Breakfast Belt

Last week, I ordered the "breakfast belt" at this restaurant called Nick and Sam's. Wow, so simple, yet so delicious! I had to go home and attempt to make it myself. Surprisingly, this breakfast entree only took about 20 minutes to make, if you're efficient.


Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites, 1 yolk
• 3 strips of bacon
• a handful of spring mix
• salt & pepper
• 2 english muffins
• soy sauce

Guacamole - Combine ingredients to make guacamole

• 1 avocado, smashed
• the juice of half a lime
• a handful of minced cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 cherry tomatoes cut into fourths
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven 340 F. Toast english muffins.
2. On medium heat, cook bacon in a large skillet to desired crispiness. 
3. While the bacon is cooking, make the guacamole. 
4. With a pair of tongs, take out the bacon and lay it on paper towels on a plate. Pour excess grease in a cup or small bowl. (Pouring grease down the drain is bad for your pipes! Let the grease solidify and dispose it in the trash.) 
5. Switch the heat to medium-low heat, and fry the eggs for 2 minutes or so. Dazzle a bit of soy sauce. 
6. Take out the english muffins. Spread the guacamole on a muffin half. On the other muffin half place the eggs, bacon pieces, and a handful of spring mix. 

Costs:

• 3 egg whites, 1 yolk- $0.25
• 3 strips of bacon-$ 0.50
• a handful of spring mix $0.35
• 2 english muffins- $1.20
• salt & pepper
• soy sauce

• 1 avocado, smashed- $1.50
• the juice of half a lime-$0.10
• a handful of minced cilantro -$0.10
• 1 garlic clove, minced- $0.08
• 5 cherry tomatoes cut into fourths- $0.50
• salt & pepper

Approximate Cost: $4.58 for a serving of 2 

xoxo,

Amy

Caviar d'Aubergine

The first time I tried caviar d'aubergine was when I was in Belgium, and I became instantly hooked. I loved it so much that every time I went to the grocery store (once a week), I bought 2 containers! The literal translation of caviar d'aubergine is eggplant caviar. There isn't any fish eggs in this dip, but the seeds of the eggplant resemble caviar, which gives it its name. I think eggplant caviar serves as a great spread on sandwiches; it's a healthy substitute to mayonaise, avocado, ranch etc. I personally like it best on toasted french bread, but I've seen my friends eat it with both tortilla and pita chips.

**There's so many versions of eggplant caviar, so you can really play with what you want to put in it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium-large eggplant
• 1 garlic clove
• a handful of cilantro
• 1 lemon
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven 475 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice the eggplant in half. Drizzle olive oil over the eggplant. Sprinkle eggplant with salt and pepper. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or so.
2. Roughly chop the cilantro. Mince garlic (I do this because the food processor does not do a good job.) 
3. Skin the baked eggplant and add it into the food processor. Add the cilantro, garlic, and the juice of half a lemon into the food processor and mix. Sprinkle a bit of pepper. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt. 
4. Chill in fridge. Once cooled, you can determine if the spread needs the juice of the other half of the lemon or not. Served chilled. 

Costs:

• 1 Medium-large eggplant- $2.20
• 1 garlic clove- $0.12
• a handful of cilantro- $0.20
• 1 lemon- $0.20
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Approximate Cost: $2.72 for a serving of 4 

xoxo,

Amy

Honey Soy-Glazed Baked Salmon

Hi Everyone! I apologize for the lack of posts this semester. After I came back from Europe, I had to put my hobbies on hold for a bit. (If you guys want to check out my adventures abroad, take a look at my Oh Crepe! blog.) Summer is now beginning, which means I have more time to explore a myriad of recipes!

So let's get on to cooking!

My first post this year will be a simple, healthy, and delicious dish, Honey Soy-Glazed Baked Salmon. I'm not a huge fan of cooked salmon, but this dish just melts right into your mouth. YUM. Its affordable ingredients and easy preparation makes this gourmet meal a delight to share with your friends! I made this salmon dish along with some other dishes for a dinner party for some friends.


Ingredients:

• 3oz. salmon fillet 
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce (light or regular)
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. of minced onions
• a few sprigs of cilantro
• splash of olive oil
• pepper & salt 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Mince onions. Mince garlic. Mince cilantro. Skin salmon fillet.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, olive oil, honey, minced onions, cilantro and garlic. 
3. Marinate the salmon fillet, making sure the salmon is fully coated with the mixture. 
4. Place salmon on aluminum foil on a baking sheet, and pour mixture evenly over the salmon. Sprinkle salt and pepper to flavor.
5. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. 

Costs:

• 3oz. salmon fillet~ $2.50 ( $5 for 6 oz salmon)  
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce (light or regular)
• 1/4 cup of honey~ $0.80
• 1 clove of garlic, minced -$0.12 ( $0.99 for a bulk which consists of 8-10 cloves)
• 2 tbsp. of minced onions 
• a few sprigs of cilanto-- $.05 ($0.29 for an entire bunch)
• splash of olive oil
• pepper & salt 

Approximate Cost: $3.50 for 1 serving




xoxo,
Amy

Crumbled Beef & Pork Sandwich

So when I made the stuffed bell peppers, I originally used 1 lb. of ground beef and 1 lb. of ground pork. This amount actually ended up being a bit too much, so what to do with the excess mixture? Well I just generously topped the mixture with soy sauce, and stuffed it into french bread!

