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Breaking the Diet Doldrums: Sensible Splurge with Simplicity Gourmet

As you all know…I am on a quest to find “the real me” – you know, the sexy hot bod buried deep…deep…deep somewhere within myself…

I know how to eat right, which I do 99.9% of the time (well, this week anyways) – what exercises to do – yada, yada, yada – but quite frankly, sometimes my food routine just gets plain boring! I mean, I am a creature of habit – I can rotate the same foods day in and day out and usually not think anything about it at all. It keeps things nice and easy and I always know what I need to buy at the grocery store.

But sometimes…in the dark of night…food with flare calls out to me – and I must indulge! But then my sensible side pulls back the reigns and says, “Whoa-ho, there, Missy – if you’re going to deviate, make it snazzy, satisfying, AND sensible!” So, I ask myself the question I always ask myself, “How can I do both?”

Well, in the last year, I have widened my range of vegetables to almost boundless distances. So, I’m not afraid to try anything new. I wanted something with eggs, lots of veggies, a smatter of cheese, and some toasted bread. Not too demanding, right? Easy enough – after some research and pulling a little of this and a little of that from several recipes – then converting to waterless cooking – voila! Mediterranean Poached Eggs was born! Add some simple fruit salad and big glass of water for a whole, well balanced meal: protein (egg & sprinkle of parm., veggies, good fat (olive oil), whole grain, & fruit. Bon apetit!

Happy Cooking!
Miss K

Mediterranean Poached Eggs w/ Toasted Whole Wheat French Bread

UTENSILS: Master Kut, 8” Chef Knife, Large Skillet, Griddle, Medium Bowl

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup chopped onion, 1 garlic clove (minced), ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp paprika, 2 ½ cups canned crushed tomatoes, ¼ tsp black pepper, 2 cups Artichoke Hearts, drained and cut in half, 1 ½ Cups Sliced Mushrooms, 4 large eggs, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, ¼ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives (optional), 1/2 cup (1 oz.) grated fresh Parmesan, 4 (1 ½ oz) slices Whole Wheat French bread (toasted), olive oil, garlic grater

DIRECTIONS:

Pre heat the large skillet on medium heat. When it’s ready, add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and a small drizzle of olive oil (for flavor only – may omit altogether) to the skillet; sauté 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add cumin and paprika; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, black pepper, and artichokes. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Form 4 (3-inch) indentations in vegetable mixture using the back of a spoon or bottom of a large custard cup. Break 1 egg into each indentation. Sprinkle with Paprika. Cover, whistle open, and cook on medium heat. When the whistle sounds, uncover, Sprinkle with parsley, olives, and cheese. Recover, whistle closed, and turn the burner off. Allow to stand 3-5 minutes.

Heat the griddle on medium heat. Slice the French Bread and drizzle both sides with Olive Oil and sprinkle with fresh cracked Garlic. When the griddle is heated, cook both sides until golden brown. Serve ¼ of the vegetable mixture and one egg over each piece of bread.

Yields:  4 servings (serving size: 1 bread slice, 3/4 cup vegetable mixture, and 1 egg)

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