple and your spoon is rapidly dissipated, and the supple fruit, riddled with flakes of oat in a vanilla-speckeld cloud slip over your tongue.