Foodie Friday

OH BOY, it’s back! I don’t know how long it’s been since my last Foodie Friday but it is way overdue. I’m keeping it simple and sharing my favorite avocado toast! This tasty, trendy, and expensive plate has been popping up on menus all over the place; so naturally I had to put my own spin on it.

avacadosFirst, why is everyone so obsessed with avocado?? Deliciousness aside, this creamy green fruit has 20 vitamins & minerals with only 80 calories. In 1/3 an avocado you get a nutrient dense treat that can be used to make brownies, ice cream, pesto, etc… and this awesome toast!IMG_1089I love herbs & think they’re a great way to add a lot of flavor. When playing around with this recipe I tried a few different combos but consistently came back to dill, cilantro, & parsley. If you prefer something else – go for that!

Avocado Toast (4 servings)

  • 4 slices of multigrain bread
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1-3 sprigs of parsley, cilantro and dill (stemmed and rough chopped)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar

The hard part of this recipe is picking a good avocado, and the harder part is poaching the eggs. If you’re not into that sort of thing you can soft boil, fry, or even scramble your eggs but I find it really simple. Add water and vinegar to a pan and set your stovetop to medium heat. Let the water come to a soft simmer (no hard bubbles) & crack in the eggs. Allow eggs to cook for 3-4 minutes (white fully cooked) and turn off the heat. The vinegar should keep the egg from sticking to the pan & you just remove the eggs with a slotted spoon. While all that exciting stuff is happening you can pop your toast in the oven, slice open your avocado, & combine it with the remaining ingredients listed. Spread your avocado mixture on the toast, top with your perfectly poached egg, & enjoy!

 

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

 

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Foodie Friday

We’ve made it to the weekend & I for one am super excited for another weekend of beautiful weather! Phil and I have happy hour and a movie date tonight, a long bike ride and picnic on the beach tomorrow, & church followed by brunch on Sunday. I, of course, will be making marvelous meals along the way BUT today I want to share a recipe from last week’s food escapades – Arancini! photo-3

These scrumptious spheres combine some of my favorite flavors and textures to delight the palate and satisfy the desire for decadence. As an Italian Phil loves food from his mother land & these risotto balls are about as authentic as it gets. Before giving these a try myself I was under the assumption arancini would be really hard to make but in reality, it was a breeze. The only time consuming aspect is the risotto; which also isn’t that bad…just put on your favorite playlist and you’ll be done before you know it!

Brown Rice Arancini

  • 1 package Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice (heats/fully cooks in 3 min)
  • 5 cups stock
  • 1 tablespoon EVOO
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 shallot (minced)
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 4-6 oz taleggio (or other triple cream/brie cheese) cubed small
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • salt & pepper
  • Italian seasoning
  • canola oil for frying

Place stock in a pot & begin to heat while placing skillet over medium heat & adding olive oil. Once oil is heated, add shallot and garlic to cook for 3-5 minutes before adding in the rice & continuing to cook for about the same about of time. Then at about 1/3 cup at a time begin to add in the stock – adding more once the previous 1/3 cup is absorbed until all the stock incorporated. Once finished, remove from heat, add parmesan and seasonings to risotto and allow mixture to cool. During this cooling time its important to clean up and prepare to make/bread the risotto balls, so clear a work space and put egg, flour & panko in three separate shallow dishes. After allowing risotto to cool, form into balls & stuff small cubes of cheese into the center of each ball. Dredge each ball through the flour, egg and panko dishes to complete the prep process. All thats left is to fry them – put some canola oil in a large pot over medium high heat and fry the balls about 2 minutes per side until they’re completely golden…serve hot!

These are great for a special date night, small dinner party or fancy appetizer that is sure to please most any palate…enjoy!

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