A strange, high-protein breakfast experiment

So last night I started brainstorming about a possible breakfast experiment I would try out this morning. If you have all the ingredients ready, it really doesn’t take long to make. If nothing is ready, add 5-10 minutes to your prep time depending on how quickly you wash, chop, measure and mix things.

My first try at the “quick weekday morning” version of the dish was pretty good. I have taken a few mental notes for next time – which will be the “weekend” version of it. I’ll list my changes at the end of this rough recipe. I’ll post pictures next time too as I made more of a scramble this time, not so much an omelet.

High protein breakfast omelet with chicken

- 2-3green scallions, chopped

- ½ tomato, chopped

- 4 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded

- 1 large egg

- 1 cup egg whites

- 1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

- cumin (to your taste)

- chili powder (to your taste)

- onion powder (to your taste)

- paprika (to your taste)

- salt (to your taste)

- pepper (to your taste)

Step 1: Spray non-stick pan with a bit of PAM and heat it on medium heat. When ready, add scallions and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. Add tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add chicken breast and stir, warming it just a bit.

Step 2: While waiting for items in step 1 to cook, whisk together egg, egg whites, cheese and herbs/spices.

Step 3: When chicken has been heated through, add the egg and cheese mix. If you are looking for a scramble-style dish, start stirring the whole with a spatula. Cook until done.

Now, what would I change? I will be using a whole tomato next time, putting in 2 oz of cheese and adding a bit of chili sauce on top. Also, if you have the time, simply pour in the egg and cheese mixture, heat on the stove top a few minutes and then finish cooking the omelet by placing it in the stove to “bake”. My weekend version will be made like this. I’ll make sure to take a picture of that when I get around to making it.

A movie weekend!

Well, this weekend was the first weekend where I felt like Salem and me got to really enjoy being a newlywed couple since our return from our honeymoon! It was great! We went to see 2 movies!

Friday evening, we had dinner at Emm Salem's (aka Salem's mom) and then off we went to the Dollar Cinema at Decarie Square. What is the Dollar Cinema? It's an old-school cinema with just 2 projection rooms. Admission is $2 and snacks are $1 each (pop, chips, popcorn, candy, etc). I had seen a movie there about 4-5 years ago and it was a good experience. Well, it still is a good experience! If you want to see a movie that's no longer in theaters but not yet on DVD, chances are, it's playing at the Dollar Cinema! Make sure to bring a light jacket or sweater as it can get a little chilly due to the A/C and make sure to come with a smile on your face! The owner is very nice and talkative. it really is worth checking it out - Salem and I will be sure to return. what did we end up seing? Robin Hood (with Russell Crowe) which was alright but it's really hard to beat the original.

We topped off the night (or early morning as it was 2:30 am when we left) by making a quick stop at DAD's Bagel on Sherbrooke Ouest in NDG (right next to Double Pizza on the corner of Wilson). They're open 24/7 and always have great Montreal bagels, Indian food and a few pastries to take home. We were lucky to get there just as they were taking out fresh batches of poppy seed and sesame seed bagels. Yummm Yummm!! They made for great breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday (topped with cheddar, feta and cream cheese or peanut butter and home-made strawberry jam). It was so good!

I spent most of the afternoon unpacking the guest room while Salem took his mom and Lama to pick up Lama's wedding dress. I was productive!!! Yay me!!!
 
Saturday evening we went to the Angrignon mall to see Inception. Now, anyone who's known me for a long time knows I was never a Leonardo Dicaprio fan but I now have to admit that I am starting to appreciate the quality actor he can be. It's also nice to see that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is all grown up! I still remember him from 3rd Rock from the Sun. Anyway! The movie was freaking AMAZING! Totally worth the entry price! It's a mixture of suspense, action and is mentally stimulating as well. It was the best movie we've seen in quite a while. I don't want to say too much about the movie for fear of ruining it for others, but it is basically about the power to invade someone's dreams, extracting ideas, secrets and the possibility of implanting an idea in someone's mind while in that dream state. If you do end up going (and I hop e you do), just make sure to be ready to pay attention as you might get a bit confused if you miss something.

Alright, that's enough blabbing on my part! Time for me to start getting ready to go to bed. I hope y'all had a nice weekend!

Fortune cookie coincidence? I think not!

Yesterday, I had the chance to go and have lunch with my friend Michèle (yes, she's the pastry goddess who made our wedding cake). For lunch, we went to the Chinese restaurant where she works. Upon exiting the restaurant, I asked for a fortune cookie - something which I don't usually care too much for but I was in the mood for one this time. I get to work, open it up and what do I see???? A double fortune! Ok, this isn't the first time I get 2 fortunes for the price of one, but I'm guessing someone opened up the "active, not passive" barrel when stuffing this batch as my two fortunes were eerily coincidental!

Behold!!
My first fortune "Be spontaneous."
My second fortune "It's now or never."

Of course, I asked Salem what I should be spontaneous about to which he didn't have any suggestions. I did nothing spontaneous yesterday, so I'm hoping today is still considered "now" and not "never" although I still have no clue what to do...

