Eggs, Spinach and Goat Cheese

Weekend breakfast happens to be one of my favorites meals and it always includes eggs of some kind.  Slow cooked scrambled eggs are one of my specialties that I have mastered and is always requested when my daughter comes to town.  A tartine with a schmear of goat cheese, piled high with eggs and topped with spinach and some more goat cheese is the perfect Sunday breakfast.

9 eggs
1/2 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
Chives - 1 tablespoon chopped
3 slices of whole wheat panella bread toasted
Goat cheese Chevere - 3 tablespoons
1 package of baby spinach
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
olive oil

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add garlic and heat for one minute.  Add baby spinach and sauté until wilted.  Remove spinach and set aside to drain the a strainer.   In a medium size bowl crack eggs, add salt & pepper and chopped chives and whisk with a fork until just combined.  Heat non-stick pan  to medium, spray with Pam,  add eggs and lower heat to lowest setting.  Stir eggs constantly with a spatular very slowly pushing eggs around pan, it should take at least five minutes or more.  Do not over cook.  Eggs should be wet and moist and are done when they no longer stick to bottom.  Remove immediately from pan.  Toast your bread and schmear with goat cheese, pile on eggs, top with drained spinach and some more goat cheese.  Serves three.

Fish Fillet with Spinach & Tomato in Parchment - "Cooking for One"

Tonight's "cooking for one" recipe came to me on the checkout line in the supermarket.  While waiting on line, I picked up a copy of Bon Appetit and in it was an article on cooking in parchment.  Since I had just purchased  a fresh 6 oz. piece of Flute (a firm white fish), I went over in my head what fresh vegetables I had at home, picked a few fresh herbs from the garden on my way into the house, poured myself a glass of wine and I was cooking. Talk about low fat, moist, flavorful, and easy clean up, this recipe was perfect for dinner for one.  Calories calculated on MyFitnessPal app - 300 Calories per serving.  Some fresh fruit for dessert and I was totally satisfied.  Yes, I'm worth the effort.

Fish Fillet with Spinach & Tomato in Parchment - Serves One

6 oz fillet of Flute (or founder, cod, halibut)
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1/2 chopped fresh tomato
3 kalamata olives chopped
1 tsp olive oil
3 lemon slices - thin
Fresh Chives chopped
1 tsp of white wine
12 X 14 sheet of parchment paper - folded and cut into a heart shape

Fold and cut your parchment into a heart shape.  Place your spinach, chopped tomato, olives, a squeeze of lemon, 1/2 tsp oil, salt and pepper on to half the parchment.  Place your cleaned and dried fillet on top.  Salt & pepper, drizzle with 1/2 tsp oil, 1 tsp of white wine, slices of lemon and snipped fresh chives on top.  Fold your parchment over top and seal by crimping the paper to form a seal.  Place on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Be careful opening up parchment, steam is very hot.

Chicken over Spinach with Avocado, Tomato and Goat Cheese

Tonight's healthy dinner creation was delicious. The creaminess of the goat cheese and avocado melted in your mouth, while the sauteed spinach gave it that perfect bite.   I have been trying to eat my carbs during the day and leaving dinner for a protein and vegetables, and it has made a definite difference on my waistline.

The whole process of cooking dinner is very relaxing and enjoyable for me. Maybe the glass of wine helps too.  Even if I'm alone for dinner, I cook something worthy of myself. This whole meal took under 10 minutes to cook in one pan.











































The avocado in this recipe was used for a purpose. A Pinterest post claimed that avocados can be frozen and I wanted to experiment.   Since a whole avocado has 276 calories and the recommended serving size is 1/4, it makes sense to freeze the remaining three portions in a zip lock bag (air removed) adding a little lemon juice to keep the color alive.   Next week when I'm looking something to put on a tartine for lunch, I'll check out my avocado experiment.

Chicken over Spinach with Avocado, Tomato and Goat Cheese

Serves One - 382 calories per serving*

1 chicken cutlet thinly pounded - 4 oz.
2 heaping handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 of tomato thinly sliced
1 oz of goat cheese
1 garlic finely chopped
1/4 avocado sliced
1 tsp of olive oil
S&P, fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a non-stick pan.  Add garlic and warm.  Remove garlic and cook chicken for two minutes on each side.  Remove chicken from pan and add spinach and garlic.  Saute spinach until wilted.  Remove and drain spinach and arrange on plate.  Spread goat cheese on the top of the chicken cutlet and layer over spinach.  Place a few thinly slices tomatoes on top of chicken, add avocado, S&P and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and enjoy.

*calories calculated using MyFitnessPal App