Ingredients: 

• Leftover mixture from stuffed bell peppers recipe
• Soy sauce
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped cilantro
• 1/2 loaf of french bread
• olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cut loaf of french bread into fourths, place in toaster oven until desired crispiness. 
2. On medium heat, add some olive oil to a skillet. Once hot, add mixture and generously soak with soy sauce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until well done. 
3. While the meat is cooking, shred carrots and chop cilantro.
4. Stuff cooked mixture into toasted french bread, top with carrots and cilantro.

Costs:

• Leftover mixture from stuffed bell peppers recipe
• Soy sauce
• Shredded carrots- $0.16
• Chopped cilantro- $0. $.10
• 1/2 loaf of french bread($1.98 for a loaf) $0.99
• olive oil

Approximate Cost: $1.50 (additional cost to the cost of the stuffed bell peppers) for a serving of 2 

I would roughly estimate that the cost of 2 sandwiches would be about $4. 

xoxo,

Amy

Colorful Stuffed Bellpeppers

Stuffing jalepeno peppers got me into stuffing bell peppers! Bell peppers come in a variety of colors, so these are really fun for dinner parties, or just dinner with your roomies. :) Personally, these were not my favorite; there was just too much meat. 

Ingredients:

• .75 lb. ground beef (lean)
• .75 ground pork (or turkey)
• 4 large bell peppers
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1tbsp. BBQ Sauce
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 sm. onion, diced
• salt and pepper 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven 375F.
2. In a small bowl, crack eggs and beat well. Rinse and cut off tops of bell peppers, and save for displaying later. Hollow and deseed each bell pepper. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine beaten eggs, ground beef, ground pork, break crumbs, onions, garlic salt. Mix well. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 
4. With a spoon, carefully stuff each hollow bell pepper with mixture. Spread BBQ sauce over each pepper, put the top back on, and place into oven to cook for about 45 minutes or so. 

Costs:

• 4 large bell peppers- $3.99 for 3( red, orange, yellow) 
• .75 lb .ground beef
• .75 lb. ground pork (or turkey)
• 2 eggs, beaten- $0.20
• 1tbsp. BBQ Sauce
• 1 tbsp. garlic salt
• 1 cup bread crumbs-(I had panko bread crumbs left over from making chicken strips)- $ 0.50
• 1 sm. onion, diced-$0.27
• salt and pepper 

Approximate Cost: $11 for a serving of 4

Sidenote: If you're looking for a kick, my friend Timothy made this recipe, and he added some cayenne pepper! Cayenne pepper tends to do the trick :)

xoxo,

Amy

Jalepeno Poppers!

So after eating some jalepeno popper samples from Sur La Table, I went home and attempted to make my own. "Attempted" is the key word here, my poppers didn't look as presentable as the ones in the store. :(  Regardless of their lack of visual appeal, these are baked so they are much healthier than the poppers you would find at any restaurant!

Ingredients:

• 3 slices pepper jack cheese
• 6 jalepeno Peppers
• 1/8 cup of onion, minced
• 1/8 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup of cream cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 425F.
2. Rinse. Slice the jalepeno peppers in half lengthwise, and deseed. 
3. In a small bowl combine the cilantro, salt, onion, and cream cheese. Fill the jalepeno halves with the mixture.
4. Cut each slice of pepper jack cheese into 4ths or so and place on top of filled jalepeno half.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or so, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Costs:

• Pepper jack cheddar cheese-($2.68 for six slices)-$ 1.34
• 6 Jalepeno Peppers- $0.35
• 1/8 cup minced onion-($0.41 for an onion)- $0.10
• 1/8 cup of fresh cilantro-($0.33 for a bunch)-$0.04
• 1/3 cup cream cheese-($1.42 for 1 cup)-$0.47

Approximate Cost: $2.30 for 12 jalepeno halves

xoxo,

Amy

Mediterranean Pitas

Vegetarian-friendly and easily packed into a ziplog sandwich bag, these mediterranean pitas are perfect to bring anywhere and to anyone!

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium size carrot
• 1/4 of a large cucumber
• 1/4 cup of kalamata olives
• 1.4 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• mini pitas, cut in half

Instructions:

1. Shred carrot. Peel and cut cucumber into matchsticks. Chop olives.
2. In a medium size bowl, combine carrots, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Toast mini pitas, and stuff with mixture.

Costs:

• 1 medium size carrot-$0.16
• 1/4 of a large cucumber-($0.34 for an entire cucumber)-$0.09
• 1/8-1/4 cup of kalamata olives ~($4.00 for a jar)- $80
• 1/4 cup of feta cheese, crumbled-($2.38 for a cup) -$0.60
• 1 lemon-$0.16
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 pitas halves -($1.98 for 6 halves)-$0.67

Approximate Cost: $2.48 for one serving

xoxo,

Amy