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Posts Tagged ‘Breakfast’

Overnight Oats

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on March 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

This is my new obsession.  Making oatmeal at work is awful.  Our microwave is older than I am.  If I want to make quick (and the most voluminous) oats, I would need a microwaveable safe bowl that I would have to hand wash (ew) and I would have to cart in anything I want to mix in.  Overnight oats you can throw together the night before, or early that morning, require no cooking and are completely customizable.  Now don’t go and get all granola on this stuff and throw in too many raisins, honey and high calorie nuts and fruits and ruin a good low calorie thing.

Here is my favorite recipe which totals to around 200 calories, but hey, do whatever makes your little raw, oaty heart happy.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (The type that take 2-5 minutes or so in the microwave.)
  • 3/4 cup – 1 cup (based on taste) unsweetened almond milk (around 40 cals a cup)
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Splenda

Mix ingredients and cover.  Let rest in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.  Enjoy!

Yes, that is my rug.  My brilliant roommate found the only place in our apartment at dusk that gets good light and doesn’t have weird fracturing lighty things.  I think I really need to invest in a light box and a dictionary.  Look forward to more rug shots in the future my loves.

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Orange Scented Buttermilk Corn Muffins

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , , on March 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I hate zesting.  More than anything in the whole entire world.  More than the relentless coverage of Lindsay Lohan’s clothes during her stupid necklace trial, more than dark lip liner with light lipstick, and even more than I hate ferrets (furry, smelly spawns of satan).  However, zesting can have its triumphs and this is one.  Don’t get me wrong–it does make me want as many children as possible so I can force them to zest and chop vegetables and do all the things I hate for me–but these muffins are incredible.  I got this recipe from Fresh Direct and it comes from the Staff Meals from Chanterelle cookbook.  It is so easy and so delicious, plus each muffin is only a little over 200 calories.  Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Good pinch of coarse (kosher) salt
  • Grated zest of 1 orange
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly to mix; set aside.

Using the whisk, beat the eggs in a medium-size bowl,

then add the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, and vanilla and whisk well to blend.

Pour the mixture into the flour mixture and whisk just until the dry ingredients are moistened; do not over-mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost to the top.

Bake until risen and very lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin will come out clean.  Makes 12 muffins.

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Bacon and Swiss Scones

Posted in Sides (For the High Cal Right Brain, tagged , , on October 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

A few months ago, we had some coworkers in from London and on their last day, after plenty of meetings, we finally all went out for lunch.  I know that as Americans, everything is bigger and better here, i.e. the Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burgermelt or the KFC Double Down.  However, you don’t really realize how big portions are EVERYWHERE until you have a Brit sitting next to you in a cheap Thai restaurant commenting on how his curry could be eaten over four lunches and you are actually thinking they stiffed him.  The continuous quote from the 1960′s of a parent telling you “You must clean your plate” is a constant memory of restaurants during my youth, knowing that I could never truly finish my plate.  Being on my bacon kick lately, I wanted to finally try to make scones, but after some research I discovered that scones have an incredible number of calories and an insane fat content.  Yet, when I realized what the size of a normal scone is, I was almost as horrified as my London cousin dining in the Thai restaurant.  You can make this recipe however you want.  The scones are deliciously flaky and bacony and even taste good the next day if you nuke them for 5-10 seconds, but I strongly suggest cutting these babies into 16 wedges, not 8.  If you decide to go all out and make scones the size of your face, 20 minutes in the oven will do you.  Remember ladies and gents, scones do puff in the oven.

Stolen from here: http://sugarcrafter.net/2010/06/04/bacon-swiss-scones/

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup half and half
2 eggs
3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
6 strips bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cook the bacon until crispy.  Leave the oven on!  After the bacon cools, crumble it into small pieces. Toss the bacon crumbles together with the cheese.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until well-combined.  (I did quick pulsing in a food processor here instead, DON’T OVER MIX!)  In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and half-and-half together.  Pour both the egg mixture and the bacon mixture into the flour mixture.  Stir gently until the dough comes together.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently for 2-3 minutes.  Roll the dough into a circle about 1-inch thick.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  Cut dough into 8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half so that you have 16.  Pull each wedge out slightly so that they have room to bake. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.

The original recipe made 8 scones, but they were just too huge for me so I cut them into 16.  Darn Americans and their huge delights.

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Mandel Bread

Posted in Desserts (For The High Cal Right Brain), tagged , , , , , , , on May 1, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Gather children, I would like to tell you the story of my discovery of how easy it is to bake biscotti and/or mandel bread.  It was a Sunday after the girlfriend had stayed over all weekend.  Say hi to the girlfriend:

This is basically what every day was like when we worked together.  They said we were annoying, but we knew they didn’t mean it.

To relieve myself of the depression of her returning to the dark depths of Jersey, I had to bake.  I needed something I could make with whatever I had in the house, and would stay stable until the next morning to bring to work.  Searching around Tasty Kitchen, I came across something so very surprising–another person with knowledge on Jewish cooking on the website!  (I should comment on this remark with the understanding that most of Tasty Kitchen are southern and midwestern dishes, so it’s exciting to find someone else who breaks that mold.)  She suggested Bubbie Ruth’s Mandel Bread and I readily obliged.  Mandel Bread is a softer, Jewish version of biscotti.

