The Bored Vegetarian

Open-Faced Egg Sandwich inspired by the “Tomato Burger” from Blue Hill (via NYT’s Recipe)

As some of you may know, my day/night/weekend job is as an event planner for a catering company here in Brooklyn.  Part of what I do is discussing menu ideas with couples/clients and discussing how to bring their backgrounds, family recipes and inspiration from their favorite restaurants into their menu.  Recently a couple had mentioned how much they love Blue Hill Farm’s “tomato burger,” so I had our chefs do a take on it for their tasting.  I got to sample it myself and was so obsessed with the balance of sweetness from the “bun,” the savory tomato and the creamy goat cheese, I made a mental note to try it at home.  As someone who loves savory and sweet breakfast foods together (“don’t judge me!” I exclaimed as I dumped syrup all over my eggs and potatoes the other morning), I thought this would be perfect with a delicious sunny side up egg on top.  

Serves 4

For the “bread”

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp Almond Flour
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (honestly, I would recommend using less than their recommendation - it turned out a lot heavier and greasier than I would have liked.  Might reduce as much as half next time.) 
1/2 tsp Salt
4 large Egg Whites, lightly beaten 

Preheat oven to 325.  Coat a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.  In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Pour in egg whites and whisk with dry ingredients until combined.  Continue to whisk and slowly add olive oil in a stream.  Pour into baking pan and bake on middle rack for 20-25 minutes or until golden yellow.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Tomato Filling:

2 pounds ripe Tomatoes
1 cup Sundried Tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
1/4 Tbsp Shallots, finely chopped
1/2 Balsamic Vinegar

Cut a shallow x in the bottom of the tomatoes.  Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and run under cold water.  Skins should easily slip off.  Remove seeds and chop into a small dice.  In a bowl, toss together diced tomato, sundried tomato, shallots, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  

Goat Cheese Filling:

2/3 Goat Cheese, room temperature
6 Tbsp Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature 
2 Tbsp chopped Chives
pinch of salt

Stir together all of the ingredients and set aside.

Egg:

4 Eggs
2 Tbsp
Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh basil

Melt butter in a pan.  Crack eggs into pan and cook on low/medium heat until whites begin to firm up.  Cover with lid until whites are about done.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble:

Cut a four rounds out of the “bread.”  Layer each with some of the goat cheese, a generous amount of the tomato filling, fresh basil and top with an egg.  Serve hot.  

Hey! You should like The Bored Vegetarian on fb!

Sunny Side Up Egg with Quinoa, Sauteed Kale, Tomato and Basil & Scallion Puree

It’s a slow rainy Saturday in New York.

1 egg
1/2 cup dry Quinoa
1 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
1 cup chopped Kale, large stems removed
1/4 cup Baby Heirloom Tomatoes
2 generous handfuls of fresh Basil
1/2 cup chopped Scallions
1 clove Garlic
4-5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup Vegetable Broth to a boil.  Add quinoa and season with a bit of salt.  Cover and bring down to a simmer until the liquid cooks off (about 15 minutes).  In a saute pan, saute minced garlic in a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add the cooked quinoa and toss.  Cook on low heat, continuing to cook off any remaining liquid in the quinoa.  In a blender, liquify basil, scallion and a 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.  With the blender going, slowly stream in the white wine vinegar, which will thicken the puree.  In a saute pan, saute the kale and tomato in a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add to quinoa and toss.  Season with salt & pepper.  In a saute pan, melt butter over low-medium heat.  Crack the egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid until the whites have firmed up.  Serve quinoa in a bowl, top with the sunny side up egg and spoon some of the basil & scallion puree over the top.  Serve immediately.  

The Breakfast Club

Poached Egg over Lemony Kale with Asiago and Crispy Shallot

While I have your attention, have you liked The Bored Vegetarian on fb? You should! It’s a lot easier to interact that way. Almost like real life, except not at all.

