Pangritata

Serves One

Pangritata:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/3 cup fresh or stale coarse breadcrumbs
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
* zest from half a lemon

1. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Ask a question about this step.
2. Add the breadcrumbs and sauté until golden and crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Ask a question about this step.
3. Add the rosemary, immediately remove from heat and allow to cool. Ask a question about this step.
4. Mix in lemon zest and set aside. Ask a question about this step.

Spaghetti and Eggs:

* 4 ounces spaghetti
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 large eggs
* 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
* 1 teaspoon small capers, drained
* freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente according to directions on box. (I usually undercook the pasta by about a minute.) Ask a question about this step.
2. Wipe out the skillet from the pangritata, add 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter and melt together over medium heat. Ask a question about this step.
3. Add the garlic and immediately break the eggs into the skillet. Ask a question about this step.
4. If need be, lower the heat a bit. You want the garlic to cook without burning and the egg whites to set, but the yolks to remain runny. Ask a question about this step.
5. Drain the pasta well, reserving ½ c of the cooking liquid. Ask a question about this step.
6. Add pasta back to the pot, pour over the eggs and all the fat from the skillet, add the parsley and capers and toss well, breaking up the eggs as you do. If you prefer a wetter dish, you can add in some of the reserved cooking liquid. Ask a question about this step.
7. Plate the pasta and eggs, season well with freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with the grated cheese and then top with the pangritata.

Reeses Cookies with only 2 ingredients!

Found this at the Picky Palate. Couldn't resist posting :)

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

24 snack size Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, usually comes in a pack of 8
1 large egg
Sea Salt if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap all Reeses cups and place into a food processor. Pulse until smooth and combined. Add an egg and pulse until combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. With the heel of your hand, press each cookie down to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cooked through and edges start to crisp. Let cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Makes 12-14 cookies

Spaghetti with fried eggs

So strange and yummy sounding, I just had to try it. DELICIOUS!! And using it as a base recipe, the options are endless. Add veggie bacon,or sun-dried tomatoes or asparagus or mushrooms. YUMM!!!



Spaghetti with fried eggs

* Salt
* 1/2 pound thin spaghetti
* 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or lard
* 2 large cloves garlic, lightly smashed and peeled
* 4 eggs
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, optional

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Start the sauce in the next step, and start cooking the pasta when the water boils.

2. Combine garlic and 4 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic, pressing it into the oil occasionally to release its flavor; it should barely color on both sides. Remove the garlic, and add the remaining oil.

3. Fry the eggs gently in the oil, until the whites are just about set and the yolks still quite runny. Drain the pasta, and toss with the eggs and oil, breaking up the whites as you do. (The eggs will finish cooking in the heat of the pasta.) Season to taste, and serve immediately, with cheese if you like.
Serving Size

Time: 20 minutes. Yield: 2 or 3 servings.

Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

Zucchini Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

* 6-8 eggs
* 1 cup ricotta cheese
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot chili sauce
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 cups grated zucchini (from 2-3 fresh zucchinis)
* 1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (from 4-5 fresh tomatoes),
* 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil (from about 20 leaves)*
* 4 cups cubed day-old bread (from about 4 slices)
* Olive oil

*Chiffonade basil by stacking a few leaves on top of each other, roll them up like a cigar, slice thin, starting at one end of the cigar and working your way down.
Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Add the ricotta and beat until smooth. Mix in the grated Parmesan cheese, Tabasco, salt and pepper.

2 Prepare the vegetables and bread. Once you chop the tomatoes, squeeze excess moisture out of them by pressing them in a sieve, or wrapping in paper towels and squeezing. Add the tomatoes, basil, and zucchini to the egg mixture. Moisten the bread cubes with a little water then squeeze out any excess moisture using paper towels. Mix the bread cubes into the egg mixture.

3 Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish generously with olive oil. Pour the egg vegetable mixture into the baking pan and even it out in the pan. Place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. The casserole should puff up and brown lightly. If it hasn't after 30 minutes at 350, increase the heat to 425° and cook for 5-10 minutes further. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Makes 6-8 portions.

Licking the beaters...

Found this over at theppk. I'm gonna try that apple butter idea.... hmmm... apple butter cookies, maybe?


Get rid of the eggs
Replacing eggs is the most challenging aspects of vegan baking. Those suckers bind, they leaven and they give structure to our baked goods. However, like a bad boyfriend, they can be replaced, and with pleasing results. Here some info on replacements I have tried.

