Egg & Salmon Sandwich

Apparently, this is what Mary Lou, or other Olympians, eat for breakfast. It's an example of a "pre-training" meal. This is according to the article in the July/August, 2008 issue of Eating Well magazine. And if it's good for them, the it should be good for me.

I don't usually do the egg whites thing, I'm just too lazy and I think they taste bland, but here it seemed like a good idea because salmon itself has a strong taste and I didn't need to mix in too much richness with the egg yolks.

I'm a sucker for lox and bagels with all the fixin's. This is a much healthier breakfast option but gives the same satisfaction.

Egg & Salmon Sandwich Serves 1 ½ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion 2 large egg whites, beaten Pinch of slat ½ tsp. capers, rinsed and chopped (optional) 1 ounce smoked salmon 1 slice tomato 1 whole-wheat English muffin, split and toasted

Mom's Grilled Cheese

A few weeks ago Meeta at What's For Lunch Honey? posted the next Monthly Mingle challenge of Comfort Food on her blog. I have been thinking about it all month. I realized that "comfort food" for me is food that was made by my mom when I was growing up. My mom has these amazing recipes for homemade spaghetti and gravy, homemade bread, and even the most amazing Roast Beef and Pot Roast. I don't know any of the recipes and it is kind of hard for her to convey them to me because it is almost like they are in her blood.

Today my mom made me the most simplest of sandwiches: grilled cheese. Now, everyone knows how to make grilled cheese, right? Not me. I only eat grilled cheese that was prepared by my mother, my grandmother or my ex-husband. I have tried if a few times and just ended up burning it. So I decided that the ultimate comfort food, for me, is something that I don't even make myself!


The secret to my mom's grilled cheese is the bread. She almost always uses an artisan bread. I never grew up with "wonder bread" or anything like it in the house. So the bread gets buttered and then fried in the pan. It ends up being a bit crispy on the outside but still chewy. It doesn't matter what cheese is used, the buttery fried bread gives it the amazing comforting feel that should be. As it happens, today my mom used a combination of Kraft singles and a few slices of some habenaro cheese. It was nice and spicy which balanced the richness of the other cheese and the buttery bread. For me, it is pure heaven.

African Inspired Egg Sandwich

Another great recipe from Marcus Samuelsson's The Soul of a New Cuisine cookbook. I spent yesterday getting caught up on episodes of his show, Inner Chef, which I had recorded on Tivo. Marcus Samuelsson is a genius with seasonings.

An egg sandwich probably isn't the most glamorous recipe to make, but I really wanted to try this one just because it is Marcus Samuelsson's version. And also because I liked his story about egg sandwiches being breakfast street food in Africa. I made them for lunch, not breakfast.

I rarely make sandwiches. I firmly believe that I can get a much better sandwich at Quizno's than I can make. However this egg sandwich with all the fixing's, including the chili mayo that I made from scratch, was pretty impressive!

Egg Sandwiches (4 servings) Ingredients: 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded 1 small red onion, sliced 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch diced 6 large eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons Chili Mayonnaise 1 baguette, split lengthwise and cut into quarters

Instructions:
Combine the tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced onion in a bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs, diced onion, milk, chili powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add half the egg mixture and stir until the eggs are set, then flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Transfer to a warmed plate and repeat with the remaining eggs.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the cut sides of the baguette. Divide the eggs in half, and put on the bottom halves of the bread. Top with the tomato, lettuce and onion and serve

Chili Mayonnaise

Who would have ever thought that I would make my own mayonnaise. Isn't it all very Martha Stewart of me? However, it was called for as a condiment for the egg sandwiches and it sounded good so I really wanted to try it. And it was much easier than I ever thought it would be.

Chili Mayonnaise (makes 3 cups) Ingredients: 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon roughly chopped blanched almonds 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 serrano chilies, seeds and ribs removed, chopped 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 3 egg yolks 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 3/4 cup canola oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saute pan over high heat. Add the almonds and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat, and the chilies and chili powder, and cook just until the chilies begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Transfer the chili mixture to a blender, add the egg yolks, and blend well. Add the lime juice and vinegar and blend well. With the blender running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream and blend until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.