Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict

I LOOOVVVEEEE eggs benedict! So much, I can't even begin to tell you! Every so often when I go out for breakfast if there is a different type of it on the menu I'll order it in a heartbeat! While I was working at Disney, my friend and I went out to breakfast at the Wilderness Lodge and I got some beef brisket eggs benedict, which was a large portion of beef brisket over large english muffins with 2 poached eggs and a classic hollandaise sauce. It was probably one of the best eggs benedicts I've EVER had!!! So I figured If you can have beef brisket you could have lots of other stuff too! So here is my favorite!

Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict

2 English Muffins - toasted to your liking and lightly buttered
4 eggs
6 oz left over pulled pork

Sauce
1 egg yolk
2-3 oz melted butter
1/2 tsp dijon (optional)
lemon juice or warm water
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper

[So you could poach your eggs, but I prefer over easy, they have more flavor and are easier to make. But you could poach them if you prefer (just use a pot with water and cider vinegar)]

So Toast English muffins
Heat up pulled pork (with bbq sauce on it) either in microwave or in a pan
cook eggs however you prefer

To make a quick hollandaise sauce

place egg yolk in a small pan and whip up slightly until light in color
add the dijon if desired, this will help keep the sauce from breaking
over a flame whip egg while slowly adding in melted butter
remove from heat, squeeze in a little lemon juice or water to thin out
season with salt pepper and cayenne.

Serve immediately.

Although it is not a classic hollandaise it is close and much easier to make than a classic one. If you want to make a more classic one use clarified butter (milk solids removed) and leave out the dijon, this is more of a stabilizer making it easier to make in a pan rather than in a double boiler. It isn't a necessity in either case but I find it does make things a little easier and quicker.

Any questions let me know!
Enjoy!

Better for you Hollandaise

Ok, so Although I ADORE eggs benedict and hollandaise sauce in general it is really not good for you at about 250-350 calories per serving. So I decided I needed to come up with a substitute that would work for those of us who LOVE it but can't afford to clog our arteries or add to our hips!

1 egg yolk
4 oz plain yogurt (not greek, its too thick and won't combined well) or low fat sour cream can be used as well
lemon juice or warm water if you prefer it a little less tangy
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
*1 T butter - Optional

-stir together the yogurt and egg yolk, which will first thin out but as it starts to cook will thicken.
-Keep it moving in order to still not curdle the egg.
-It is ok to simmer this sauce as its more stable than classic however keep it moving so it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom.
-Once thickened and heated through add in the lemon juice just enough to thin it out to a good consistency
-season with salt, pepper and cayenne

This version has only 75 calories per serving and this makes 2 servings! Although it doesn't quite have the richness that a classic hollandaise if you are looking to still eat what you want without the clogged arteries this is a better option that the classic.

*If you want the best of both worlds, finish this one off with 1 tbsp of butter and stir in until smooth and combined. This will add 50 calories for each serving but give a richness that you're missing!

Honey Dijon Chicken and Mash

This is another one of my go to recipes. Its quick and easy and has many different applications. You can have it as I've demonstrated but you can also serve it over whole chicken with a side of veg and mash. You could serve it over rice, or even over pasta. You can also use pork chops or pork tenderloin. And I haven't tried it but chicken apple sausage and this would probably be good as well.

1 heaping tablespoon of whole grain Dijon (I use country dijon by grey poupon, although you can use regular dijon instead)
1 heaping tablespoon of honey
1 tsp dried thyme (1 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp dried parsley (1 tbsp fresh)
1/2 cup milk (for creamier use cream or evap milk)
12 oz of chicken (cubed if you want it to cook quicker)
1 tbsp flour
green onion or parsley to garnish

Toss the chicken (or pork) in the flour to lightly coat
cook the chicken until cooked through, remove from pan
add the dijon and honey, stir together
stir in the milk, let return to a boil
return the chicken to the pan
let cook down until thickened

Serve over or next to mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. Garnish with fresh green onion or parsley
2 servings per recipe

The sauce is only 75 calories per serving! and the chicken is about 180 calories which makes this a super delicious good for you meal!

Happy Eating!

