(R)Energy Sandwich!!

The Renergy Sandwich originated from Rener Gracie.  He is part of the famous Gracie Family.  If you don't know who the Gracie's are - they are the family that introduced Brazilian Jiujitsu to the entire world.  Rener Gracie is a very famous practitioner of the art and also introduced this sandwich to the world.  This is a very good vegetarian type sandwich with tons of protein and flavor.  Rener calls this a breakfast sandwich, but honestly, it goes well anytime.

This is the type of almond butter I use for 

this recipe.  You can buy fresh almond 

butter at Whole Foods, but honestly, I like

 this one better.

You will notice that the spinach 

really cooks down.  This is what it looks 

like when you add the egg whites.

The eggs after the pan flip.  

The finished Renergy Sandwich

The Renergy Sandwich

Ingredients

2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
1/2 Avocado
1-2 Handfuls of Spinach
2-3 Egg Whites
Almond Butter
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Toast the bread and spread the almond butter on one side.  In a hot pan, saute the spinach until it cooks down.  This shouldn't take but a few minutes.  Once the spinach is cooked, go ahead and add the egg whites.  Cook until the eggs are set and then go ahead and flip it over - kind of like you were making an omelet.  You can do the fancy pan flip or just use a spatula.  Cook for about 1 minute longer after you flip and put the egg and spinach on the bread.  Slice an avocado and top it on the egg.  Place the slice of wheat toast with the almond butter on the top of the sandwich.

To the man who started it all:

http://renergysandwich.com

Shakshuka - Wait . . . What did you say???

Shakshuka is a middle eastern egg dish.  Traditionally it's made with tomatoes, peppers, eggs, and spices.  The great thing about this dish is it's versatility.  After you make this dish for the first time, you will think of a ton of combinations that you can do.  I've seen people put cheese on this dish, as well as other combinations.  I put my own spin on this dish and added some potatoes and left out the peppers - partially because I didn't have any on hand.  The potatoes went really well with the eggs and acted as a great filler - did I mention it's also low in calories.

Simmering the ingredients.  You 

will notice the mixture is firm.

Crack the eggs right into the mixture

Cover and cook on low heat for about 7 minutes.

 The finished product!!  

Ingredients

2 - 14 oz. Cans Diced (or crushed) Tomatoes
1 Large Onion (sliced)
2 Small Potatoes (diced)
3 Cloves of Garlic
6 Eggs
1 ts. Cumin
1 ts. Chile Powder
1 ts. Paprika
Season Salt

Directions

Saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the potatoes and cook until the potatoes are just about done.  Once the potatoes are close to being done, add the spices and tomatoes.  You want to cook the tomatoes until the excess juice is almost gone.  You will know because the mixture will become firm.  Make some indentions for the eggs.  Crack 6 eggs over the mixture and then cover them.  Cook for another 7 minutes.  This will allow the eggs to poach.  You can cook the eggs less time, it just all depends on how you like your eggs.

What in the World is Congee??

The first time I tasted congee, I knew I had to learn how to make it.  Congee is Chinese Rice Soup.  Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved rice, all kinds - jasmine, basmati, arborio, long grain, wild, etc.  For this recipe, you can just use regular short grain white rice.  Congee has a porridge like texture, but it's very flavorful.  The ginger and oyster sauce give it a really good flavor.  The recipe below is for a larger pot of congee.  It's probably better to cut this recipe in half.

Bringing the congee to a simmer with all of the ingredients added.

The finished product - you can see how thick the congee gets.  Don't 

be afraid to add more water if you want it a little more soupier.

The Final Plating

If you've had congee before, you will notice that this one is a little thicker than usual.  That's just my personal preference.  Feel free to add more water or stock to the dish.  Traditionally, it should be more of a porridge consistency.  Also, don't be afraid to add and change up ingredients - different vegetables, chicken, shrimp, etc.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Large Onion diced
• 4 Carrots Diced
• 36 oz. Mushrooms
• 3 cups Rice
• 1 pkg. Frozen Peas
• 1 Bunch Scallions
• 3 Garlic Cloves - minced
• 2 tbs. Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbs. Oyster Sauce
• 2 Tbs. Ginger (minced)
• 1 Gallon of Stock

DIRECTIONS

Saute mushrooms and then add the onions and garlic. Sauté onions until translucent and then add carrots and stock. Bring to a soft boil and then add peas, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and then add the rice. The soup will get very thick because of the rice, so make sure to stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. It will take the rice about 20 minutes to cook, just keep it on a simmer for 20-30 minutes - do not cover.  Serve in a bowl and garnish with scallions.

