This may seem like a lot of work (at times it certainly feels that way) but in all honesty I like making food enough that I don't normally mind too much.
So here is a Saturday breakfast:
His: shallow fried plantains and french toast
Mine: Greek yogurt with honey and fruit
(Plantains)
I've had plantains two ways: One way in Costa Rica which I later learned were called "platanos maduros" and the other Cuban approach which was "twice fried plantains" (not sure how to say that in any other language...) I found that out of the two, I MUCH preferred the Costa Rican "platanos maduros". They are made from plantains that have been given a good long while to ripen. And when i say ripen, I mean RIPEN. If it was a banana, you'd think it was too mushy to eat. But fear not! Plantains are a relative of bananas, but hold up for much longer, even when the peel looks basically black. In fact, when making platanos maduros, you want a plantain that has a very dark or even black peel. I also liked platanos maduros much more because they require less oil. The Cuban twice fried plantains are made from plantains that are not as ripe (and have less of a sweet flavor), are crispy, and are deep fried (which I hardly EVER allow myself to eat out at restaurants and NEVER do at home.)
SO, for my version of Platanos Maduros:
one large plantain (VERY ripe)
2 tbs butter
3 tbs canola oil
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp white sugar
Cut the plantain into 1/4"-1/2" coins, or if you're feeling fancy, cut them at a diagonal but keeping them roughly 1/4"-1/2" thick (now that I think of it, thinner is better.)
Put the butter into a skillet (preferably nonstick) on medium heat and allow to melt. Then add the oil.
Place the pieces of plantains into the pan. At this point you want to be careful. In my experience it is easy to burn the outside of the plantain while leaving the inside raw and fibrous (... not yummy foodie foodie...) Allow the plantains to cook thoroughly before flipping. Add the sugars. The plantains should be golden brown and soft in the middle.
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| I burnt some of them just a little :] |
Next comes French Toast. Pretty basic if you ask me but it's a wonderful go-to recipe when you've got some bread sitting around. My mom makes it with whole wheat bread at home since we have that around more than any other type of bread. I made it with a french bread loaf that I had leftover from the night before (for Brian, of course, because I try not to eat TOO much bread!)
You'll need:
1-2 eggs
roughly 1/4c milk (I never really measure)
2-3 tbs granulated or powdered sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
a big sprinkle of ground cinnamon
Sliced bread (french, whole wheat, whatever you like!)
1-2 tbs butter
Crack the egg(s) into a wide bowl or deep plate and use a whisk to beat it. Add the milk, sugar, and cinnamon to the bowl. Put the butter into a nonstick pan on medium to high heat. While the butter is melting, dip the slices of bread into the egg mixture. Be sure to get both sides. When the butter is melted and pan is fairly hot, (at this point I like to sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and sugar onto each slice of bread to it will caramelize while cooking) put the dipped bread into the pan and let brown on both sides. then TA-DA!!!!! French Toast. VERY basic, but yummy. I like to warm up strawberry or blackberry jam in the absence of maple syrup. Also, a little sprinkle of salt will do wonders.
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| Sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon |
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| Brown on both sides |
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| Brian's Breakfast. Happy weekend |
My VERY simple breakfast is delicous, healthy, and serves as great fuel if you have a long day ahead of you. Depending on the season, you may be able to take advantage of your local farmers market (which I fully encourage) but if you find yourself devoid of fresh fruit, you can indeed make this with canned fruit—I prefer pears or peaches.
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| I use Trader Joe's nonfat plain Greek Yogurt. They have other flavors but I prefer plain because of the lower sugar content. |
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Greek Yogurt, be aware that it is not entirely the same as regular yogurt. It has a much thicker consistency and has a much stronger flavor (sort of tangy). The reason I REALLY like it is because it has double the protein content of regular yogurt which is great if you need a good breakfast that will really carry you throughout the day.
For an Elise sized portion you'll need:
1/2 C Nonfat plain Greek Yogurt
1 C fresh fruit (in this case I chose strawberries and nectarines)
1-2 tsp honey
or 1 packet of Splenda OR 1-2 tsp sugar
Put the Greek yogurt into a bowl and add the honey, sugar, or spenda. Mix well.
Then add the fruit.
Hah! How easy was that?
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| Yum! |
Well I hope you've enjoyed my first food-post. I'll be back with more yum yums later.
Foodie foodie!
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