But alas fair readers, I was afraid.  Something about baking biscotti has always scared me–that delectable crust with a crunchy, yet flaky texture could not be so easy.  Give in to temptation with me…

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 3 whole Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 3 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • Cinnamon Sugar

Mix together oil and sugar until combined,

and then add eggs one at a time.

After the eggs are combined, add vanilla.

Sift together all the dry ingredients and add them slowly to the sugar/egg mixture.

Once the dough is smooth and sticky, pour the chocolate chips in and mix. Put the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours (at least 2) or overnight.

Lightly oil your hands and form 4-5 long rows with the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I should have totally taken a picture of this and I would apologize, but it would have been a bad picture anyway, let’s just be honest).  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Take the mandel bread out and turn the oven down to 250 degrees.

Slice the mandel bread into biscotti-sized pieces and carefully roll each one into the cinn/sugar mixture.  Put the pieces back on the cookie sheet, on their sides, and bake for another 15 minutes at 250 degrees.

I thought this was a pretty classic biscotti/mandel bread set up for a picture.  I’m relatively proud of myself.

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Jessica’s Laziest Things!–Oatmeal Edition

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on April 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

And now for another episode of Jessica’s Laziest Things!

This box is my savior.  Around junior year of college my addiction to eating things that tasted good due to butter and oil caught up with me and rested on my hips and clung to my belly button.  I switched from eating boxed cereal, which I emotionally could not stop eating if there was still cereal in the box–especially if it had clusters, to eating old fashion oats and lost the weight.  You gotta get the old fashion oats, not the 1 minute quick cooking kind, and pour your heart into this cheap meal option.  The old fashion oats will be nice with big, whole oats like below, not all mealy and ground up like the 1 minute kind that gets all gummy.

I just want to use this time to mention that I could never have Honey Bunches of Oats in the house when I was in high school because Little Mommies would pour them out on the kitchen counter and eat all the clusters.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Quaker Oatmeal
  • 1/2 teaspoon light butter
  • Salt to taste (I prefer Kosher salt.)
  • Scant cup of water

Combine oatmeal, light butter, salt and water in microwave-safe bowl.  Place on a plate to catch any overflow as it cooks.

Microwave on high for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until it looks pretty dry.  Oatmeal will puff up as it is cooking and then deflate when it is done.

Stir well.  The consistency should be chewy and nutty, not mushy like the prepackaged oatmeal.

One serving has 158 calories, 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.

May I mention that this is one of my favorite “pre-going out” meals?  It doesn’t bloat you out, gives you plenty of carbs to enjoy a nice cocktail on, and has very few calories, so you can feel much better about the 100 cal a serving liquor you are about to consume.

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Light and Easy French Toast

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , on March 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

I loveeee Easter time.  It always reminds me of two things–days off from school and Cadbury eggs.  I looveeeeeee Cadbury eggs.  They are the future source of world peace.  Anyway, whenever I had days off from school, I used to make diet French toast–because I’m obviously mentally incapable of eating anything high calorie without feeling guilty.  This is a simple recipe, very delicious, and puts real French toast to shame.
  • ½ cup Egg Beaters
  • 2 slices light bread (I used 7 grain for some fiber and it was 45 calories a slice.)
  • Olive oil Pam
  • 1 tablespoon light syrup (Mine is 25 calories a tablespoon.)

Pour Egg Beaters into a bowl.

Add both slices of bread.  Turn bread to coat all sides and let sit for a minute or two until it absorbs almost all of the Egg Beaters.  Bread will be very soft and almost fall apart.  Over high heat, heat frying pan.  Spray with Pam.

Very carefully transfer bread to pan.  With spoon, pour any extra Egg Beaters over bread slices.  You want to be sure to get every little bit of protein!  Fry for about 2 minutes on the first side until golden brown.

Flip over and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until brown on other side and egg inside is cooked.

Transfer to serving plate and top with 1 tablespoon syrup.  175 calories for 2 slices.

Only 25 more calories than a Cadbury Egg.  I want to know how they perfectly color only one part of the custard inside the chocolate egg orange and how it doesn’t mix in.  Does anyone know?  There can be a prize for said information from said eggaholic.

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Baked Eggs

Posted in Main Dishes (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , on January 30, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Today I am going to show you something that will change your world.  I want you to take eggs as you know them and forget about them.  A good woman can make a good breakfast.  A really good woman can make a good breakfast, keep it low calorie and with minimal clean up. 

Meet the baked egg, courtesy of the lovely ramekins that the Girlfriend bought me for Christmas.  They will make you feel good, reallll good.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs
  • Olive oil Pam
  • 1/2 ounce shredded cheddar cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 

Place ramekins on cookie sheet.  Spray the inside of the ramekins with Pam.

 

Crack an egg into each ramekin and sprinkle some cheese on top.

