Tomato Egg Pasta

This is my idea of the ultimate comfort food. No huss no fuss to make and makes your stomach and heart warm and fuzzy. This is like macaroni and cheese for me. I love tomatoes and I love eggs. This is an extremely easy way to put two of my greatest loves together on a single plate. Their marriage is definitely my blessing!

Ingredients (for 1):
1. 1 medium tomato on the vine, diced (yields about 1/2 cup)
2. 1 large egg, beaten
3. 1.5 cups cooked pasta
4. 1 shallot, diced
5. Salt and pepper, to taste
6. 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (optional)

Method:
1. In a pot, bring to boil water to cook pasta. Once water comes to a boil, add pasta and salt. Cook for half the time as indicated on the pasta box. The pasta will continue to cook in the stir-fry pan later so do not cook to al dente in pot.
2. In a shallow saucepan, heat over medium heat 1/4 cup of water and shallots for about 2 minutes until fragrance of shallots is released. You will smell it.
3. Add tomatoes and season with chili powder, turmeric powder (if using), salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and cook covered for about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Pasta should be done by now. Add pasta and 1/4 cup of pasta water into saucepan and stir well to combine. Cook covered for another 5 minutes until pasta is almost al dente.
5. Add beaten egg and cook covered over low to medium heat for 1 minute. Do not stir the egg while this is happening.
6. Remove saucepan cover and stir pasta to break up the egg slightly.
7. Ready to serve!

Nutritional value of this recipe:
At 470 calories for the entire serving, this recipe will provide you with 18%* of your daily required vitamin A, 16%* vitamin C and 35%* iron. It will also give you 6g of fiber that your body needs.

* based on a 2,000 calories a day diet

Tea Eggs (Broth)

This is a very simple tea egg recipe that you can make for a potluck party. Save the broth after that for the tea noodles soup.

Ingredients (for 20 eggs):
1. 2 store bought Taiwanese tea egg spice pouches
2. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
3. 1 teaspoon ground coriander
4. 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6. 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
7. 1 teaspoon sea salt

Method:
1. In a big pot, hard boil 20 eggs. It will take about 20 minutes.
2. Let eggs cool before making small cracks on the shells. Do not remove shells.
3. In a large slow cooker, place eggs and spice pouches and fill up with water enough to cover all the eggs. Add all seasonings and stir well to combine.
4. Cook over low to medium heat for 6 to 8 hours.

The Breakfast Baked Eggs....that will make you sing.....

This dish is truly great awesomeness for a lazy Sunday morning. I am telling you, this dish is going to make anyone feel good about not eating bacon and sausages for breakfast or brunch! Impress your significant other with this hearty and healthy breakfast. It will definitely make him/her want to sing. Have fun making breakfast/brunch!

Plus! This dish alone contains 3 colorful vegetables. Only 2 more to go to make your day complete with 5 colors a day!

Ingredients (for 1):

1. 1 cup potatoes, diced (prefer russet which has a higher water content)

2. 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced

3. 1/2 tomato, diced

4. 1/2 cup broccoli

5. 1 1/2 cup mushrooms

6. 2 eggs

7. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8. 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
9. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
10. 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
11. Pinch of salt and pepper
12. 1 bay leaf

Here are some pictures to show you how finely I diced the tomatoes, potatoes and broccoli. Just make sure that you want to keep all the ingredients about the same size so that they take about the same amount of time to cook and nobody gets overcooked in the oven at the end.

Method:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat up about 1/4 cup of water and saute tomatoes with a tiny pinch of salt for about 1 minute until soften.

2. Add diced carrots and mushrooms and cook covered for 2 minutes.

3. Add diced potatoes and all seasonings (cumin, coriander, onion powder, pepper, salt, bay leaf), stir well to combine and cook covered for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add a bit of water if pan is drying out.

4. Add broccoli and cook covered for another 2 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400F.
6. Turn of heat. Remove bay leaf from the pan and dish out into a ramekin (i.e. baking dish).

