Fried Egg Sandwich

So, real life is keeping me from spending much time on menu planning, grocery shopping and cooking, so today you get a real life recipe.  This is what I’ve been eating this week.  It’s one of those super easy dishes that you come up with when you’re staring at your fridge trying to figure out what you can throw together in about 10 minutes.  For me, this usually involves eggs.  I prefer to eat eggs for lunch or dinner, since even scrambling eggs feels like too much work in the morning and I usually prefer something sweet early in the day.  And the best eggs involve a runny yolk!  Yum!  However, if you’re not into that kind of deliciousness, just give the eggs a little longer in the skillet to your desired done-ness.  Also, I simply can’t have eggs without dill, it’s a wonderful combination.

I also use the word sandwich here loosely…open-faced sandwiches are best in my mind, so if I’m eating at home, it’s going to be an open-faced sandwich, the proportions are just better when you can pile on the toppings without weighing it down with too much bread per bite.

Fried Egg Sandwich

Serves 1

• 2 eggs
• salt, pepper, and dill to taste
• 2 slices bread (I prefer rosemary or olive bread, but whatever floats your boat)
• goat cheese (or favorite cheese)
• handful of spinach or arugula

Crack both eggs into a small non-stick skillet that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray, and season with salt, pepper and dill.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until the egg has turned white and it starts to bubble.  While it’s cooking, toast your bread.  Once the egg appears cooked, carefully flip the eggs.  If you like a runny yolk, I recommend turning off the heat now and just letting it sit on the hot burner while you prepare the rest of your sandwich.  If you want it done a little more, let it cook for 30-60 seconds and then remove from heat.  When your toast is done, spread your goat cheese over both slices (if you’re using a harder cheese, I’d recommend melting it in the toaster while you’re toasting your bread (assuming you have a toaster oven)).  Pile on some spinach, and then top with the fried eggs.

 

Lunch edition: eggs and PB&J

So my lunch time eats last week were pretty random.  I’m already getting a little stuck coming up with easy ideas for lunch (mostly because I’m not bothering to make something special just for lunch).  So here are a couple of things I put together.  If you have lunch ideas, pass them my way!  Also, if you have a thermos that you love I’m in the market and could use recommendations!

Last week I made some hard boiled eggs.  I like my eggs a little underdone so the yolk isn’t all dry and boring.  I packed a little container of salt and pepper and dill (love dill!) to dip my eggs in, then peeled and packed two hard boiled eggs in a tupperware.  Easy and tasty.  Paired with some Greek Salad and an apple, it was quite the tasty meal.  It’s also convenient if you like to break your meals up into multiple snacks, or have to grab bites in between working.

I also made some Curried Egg Salad (my usual egg salad with about 1/2 tsp curry powder for 6 eggs) with my hard boiled eggs, so I had that on a sandwich one day (I forgot to take a picture since I ate lunch with my boss).  I paired that with some steamed broccoli from the night before and some carrot sticks with hummus.

When I really ran out of ideas, I went to the trusty stand-by of peanut butter and jelly.  I’m a big fan of PB&J, so really it was more of an excuse to get to eat than a lack of inspiration.  The hardest part about having PB&J for lunch is that I’m not getting my veggies in!  So I packed some carrot sticks and hummus, an apple with sharp cheddar cheese and had my PB&J as dessert.  

Pesto Ricotta Spread

After making pesto, I knew I wanted to include it in my sandwich.  We also had some ricotta, so I whipped up a quick spread.  This was absolutely delicious.  It’s a flavorful, nutritious spread, definitely adds something special to a sandwich.

Pesto Ricotta Spread

Makes enough for 1 sandwich

• 1 heaping Tbsp ricotta
• 1 heaping tsp pesto
• 1/2 tsp mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients well and spread on sandwich bread and top with favorite ingredients.

lunch: sandwiches

Packing lunches has been an interesting challenge.  I enjoy figuring out new and creative ways to make a healthy, quick, tasty lunch that doesn’t require refrigeration or heating.

This week I took sandwiches for lunch.  An easy standby, sandwiches can have a lot of variety.

Turkey, Cheese and Hummus Sandwich

• Sandwich bread
• Sliced Smoked Turkey
• Spinach
• Pepper jack cheese
• Hummus

I try to get in as many veggies as possible, but eating a salad at my desk at work just seems messy.  So this week I’ve packed a sliced tomato topped with cottage cheese and edamame:  a delicious side salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also like to take along a piece of fruit as my dessert.  Recently plums and peaches have made an appearance.

Chickpea Pesto Sandwich

This is one tasty sandwich.  I thought this recipe sounded intriguing and wanted to try it out.  Unfortunately I made an incomplete grocery list and was missing quite a few of the ingredients when I decided to make this, but I just improvised and it turned out really well!  This is a filling, super flavorful, vegetarian sandwich.  I recommend this with a hearty bread, the filling has a ton of flavor, so go with a rustic bread that can handle the bold flavor.

With the lime juice in this you don’t have to worry about the avocado turning brown and unappealing, so this is great to make the night before if you need a quick lunch the next day.

Chickpea Pesto Sandwich

Serves 4-5

Adapted from Running to the Kitchen

• 1 avocado
• 2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (I used tubed herbs)
• 1 Tbsp basil, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese, or greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• bread of your choice

Combine first 9 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until well mixed.  Add half the can of chickpeas to the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.  Mix the remaining chickpeas into the mixture, top bread with mixture and enjoy!

Tuna Melt

Sister moved to NYC with her boyfriend, Chris, and near their apartment is this adorable restaurant that has THE BEST tuna melt.  It’s amazing.  Since I don’t get up to NYC often enough (and because Sister mocks me for wanting to only eat at one restaurant the whole time I’m there), I had to try to recreate their super tasty tuna melt.

Lemony Tuna Salad

Serves 4

• 1 large can tuna (in water), drained
• 1/3 cup carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Top your choice of bread with tuna salad and extra sharp cheddar cheese, toast until melted.  Devour!