1 Egg
2 cups fresh Kale, chopped well
1/2 Lemon
2-3 Tbsp Asiago Cheese, finely grated (Bear Flag and Vella Cheese make rennet-free asiago)
1/2 Shallot, chopped in rounds
Cooking oil 
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp juice & zest from the lemon with the olive oil.  Toss with the kale until coated evenly, seasoning to taste.  Pile into the bowl you’re going to serve it in.  In a pan, heat cooking oil to between 365 or 375 degrees.  Toss in shallots and fry until they begin to crisp and brown.  Carefully remove (I used a fork, not the safest method) and place on a paper towel or paper bag to drain some oil off and cool.  Next, follow these instructions to poach an egg!  Once egg has been drained, place on top of kale.  Season with salt & pepper and top with a pile of crispy shallots. Serve immediately.  
 

Egg-In-A-Hole with Sauteed Kale, Sundried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese
 
There are a few different name variations for “egg-in-a-hole” : Egg in a basket; Bird’s Nest; Frog in a Hole; Moon Eggs; Gas House Eggs.. the list goes on.  What did you call it growing up? 

1 slice good Bread
1 Egg
1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
3 cups fresh Kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp Crumbled Goat Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter 

In a sautee pan, heat olive oil.  Add kale and toss.  Salt & pepper to taste.  As you continue to cook the kale on low/medium heat, melt butter in another sautee pan.  Cut a round circle in your slice of bread and add to the pan.  As it’s browning, crack an egg into the “hole” in the middle.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Add sundried tomatoes to the sauteed kale and toss.  After a minute or to (or whenever the egg starts to firm) gently flip the egg-in-a-hole to cook the other side.  The goal is not to break the yoke, so take your time.   Let the other side of the egg firm up a little before removing from heat.  Place on a plate, with the yolk side up.   Squeeze lemon juice onto kale & tomato mixture and make sure it’s seasoned to your liking with salt & pepper.  Spoon kale mixture onto the egg-in-a-hole and sprinkle with goat cheese.  Serve hot.  

I’m headed out to LA on Wednesday to visit some friends for a few days and though we have some plans already (Disneyland!!), I would love any advice on where to eat, drink and explore.  I haven’t been to that area since I was a kid, so I have zero idea of what to expect… perhaps I can recreate this 20 years later:

If you have advice, please send me a tumblr message or email theboredvegetarian@gmail.com. 

Kimchi and Scrambled Eggs Sandwich

2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Whole Milk
1/4 cup Vegan Kimchi (like Firefly or Sunja’s) (thanks kitormaybeplato )
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (optional)
1/4 cup Arugula
1 Roll, sliced (I used a deli roll, but brioche would be preferable…)
1/2 Tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper  

Preheat oven to 350 and toast roll slightly.  Crack eggs into a small bowl and whisk until a pale yellow.  Add milk and whisk until incorporated.  While you’re doing this, melt butter in a saute pan on low/medium heat.  Once melted, add eggs to pan.  Allow to set slightly before stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Continue to turn until eggs are cooked but not overdone.  Spread mayo onto each side of the rolls. Pile eggs on the bottom half of the roll, followed by the kimchi, arugula and top half of the roll.  Serve hot.

Hurricane Sandy was a bit gentler on the area of Greenpoint that I live in than other parts of the neighborhood.  I took a long walk along the waterfront this morning where thankfully things didn’t look too bad, though I’m sure there are businesses and apartments that are in worse shape nearby.  While standing at the end of India looking out towards Manhattan, staring at thousands of apartments without water or power and a car-less FDR, a stranger remarked that it was “sort of anti-climatic.” Wanted to slap him.  Sandy wreaked havoc on so many people and communities up and down the coast, I feel very fortunate that last night I was able to tell my worried family and friends that I was safe and going to sleep in a warm bed.  I’m still wrapping my head around the impact this has had/will have.  Hope you’re all safe too, you’re on my mind. xo

Lazy Sunday Migas

Migas are traditionally made with pan-fried corn tortillas, but seeing as I’ve been running around all morning putting up Gala Gala Hey! fliers and have to work in a couple of hours, I opted for thin tortilla chips instead.   

3 eggs
1 handful Tortilla Chips
1/2 small Purple Onion, chopped
2 small Yellow Peppers, seeds removed, chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeds removed, minced
1/3 cup Monterey Jack, shredded
1 Tbsp Half & Half
1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Add olive oil, onion and peppers to saute pan on low/medium heat.  Saute until soft.  In a bowl, whisk eggs and half and half together until incorporated.  Add to pan, season with salt and pepper and begin to scramble the eggs.  Break a handful of tortilla chips into the egg mixture and toss together.  Once eggs are close to being done, mix in cheese and cilantro.  Serve hot.