Giant BBQ Chicken Bruschetta

Nick's parents came over for lunch today and we made a roast whole chicken. It was really tasty but when dinner came around I didn't quite feel like cooking, we had too relaxing of a day for me to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so instead I came up with this, using all leftovers from lunch! Its super quick, super easy, and really tasty! Serve with your favorite veggies or salad and you've got yourself a whole meal!

2 large pieces of thin good quality bread
olive oil
6-8 oz shredded chicken breast
4 Tbsp bbq sauce
2 oz shredded cheese
1/2-1 cup left over mashed potatoes
2 Tbsp French fried onions (optional)
garnish with parsley

drizzle the olive oil over the bread and stick under the broiler until crispy
heat the shredded chicken up and toss with bbq sauce
Spread the heated up mashed potatoes on the crispy bread
top with the bbq chicken
top with cheese
stick under the broiler to melt the cheese
top with the french fried onions and the parsley

Enjoy, you can either eat it like you would bruschetta just picking it up and eating it or you can eat it with a knife and fork! Can you say YUM!!!

Non Chicken Marsala

So today Ash Wednesday, and that means no meat for lots of you. When I asked Nick what he wanted for dinner he said he would rather not eat meat today, and I wasn't sure what I had for hearty vegetables in the fridge but after looking this is what I came up with.

1lb of sliced mushrooms
1/2 c diced onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 tbsp flour
1/2 can vegetable broth or stock
1 cup milk
2 oz marsala
1 oz parmesan cheese
1 tbsp oil

heat the oil in a pan
add in onion and mushrooms
let cook through until liquid has rendered
add in garlic and seasonings
Add in the flour and let cook for a minute or two
add in the marsala to deglaze the pan
let cook for a minute or two
add in the broth and let cook down for a minute or two
and lastly add in the milk and let cook down until thickened
stir in the parmesan cheese

Serve over mashed potatoes or pasta
garnish with chopped parsley or chives

Remember you can always add chicken to this and make it normal chicken marsala! A delicious option for days of the week that aren't ash wednesday =]

Happy eating!

Pasta Carbonara Florentine with Chicken

So while watching the Rachael Ray Show today I realized although I love pasta carbonara I've never made it! So here is what I came up with for our dinner tonight.

8-12 oz chicken breast cubed
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 slice of bacon added to pasta water to infuse flavor
2 handfuls of kale or spinach (1/2 package of frozen chopped can be used if drained)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion diced
2 Tbsp Italian Herbs Dried Seasoning
1/4 c ginger brandy (or wine, sherry, marsala... whatever you have)
3/4 c starchy cooking liquid from pasta
2 egg yolks (save whites for dessert, make little meringue cookies!)
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
1/4 c parmesan cheese
2 servings of pasta

Cook the pasta per box instructions while making the sauce
Cook chicken in a medium to large pan season with salt and pepper
remove chicken from pan and add in bacon, once cooked till crispy
add in kale or spinach (if using frozen add in just before you deglaze), garlic, onion, herbs and zest
once cooked down a bit deglaze the pan with the alcohol
remove 1/2 c of cooking liquid from pasta right before straining
add pasta and the chicken to the pan
add egg yolks to the starchy water stir quickly (so you don't scramble the yolks)
add to the pan constantly stirring until thickened and creamy.
finish off with parmesan cheese and lemon juice, toss and serve


Garnish with fresh parsley or chives


This is a fairly classic carbonara although ginger brandy isn't something that would typically be used, we currently have it in our house, so I figured I'd use it to give a hint of spice instead of using some red pepper flakes or some sort of chili pepper. Its a much milder heat and kind of gives it that little something extra that makes people curious about whats in it.

This is approx 550 calories per serving including everything!

If you have any questions feel free to let me know! Happy Eating!

Meringue Cookies

So I said you could use your left over egg whites to make meringue cookies so here is my recipe for those.

