Salmon Hash

The refrigerator was packed full of raw ingredients that remained from recently prepared meals. But what looked good for breakfast? Red potatoes, bell peppers and salmon - this sounded like a great opportunity to make some down-home style hash.

Ingredients (per serving)

3-4 oz. fresh salmon, diced

1 medium red potato, diced

1/4 c. bell peppers, diced

salt

black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

seasoning (optional)

Method

Boil diced potatoes 10-12 minutes, until almost tender, then drain. In a skillet, add a bit of oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, cook for 2-3 minute, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced salmon, and season with salt, black pepper, and other optional seasoning - cook until salmon is fully done and potatoes begin to brown. Serve with an egg prepared any style.

A bit of extra seasoning of your choice can any hash more unique - this batch included a dash of spicy cumin-based seasoning.

S.O.S.

Some call it S.O.S. (sh*t on shingles), and to others it is creamed beef on toast. This dish is completely inspired from the old Navy cook at a small local diner in Bucksport, Maine.

Lately I've been creating breakfast dishes that I grew up with in Maine. This is just one installment in the Maine Breakfast series. This plate represents the goodness from a savory, warm, hearty homestyle meal.

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp. wondra (or flour)
2 slices toast - "well done"
salt - to taste - quite a bit
pepper - to taste - quite a bit
2 pinches thyme

dash nutmeg

dash ginger

1/4 C. frozen Quorn grounds (meatless grounds)

(Optional)

1 super egg (1 egg + 1 egg white)

Method

If you opt in for the super egg, crack one whole egg (omega-3 if you got 'em) and one egg white into a dish. Prepare it fried-style as you prepare the gravy.

Slice prepared toast diagonally and tile the slices on your plate. A crunchy, light wheat toast is perfect for this meal. Prepare the gravy by mixing the milk, Wondra, salt, pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and ginger in a sauce pan, continuously stirring over medium heat until it just starts to thicken then boil. Lower the heat and add the grounds, stir until heated and to desired consistency.

Pour immediately over toast and serve hot (*never wait, the toast will absorb the moisture and cool down quickly). Serve with a glass of water and hot cup of coffee.

Notes

This might be the first recipe I've mentioned Quorn grounds - they are unbeatable. I use them exclusively in any recipe that benefits from ground meat (taco salads, burritos, SOS, spaghetti, nachos, etc.). This is one item that if my local grocer did not carry them, I would probably request that they do.

Enjoy,

Craig Dugas

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday mornings, I enjoy waking up, taking it easy and making some decent breakfast. Lately, it's been some combination of low-fat, high-protein foods with a bit of spice. Behold, the breakfast of Feb. 24.



Ingredients
non-stick spray
3/4 cup egg beaters
1 slice fat-free sharp cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

1/2 cup breakfast mix

1 fresh jalapeno

1 slice Franz 40 cal. bread
1/2 tbsp. whipped butter

1 Morning Star egg scrambler

Method

• Spray skillet with non-stick spray, heat to med-high
• Prepare breakfast mix in the skillet
  
• Scramble eggs, add cheese just before removing them from skillet
• Toast bread, butter
• Slice jalapeno into chips
• Microwave egg scrambler for ~50 seconds.

Nutrition
1 Morning Star Egg Scrambler: 60 cal, 2.5g fat, 3.5g protein
3/4 cup Egg Beaters: 90 cal, 0g fat, 18g protein
1 slice fat-free cheese: 30 cal, 0g fat, 4g protein
1 slice Franz bread: 40 cal, 0.5g fat, 3g protein
1/2 tbsp. whipped butter: 25 cal, 3g fat, 0g protein
1 jalapeno: 4 cal, 0g fat, 0g protein
1/2 cup breakfast mix: 70 cal, 1g fat, 3g protein

Nutrition total
319 cal, 7g fat, 31.5g protein

Breakfast Base

The green peppers were becoming too overpowering in my previously posted skillet mix, so I did some refactoring ("mixed it up," if you will), and have come up with what I believe to be a tasty, easy, 3-part breakfast base.



1/2 cup diced onions (from frozen section)
3 veggie sausage patties (Morning Star), cubed
4-5 small white potatoes, baked w/ skin, cubed

That's it. This mix lends itself to omelet filling, scrambled egg stir-in and a side (basically home-fries with sausage). It keeps in large freezer bag very well for months.

High Protein, Low Fat Breakfast

I've been loading up on protein, cutting down on fat & carbs lately and have come up with a pretty good quick breakfast that I make pretty much every weekday. This is prepared in my GTXpress101 cooking device, but can be made in a skillet. Unfortunately, I don't find the skillet version to be as good as the GTXpress version, but it's still pretty good.



Take a couple slices of some healthy bread, I use the Franz brand 40 calorie per slice whole wheat bread (yes, that's the name) that has loads of fiber, a bit of protein and only half a gram of fat per slice. Sometimes I lightly toast it, sometimes I do not. The bread doesn't make or break this breakfast, just use something low-cal if possible.

