Sunny Side-Up Pizza for a Rainy Day

Rain, rain, go away. Come again...neverrrr. Ugh. There's puddles outside my front door the size of kiddie pools, and I somehow always park my car right next to them. My optimistic side is thanking the Heavens that it's not snow, but I'm never a fan of grey skies and roads adorned with slimy worms that never made it to the other side. Lets have a moment of silence for the worms....... okay, that was nice.

Well, on a positive note... I'm feeling creative and I'm starving. I am a subscriber to Whole Living magazine and it's pretty fantastic. It's filled with dozen of scrumptious recipes and health living tips, hence right up my ally.

In the last issue, it featured a ton of pizza recipe ideas. I adore pizza, but being lactose intolerant has stripped the best part: cheese. Sigh. So I never really bother making it unless I can get my family to indulge in my "special" cheese (I give them credit, they're good sports). But anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm in pizza denial...until I was inspired by the picture below.

Do not adjust your monitors.. what looks like cheese is really a few fried eggs. I have been on an egg kick for the past couple weeks, so this has been God-sent. People put eggs on toast, steak, and even hamburgers so why not pizza. This is breakfast pizza with an edge, and since I'm making it for lunch we'll call it lunch pizza. Sunny side up lunch pizza for a cold and rainy day. I like it.

I'm making a few modifications since this foodie epiphany just daunted upon me, and I'm too hungry to make a run to the grocery store.

What you'll need:

A large whole wheat tortilla

2 eggs

Spinach

Tomato sauce

Olive oil

Oregano/spices

I preheated the oven at 400 degrees. I drizzled my tortilla with olive oil so it crisps in the oven, and don't forget to cook it on aluminum foil to avoid sticking. Spray the aluminum with non-stick spray, too!

Crack the 2 eggs on top of the spinach. Try to avoid breaking the yolks and letting them slide off the pizza; they're slippery little guys. Throw the pizza in the oven and watch carefully. It should be ready in about 20 minutes or less.

Drum roll please.....

This brightened my day...well at least my stomach since it just started snowing outside. The pizza was so delicious! I definately recommend trying this recipe and experienmenting with different toppings. The eggs add a nice touch with huge flavor!

Enjoy! and go away snow!

A Twist on an Egg Salad

I'm not a huge fan of egg salad, or any salad that isn't green or clumped together with mayo; plus the fact that I'm allergic to dairy makes me slightly biased. So, I don't like egg salad but I absolutely love eggs (I also used to be that person who loved ketchup but hated tomatoes but eventually got less picky and discovered their beauty). Any who, my favorite way to cook eggs is over easy; then I can use my toast to soak up the yolk... it is total bliss.

Well today I was craving eggs... and spinach. Sigh, Omelettes are so in-the-box that I really wanted my lunch to scream Look at me, I'm innovative! Hmm....what to make? Then it hit me, I'm gonna put a literal (and dairy-free) twist on an egg salad with a Taco Bell flare.

What you'll need:
Whole wheat tortilla
2 eggs
Couple tomatoes
Spinach
Olive oil/butter spray
Glass bowl

1) First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees. I took my tortilla and placed it into the glass bowl so it would conform to the bowl's shape (like a Taco Bell's taco salad without the Mexican-ness). Sprinkle with a little olive oil or butter spray so it'll crisp in the oven. 

2) While the "bowl" is baking, I fried 2 egg over easy; super easy peasy lemon squeezy. AH, I so love EB eggs because they come from cage-free chickens aka happy chickens aka happy eggs aka happy me.

3) Once the tortilla has taken on the shape of the glass bowl and crisped up, remove (with oven mitts, learned that the hard way) from the bowl and place on a separate plate. Perdy! Take 1 of the fried eggs and place it on the bottom of the edible bowl. I punctured the egg, so the yolk could be absorbed into the tortilla and create an eggy yuminess throughout the salad.

4) Next, add your spinach (or legal greens of choice), tomatoes and other fun toppings. Lastly, place the     second fried egg (aka the cherry on top aka the crowned jewel), and just admire the masterpiece you have created. I, again, punctured the egg to let the yolk run free. 

This recipe was really quick and simple, and I'm a fan of anything where you can eat the bowl. 

Dig in!

No-Funday Monday turned Egg-cellent

Today knocked me down, laughed, then stole my bike. Not entirely, but today was a grueling day. I didn't have any classes, but somehow I was busier than when I do. I was running around campus like a bat outta H-E-double hockey sticks. Sigh, I was a frazzled mess. It's 7pm and just realized that I'm starving (an indicator of a busy day is when I'm not constantly thinking about my stomach or food). But, I had a big red surprise waiting for me when I got home! No, not roses....tomatoes! The tomatoes in the garden finally ripened; this bumper crop of produce has made my Monday!