I did a nice little baked salmon and side dish for dinner last night but I don't have the pictures with me. I'm hoping to post the recipe tonight.

I'm also currently looking around for a naturo/homeopath. Yes, the big hippie in the is telling me to try out alternative health practices in order to balance out my body, mind and soul. So the next few weeks might have posts concerning fitness, more hippie/granola stuff, little white sugar pills and, of course, the standard belly aching on my part. Why the push for this? I've noticed lately that even though the wedding planning stress is gone, it's been replaced by general stress and anxiety to the point where I had a bit of a hard time taking a decent breath at lunch yesterday. For the meantime, I'm trying to do my on little version of art-therapy and telling myself to just take a deep breath and let it all go on the exhale.

Should anyone know a good naturo/homeopath in Montreal (preferably a female), I would greatly appreciate your suggestions.

Alright,off I go to get some fresh air and reading.

I came away nearly empty handed from a sidewalk sale...

There was a HUGE sidewalk sale over the weekend on Ste-Catherine street. They closed down part of the avenue so that shops could set up tables and sell their goods. Now, I tried my best to look around to see if anything interested me but the gigantic crowd of people and the lack of real sale prices deterred me a bit. I really didn't feel as though anything were really "on sale". I say I walked away nearly empty handed... Yes, I did buy something: croc flipflops! And guess what - it wasn't even part of the sidewalk sale! I just bought them because the shoes I was wearing were starting to hurt.

So we walked all the way from Atwater down past Place-des-Arts and then walked a few blocks south to The Old Port. On the way there, we passed by an older "squeegee kid" - although "squeegee man" might be a bit more appropriate in this case" who turned to us and said "Twenty cents to squeegee your sunglasses, a dollar to squeegee your toenails!". Needless to say I couldn't help but laugh. No, we didn't accept his offer nor give him any money but I did consider giving him some kind of a donation simply because of his sense of humour. As they say "you attract more bees with honey...".

We walked around, had some pizza, people watched and then I brought Salem back to the very spot where he proposed to me exactly one year ago yesterday. :-)  It was actually really nice just to sit there for a few minutes and take it easy, reflect on how much things have changed in the last year.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at home and I slept really well! The cooler nights make for great sleeping conditions. Now if only the bedroom could be pitch black! Soon!

We have a full week ahead - more unpacking and then the floor guys are coming on Wednesday to sand and re-varnish the floors so we have to get everything out of the living room and hallway. Thankfully the varnish is latex-based so it will dry quickly and the cat should not be affected by the fumes. Pumpkin will be safely tucked away in the guest room with the window wide open. I'm debating if I want to stash treats here and there for her to find throughout the day... I just might!

*cue 80s music* HEAT WAVE!!!!!! and pad thai!

Boy is it ever hot out there!!!! Since the weekend, the mercury has been steadily climbing and the humidity seems to only be getting worse daily. My hair is not very happy and neither is Pumpkin! The poor thing is barely meowing anymore and wants nothing more than to lie on the cold warm floor. I really do feel bad for her and it seems there isn't much we can do. We had to sleep with 2 fans in the bedroom with us last night and we never got cold (usually I need to cover myself with my small sheet by 3:30-4:30 but this never happened today). Yeah, it's hot and I get cranky when it's hot... I apologize to everyone in advance. Thankfully, I just heard that it should stop sometime this weekend. Woohoo rain!!!!!

Alright, so last week I made some Pad Thai. I figured it was time for me to make it again as it had been a long time since I had last made it and Salem and I needed a break from the normal chicken/fish/beef routine. The original recipe is from the Steven and Chris website. Please note though that I did make my own little changes (as always).

Yummy yummy pad thai!

Pad Thai 

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Firm tofu, drained
1/2 lb Shrimp, raw, de-veined (any size you like) **I had very large shrimp so I cut them into smaller pieces** 2 Eggs, extra-large, lightly beaten **I subbed one egg for 45ml egg whites**
3-4 cups Bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
2 Sweet peppers, chopped in a fine julienne
6 tbsp Safflower or corn oil **I eyeball it and try to get away with using less**
2 tbsp each, minced Garlic and minced Ginger
Sauce (mix together)
1/3 cup Tomato Ketchup
1/4 cup Asian Fish Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Splenda
3 tbsp Water
1/2 lb Thai- or Chinese-style rice stick noodles (about linguine width) - softened in hot tap water for 15 - 20 minutes and drained
Garnish
3 tbsp Scallion greens, chopped on a bias
1/2 tsp Crushed red chillies
2 1/2 tbsp Cilantro, roughly chopped
4tbsp Peanuts, dry roasted & chopped
2 Limes, cut into six wedges
Hot sauce!!!

