Blake Makes

Bridget’s away on a business trip, so dinner is just me and the poodle tonight. I’m really craving eggs today, but I don’t want breakfast for dinner. I love poached eggs…wheels turning…I have some great homemade vinegarette in the fridge…wheels turning…why not put a poached egg on a salad? The EBLT is born.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

So, obviously, EBLT stands for Eggs-Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato. I toss some mixed greens in a simple, homemade vinegarette.

The make the vinegarette, whisk together the following:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

Toss the greens in the dressing. Dice a tomato, toss it in. Scissor in some crisp turkey bacon, toss it in. Crumble in some feta.

Poach 2 eggs and place them (carefully) on top of the salad. Crack a little black pepper on the stark white spheres.

I cook my eggs just long enough to keep them together, but to leave the insides warm and runny.

I break into the eggs one at a time. The first egg gets invaded when I start my meal, and warm, yellowy mirth pours into the salad and becomes part of the dressing.

I puncture the second egg about half way through the salad.

Blake Makers, this is such a great way to eat healthy, eat high, eat happy. bk

P.S. I know there are a lot of photos, but I loved them all.

I’ve made a version of these quesadillas before, but these are a little different. I’m always amazed how sweet onions get if you cook them long (and slow) enough. These were like candy, and I didn’t add sugar or balsamic vinegar.

To Make The Onions:

Peel and slice 2 yellow onions and 1 red onion (I cut the yellow onions in half).

Melt 2 tblsp. of butter with 2 tblsp. of olive oil over low heat in a large skillet. Add the onions.

Leave them to cook (you should hear a slight, quiet sizzle).

Stir them in 15 minute increments until 1 hour has elapsed. They should be brown and sweet.

Taste to see if you need any salt, and I toss in about a tsp. of fresh thyme leaves.

To Make The Quesadillas:

Place a quesadilla on a plate. Top with 1/4 of the onion mixture. Dollop on fresh goat cheese. Top with another tortilla.

Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden and filling is gooey.

We used whole wheat tortillas and went light on the cheese to make this dish healthier for us. They were so good…even better cold the next day.

Bridget made this salad last weekend. It’s just got a few ingredients, and requires no cooking (assembly only). I got guilt-free seconds. Behold, tomato-onion salad.

There are no exact measurements with this salad. Dice as many tomatoes as you need to feed everyone eating.

Thinly slice a white onion. White onions have a little heat, so make sure not to put too much in. We just used 1 medium white onion for the two of us, and remember, slice it as thin as you can.

Next, chop some black olives (about a cup) and fresh parsley (about 1/4 cup).

Drizzle over a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

We sprinkled on some crumbly goat cheese at the end (to taste), and ate it with slices of toasted Kalamata olive bread.

This is sort of like a deconstructed Panzanella. It’s very good and keeps in the fridge for plenty of late night snacking.