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.

Thin Crust Personal Pizza

This delight is so tasty that I make it the exact same way each time. Of course, you can vary toppings to your liking, I just happen to have this combination on hand often enough.



Ingredients (per pizza)
1 8" flour tortilla
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. marinara sauce
1/2 tomato, seeded & diced
1/2 an Italian sausage, cooked (I used MorningStar's Pre-cooked Italian Sausage)
36 grams (2% milk) shredded mozzarella cheese (err, a heaping 1/4 cup)
salt (optional)

Method
This recipe requires either an oven baking stone or a pan on bottom of oven that can withstand 500 degree F temperatures (such as a broiling pan).

Start pre-heating the oven to 500 degrees F.

Spread a very thin layer of sauce over the tortilla, leaving 1/2" dry around the circumference.

Using a brush, apply olive oil to the uncovered 1/2" tortilla lightly. Optionally salt to the crust. Kosher salt seems to have the best consistency.

Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella over the sauce, then add the tomatoes and sausage. If desired, shred a small amount of cheddar for marbled presentation.

At 500 degrees F, cook the pizza for 2 minutes 15 seconds or until desired done-ness. Watch the pizza, it cooks quickly.

Notes
This pizza goes really well with a salad to round off the meal.

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

Hard-Boiled Egg

It seems like everywhere you look on the Web, people make hard-boiled eggs out to be an amazingly difficult food to prepare. What's up with that? I even read a method that suggests sacrificing one of the eggs to test for done-ness. Here's the method I use that's both quick and efficient.



Pick 3-12 eggs to fit in the bottom of your saucepan. Pour cold water over the eggs, covering by 1/2" to 1". Bring the water to a rolling boil and immediately remove the pan from heat. Set a timer for 13 minutes (large eggs). At 13 minutes, pour out the hot water while running the coldest water from the faucet into the pan to replace the hot water.



If your faucet does not provide cold (cold!) water, you might need to prepare a large bowl with water and ice, to cool the eggs rapidly. This helps to avoid any greening of the yolks.



This should provide many, many tasty hard-boiled eggs for your enjoyment.

Taco Seasoning

You know what grinds my gears? Buying pre-made seasoning. Sure, it's usually decent, but I'd rather know which spices create known flavors (General Tso's, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, etc). Here's a taco / Mexican seasoning mix that I like better than the packets at the store (and is made from spices I keep on hand). Also, no es caliente (it's not spicy).

Mix the following:
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t black pepper
1/2 t salt (sea salt preferred)
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t oregano

We use this in the following:
Taco meat (beef or turkey or tvp)
Chicken or Chick'n

Hawaiian Delight Smoothie

This delight is inspired by Walh's Dairy Port, the happenin place in b-town during the occasionally warm coastal summer.




Ingredients
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup water or milk (it's all about consistency, baby!)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp. chocolate fudge fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding mix.
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tbsp. flaked coconut (optional)

It appears to be a lot of stuff to be jamming into a smoothie, but honestly, the first 5/6 things are put into pretty much every smoothie I make, so no special grocery trips necessary. Mixing is done in a personal-sized Magic Bullet blender. Super quick and easy cleanup. This just happens to be the first of many recipes we plan to add that use infotastic devices first featured on tv. You can definitely use a regular blender, but like the GTXpress, the Magic Bullet has proven to be one of the most useful kitchen time-savers for around $50.

Method

• Add the following to your blending container
• banana
• pineapple
• ice
• water
• protein powder
• puddin mix
• Blend, 30 - 60 seconds until well mixed
• Give a quick rinse to the blender blade for next use
• Stir in coconut and walnuts
• Depending on consistency (more/less ice, milk), you can either eat this with a spoon or sip it. Despite the stirring spoon in the photo above, I sipped this and crunched up the coconut and walnuts during the process.

Chicken & Rice

This meal has it all, and rolls in under 400 calories! It's a healthy and nutritious version of an old Dugas classic. Another bonus -- this meal exhibits ultimate parallelism in preparation, that is, each part can be made nearly simultaneously.



Ingredients
4 oz chicken breast tender
2/3 cup prepared brown rice
2/3 to 1 cup Normandy vegetable mix (any decent veggie or mix is great)

Ingredients (sauce)
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. Wondra (or flour)
Chef Paul's poultry magic seasoning
2-3 scallions, diced
butter buds sprinkles
s&p


Method

• Start preparing the chicken breast (I use the GTXpress, 12 minutes total)
• Start preparing the brown rice
• Start preparing the vegetables
• Prepare the roux
• Combine milk, butter sprinkles, Wondra in a non-stick skillet, mix well, crank heat up to medium
• Stirring often, the roux should thicken after a few minutes, at that point, add the scallions and 1-2 tsp Chef Paul's seasoning
• Once the roux has thickened to your desired consistency, start plating
• Plating
• Make a bed of brown rice
• Slice chicken (optional) and lay on rice
• Pour roux over chicken,
  
• Optional
• Sprinkle a bit more Chef Paul's seasoning on the roux
• Garnish with a couple spring onions (optional)
• Accompany with vegetables, sprinkling on butter and other desired seasonings (I used Spike seasoning, another decent one would be Old Bay)

That's it. For a home-cooked meal, it doesn't take too long, and I've made a double batch so I can enjoy some leftovers later.

Nutrition Info
Brown Rice 150 calories, 1.5g fat, 3g protein
Chicken 100 calories, 1g fat, 24g protein
Sauce 100 calories, 1g fat, 6g protein
Vegetables 35 calories, 0.5g fat, 2g protein

Nutrition Totals
385 calories, 4g fat, 35g protein

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.

