Broccoli, Tomato and Feta Fritatta

Happy Halloween, and good morning! This breakfast turned out so colorful and tasty, we wanted to share it with you. Easy, fresh, healthy, filling and tastes delicious, follow this recipe and welcome to a really good morning:

Serves 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

4 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon fat free milk

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 ounce crumbled Feta cheese

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Directions

Beat eggs, salt and milk together. In an oven safe skillet, melt the butter over medium heat on the stove top. Add in the broccoli to soften and coat. Pour the eggs in the pan and cook until the eggs just start to firm up, pushing the eggs back and forth with a spatula. Spread evenly over the pan, and take off the flame. Top with tomatoes and Feta, then put it in the oven for 10 minutes until the eggs are completely set, but not browned. Divide on two plates and serve warm, with toast and coffee.

Sweet and Sour Brisket

We ran across this recipe in our favorite cookbook, The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger. It's slow cooked brisket in a home made, and plate licking, sweet and sour sauce. We bought our brisket at Fulton Market and literally couldn't wait to prepare this, but it takes some time! So make this on the weekend, and please let us know what you think, because we literally have never tasted any brisket more incredible then this one! We had to share. Some tricks we learned while making this... make sure you have a large stove top to oven pot, like our Le Creuset dutch oven with the heavy lid. Also, you have to let the roast rest and cool down for 45 minutes before slicing it- otherwise it will shread ( which is also yummy but not as ideal for sharing a sliced roast!) Just put the sliced meat back in to the sauce over the stovetop to heat it back up- and it's perfection!


Ingredients
1 (3-pound) beef brisket, first-cut or flat-half cut, trimmed of any excess fat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2, then thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
One 15- oz. can tomato sauce, preferably no salt added
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup golden raisins
5 black peppercorns
1 allspice berry

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or braising pot. Sear the brisket until it is browned, 4 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and cook the onion, stirring a few times, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the vinegar, the raisins, peppercorns, and allspice and stir to combine well. Bring mixture to a boil, return brisket and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the tomato-vinegar mixture over the brisket, cover tightly, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove the brisket from the oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes or, if serving later, cover and refrigerate the meat and sauce for several hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4- inch thick slices. Return the sliced brisket to the sauce until heated through, then serve.

Yield: 10 servings, serving size: 4-ounces brisket plus 3 tablespoons of sauce




adapted from 2007, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved

Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese, Cinnamon and Honey

Figs are a great fruit to eat fresh, it's incredible the difference in taste and texture when you compare it from what we're used to- Fig Newton's anyone? We saw these beautiful and sensual fruits ripe and in season at the Whole Foods and couldn't resist trying something new with them. The mix of goat cheese and honey in a fresh fig creates a perfect balance of flavors and texture- this works great as an appetizer, dessert or even a quick breakfast in a pinch! Try these out fast, as this recipe works best with the fresh figs and like we said, they're in season now,




Ingredients:

10 fresh figs
4 oz Goat Cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon good honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated Cinnamon




Directions:

Remove the stems of the figs and cut into quarters from the top down to, but not completely through, the base of the fig. Cream or whip the goat cheese with half the honey and a half the cinnamon, then and place it in a sandwich bag- snip the corner to allow a small hole for piping the cheese. Pipe cheese into the center of each fig. Drizzle the remaining honey and cinnamon over the figs and serve!




Ingredients:

10 fresh figs
4 oz Goat Cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon good honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated Cinnamon




Directions:

Remove the stems of the figs and cut into quarters from the top down to, but not completely through, the base of the fig. Cream or whip the goat cheese with half the honey and a half the cinnamon, then and place it in a sandwich bag- snip the corner to allow a small hole for piping the cheese. Pipe cheese into the center of each fig. Drizzle the remaining honey and cinnamon over the figs and serve!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Bananas

Chocolate.... Bananas.... Chopped pecans.... We're not sure we need to say more.... try these out and you really won't miss ice cream ever again.


Ingredients:
4 medium ripe but firm bananas
8 wooden craft sticks
3 tablespoons finely chopped Pecans
6 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa solids), chopped




Peel, then cut each banana in half crosswise and insert a craft stick into each half. Place on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until frozen, about 3 hours.

Place the peanuts in a shallow dish or on a plate. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the top pan. Pour the melted chocolate into a tall glass. Dip each frozen banana into the chocolate, turning it to coat, and immediately roll in the peanuts. Place on a tray covered in waxed paper. Serve immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Many apologies for the lack of recipes we've posted this October! It's been a hectic time with birthdays, freelance work, busy weekends and more. We've been cooking a lot, and enjoying the plentiful fall produce, just not sharing... we are back, no more excuses, with a fabulous fall recipe that uses pantry items and leftovers! This dish is rich in flavors, the contrast of spicy and savory fillings within the sweet acorn squash with gooey mozzarella cheese topping it off is very satifying, and packs a healthy dose of vitamins! Use any leftover fillings the next day wrapped in tortillas.



Serves 2 ( with plenty of leftovers for filling another squash or use as taco fillings the next day)

INGREDIENTS:
1 acorn squash ( about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Cooking Spray
1 cup cooked brown rice ( use any leftover rice if it's on hand- plain, with seasonings and veggies- whatever!)
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chilil powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 15-oz can black beans, lower sodium, rinsed and drained
5 dashes hot red pepper sauce, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese

To Prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Cut squash in half vertically ( from top where stem is to the bottom). Scoop out and discard the seeds. Rub the interior with a light coating of olive oil, salt and pepper, then place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender about 35-40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray or olive oil; heat over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and red pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, beans, rice, and hot sauce; cook until heated through, about 4 minutes, stir often so it doesn't burn. Taste test for seasoning adjustments, add any salt or pepper and then set aside
4. When squash are tender, reduce oven to 325 degrees. Fill the squash halves with the rice/ bean mixture ( about 1 cup in each half). Top with cheese. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 5-8 minutes.
5. Enjoy this hearty, healthy, very filling meal and let us know what you think!