Breakfast Baked Penne

This recipe is a single serving home version of a dish I came up with for staff meal at a restaurant one morning a few years ago. The staff meal had sausage in it, and this recipe can certainly go well with a meat/protein.

Breakfast Baked Penne

2oz Penne Pasta (uncooked, by weight)
1/2 Canned Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup Peppers and Onions
1/8 cup Mushrooms (canned or fresh both work fine)
1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Dried Basil
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Lime Juice
Pinch of Cumin Seed (whole), Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
S+P to taste
1. Put the water on high for your pasta, and begin heating your oven's broiler.
2. When the water boils, add salt to the water, let return to a boil, put the pasta in, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 6-7 minutes (you want the pasta slightly underdone because it will continue to cook when it's in the sauce and the oven).
3. Saute the peppers and onions along with the mushrooms in a non-stick pan. Add salt, pepper, and the cumin seed, garlic powder, and onion powder at this time. Cook until you get caramelization on the veggies, then set aside.
4. Scramble the egg in the same pan, and add the pepper and onion mixture into this when the egg is near done. Add the basil, oregano, tomatoes, and lime juice. Bring to a simmer.
5. Strain the pasta when it's done, and stir into the egg mixture. Simmer for about 1 minute.
6. Pour into a heat resistant single serving baking dish, top with cheese, and put into your heated oven for about 3 minutes (or until you get caramelization of the cheese).
7. Remove from the oven with an oven mitt, and place on a small plate with a towel draped over it.
8. Enjoy!

Breakfast Burrito

Most breakfast burritos you can get in a restaurant are going to have potatoes in them as a kind of filler. Personally, I hate that practice. So, instead of the potatoes, I went with rice and black beans for this. I hope you like it, because I sure do! Also, you can add meat to this if you want.

Breakfast Burrito

1 10" Tortilla

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Peppers and Onions

1/4 cup Canned Black Beans

1/4 cup Rice (uncooked)

1/4 cup shredded cheddar (or colby jack) cheese

1/4 tsp Canned Chipotles in Adobo (pureed)

1/2 tsp Lime Juice

1/4 tsp Cumin Seed (whole)

Pinch Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, Dried Cilantro

S+P to taste

1. Start the rice following the specific instructions for your rice maker/steamer (if you're using one). Add the lime juice to the water, and add salt and pepper.

2. When the rice is almost done, begin warming up the tortilla. Scramble the eggs in a non-stick pan  over medium heat (you can use a regular pan, but you'll need to warm up 1 Tbsp of oil first).

3. When the eggs are done, remove them from the pan and set aside somewhere where they'll be kept warm. Using the same pan, saute the peppers and onions until the onions turn translucent.

4. Add the black beans, chipotles, herbs, spices, and S+P. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. The starchiness of the beans might require you to add some liquid, so a little extra lime juice will not only do the trick, but it will also add a little more flavor.

5. Add the eggs to the mix, stir, and cook for about 30 seconds.

6. Get the tortilla out of wherever you've been keeping it warm, put the rice in first, and then put the egg mix on tops. Add the cheese, and roll up.

7. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Red Curry Soup

I just tested this one tonight, and I think I've got a new favorite soup. Like most of the soups I cook, I used my little slow cooker for this. It takes some time, but it's well worth the wait in my opinion.

Roasted Red Pepper and Red Curry Soup

1 Red Pepper

1 qt Vegetable Broth

1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1/4 tsp Whole Cumin Seed

1 cup Mirepoix (1 part celery, 1 part carrot, 2 parts onion)

1/4 cup Red Cooking Wine

Pinch Smoked Paprika, Dried Basil, Dried Oregano

S+P to taste

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place the red pepper on a cookie sheet, and put in the oven. Roast for about an hour, turning occasionally.

3. About fifteen minutes before your pepper is due to come out begin sweating (cooking over low heat, with a little oil, to get vegetables to release their juices) the mirepoix, add salt to help this process along. Put the broth in your slow cooker and begin heating it.

4. Add the herbs and spices (including the pepper, but not the curry paste) to the mirepoix and stir.

5. When the red pepper is out of the oven, place it in an empty container with a tight fitting lid and allow it to steam for a couple minutes.

6. Take the red pepper out of the container, and strip the skin off of it (the reason for putting it in the container to steam was to make the skin easier to take off of it). Discard the skin.

7. Remove the top of the pepper, and all the seeds you can. Discard these.

8. Cut the pepper into a large dice.

9. Add the cooking wine to the mirepoix, stir, and add all of it to the broth.

10. Add the red pepper and curry paste to the broth, and cook on high for about 2 hours.

11. I like vegetable soups served "restaurant style", which means that they're blended. If you like a more rustic feel to your soups, you can leave off the blending. If you want it blended, blend it now.