Now make it!!!
Wrap tofu in paper towels, place between two plates and weigh down with something heavy like a cast-iron skillet (or a big can of tomatoes). Let drain 20 minutes, unwrap and cut into a 1/4" dice. ** if you have the time, you can also take a bit of the sauce and marinate the tofu in it**
Heat wok or heavy skillet over a medium-low heat, as you assemble and organize your ingredients. Add 2 tbsp oil and turn heat to high. Once the wok is hot but not smoking, add tofu. Stir-fry about 3 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Pour oil very carefully out of the pan and wipe it clean. Add 2 tbsp oil and cook the shrimp in the same manner, removing as soon as it has turned coral in colour **overcooking shrimp makes it rubbery**. Carefully pour out oil and clean pan before proceeding.
Re-heat the pan, add the last 2 tbsp oil and heat until hot. Add eggs, stirring to scramble over a medium-high heat. Add peppers, garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant -- about 10 seconds. Add the pre-mixed sauce and drained rice noodles. Toss over a medium-high heat, cooking about 3 - 4 minutes until noodles are tender and mixture is dry.
Add the bean sprouts, shrimp and tofu, and toss to mix. Serve on pre-warmed plates or bowl and let your lucky recipients customize their Pad Thai with favorite garnishes.

2 Lebanese-style breakfasts - a new weekend tradition?

Alright! So I wanted to post these earlier but I was very busy the last week (unpacking, work, obligations, cleaning, the beach and all manner of other things).

I was originally going to make a longer post but I think I shouldn't cram too many things in here. So here we go!

It seems Salem and I have developed a bit of a tradition for weekend mornings (one day every weekend). It's basically Lebanese breakfast time! For the last 2 weekends, we've been having "labneh" which, to me, seems like a halfway point between yogurt and cream cheese. You can find this in just about any grocery store in Ville St-Laurent (just go to the cheese/yogurt/olive counter). Otherwise, you might try other Middle-Eastern grocery stores. There are 2 kinds of labneh that I know of, but we tend to stick to the Phoenicia one.

MMMM Labneh!!!

Here's how I prepped mine (serves 2)
In a dessert plate, take about 3 Tbspns of labneh and spread, making a small circular depression (as if you had pushed a bagel into the labneh). Next, sprinkle with dried herbs and spices of your choice. One weekend, I used paprika, sumak (another spice to be found in Middle-Eastern stores), a bit of cayenne and some chili spice. Last Sunday, I used the same as above, but added zaatar which is a herb mix of thyme and sesame seeds (there are a few different kinds, everyone has their preference). Some people like to add salt but I don't as I really do not feel the need to have it added in at all. Drizzle olive oil on top (adjust amount to your preference) - that's where that little depression comes in handy.

You can eat this with pita (toasted or not) or with Manoush (we had manoush bi zaatar - manoush with zaatar in it) - we toasted ours.

And for you olive freaks out there, Salem says it's a great accompaniment. I'll have to take his word for it.

Yum, yum, yum!!!

Lebanese breakfast 1: Coffee, olives, labneh and toasted pita. My little extra: almond (badam) burfi (an Indian sweet) pictured in between the coffee and the olives.

Lebanese breakfast 2: Coffee, olives, labneh and toasted manoush bi zaatar.

Manoush bi zaatar (purchased at Boulangerie Andalos, 264 boulevard Lebeau in Ville St-Laurent)

Coffee, badam (almond) burfi (see below for recipe) and olives.

Badam burfi (almonds)
Recipe thanks to Manjula's Kitchen

First, let me tell you just how much I love Manjula's Site! It's chock full of great Indian recipes. Also, she makes YouTube videos to show you just how to make these dishes. She looks like the sweetest lady ever and I wish I had a neighbour like her (although I'd be over there eating all the time and probably weigh about 300 lbs!). I highly suggest people check out her website, YouTube videos and maybe even give a few recipes a try. Mine have always turned out wonderfully!

Here's the recipe along with some of my personal notes.


Recipe makes 20 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole almonds ***I buy almonds which already have the skins removed, therefore saving me some time and frustration
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of Cardamom powder ***After making this recipe twice, my taste buds demand that I add more      Cardamom powder - I love the stuff, what can I say?
• 2 tablespoons butter or ghee (clear butter)
• 1/3 cup milk

Method

1. Soak the almonds in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Peel the skin off the almonds. Blend the almonds into a fine paste using just enough milk as needed to blend. *** I find this part horrendous if using my blender. I should remember to always use my little chopper/processor that came with my Cuisinart kit.
3. Add the sugar and whip it for a couple of minutes.
4. Heat the ghee in the frying pan on low-medium heat.
5. As the ghee melts, add the almond paste and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously.
6. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens to the consistency of bread batter, and starts leaving the sides of the pan.
7. Add the cardamom powder. Remove the frying pan from the heat.
8. Whip the batter using a spoon in a circular motion for about two to three minutes.
9. Pour it into the prepared greased pan.
10. Smoothen the surface of the mixture to about a quarter inch thick.  ***Often easier to do when you pray spatula with non-stick spray or ghee
11. Let cool for about 20 minutes until burfi is just look warm.
12. Cut into 1-inch squares or any shape you like.
13. Cool to the room temperature and store burfi in an airtight container.
14. Almond burfi has a long shelf life and can be kept outside for up to one week. When refrigerated, almond burfi will last a couple of months.

Suggestions:
You can make burfi using almond meal or almond flour. If you are using almond meal, mix one cup almond meal with the sugar and milk and knead the mixture for two minutes. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then follow the directions above. The almond flour burfi will be a little chewy.