Flax Seeds
How to use it:
1 Tablespoon flax seeds plus 3 Tablespoons water replaces one egg. Finely grind 1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds in a blender or coffee grinder, or use 2 1/2 tablespoons pre-ground flaxseeds. Transfer to a bowl and beat in 3 tablespoons of water using a whisk or fork. It will become very gooey and gelatinous, much like an egg white. In some recipes, you can leave the ground flax in the blender and add the other wet ingredients to it, thus saving you the extra step of the bowl.

When it works best:
Flax seeds have a distinct earthy granola taste. It tastes best and works very well in things like pancakes, and whole grain items, such as bran muffins and corn muffins. It is perfect for oatmeal cookies, and the texture works for cookies in general, although the taste may be too pronounced for some. Chocolate cake-y recipes have mixed results, I would recommend only using one portion flax-egg in those, because the taste can be overpowering.

Tips:
Always store ground flaxseeds in the freezer because they are highly perishable. This mixture is not only an excellent replacement for eggs, it also contributes vital omega-3 fatty acids.

Where to get it:
Health food stores

Silken Tofu
How to use it:
1/4 cup blended silken tofu = 1 egg. Whiz in a blender until completely smooth and creamy, leaving no graininess or chunks. You will want to add other wet ingredients to this mixture to get it to blend properly. I recommend vacuum packed extra firm silken tofu, such as Mori-Nu.

When it works best:
Dense cakes and brownies, and in smaller quantites for lighter cakes and fluffy things (if the recipe calls for 3 eggs only use 2 "tofu" eggs"). Whizzed tofu leaves virtually no taste, so it is an excellent replacer in cake recipes. In cookie recipes, it may make the cookie more cake-y and fluffy than anticipated, add 1 teaspoon of starch to the recipe (such as arrowroot or corn starch) to combat that. It may make pancakes a little heavy, so it is not recommended as a quick replacement for eggs in pancakes, although it could work well with a little experimentation.

Where to get it:
Health food store shelves, and in some supermarkets.

Ener-G Egg Replacer
How to use it:
1 1/2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons water mixed well = 1 egg
Many people swear by this egg replacer. I think it is good to use in a pinch, in all baking that requires a few eggs. However, I can definitely taste it in cakes and cookies (tastes chalk-y), and I'm not crazy about the dense texture it turns out.

When it works best:
It seems to work best in cookies, or things that are supposed to be a little crispy.

Where to get it:
Health food stores, some supermarkets in the baking or ethnic food section

Bananas
How to use it:
1/2 banana blended until smooth or mashed well= 1 egg.
Bananas work wonders as an egg replacer in baking, which is the reason many banana bread recipes don't require eggs. They hold the air bubbles well, make things nice and moist, and impart a nice flavor. However, you don't want everything tasting like banana, so use in things where the taste won't be intrusive. I've also noticed that baked goods using banana brown very nicely.

When it works best:
Quick breads, muffins, cakes, pancakes

Tip: Make sure bananas are nice and ripe and have started to brown.

Where to get it:
Just kidding, I think you can figure this one out.

Soy yogurt
How to use it:
1/4 cup soy yogurt = 1 egg.
Soy yogurt works a lot like whizzed tofu as an egg replacer. It makes things moist and yummy.

When it works best:
Quick breads, muffins, cakes

Where to get it:
Health food stores, yuppyish supermarkets

Lose the milk
This is a no-brainer. Use soy, rice or almond milk. Butter milk? Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to your milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

It's like buttah...
Instead of butter try unsalted margarine or go ahead and use salted but reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. Lose 1/4 teaspoon per 1/2 stick of butter. But try to use the non-hydrogented kind, I dunno', for your health?

My favorite thing to use instead of butter is canola oil, but you can use any vegetable oil, just reduce the amount. If a recipe calls for one stick of butter, which is a half cup, I use 1/3 cup of oil.

You can also try prune puree which will also obviously reduce the amount of fat. To use, puree 1/2 cup of pitted prunes with 1/4 cup of water. You will want to reduce the amount used, or the final product may be too moist. If the recipe calls for a half cup use 1/3 cup instead. You may also want to add a little oil, maybe a tablespoon per cup of fat needed, because a little fat goes a long way in taste and texture.