Leftover Ricotta Cheese

I hate purchasing certain foods because I know I will only use a small amount and the rest will languish in the refrigerator. When it becomes unrecognizable, it will be tossed. I am fortunate. For me food is "cheap" entertainment. I can afford to toss a few things. That being said, every time I toss something, I can just hear my mother.

"Why did you let that food spoil? Food is just too high (Southern speak for 'It's expensive) to throw away. Baby, I don't care how much money you make, you just never know."

Now that you have "heard from my mother". I'll admit that I have a hard time tossing food. There are certain foods like, ricotta cheese, celery, and parsley that I have issues with. I know when I purchase them, most of it will be wasted.

A few days ago I purchased ricotta cheese to make Ricotta Chive Bread. I must say the bread was excellent, but left me with 1¾ cups of ricotta cheese.

Imagine how happy I was to find this recipe for Soft Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Ricotta and Chives. It also calls for chives and I truly have an "infinite" supply of chives. If you don't have chives, I say don't sweat it. You can omit them, use basil or oregano. Also, to make this a little more substantial, sauté some spinach and add eggs to the spinach. If you have parmesan cheese, don't be afraid to grate a little of it.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta Cheese and Chives

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
½ cup ricotta cheese
1 small baguette or 4 slices of bread

Directions:

1. Whisk together eggs, chives and salt.

2. Melt butter in a heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggs and stir with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until eggs are almost cooked. Add ricotta cheese and stir until ricotta is almost mixed in. Clumps of ricotta should still be visible.

3. Toast bread and serve.

Fun, Joy and Health!

Americans seem to go through phases with food.  Sometimes we want fat free, while other times we  eliminate carbohydrates.  Well, none of this sounds like fun to me.  And sometimes we forget that food should be fun and joyful! Yes, food should be fun.  And fun, joyful and healthy can coexist in a food.  So in 2014, lets fill our diet and life with fun, joy and health.

To help you with your journey, take a look at this publication, Fats in the Diet.  Briefly, this publication gives you tips on reducing the fat content of certain dishes.  It will also help you to increase good fats, such as omega-3's.  See, we are not always about 'cutting out'.

Omega-3 fatty acids are have a double bond, making it unsaturated.  Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, mullet, and sardines.  Some brands of eggs also have increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  These chickens have been fed a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids.  If you are looking for a plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, try flaxseed or walnuts.

So what is the big deal about omega-3 fatty acids.  Research shows that diets high in omega-3 fatty acids are associated with reduced risk of health disease.  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that we consume 8 ounces of a variety of seafood per week.  This amount will provide an average consumption of 250mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids.

While salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, it can be expensive.  Tuna, mackerel and sardines are good, economical choices.  Below is an excellent (and inexpensive) recipe using sardines.

Fisherman's Eggs

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

1 can (3 ounces) sardines
1 small shallot, minced
1 to 2 Tablespoon minced parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, if desired


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2.  Coat two small oven-proof dishes with cooking spray.  Divide the sardines between the two dishes. 

3.  In a small bowl, combine shallots, parsley and garlic.  Stir to combine.  Set aside 1 tablespoon of herb mixture.  Top sardines with mixture.  Add black pepper, if desired. Place sardines in oven for about 10 minutes, or until sardines are heated through. 

4.   Remove from oven and place an egg on top of each dish.  Top with remaining herb mixture.  Add salt and pepper, if desired.  Place back in the oven for about 7 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked. 

Serve for breakfast or add a salad and serve for a light dinner.

For more recipes using canned sardines, check out 7 Things to do with Canned Sardines.

50 Ideas for Breakfast on the Fly

 

 

I'm finally back into the swing of school and classes and most of the other things that go along with rising a little earlier.  Even though I need to be out of the house a little earlier, I also like to have breakfast before I leave for work.  Most likely due to years of my mother, "Now, you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  You can't learn on an empty stomach".  I'm sure you heard it too.  While I want breakfast, I also need it to be quick and hand-held is a good idea.  It doesn't have to be pretty, just nutritious and quick.

I realize smoothies are the 'in thing' and I do like them.  But in the morning, I'm just not 'with it' enough to handle motorized moving parts, aka, a blender. 

While meandering through the web, I found this idea on food network. It was titled 50 Breakfast on the Fly.  My first thought was that old song, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.  Okay, back to food.  I thought it was an excellent idea.  Most of the ideas are pretty basic and made with common ingredients.  Just quick and easy ideas to help you eat breakfast. 

I picked #13, Breakfast Egg Salad Sandwich.  Here are the ingredients.  One hard boiled egg, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or whatever is in the frig).  Chop the egg, add mayonnaise and mustard.  Mix thoroughly.  This can all be done the night before, meaning an extra 5 minutes of sleep.  For mine, I also added about ⅓ of an avocado and a dash of hot sauce.