Tasty Tuesday 11/11

Bird's Nest Breakfast Cups

This is a quick and on the go breakfast. The best part of this is you can switch it up every time you make it. Experiment with the ingredients and see what you like best. The following makes four servings:

Ingredients

3/8 (30 ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

 3/4 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 2-1/2 teaspoons olive oil

 3 tablespoons and 1-3/4 teaspoons shredded Cheddar cheese

4 eggs

 2 teaspoons water

 2-3/4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled - divided

 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease muffin cups.

Mix hash brown potatoes, salt, black pepper, olive oil, and shredded Cheddar cheese in a bowl.

Divide mixture between prepared muffin cups and use your fingers to shape potato mixture into nests with hollows in the middle.

Bake in the preheated oven until hash browns are browned on the edges and cheese has melted, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove hash brown nests.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Whisk eggs and water in a bowl until thoroughly combined; season with salt and black pepper. Pour equal amount of egg mixture into each nest; sprinkle with bacon crumbles and 1 teaspoon Cheddar cheese.

Bake in the oven until eggs are set, 13 to 16 minutes. Let cool in pans and remove by sliding a knife between potato crust and muffin cup.

South of the Border Pizza

Ingredients
1 (12-inch) precooked whole-grain pizza crust

1 cup Enchilada Sauce (See recipe  below, or use store-bought)

1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the pizza crust on a pizza stone or large baking sheet. Spread the enchilada sauce over the crust. Sprinkle the black beans and bell pepper over the sauce.

3. Bake until the crust is lightly browned around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven. Scatter the avocado over the pizza and sprinkle with the cilantro. Slice and serve.

Enchilada Sauce (makes 9 cups):

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

3 pounds tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

¼ teaspoon smoked hot paprika

1 tablespoon onion powder

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

Sea salt

½ teaspoon arrowroot powder

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic. Blend until smooth. (Do this in batches if necessary.) Transfer to a saucepan and stir in the cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, a generous pinch of salt, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with 1 tablespoon water, stirring well to avoid any lumps. Add this to the sauce, stirring well. Simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce reduces a bit and is fragrant. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Rigatoni Peperonata

I've made this recipe before and it is so good!

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

12 oz of Rigatoni

3 Red Bell Peppers, cut in half, seeded and cut into strips

2 Yellow Bell Peppers, cut in half, seeded and cut into strips

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

¼ cup of Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, cu into half moon slices

½ cup of White Wine

¼ cup of Kalamta Olives, pitted and cut in half

¼ cup of Fresh Basil, roughly torn

1 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter

¼ cup of Parmiggiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

1) Fill a large pot with water, sprinkle in some salt and bring to a boil.

2) In a large skillet, add the oil and garlic and preheat it over medium heat. Cook it long enough for the garlic to become fragrant and lightly golden.

3) Add the peppers and onions and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

4) Cook them for about 30 to 35 minutes or until they have cooked down and have caramelized around the edges and become soft (you might need to cover the skillet with a lid if you don’t think they are cooking down quickly enough)

5) When the onions and peppers have about 10 minutes left, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook according to package instructions, making sure to reserve about 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, drain well set aside. 

6) Add the white wine to the peppers and allow it to reduce for just a minute. 

7) Add the cooked and drained pasta along with the olives, basil, butter, parmesan and half of the cooking liquid.

8) Allow everything to cook together over medium high heat for just a minute constantly stirring. 

9) Serve right away!