Kumquat French Toast

This is one of my new favorite breakfast recipes!

Ingredients:

- 3-4 slices of whole wheat bread
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 Tbs. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg
- 6 kumquats, washed and sliced
- 1 Tbs. butter
- Powered sugar, if desired
- Honey or maple syrup

Directions:
In a shallow bowl scramble the eggs with  milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.
Melt a little butter on a frying pan and toast the kumquats.  When they are slightly toasted, soak the bread in the egg mixture until the egg is fully absorbed by the bread and add the bread to the pan with the kumquats.  Add the remaining butter and toast the french toast and kumquats together until the egg mixture is fully cooked.
Place the french toast on a plate with a small pat of butter (if desired) and top with kumquats.  Dust with powdered sugar (if desired) and drizzle honey or maple syrup over the top. 
Yields 2 servings.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Veggie Rolls

 Yet another way to eat your vegetables:
 

Ingredients:

- Vietnamese rice paper sheets
- Vietnamese vermicelli rice noodles
- 1-2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup collard greens, chopped
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- Peanut dipping sauce
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper

Directions:
Fill a 2qt. saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add 1/2 cup of dried rice noodles and cook until al dente.  Drain and set aside.
In a small frying pan, warm the oil and cook the chopped chicken breast with the onion and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside to cool.
Fill a shallow bowl with warm water and soak the rice paper sheets, one at a time, in the water for ~20 seconds to make them malleable.  When they are soft, lay them on a clean surface and fill with the prepared ingredients, sans peanut sauce.  Roll the filled rice paper and set aside to allow the paper to dry.
When all of your rolls have been prepared, arrange them on a plate and serve with peanut sauce on the top or in a side dish.

Enjoy!

Veggie Fusilli w/ Fried Egg

A fantastic way to eat your veggies and love 'em, too!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup Whole Wheat Fusilli pasta
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 cup collard and mustard greens
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 1 medium onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 4 Tbs. pesto
- 2 large eggs
  
Ingredients:
Bring water to a boil in a 4 qt. pan.  When boiling, add pasta and salt and cook until al dente.  Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan with a little olive oil.  Saute the chopped onion, garlic, and broccoli until the broccoli is slightly tender.  Add zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini is tender.  Add the drained pasta and chopped greens to the vegetable mixture.  When the greens are slightly warm, turn off the stove and stir in the pesto.  
In a separate pan, fry the eggs to desired preference.  
Divide the pasta and vegetable mixture onto two plates and top each with a fried egg.  Spoon pesto onto each egg for added flavor, and serve. 

Bon Appetit!

 

Grilled Zucchini & Egg Salad

If you love egg salad sandwiches but are trying to avoid carbs, try this alternative! 

 Ingredients:

- 1 large zucchini, sliced longways
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2-4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 1-2 Tbs. mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard, to taste
- Salt & pepper, to taste  

Directions:
In a small bowl mash the eggs and mix with the mayonnaise, mustard, and salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
Warm a frying pan and cover lightly with olive oil.  Saute the zucchini, onions, and garlic until tender and slightly browned.  
Arrange the zucchini on your plate as desired, top with egg salad, and then top everything with the sauteed onions and garlic.  

Bon Appetit!   

Egg Salad Salad

A twist on a traditional salad with hard boiled eggs...

Egg Salad Salad!

 Ingredients:

 - 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 1-2 Tbs. mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard, to taste
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Cheddar cheese
- 1-2 slices of bacon
- 1/2 of a small onion, sliced
- 1 small head of lettuce
- Ranch dressing, or dressing of choice     

Directions:
In a small frying pan, cook bacon until desired crispiness.  Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl mash the eggs and mix with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste.  
Chop the lettuce, cheese, and onion and divide between two bowls.
Divide the egg salad between the two salads and top with bacon.  Top the entire salad with dressing of choice.

Enjoy!
 
 

Open-faced Grilled Chicken & Pesto Sandwich

Here is a great recipe for a quick and healthy lunch!

 Ingredients:

 - Kirkland Chicken Breast, canned
- 1 Tbs. pesto
- 1 wedge Laughing Cow cheese
- 3/4 cup sliced zucchini
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 slice of wheat bread
- Green, pimento-stuffed olives

Directions:

On the stove saute the onion, zucchini, and garlic in a little olive oil.  When soft, remove from the stove.  
In a bowl combine 6 oz. (1/2 can) of chicken breast with the pesto, laughing cow cheese, green olives, and sauteed onions and garlic.  
Warm the pan again, lightly cover with olive oil, and place the bread on one side to toast.  When toasted, flip the bread and then place the chicken mixture onto the bread while in the pan.  When the bread is toasted on the second side, remove from the stove and serve. 
Yields 1 sandwich.

This recipe goes well with a side salad or sliced fruit, if desired.
Enjoy! 

Pinoy Mart

(Borrowed from this website) Getting there: Noksapyeong Stn, Exit 2. Walk for about 300m, until the road forks. Veer left at the kimchi pots. Meander past a bunch of (for want of a better word) funky bars and cafes for a few minutes. PM is across the road, on your right.

 

Last night we stumbled into this foreign foods mart with some friends on our way to find a restaurant.  Several minutes later we wandered out of this mart with lots of foreign foods that we haven't seen in months.  

I am the first one to say that when living in a foreign country one ought to fully embrace the culture and shop as a local.  However, I said this more when kimchi and strange seafood were not the primary cuisine.  After several months in Korea, all I really want to do is to bake in an oven, cook with hearty flour, eat raw honey by the spoonful, and smother my food with spicy sauce.  These things are nearly impossible if shopping is done in a Korean market.  

I don't recommend these little markets for price, for they are not cheap and a lot of what they have you can buy at Costco for less, but they do have some gems that I highly recommend.

 The sauces are wonderful and will last a long time.  

The coconut milk and curry are fantastic, fairly inexpensive, and the curry paste will provide multiple batches of curry.  

The lentils are the first I've seen of lentils since coming to Korea, and my Korean friend had never heard of them before.  Stock up.

 The flour and honey are a must, considering all the stove top baking recipes I have that would benefit from these two ingredients.  In fact, I made a scrumptious batch of pancakes this morning using this flour and honey; check out the recipe for Health-Conscious Pancakes.

Happy shopping!