healthy | The Foodies' Kitchen

Toast with Poached Eggs & Avocado

I did it! I poached an egg! I don’t know why, but I could never get an egg to poach. The last time I tried (quite a while ago), Mariano saw me in the kitchen trying to fish out bits of loose egg white from a cloudy mess inside a pot, while I cursed up a storm. He laughed and said- How hard can it be? let me try!- 6 eggs later, we still didn’t have poached eggs. We gave up.

I did a little research, and found out there a couple of tips that are absolutely necessary for you to be able to get a poached egg. I’ll share them with you in a minute. One of the tips is to use fresh eggs, so when I brought them home from the store a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try again. I had seen the recipe for poached eggs lying on a bed of mashed avocado on toast that I really wanted to try. It looked so pretty…and healthy. I was really, really, really hoping to get the poaching right this time.

Tips:

The water needs to be simmering, but not boiling. Don’t let it get any bubbles going. This will break apart your egg. Let it get to a slow simmer.
Add vinegar to the water, it will help hold the egg together
Make circles in the water to get a spiral going, carefully drop your egg in the center. The motion of the water will also help contain the egg white.
Use fresh eggs. Break your egg in a small bowl, and when putting the egg into the water do it carefully by letting it drop from very close to the water level.
After the 4 minutes are up, transfer them with a large spoon to a cold water bath. This also helps them retain their shape.

Success! And the recipe was delicious. Mariano asked that I make it again for an easy Sunday breakfast.

Helga

Poached Eggs

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes
Cook time: 4 minutes

Ingredients:
Fresh eggs
1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar

Procedure:

First bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling. If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling. At this point, you can add one or two teaspoons of vinegar to the water, if you want. The vinegar will help the egg whites to congeal more easily.
Working with the eggs one by one, crack an egg into a small cup, then place the cup near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water. (this is where I did the spiral in the water thing, before dropping the egg) With a spoon, nudge the egg whites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together
.Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked.
Lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.
Transfer to a bowl with ice water for a few seconds before serving.

Toast with Poached Eggs & Avocado

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 avocado
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 slices whole wheat bread, lightly toasted
3 large eggs

Procedure:

Halve avocado, remove pit, and scoop flesh into a medium bowl. Add lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mash and stir with a fork until combined and mostly smooth, with some small chunks remaining.
Divide avocado mixture among toast slices, spreading evenly.
Follow the steps above to make your poached eggs.
Carefully remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon, allowing excess water to drain off. Place 1 egg on each toast slice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

08:22 AM
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- Avocado, Breakfast, healthy, poached eggs, toast
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Ceviche Salad with Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette

Doesn’t this look fresh? The heat has been going up and up in Guatemala so this dish was welcomed. It’s definitely a make ahead meal, since you need to let the fish marinate in lemon juice for a few hours before serving it, this is how the fish gets cooked. Our Guatemalan and Latin American readers will know all about this, since this is how we make good old fashioned ceviche.

However, this is definitely a different version for it. I served it on a bed of shredded greens, and instead of mixing it with the usual tomato and onions, it is served with a mixture of mango and avocado. Instead of the usual salt, lemon and Worcestershire sauce, it is served with a spicy citrus vinaigrette. You just have to try it, if you like ceviche, you will love this dish.

Note: The day I made this, I forgot to get cilantro. Please, put some on yours.

Helga

Ceviche Salad with Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette

Adapted from a Spicy Perspective
4 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. fresh white fish fillet (Mahi Mahi, Cod, Halibut, Sea Bass)
5 limes, juiced
1 additional lime, juiced
1/2 an onion, finely sliced.
3 avocados, peeled and sliced
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 an orange, juiced
1-2 tsp. honey
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
Optional: grated fresh ginger

Procedure:

Flash freeze the fish for 30 minutes until it’s slightly frozen, making it firm and easier to slice. Then slice the fillet crossways into ultra thin pieces. Lay them in an airtight container.
Sprinkle the fish with 1 teaspoon of salt, then squeeze 5 limes over the fish and add the onion scattered on top. Shake a little, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Whisk the oil, juices of the remaining lime, and the orange juice together. Add 1 or 2 teaspoon of honey, and cayenne pepper if you’re using it. Taste and adjust for sweetness and heat. Then salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve: After 3 hours, drain the juices from the ceviche. Arrange several slices of fish, arrange some of the onions, mango, and avocado on each plate. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro leaves and drizzle with the spicy vinaigrette. If you like ginger, it gives it a great flavor if you sprinkle a few shavings of fresh ginger using your zester.

11:59 AM
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- Avocado, Ceviche, healthy, Mango, salad
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Cornmeal Crusted Fish

Cookies, candy canes, chocolates and all sorts of sweets we indulged in during the holiday season are behind us (…literally). It’s time to get back in gear and feed our bodies nutritious and low fat food. This fish recipe is a perfect choice, instead of using breadcrumbs to coat the fish fillets, you use cornmeal which has antioxidants, fiber and it’s gluten free. Pair it with a fresh green salad, and you’re set.

Use a generous amount of salt to season your fish. I under seasoned mine by using a sprinkling of salt on my fish, and adding just a sprinkling to the cornmeal mixture.

As a rule, I found this great tip for seasoning foods and I want to share it with you so you don’t under season like I did:
Since you can’t taste meats and fish in their raw state, seasoning them is a bit tricky. Try 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound of seafood, and 1 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken, beef, pork, and lamb. This will give you a starting point, and next time you’ll be able to fine tune your seasoning.

Helga

Cornmeal Crusted Fish

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons paprika
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 (6 to 8 ounces each) skinless tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil

Optional:
1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa

Procedure:

In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal and paprika; season generously with salt and pepper. Separate fillets into thick and thin sides. Dredge each piece in cornmeal mixture, patting it on to coat completely.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook as many pieces as will fit (without crowding) until golden brown and firm, about 2 minutes per side for thin pieces and 4 minutes per side for thick ones.
Transfer to a plate; sprinkle with salt, if desired, and cover loosely to keep warm.
Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining oil and fish.
Serve with tomato salsa, if desired.