2 egg whites
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
small sprinkle of salt
chopped nuts, toffee bits or chocolate chips all optional

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (convection 250)

whip up the egg whites with the lemon juice and vanilla until firm
slowly whip in the sugar until shiny
Fold in toffee bits, nuts or chocolate chips if desired

on a parchment lined cookie sheet put rounded tablespoons of the meringue
for a fancier look use a piping bag
bake for about 20 mins or until golden brown

For more fun you can add a food coloring to make different colored meringues

Once cool you can add these to mixed berries and whipped cream for a delicious low fat dessert or you can dip them in melted chocolate or flatten the meringue out before baking and once out of the oven you could make sandwich meringues with frosting (either from the grocery store or home made)

Plain without nuts the recipe makes about 24 and is about 25 calories each!

Leftovers Episode I

So you've made my roasted pineapple alfredo and now you have lots of sauce left over. And you're really not wanting pasta the next day... So what do you do? Well first off you can freeze the left over sauce and let it thaw out in the fridge for 24 hours or so. (this makes things super convenient cause that means you could either make pasta in a few weeks when you want it... OR you could do this!!!)

Roasted Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers



This isn't quite as healthy of a meal, however it does range at about the 600 calorie mark, and for a burger that's not bad. Although you could easily make it healthier by substituting 93/7 ground beef, extra lean ground turkey, or ground chicken for the 80/20 ground beef I used.

10-12 oz of ground beef. (I do 4 oz for me, and 6 oz for Nick)
1 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce, whichever brand you like
2 oz of Feta Cheese
2 Tbsp chopped scallions/green onion + more to garnish
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp onion powder or flakes
pepper to taste
1 cup roasted pineapple alfredo sauce
2 bulkie rolls or whatever kind of burger bun you prefer the calorie count includes 180 for the bun

In a large bowl mix together the top 8 ingredients, using your hands until well combined.
Form into 2 patties creating a divit in the center of them so that when they cook you end up with a flat patty instead of a puffed out patty
Grill your burgers to the doneness you prefer - for me med-rare, for Nick medium
while those are cooking heat up your left over sauce preferably in a pan so you can stir it regularly, but if thats not an option microwave works just as well

Plating of this gives you a few options, you can do this as an open faced knife and fork kind of burger with a slice of texas toast or bun on the bottom topped with the burger, smothered with sauce and then garnished with sliced green onion
Or
You can spread some of the sauce on the top and bottom bun (be liberal) and garnish both top and bottom with sliced green onion and place the burger in the middle to serve as a normal burger. You can also add lettuce red onion or whatever else you want to this burger.

Personally I think I'm going to go with the open faced for me but I'll make Nick the regular.

I hope you enjoy, and remember leftovers don't have to be boring! =]

Croque Madame Sandwich

Ok, so when I was working at The Cheeky Monk I loved this sandwich, its rich and flavorful and absolutely delicious! However, sometimes when its made classically it can be full of fat and calories. This way although not exact will give you a similar taste without all the bad stuff!

-1 sandwich thin or 2 slices of low cal bread
-4 oz of deli turkey meat or shredded chicken
-2 slices of low calorie cheese or 1 slice of regular cheese your choice- i'm using white american cause I always have it in my fridge.*
-1 egg
-cajun seasoning of your choice**
-1 tbsp light cream cheese

lightly toast bread
heat the turkey or cook the shredded chicken breast with cajun seasoning
top the turkey with a slice of cheese
on the top piece of bread spread the cream cheese
cook up the egg sunny side up or over easy
top the egg with the other slice of cheese cover to melt
top sandwich with the egg and cheese
eat with a fork and knife.

can you say yum!
the over easy egg runs all over the sandwich as you eat it and makes it gooey and delicious. I have also topped this with a little sundried tomato vinaigrette to give it a little extra zing. A honey dijon would also be good, although the dressings aren't necessary.

*If you are using regular cheese, use half inside and half on top. to make it go further rip it into little pieces before placing inside or on top, when it melts you won't realize it wasn't covering the entire sandwich

**The cajun seasoning is not a must but it does kick up the flavor a little bit. If you'd prefer you can heat up the meat with nothing and just season the egg with salt and pepper or if you're watching your sodium content just pepper.

Its only about 400 calories for the whole sandwich and who doesn't love that for a great breakfast brunch or lunch!

Enjoy!