12. Enjoy!

Guarded Treasure Breakfast Sandwich

I'm sure this sandwich isn't unique, but this is something I started fixing on my own. If it's like yours, sorry, but I won't remove it as I worked this one out myself (it really isn't too hard). Again, this one is pretty "flexitarian" as you can add a meat if you want. You can also saute some peppers and onions to go inside of it. This is most easily done in a good quality non-stick pan.

Guarded Treasure Breakfast Sandwich

1 egg

2 slices of bread

Cheese (I use slices of colby jack, but you can use whatever cheese, sliced or shredded, that you want)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Toast the bread. Take a biscuit cutter and cut a hole into one slice.

2. Heat a pan over medium heat, add the bread slice with the hole in it (or both, with the cheese on the whole slice, if your pan is big enough. Crack the egg into the hole. Season with salt and pepper.

3. When the egg is almost completely cooked, flip it and the bread it's in over. Add the cheese, and begin to melt.

4. Add the whole slice of bread, and flip over again. Cook until cheese has melted. Put onto a plate egg side up.

5. Enjoy!

Smothered Burrito

This is another single serving dish that I've decided to add to my cookbook. The first iteration of this recipe was a bit too spicy even for me, and the second was still spicier than I wanted it to be. To that end, I've cut down the amount of Chipotles in Adobo, and I've removed the cayenne and Chipotle Tabasco entirely. If your aren't one for spicy food, even the latest iteration might be too much for you (if you don't like spicy food, you'd do well to cut out the chipotles in adobo entirely). Still, I think most people will be able to enjoy this recipe as it stands now. As with most of my recipes, this one can easily be a "flexitarian" dish. If you want to add some ground beef to it, or use a vegetarian green chili, I'm sure it would taste delicious.

Single Serving Smothered Burrito

1  10" Tortilla

1/2 cup Peppers and Onions mix

1/2 Canned diced tomatoes

1/4 Black beans (canned work fine, but if you have dried around be sure they soak for about 8 hours before you try to cook them, and that you drain off the water they soaked in)

1/4 Rice (uncooked)

1/2 cup Pork green chili (again, canned will do fine, but my suggestion would be to make some yourself; I'll be posting a recipe for that later)

1/4 tsp Onion powder

1/4 tsp Garlic powder

1/4 tsp Oregano

1/4 tsp Cumin seed (whole)

1/2 tsp Canned chipotles in adobo (pureed)

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pinch dried cilantro, smoked paprika, mild chile rojo

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Whether you're using a steamer, rice maker, or just doing it on the stove top, this is the time to start your rice. Follow the instructions for your machine, or on the bag of rice.

2. When your rice is nearly done, turn on your oven to its warm setting, put the tortilla on a plate, and place it in the oven.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp of canola oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the peppers and onions.

4. Once the peppers and onions begin to caramelize, add the tomatoes, black beans, chipotles, herbs, spices, and salt and pepper. Stir, reduce heat, and simmer slowly for 5-10 minutes. Heat the pork green chili in a small saucepan.

5. When the rice is done, get your tortilla out of the oven and put the rice in a line roughly in the middle of the tortilla. Then add the tomato mixture, roll up the tortilla (you don't need to worry about closing up the ends, but you can if you want), top with pork green and cheese. Place into your warm oven to melt the cheddar.

6. Enjoy!

And the work continues...

I've been working hard on the cookbook I mentioned the last time out, and I'm almost halfway to the minimum number of recipes. They're only outlines at the moment, but I'll start testing them soon. Keep your eyes peeled, as I'll post a few here. A little teaser for what's to come.

Cookbook writer

That's right, I've decided to try and get paid for this crap by writing a cookbook! We'll see what happens.

Single-Serving Huevos Rancheros

I've only started making this one for my breakfasts recently, but I've come to love it. It's simple and delicious. I usually make it without a meat/protein of any kind, save for the egg, but adding one in wouldn't be difficult. Like the Baked Penne recipe, this can also be expanded out for a family fairly easily.

Single-Serving Huevos Rancheros

1 6" Whole wheat tortilla (this is what I use, personally, but you can use whatever variety of tortilla takes your fancy)

1 Large egg

1/2 cup Pepper and onion mixture (same stuff from the Baked Penne recipe)

1/4 cup Canned diced tomatoes

1/4 cup Shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp Ground cumin

1/4 tsp Dried oregano

Pinch of Smoked paprika, Cayenne pepper

A couple drops of hot sauce

S+P to taste

1. If you're using a non-stick pan, begin heating it over medium to medium-high heat. If not, may whatever gods there are have mercy on you, but heat 1 Tbsp of canola oil over the same heat.