7. Crack eggs on top of filled ramekin dish. Place onto a baking sheet and bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes until egg whites turn white (just like in the picture). This will give you perfectly done sunny-side ups!
8. Ready to serve!

Nutritional value of this recipe:
At 300 calories for the entire serving, whether you choose to have this all to yourself or share it with someone else, this breakfast/brunch is going to keep you going for a long long time. It also gives you all the Vitamins A and C you need, 8g of fiber and 19g of protein. And you don't have to worry about calcium (12%*) and iron (24%*) either.

* based on a 2,000 calories a day diet

Easy Scrambled Eggs

Here's what I would call a breakfast fit for a princess! ;) Sometimes I have this for dinner too. Now you no longer have to pay a few bucks for a scrambled egg breakfast outside. Make this dairy-free scrambled eggs in no-time at home!

I paired it with some dry baked asparagus spears with salt and pepper below but feel free to serve it with your favourite vegetable, roasted or baked and a whole grain toast for a complete and healthy breakfast.

Ingredients (for 1 person):
1. 2 whole eggs
2. 1/2 cup rice milk
3. Pinch of salt
4. Pinch of onion powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite fresh herb, chopped finely (tarragon, chives or fresh basil will work well here)(optional)

Method:
1. Heat a saucepan over medium to low heat. It is extremely important to keep the heat at a medium to low heat to get the right texture.
2. In a bowl, beat eggs with rice milk and season with salt, onion powder and chopped fresh herbs (if using).
3. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutritional value of this recipe:
Have a power breakfast with this recipe. 11g of protein and 10%* of your daily required iron.

* based on a 2,000 calories a day diet

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs or eggs mimosa are hard-boiled eggs cut in half and filled with the hard-boiled egg's yolk mixed with different ingredients, herbs and spices. They are usually served cold as appetizers or sometimes even as a main course. It is a very common holiday or party food.

This is my healthy version of the deviled eggs. :) I created the following recipe to showcase the delicate flavor of dill and the wholesome goodness of homemade mayonnaise. To accentuate the color of the dish, I added smoked salmon. The contrast of the colors of the ingredients also make this dish a super classy party dish. The fresh taste of dill also complements the smokey flavor of the salmon perfectly. The orange color from the smoked salmon against the fresh yellow color of the homemade mayonnaise and dash of green from the sprig of dill....simply amazing!

Ingredients (makes enough for a party of 20 to 25):
1. 20 to 25 eggs, hard boiled
2. 1 teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped
3. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4. 2 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
5. 1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise (see homemade mayonnaise recipe)
6. Fresh dill for garnish

Method:
1. Boil eggs in a pot of water for about 20 minutes. Remove from pot and let cool before shelling them.
2. Cut each egg into half, lengthwise and remove egg yolks into a mixing bowl.

3. Add homemade mayonnaise, chopped dill and pepper and mash to mix well. Season with salt to taste as desired.

4. Dish mixture out into a ziploc bag to make a pipping bag.
5. Cut one end of the ziploc bag and pipe mixture into the hollow space of each egg. Top each egg with a small serving of chopped smoked salmon and garnish with a sprig of dill.

Nutritional value of this recipe:
Only 89 calories per serving (2 halves = 1 egg) but boosts 6g* of protein!

* based on a 2,000 calories per day diet

Homemade Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a stable emulsion of oil, vinegar or lemon juice and egg yolks, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Mayonnaise is maked by slowly adding oil to egg yolk(s), while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The oil and the water in the yolks form a base of the emulsion, while the lecithin from the yolks is the emulsifier that stabilizes it.

As you can see from the ingredients list below, there are only 4 basic ingredients needed to make mayonnaise. But look at the number of ingredients found in commercially available mayonnaise, some of which I can't even pronouce.