 

Bake for 10-15 minutes.  I find 11 is perfect for super runny, 12 is medium, and 14-15 is cooked through.

 

The best part about this recipe is you can really put whatever you want in the ramekin.  Sometimes I add cooked bacon, ham, sausage, diced tomatoes, more sausage…

Each egg is around 100 calories.

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Strata

Posted in Main Dishes(For the High Cal Right Brain), tagged , , , , on December 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »

When Little Mommies told me she would be making a “strata” for Hanukkah, I assumed that it would be some form of a multilayered cake and I was excited.  Then when she told me that a strata was an egg dish filled with cheese, I was even more excited.  Then, when she told me she was going to put in pancetta as well, I cried.  Wept like a little baby.  Well not really, however, I did make fun of Rico for about an hour that he was missing Hanukkah brunch due to prior engagements and that he would miss this cheesy, pork creation.  I hope he still loves me. 

Commence Strating.

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces pancetta, diced
  • 12 slices firm white bread
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 pound shredded, sharp cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 8 eggs
  • 3 ½ cups milk
  • 8 dashes Tabasco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Pepper to taste

Butter a 3 quart rectangular (approximately 9 x 13 inches) baking dish.

In frying pan, sauté pancetta until brown and fat is rendered.  Drain on paper towels.

Cut bread into 3/4 inch cubes.  Place in prepared baking dish.  Add scallions, pancetta and cheeses.  With hands, mix well to evenly distribute ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs together; add milk, Tabasco, mustard, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over all in baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight (up to 24 hours).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until strata is puffy and brown.  Serves 8 to 10.

The lady of the house made two, one with and one without pancetta.  I liked them both.  See that spoon in the plain cheese one?  That’s because my uncle promptly stole a bread cube with his fingers before we could take a picture.  Little Mommies and I went a little crazy.  You think I’m cranky?  You should see the two of us angry, together, involving food, pictures, and manners.  The pain, suffering and noisy reactions were similar to the sound that comes out of a small dog when you step on its tail by mistake.  Exactly.

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Pumpkin Muffins

Posted in Sides (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , , on November 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Something about being a parent amazes me.  I’ve put my parents through the ringer–first my heavy metal music preference, then my interest in men who listen to/play heavy metal, my choice to go to NYU in the “scariest of cities” to my attitude and sarcastic nature.  Yet still, they love me.  They love me this much:   Yes, for early Hannukkah, my loving parents bought me a stand mixer.  And not just any mixer, my coveted, RED, Kitchen Aid mixer.  I almost cried.  Make that I cried, but didn’t want to admit it.  It was like falling in love with Miley all over again. Now with such a gift, I decided to dabble somewhere I have never ever dabbled before.  MUFFINS.  Fall Style.   

   

Gently stolen from: http://www.acozykitchen.com/pumpkin-muffins/  

Ingredients:     

  • 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (from a 15ounce can)
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1-¼ cups sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Place muffin liners inside 12 muffin cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.     

   This mixer makes me a better person.   

  

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Mix together pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full).  Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from the pan to the rack and cool to warm or room temperature. Each muffin costs you around 200 calories.   Makes 12 Muffins. 

  

   A little off topic, (Who’s surprised?) I really want to see Couple’s Retreat.  Only because it would add more ticket sales to a movie that isn’t the abomination of terrible girl-crap Twilight.  I’m sorry, I have thought skulls and vampires were cool since whenever, however back then I was “crazy and weird”.  Now they are cool.  You all are copy cats.                

        

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Sweet Potato Hash

Posted in Sides (For The Low Cal Left Brain), tagged , on November 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Let’s talk sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are the older, soccer-playing, grilled chicken-eating brother of the white potato world.  They are supremely healthier than any other form of potato and full of vitamins.  Although still high calorie, they are worth throwing into your diet every so often.  I have a habit of cutting them in half (or for the huge ones, in thirds), so I get a 100-150 calorie serving of potato.  I had a hankering last night for home fries and luckily had half a sweet potato in my house.  This recipe is not so bad for you, quite filling, and great with eggs.

Picture 002

I suggest opening the windows when making these.  After setting off the fire alarm for the 3rd time, I realized that no bus noises outdoors were worth avoiding for a million firemen in my apartment.  I don’t know what it’s like in the suburbs, but NYC fire alarms don’t have a ringing noise.  Most of them say “Fire, Fire” in the most calm, British voice ever heard.  If my home was on fire, I’d rather not be woken up by Keira Knightly and her frighteningly large teeth.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 a sweet potato (mine was 100 grams), diced into small pieces,  1/2 inch to 1/4 inch squares
  • 1 very small, or half of a medium sized onion, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pam

Heat a pan with Pam until hot.  Saute the onions, spraying liberally with Pam until they become translucent, tossing them every so often.  Set aside.  Throw the potatoes into the pan and cook for about five minutes, tossing often, until soft on the inside and crunchy on the edges.  Throw back in the onions and add the paprika, Worcestershire, salt and pepper.  Toss a few times, plate and serve!

Makes one serving at around 100-125 calories (without the egg).

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