Grilled Cheese (nutrition-remix)

Grilled cheese is grilled cheese. No matter how you approach it – there's bread and there's cheese. The thing that makes this version unique is that health+nutrition are high and it dishes out 2 sandwiches (8 squares) per person. I started making this when I was eating 6 meals a day (~300 cal/meal) and wanted to mix in an old favorite. Full nutrition info is located at the end of the post, but it's good to know that each sandwich has 110 cals (10g protein, 1g fat). Make one for a snack, 2 for a meal, or 3 for a craving!



Ingredients
4 slices 40 calorie bread by Franz
2 slices fat-free cheese
non-stick spray or 1 tbsp. light butter

Method

• Prepare your non-stick skillet on medium heat
• Spray or lightly butter one side of each bread slice
• Assemble each sandwich on the skillet
  
• bread slice, butter-side down
• slice of cheese
• bread slice, butter-side up
• Cook each side until golden-brown, about 1-2 minutes
• Remove cooked sandwich, cut as desired

Nutrition info
4 slices bread = 160 cal, 12g protein, 2g fat
2 slices fat-free cheese = 60 cal, 8g protein, 0g fat

Total nutrition
220 cal, 20g protein, 2g fat

I took in a glass of milk to crank it up to 310 cals and 29g protein, but using double-cheese works just as well.

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.

Quesadilla

Quesadillas are quick and easy to make, but I've seen many people mess up the process. Too much cheese, folding too early, using a tortilla for both top and bottom... these are just some of the more common mistakes. Quesadillas were the most popular appetizer at the restaurant I worked at, so making the perfect one had to be a seamless series of steps, executed at just the right times. The following steps are quite verbose, but for no extra charge you get my memory's step-by-step process of making a great quesadilla.

With that said, the process of making a quesadilla fantástica is as follows:

Ingredients
1 flour tortilla
Soft or melted butter, enough to lightly coat one side of the tortilla
Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
Seasoned chicken (optional)

Method

• Preheat a skillet on the range at medium setting.
  
• Lightly butter one side of a tortilla.
• Place tortilla, butter-side down on skillet.
  
• Sprinkle shredded Colby-Jack cheese on half the tortilla, but make sure you can still see some white tortilla through the cheese. If you cannot see any tortilla, you've over-cheesed.
• Optional -- add seasoned chicken on top of the cheese. Make sure you use much less chicken than cheese.
• Cook for about 1 minute, then lift the tortilla slightly to check if it is at a nice toasty, light, golden-brown color.
• When tortilla reaches a light-golden color, fold empty half over cheesy half, press down lightly so it stays put.
  
• Allow quesadilla to cook for another 30-45 seconds, the cheese should be melted by now.
• If the cheese is not completely melted, flip tortilla and allow it to cook for another 30-45 seconds. Flipping will assure even toastyness of the outer shell.
• Remove cooked quesadilla and place on a cutting board.

Cutting technique
Quesadillas could be cut any way using any knife, but here's my preferred way with my preferred knife.

Place the tip of your favorite sharp Chef's Knife on the cutting board at the center of the flat side of the quesadilla, so the blade and handle are above the rest of the quesadilla at a 45 degree angle. One hand is holding the handle, and the other is resting on the top, dull side of the blade. In a rocking motion (keeping the front of the blade touching the cutting board), smoothly cut through the center, creating two equal triangles. Reverse the motion you just made until the blade is back at the 45 degree angle position. Push your handle hand forward to cut the far triangle in half, cut, then pull back to cut the final triangle, resulting in 4 total triangles. Four is the ideal count for a 10-inch tortilla, 6- to 8-inch tortillas may only require 3 triangles.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with a side of one or more of the following:

• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa (keep in mind that it is difficult to scoop chunky salsa with a quesadilla triangle)
• Pico de Gallo (may be difficult to scoop)
  
• A zesty ranch-based sauce

If you're looking to make a full circle tortilla, it is highly recommended that you make two half-circles, independently. Flipping a quesadilla that uses two tortillas at once (so no folding would be required) can result in cheese falling out the sides and is generally difficult to manage.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I have had more people ask me for my Stuffed Mushrooms recipe than any other, so I decided to cook it up as a dinner side. Here's the recipe so you can impress your friends with your culinary expertise.



Ingredients
12 open cap mushrooms
4 spring onions - minced
2 tsp. olive oil
3.5 oz. bread crumbs
1 tsp. fresh oregano
3.5 oz. feta cheese

Method

1. Sautee chopped mushroom stalks + onions in oil until browned.
   
2. Mix stalks, onions, bread crumbs, cheese and oregano in a bowl and set aside.
   
3. Pack the stuffing mix in the open caps and bake @ 350deg. F 8-10 minutes.

Notes (important!)

• The mixture should be dry. If it is too dry, and I mean too dry, you may add a small addition of oil.
  
• Resist any temptations to use salt+pepper.. they will not bring anything to this dish.
• Substitutions for this recipe are numerous, for example last time I omitted the oregano by simply using Italian bread crumbs.
• Another idea is replacing feta cheese with Italian sausage.

Beer Bread

This recipe is around for one reason... It is one of the easiest things to prepare, and all of the ingredients are on-hand (except maybe the beer). If you aren't much of a beer drinker, some local shops sell 12oz. bottles as singles for around a buck. Also try mixing up which beer you use, it impacts the taste of the bread.

Ingredients
3 C. flour
3 t. powder
1 1/2 t. salt
3 T sugar
1 can/bottle (12oz.) beer at room temp.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Fahrenheit.
   
2. Mix dry ingredients in a steel bowl.
   
3. Add beer, mix.
4. Coat bread pan with non-stick spray.
5. Pour mix in bread pan, bake 1 hour.

Preference is for microbrews over domestics.