Granted that homemade mayonnaise takes a bit of time, it tastes a million tons fresher and you have total control over the quality of the ingredients you use. It also has lower calories per serving compared to commercially available mayonnaise! In my homemade mayonnaise recipe below, I am using eggs from cage-free hens that are fed with a vegetarian diet free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Mayonnaise is very versatile. It can be a base in salad dressings, simple spread on sandwiches and dip for vegetables or chips. The following makes about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayonnaise. Homemade mayonnaise will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator since it does not have any presevatives in them.

Ingredients:
1. 2 egg yolks
2. 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or white wine vinegar
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice or white wine vinegar and salt until smooth, emulsified and light. Will probably take about 5 to 10 mins depending on how fast you whisk.

2. Add a few drops of oil into the egg mixture and whisk until oil is well combined and mixture is smooth and slightly thicken. Will probably take about 5 minutes.

3. Continue step 2, gradually increasing the amount of oil added into the mixture as you go along. The more oil whisked into the mixture, the thicker the mixture gets. Whisk in the oil till it is very well combined and mixture emulsifies. The whisking keeps the oil suspended in the egg mixture to form mayonnaise.

Nutritional value of this recipe:
The total number of calories per serving (1 teaspoon) is only 78, compared to 90 calories from 1 teaspoon of commercially available mayonnaise!

Note:
Be sure to have all ingredients at room temperature before making this recipe.

Prawn and Broccoli with Egg

This is probably the simplest dish you will ever make. The method is very similar to the Tomato and Spinach omelete. You can totally have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I am done making this dish in less than 15 minutes from preparation to serving. Yet it is super yummy and filling!

Ingredients:
1. 2 eggs, beaten
2. ½ cup broccoli florets
3. ¼ yellow onion, sliced
4. ¼ cup water
5. 4 to 5 pieces of prawns, peeled and de-veined, (optional to dice)
6. ½ teaspoon onion powder
7. ½ teaspoon salt
8. Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. In a bowl, beat eggs, salt, pepper and onion powder together until well combined.
2. Heat up a saucepan with ¼ cup of water. Once water starts to boil, saute onions for about 4 minutes until onions turn translucent.
3. Open cover and add broccoli. Saute covered for about 2-3 minutes until broccoli turn darker green.
4. Open saucepan cover and add a bit of water if pan is too dry.
5. Add beaten egg mixture evenly over saucepan and prawns (whole or diced) and cook covered for another 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Open saucepan cover and flip egg omelete in sections.
7. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes without cover.
8. Ready to serve!

Nutritional value of this recipe
This recipe makes 1 serving. The amount of calories per serving is about 240 and is a great source of protein (32g), iron (27%*) and Vitamin C (73%*).

* based on a 2,000 calories per day diet

Spinach and Tomato Omelete

Start your morning with a super healthy, super delicious breakfast. Get the iron, protein and lycopene you need!

Ingredients (breakfast for 1 to 2):
1. 2 eggs (I usually use about 2 eggs per person)
2. 1/2 to 1 cup fresh coarsely chopped spinach
3. 1 small tomato on the vine, chopped
4. 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
4. 1/4 cup sliced button mushrooms (optional)
5. 1/4 cup water
6. Salt
7. Pepper
8. Onion powder

Method:
1. In a bowl, beat eggs, salt, pepper and onion powder together until well combined.
2. Heat up a saucepan with 1/4 cup of water and onions.
3. Once water starts to boil, add tomatoes and mushrooms (if using). Saute covered for about 4 minutes until onions turn translucent.
4. Add spinach and season with a little salt and cook covered for another 5 to 6 minutes until all spinach has wilted.
5. Open saucepan cover and add a bit of water if pan is too dry.
6. Add beaten egg mixture evenly over saucepan and cook covered for another 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Open saucepan cover and flip egg omelete in sections.
8. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes without cover.
9. Ready to serve!

Nutritional value of this recipe
This recipe makes about 1 to 2 servings depending on whether there are other breakfast items. The calorie count per serving is about 85 and is a good source of protein (6.9g), Vitamin A (40%*), Vitamin C (18%*), Vitamin B6 and B12.

* based on a 2,000 calories per day diet