What to make with these fine, red, plump, tomaters? Since I never have time in the morning to make myself a scrumptious omelette (that word never looks like it's spelled correctly), what's a better way to turn Monday into Funday than with breakfast for dinner. You were thinking the same thing, too. I knew it.

I decided to make an egg-white omelette with tomatoes and spinach (which I spilled all over the kitchen floor.. today needs to be over).

These tomatoes scream perfection (or eat me). For the egg whites, I don't waste a carton of eggs and toss the yolks. I buy a container of egg whites instead. Pouring milky clear liquid may look gross but the ingredients are: egg whites with no added crap, so we're okay.

I love taking pictures of my food. Call me strange, but think it should be a declared an art form. Not bad quality for a old, scuffed-up Blackberry. 

*FUN FACT ALERT!* Do you know where the name, Blackberry, came from?  

Well yes..most of the phones are black, but its name derived from the keypad that's positioned and shaped like the seeds on a blackberry. 

Now you can't tell me that you've never learned anything from my blog...unless you knew that already (then I got nothin').

Anyways, here's the egg-cellent finished product. 

FYI: I love ketchup on my eggs, and it took me until middle school to realize that not everyone smothered ketchup on their eggs. I thought it was like peanut butter and jelly until kids gave me grossed out looks. 

But, hey..don't knock it 'til you try it. It's delicious. 

Fall is Upon Us

Last week was a balmy 75 degrees; this morning, I woke up to the aftermath of Jack Frost violating my car. This can only mean one thing: Fall is upon us.

I would be more bummed to say farewell to Summer if I wasn't completely in love with the Fall season; maybe because it contains the one holiday focused around food, but I love everything that Fall has to offer: hot cider, sweaters, colorful leaves and pumpkin flavored beers...it's perfection at nature's finest.

But there are 2 slight downfalls that the change of temperature brings:
(1) it's one step closer to 6 months in a snow globe; and
(2) my garden will soon be an ice rink.

What...No more backyard supermarket? No more harvesting? How will I live my life? This is devastating since we've been through so much; it's like being forced to say good- bye to a Summer fling. I mean, I suppose I could be a normal person and buy my veggies from the grocery store but where's the fun in that? Maybe I'll start shopping in the produce section of Price Chopper with a trowel and basket. Sigh. These are the times that I wish I had a greenhouse then I could harvest my lovely vegetables all year round.

Maybe I'll freeze some of the zucchini and squash, but I don't have a ton of experience with that. Any tips? I see a lot of acorn squash and pumpkin recipes in my future and that is A-OK with me, the future is bright and delicious!

TGIF! Bundle up and enjoy the weekend!
    

Giving Blood aka Pumping Iron

I never have had an issue with shots; but I, ironically, absolutely hated finger pricks. I would have chosen 10 shots over one finger prick. Eek..not my thing; but since needles in general never bothered me, I never had a problem giving blood. I actually kinda enjoy it. Here's my equation:

One pint of blood = free juice and cookies (maybe a t-shirt if I'm lucky) plus I help save lives. 

Sounds like a good trade-off to me; I have some blood to spare for a good cause. Sigh, the only thing I don't like about giving blood is, you guessed it, the finger prick prior to the procedure. But, I'll put on my big girl pants, suck it up and endure like a champ.

Not only is donating blooding an awesome gift of life, but it also torches a ton of calories! A person burns about 650 calories for every pint of blood they give. This is because the body is working overtime to replace the blood. Not too shabby, but it's important to fuel and refuel the body before and after donation. So say no to the gym and hello to an iron and protein packed meal.

Because donating blood wipes out a good amount of iron, my roommate and I are making an iron packed dinner the tonight before we go under the needle tomorrow. This dish is called Espinacas con Garboanzos....or in English: spinach with garbanzos beans, but I think the Spanish name gives it a little more pizzazz. We're making this dish along with brown rice...dear rice, beans and spinach, do your thing!

What you'll need:

A bag of dried garbanzo beans

Spinach

Cumin spice

Olive oil

Bread crumbs/croutons

Brown rice (optional)

You can buy pre-soaked beans in a can, but it's cheaper (being a college student this is clutch) to just buy a bag of dried beans and soak them overnight. It's like those little dinosaurs (lizards, horses, what have you) you'd put in water overnight & the next morning they'd be HUGE. It's like magic.

*THE NIGHT BEFORE: SOAK YOUR BEANS* 

Before

After....magic!

Strain the garbanzo beans and set aside. In a giant pan, saute spinach along with some water, olive oil, bread crumbs, and some cumin spice. Next, mix in the beans and stir until the mixture thickens.

Cook the rice (we used good ol' Minute Rice) and set aside until the beans and spinach are cooked. Once cooked, plate, and dive in. This meal is packed with well-needed iron and protein, and it'll pumped me up so I can pump out (give blood) tomorrow! 

The dinner of champions

If you're not deathly afraid of needles, give blood! It may be the easiest way to save a life (or several)! 


Enjoy your week!