An aside about the skillet mix used... I've started mixing my own skillet mix, but it's easier to start with a nice pre-made mix. For that, I suggest Morning Star's Vegetarian Breakfast Starters. It's a hundred times healthier than the Jimmy Dean skillet mix I used to use. The nutritional part of the skillet mix isn't too important, since very little of it is added to the recipe, much less than one actual serving. Making your own mix is not difficult, just get a bunch of the same ingredients that are in these mixes ("cooked sausage/veggie sausage," diced green peppers, diced red peppers, diced onions, home-fry sized mostly cooked potatoes.

Ingredients
1/4 cup skillet mix
3-4 egg whites (how much protein do you want?)
1/4 cup Egg Beaters (0g fat, 30 cals, 6g protein)
2 slices healthy bread
1 slice fat-free american or cheddar cheese

Method

• Spray GTXpress with non-stick spray
• Split skillet mix between the two cooking chambers
• Turn it on, skillet mix will be cooked in just 2 minutes (or less)
• Mix 3-4 egg whites (6g protein each, 0g fat, 17 cal) with 1/4 cup Egg Beaters
• After the skillet mix has been in the unit for 2 minutes, split the egg mixture between both chambers
• Cook for 7 minutes exactly, works every time
• Place both bread slices apart on a plate
• Put 1 "omelette" on each bread slice
• Tear cheese slice in half, lay half on each omelette
• Pepper to taste
• Let dish sit for about a minute so the cheese melts
  

This breakfast is surprisingly tasty and healthy, and with a GTXpress it's super easy.

You can do the same thing with a traditional skillet, just prepare it as if it were scrambled eggs.

Nutrition info:
4 egg whites = 68 cals, 24g protein, 0g fat
1/4 cup Egg Beaters == 30 cal, 6g protein, 0g fat
Skillet mix = 30 cal, 3g protein, 0g fat (if vegetarian)
2 slices bread = 80 cal, 6g protein, 1g fat
1 slice fat-free cheese = 30 cal, 4g protein, 0g fat

Total nutrition:
253 calories, 39g protein, 1g fat

The Egg Beaters are a recent addition to this meal. Egg whites alone are very plain, and the consistency and color are greatly improved by adding the 1/4 cup of beaters. I've also found that Egg Beater brand egg substitute has a gram of fat, however the similar product at Costco has no fat. The costco version is also much, much cheaper than the name brand.

I purchased my GTXpress unit new at the local thrift store for 4 bucks, but for this use alone, I would've paid $40. It's that useful.

Grand Biscuit Open-faced Egg Sandwich

After watching countless infomercials and ultimately picking up a new GTXpress101 cooking unit at the Salvation Army, we went to town making food in it every day. It heats up in


Ingredients
1 fridge "grand biscuit" (from the pop-open container)
2 egg whites
1 strip of microwave bacon, cut into pieces
1/2 slice American cheese

Method

1. Preheat GTXpress101
2. Flatten/stretch one biscuit to fit one Xpress well
3. Spray well and top with Pam
4. Place biscuit in well
5. Place cheese on top of biscuit
6. Place egg on top of cheese
7. Place bacon pieces on top of egg
8. Cook 8-9 minutes
   

Pancakes

This is bar-none the best pancake recipe I've ever come across. Not only is it easy, but we almost always have all of the ingredients on-hand without planning ahead. Beware -- this makes a big 'ol pancake.

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 T vinegar
2 C. flour
2 T veg. oil
2 t powder
2 t soda


Method
Prepare this how you'd prepare any pancakes. Mix all ingredients and cook on a skillet (lined with butter, preferably, or non-stick spray if you like).

Cheesy White Sauce

This is Craig's favorite crepe filling.



Ingredients
1 cup cold milk
2 tablespoons Wondra
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 cup American cheese

Method

1. In 1-quart saucepan, stir together milk, Wondra, butter or margarine, salt, and pepper
2. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sauce boils.
3. Boil and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add ground mustard and cheese.
5. Continue heating until cheese has melted.
   

Cherry Crepe Filling

This is Jessie's favorite crepe filling. It's excellent served with whipped topping.



Ingredients
1 can (17 oz.) pitted dark sweet cherries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water

Method

1. Drain juice from cherries into a small saucepan. Set cherries aside.
2. Add sugar and lemon juice to cherry juice.
3. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
4. Mix cornstarch with water and add to juice.
5. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce boils and thickens.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Add cherries.

Parisian Anniversary Crepes

This tasty crepe recipe is straight from the Paris hotel in Las Vegas! Any non-stick cooking surface should do just fine, but the novelty of a sleek, slim specialty crepe pan for about ten bucks made this pan a good buy.

crepes



finished crepe


Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6 eggs
6 tablespoons butter; melted and cooled
2 cups milk
2/3 cup water

Method

1. In a food processor set with a metal blade, place the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Add the eggs and process with pulsing action.
3. Add the butter, milk and water.
4. Pulse to combine.
5. Pour batter into container and refridgerate for 1 hour
6. Spray frying pan or crepe pan with a non-stick spray. Heat pan.
7. When hot, ladle enough batter to thinly coat the surface of the pan.
8. Cook on 1 side and flip. Cook on the other side.
9. Remove from pan and let cool.
10. Continue making crepes, spraying pan prior to making each one.