Long time no blog! Thankfully this unforeseen four-day weekend has allotted me time to study for my APs, blog, *and* make tasty food.
BRUNCH: Omelette on Crumpet
Little known fact: I love cooking. I woke up around 10:30 and decided to procrastinate studying for APUSH by making myself a bomb ass brunch. I layered a toasted crumpet with an omelette that contained sautéed onions, spinach and tomatoes. To top it off I added cubed avocado, sour cream, chives, basil, parsley, parmesan cheese and some pepper. WOW. I would never make this on a school day.
Here is a cross section of my crazy omelette-crumpet concoction.
Makes enough for one—15-20 minutes
1/3 tomato diced
Handful of baby spinach
1/8 cup of diced sweet onion
1/2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 egg + a splash of milk
1/4 avocado diced
dollop of sour cream
various herbs to top
pinch of salt
Crumpet
1. In a small to medium size non-stick pan on medium high heat melt the butter
2. Turn the heat down to medium, add the onions and when they begin to brown add the tomatoes and then the spinach you could add some garlic here too if you'd like
3. Sautée for 2-3 minutes then set it aside
4. In the same pan add a bit more butter and let it melt
5. As the butter melts, in a small bowl whisk the egg and milk together.
6. Pour the mixture in the pan and wait 2-4 minutes or until it seems to be cooking through to the top. If you want the omelette to be thinner, add more milk and use a bigger pan. If you want it to be thicker add less milk and use a smaller pan.
7. Add in the sautéed vegetables to one half of the pan and fold the other half of the omelette over it. When you feel confident enough about the firmness of the omelette and in your ability to flip it, flip it.
8. If you totally botched it, just mash it together and call it fancy scrambled eggs instead, but if you were successful place it on top of a toasted crumpet.
9. Top with herbs, avocado, sour cream, pepper, and shredded parmesan cheese to your liking.
To keep myself hydrated as I study, I made myself some flavored water. I have a horrible habit of not drinking enough water if I'm not exercising or seriously thirsty, so adding fresh flavors to it encourages me to drink more of it.
Makes enough for one—1 min
1 glass of water
A couple icecubes
2-3 blackberries
1 slice of lemon
2 leaves of basil (rip them up to dispel more flavor)
Between then and dinner I had a couple spoonfuls of Safeway caramel ice cream, but it's not too pretty so I won't show it here. Besides cooking, studying, and watching anime I didn't do much and rarely left the house save my one short walk to the park. If you're looking for a good anime to watch I *highly* recommend Psycho Pass.
DINNER: Soba Noodles with Warm Brussels Sprout Salad
Soba is a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat and has a darker brown color. You can find it and its dipping sauce at most asian markets.
Makes enough for one—6 mins
1 handful of soba noodles
A bowl of cold water
2-4 tablespoon of soba noodle sauce
Shredded dried seaweed to garnish
1 tsp chopped green onion to garnish
1. Place a pot of water on the stove and get it boiling.
2. Cook the soba noodles for 3-5 minutes.
3. Traditionally soba is usually served cold so you can submerge it in cold water but if you don't care and you want to save water because you live in California, you can skip this step.
4. Plate your soba and add your garnishes and then add your sauce.
If you can't find the sauce you can use soy sauce, mirin, and dried bonito until you achieve your desired taste.
I was really surprised by these, the flavor had an unprecedented depth and richness even though the ingredients are relatively light. The salad is quite filling while providing incredible nutrition.
Makes enough for two—10 mins
1 lb. brussels sprouts
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp butter
Handful of crushed walnuts
Handful of dried cranberries
Salt and pepper
1. Wash and cut the stems of the brussels sprouts then slice them in half lengthwise
2. In a pan on medium-high, heat the butter until melted
3. Add the brussels sprouts then salt and pepper and mix to make sure the sprouts are coated
4. Put a lid over the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes or until fork-tender.
5. White the sprouts are cooking, in a separate bowl mix the vinegar and honey together. This gives the brussels sprouts an alluringly sweet flavor.
6. Take the sprouts out and into a mixing bowl and add the dressing, then walnuts and cranberries.
DESSERT: Blackberry Smoothie Popsicles
My mom had made a smoothie earlier but there was too much so I poured some into these popsicle molds instead. Four hours later, they prove to be perfect for dessert! The molds from Daiso make four small popsicles and have little spouts for you to drink up any melted popsicle you may have left. How thoughtful!
I have no idea what my mom put in this smoothie. It just tastes like a ton of fruit, which, by the way, are just ripened plant ovaries. (Have fun studying for AP and SAT Bio everyone). If I did make the smoothie I would want something like this:
Makes enough for smoothie for two and some popsicles—5-10 mins plus 3-4 hrs freezing time
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/3 cup coconut flavored almond milk OR 1/4 cup of actual coconut milk sounds yummy too
1 banana
A couple of ice cubes
1. Blend the ice first
2. Then add in the fruit and then liquid last
3. Pour into popsicle mold, and freeze for 3-4 hours
4. To take them out pour hot water over the mold to easily remove them.
Let us know if you try any of these out!
- K