2. Wrap the tortilla in microwave safe paper towels, and place in the microwave. Set for 20 seconds, but don't start it yet. If you want to use another method to warm up your tortilla, that's fine.

3. Crack the egg into the pan, and cook however you'd like (I go for Over Easy, myself). Start the microwave once the egg is in the pan.

4. Once the microwave goes off, and your egg is done, slide the egg onto the tortilla, and put it where it will be kept warm.

5. Saute the pepper and onion mixture in the same pan you cooked the egg in (if you aren't using a non-stick, you'll need to heat a little bit more oil first).

6. Add the tomatoes, S+P, spices, and hot sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour over the egg and tortilla.

7. Top with cheese, and enjoy!

 

 

Single-Serving Baked Penne

This recipe is a personal favorite of mine that I've been making at home for several years. It's quick, easy, delicious, and filling. It's also not terribly expensive (especially if you do as I do, and freeze the peppers and onions you won't be using immediately; one freezer bag of that mix usually lasts me about 4-5 months), and can easily be expanded out to become an excellent dish for a family of any size. I hope you enjoy my blog's first recipe!

Baked Penne (Single serving)

2oz (uncooked, by weight) Penne pasta

1/2 cup Canned diced tomatoes

1/2 cup julienne pepper and onion mix^*

1/4 cup fresh mushrooms (canned mushrooms work as well)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds

1/8 tsp toasted fennel seeds

Pinch of Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, and Smoked Paprika

S+P to taste

1 Tbsp Canola oil

1/4 cup red wine (cooking wine is fine)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Begin preheating your oven's broiler (check the optional note at the bottom) while setting the water for your pasta on high heat. Put the cumin and fennel seeds into the oven to toast for 3-5 minutes (It shouldn't take long, but use your own judgment. Just be sure not to burn them. You also don't have to toast the seeds at all, but it will bring another element to the flavor.) 

2. When the water begins to boil, add a little salt. When the water has returned to a full boil, add the pasta, stir, and turn down to medium heat. Cook uncovered for 7-8 minutes. 

3. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a skillet over high heat, add mushrooms, and the pepper and onion mixture, and saute until you get some coloration. 

4. There should be some discoloration on the bottom of your skillet (unless you're using a non-stick pan, in which case add the red wine, but don't scrape the pan). Add the red wine, and scrape the pan with a wooden or bamboo spoon until you have as much of it off as you can get (that discoloration, and stuck on material, is called the "fond", which is itself French for "foundation", in restaurant kitchens, and getting it off the pan will lend some good flavor to your sauce, the process in this step is called "deglazing"). 

5. Add the canned tomatoes, as well as the herbs, spices, salt, and pepper, to the skillet, turn down the heat to medium and simmer while you deal with the pasta. 

6. Once the pasta has reached the desired doneness, pour it into a colander to drain off the water, and add it to your sauce. Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce. Bring back to a simmer, and let simmer for 1 minute. 

Optional: You can stop here, and have this dish unbaked, as well as with or without the cheese, if you'd like. All ways are delicious, and it's up to you. 

7. Pour pasta and sauce into a single-serving baking dish (I use a round dish made by Pyrex, myself), add the cheese on top, place in the middle of your oven, and let broil until the top begins to turn golden-brown. I find this usually takes about 3 minutes. 

8. Remove from the oven, and place on a plate over which you've placed a clean, folded kitchen towel (I use this as a precautionary measure in case my plates can't take the heat). Drizzle with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and enjoy!

^*Pepper and Onion mixture:

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

2 large red onions

1. Remove the top and bottom from both onions, cut in half, and peel away the outermost layer. 

2. Cut the tops off of the peppers, remove the seeds, cut in half, and clean out any stray seeds. 

3. Cut all vegetables julienne (restaurant standards say ^1/8inx^1/8inx2^1/2in, but all you need are thin strips, not stringent requirements). 

4. measure out 1/4 cup, and put what you aren't going to use now into a freezer bag and freeze 

(Tip: Come back and massage the bag every two hours for the first 4-6 hours so that the ice crystals don't get too big, and you end up with a frozen block of veggies. If you forget, you'll just have to break up the block later when you want some veggies for this, or another recipe. This will just make your vegetables easier to use.)

Note: Please let me know if you have any troubles understanding or producing this recipe, or understanding my terminology. I'm trying to write these so that anyone can make them, but I've worked in restaurants for quite some time and I'm incredibly used to these terms and procedures. Other people might not be. Thanks!

Content

Yes, content is, indeed, coming to this blog. I'm in the process of testing a couple recipes, and I've decided to add the possibility of including restaurant reviews. The restaurants won't be fancy ones, but they will be decent places to eat. They will also mostly be in my surrounding area for the time being, but hopefully I'll eventually expand out and get to review some places that are far flung from my little corner of the world.