This morning I stopped in Transmitter Park in Greenpoint to catch the amazing view of Manhattan.  Tomorrow will be my 3rd anniversary of living in New York and it was great to have a few quiet minutes to think about how impactful my time here has been.  Without sounding like a big pile of mush, I feel really lucky to have experienced so much over the last few years - both good and bad - and running this blog has been an important part of that.  Thank you from the bottom of my sappy heart for reading!  

Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta with Shiitake Mushroom and Baby Spinach, topped with a Poached Egg

1/4 cup White Polenta (or grits, hominy)
1 cup Water 
1/4 cup Low Fat Milk
2 Tbsp Goat Cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 cups fresh Baby Spinach, stems removed
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Butter 
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a boil.  Add in polenta and stir.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 12 - 14 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once the polenta has started to thicken, add in 1/4 cup low fat milk and the goat cheese and stir until incorporated in.  Continue to simmer on low heat.  

Chop shiitake mushrooms in to pieces (not too small, they will reduce when you cook them).  In a small saute pan, melt the butter and 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil together over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and a bit of salt and toss.  Cook the mushrooms until they begin to brown and get a little crisp on the outside.  Room from heat and set to the side.  

Bring 2 inches of water to barely simmer in a saute pan.  Still to remove any air bubbles at the bottom of the pan.  Crack egg into a small bowl (I used a measuring cup) and ease into the water.  Set a timer for 4 1/2 minutes.

While the egg is poaching, heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and saute spinach at medium heat until wilted.

Plate a the polenta and add the spinach and mushrooms.  With a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and top the polenta, spinach and mushrooms.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.  

Classed Up Egg Salad (serves 6-7)

In the midst of wedding season, it’s good to have a few ideas on hand for any bridal shower brunches you’ll be attending.  I made this for my friend Emma’s party.  It’s all bagels, salads and Brooklyn-inspired cocktails today.

1 dozen Eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped
 2/3 cup of Mayonnaise  
4 teaspoons Whole Grain Mustard 
2 Radishes, chopped small
2/3 cup of Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Capers
1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Scallions, sliced thin (whites and light green) 
1 Tbsp fresh Tarragon, chopped 
Fresh Pepper to taste

Sliced Bread or Bagels (I managed to have neither of these at my house, so my picture is sans bread)

In a bowl, toss all ingredients together.  Spread on bread and serve.

Last week I was back in my home state of Washington for the 4th of July.  It was a crazy week but I managed to get in family time, friend time and time in the woods.  Though I consider myself a East Coast lady at the core, once I was back in the dirt in the fresh air, I was like a fish to water.  Speaking of water, my mom and I took a day hike along the Skokomish River at Staircase.  I remember camping there as a kid and spending lots of time in the river moving rocks around to create mini rapids.  I probably would have done the same again if I’d had the time.  

I also saw my little lady niece, who is so cute it’s frightening.  She said my name for the first time! Well she said something like “Bee-ee-ny” but close enough.

Sweet Potato Hash

I served this with a sunny side up egg and a simple mash of avocado, tomato & cilantro

2 Sweet Potatoes, chopped small
1 small Onion, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1/2 Jalapeno, minced
1 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1 Tsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Extra Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Over low/medium heat, saute chopped onions with a pinch or two of salt for about 4 minutes.  Add potatoes and stir in with onions.  Turn up heat slightly and cover.  Toss potatoes every 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add jalapeno, season with paprika, cumin and chili powder and toss to coat.  Turn up heat a bit to crisp/brown potatoes.  Add chopped green pepper and salt & pepper to taste.  Once pepper is a bit soft, remove from heat and serve.

After a 15 hour work day on Friday, I had one of the best weekends in recent memory.. lots of swimming at Rockaway Beach; Balkan music and cold beer; the Renegade Craft Fair, where I picked up some delicious Salted Honey Caramel Creme from BumbleBerry Farm and this stately otter print (by Ryan Berkley) that brings me extreme joy.

 

Today I stumbled across this rope message in Soho that someone had left for any passers by. 

Romance isn’t dead y’all.