Game Day!

There is nothing better than watching the games on Sunday.  One of our favorite snacks while watching the game is nachos.  Right now we're on a quest to eat a little healthier.  So, of course, I take it a step further and decide to make vegan nachos - well, slightly vegan.  Not sure if the tortilla chips I used were vegan or not.  I will tell you that my wife hates tofu and refuses to eat it.  She had no idea she was eating tofu in this recipe.

I found a recipe and decided to put my own twist on it.  So, here goes:

Ingredients:

Nacho Chips (vegan or others)
Avocado
Morning Star Soy Crumbles
Season Salt

For the Sauce:
14-16 oz. Block of Tofu
1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
1/4 Hot Water
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Tbs. Paprika
1 Tbs. Chili Powder
Season Salt
1 Can Rotel (mild)

Directions

First thing you want to do is put the soy crumbles in a pan and fry them just like you would ground beef.  You can use oil or faux fry with water.  Season to taste with season salt - homemade or store bought is fine.  These only take a few minutes, once it's done just set it to the side.

Sauce:
Now, the recipe I found called this vegan nacho cheese.  This doesn't taste like nacho cheese at all, but it's really good and to be honest you don't really miss the nacho cheese.  The first thing you want to do is slice the tofu and put it on paper towels and blot it dry.  Slice the tofu into cubes and put it into a blender.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Plating:
Add nacho chips to a bowl or serving dish.  Add soy crumbles and top with the sauce.  You can top with tomatoes and/or onions.  I chose to use avocado.  Enjoy!!

Butternut Squash Soup

I've had quite a few requests for this recipe lately.  This is a good winter soup, but goes great anytime.  It's really thick and reminds me of a cream soup - and it's good for you!  This recipe can also be turned Vegan by substituting the chicken stock for vegetable stock.  I usually use the Knorr's chicken bouillon powder rather than actual stock.  It's just a lot quicker and already seasoned.

This is the Knorr's seasoing that I use.  It's a really good base.

Squash soup cooking

Finished Product!!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Butternut Squash, cubed
• 2 Carrots, cubed
• 1 Potato, cubed
• 4 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1 Can Coconut Milk (about 15 oz.)
• Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  In a large pot, heat oil to medium-low. Add garlic, onions and a little seasoned salt, stirring until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• 2
  Add squash, carrots, potato and stock, bring to boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat.
• 3
  Puree soup in a blender, working in batches.  Once done blending, add coconut milk and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed.

  
  

One Word - Hummus

Benefits of a Good Blender
One of the craziest things I've seen so far was a video on youtube of a guy that dropped an iPod in a blender.  The blender proceeded to turn this iPod into dust.  This was done as a demo to show you how good this blender was.  The reason I bring this up is that to make hummus, you should have a very good blender.  I have tried the same thing in a food processor and it just doesn't yield the same results.  Unfortunately, if you don't have access to a strong blender, just go ahead and buy the hummus from the store, as it probably won't turn out the way you like it.  I'm lucky enough to have a Blendtec blender which does a great job for me.  I also know that Vitamix blenders are very good also.

Making the Hummus
The reason that you need a good blender is that the hummus really needs to have a very smooth texture.  I've had hummus in the past that was very chunky - I personally didn't really care for the texture.  Aside from the equipment, one of the essential ingredients in hummus is tahini.  Tahini is sesame seed paste.  It has a very good nutty flavor.  I'm a big garlic fan, so garlic is another essential ingredient for a good hummus.  The great thing about this dish is that you can do so much with it.  You can add roasted red peppers, garlic, pine nuts, garlic, you can use white beans vs. chick peas and then add garlic.  The possibilities are endless.  Serve with pita chips, tortillas, naan, basically any type of bread.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15oz can of Chick Peas
• 1/4 cup of juice reserved from chick peas
• 1/4 cup of Olive Oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 1 ts season salt (homemade)
• 1/2 ts cumin

DIRECTIONS

Blend all ingredients thoroughly and serve.