Greens and Goat Cheese Scramble

Boy do we have a snow day today. We've got a foot on the ground already and more is coming down as we speak!

Sassy is not impressed with the snow.

What better way to keep your snow day occupied than cooking?

Notes: I made this for lunch, but it could be a nice weekend breakfast.

It actually happens that I end up with small amounts of greens that I need to use up and this is a great way of doing that. I also happened to have some fresh herbs because I was making some spaghetti sauce.

The key to a nice scramble is to keep the heat low. Not really low, but low enough so that the eggs cook slowly.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs or 3 medium eggs
1/2 cup of fresh arugula leaves
1/2 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (oregano, chives, or basil would all work well)
Goat cheese (to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Directions:

Give your greens a rough chop and mince the herbs. Crumble your goat cheese into small pieces.

Put the herbs in a bowl big enough for your eggs. Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat together with the herbs until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a small amount of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the greens and cook until just tender. Turn the heat down. Pour the eggs over the greens. Start to stir the eggs around in the pan. When the eggs still look wet, but are mostly cooked, add the goat cheese. Gently fold the goat cheese into the eggs.

Serve hot and enjoy!

What's in the Box? Arugula, Sweet Potato, and Goat Cheese Salad

I take my lunch to work. We don't have a ton of dining options on campus and I don't like having to spend money on food everyday, so I buy lunch supplies during my weekend grocery run.

Coming up with things to eat for lunch, however, can be tedious. No one wants to eat PB&J every day, right? To help you come up with ideas, I thought I'd do a couple of posts on my lunch. So what's in the (lunch) box?

This week it's an arugula, sweet potato, and goat cheese salad. I'm topping mine with pomegranate seeds.

Here's what you need to make at least three of these salads for the week:
1 box or bag of pre-washed arugula
1 medium sweet potato
1 small container of goat cheese

On Sunday or Saturday (whenever you have some time), peel and chop your sweet potato. Toss the cubes with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until tender. Let them cool and store them in a food storage container in the fridge.

I use this little Rubbermaid container (LunchBlox). It comes with a little tray that sits on top of your greens and holds your toppings. That way you can mix everything together when you eat it. It even comes with a little container for dressing (I'm not using a dressing since I've got the pomegranates and cheese, but you can use what you like).

If you don't have one of these, no worries. Whatever container you have is fine---mason jar salads are all the rage! To pack it in a regular container, put the dressing at the bottom of the container. Then put in the greens and then top with some of the sweet potatoes and some of the goat cheese. When you're ready to eat, just mix everything together.

Now, I usually supplement my salad with more things for lunch (a salad this size isn't enough food for me!). I might bring an apple or an orange, a yogurt, and some salted nuts. But I'll post more ideas like that later!

Enjoy your homemade lunch!

Q.E.D.: Charred Corn, Heriloom Tomato, and Arugula Quesadilla

The old saying "necessity is the mother of invention" is never more true than in cooking. This dish came about because I had three things in my fridge that I suddenly had no use for: tomatoes, wheat tortillas, and arugula. I'd rather not let food go to waste (I'm not die-hard about it, but hey, money's money), so I came up with a way to use them all together.

Notes: I make the charred corn by setting the ears directly on my gas burner. They pop and hiss, but worry not, that's normal. Just keep turning them until the outside is nice an brown. If you don't have a gas stove, just omit this step.

You want to be careful not to overstuff the quesadilla. Make sure everything is in a nice thin and even layer.

If you cut these into smaller triangles, they might work as a nice cocktail party food. The recipe makes 4 quesadillas.

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn
2 small heirloom tomatoes (you can use Roma, too)
1 small bunch of arugula (about 2 cups), washed and dried
8 whole wheat tortillas (I had 10-inch)
2 cups grated cheese (I found a nice aged English cheddar on sale)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Shuck the corn and discard the husks, leaving the stalk in tact. If you're charring the corn, turn your gas burner on high and set the ears on top while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Turn occasionally.

Dice the tomatoes and put them in a strainer to let some of the liquid drain off. Grate the cheese (if you're not using pre-shredded).

Heat the oven to 400. Once the corn is charred, strip the kernels off, mix with the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the quesadillas, put a wheat tortilla on a baking sheet (you can fit two quesadillas on one normal sized baking sheet). Spread it with 1/4 of the arugula. Top with about 2 tablespoons of the corn and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese. Top with another tortilla. Repeat this process for all four quesadillas.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes and then flip and bake for an additional 8 minutes or so. The cheese should be melted and the quesadillas will start to brown and crisp.

Enjoy Q.E.D. quesadillas any night of the week!

Q.E.D.: Aglio e Olio with Arugula

Back in college, I tried the Atkins diet for about 48 hours. Going cold turkey on carbs made me feel terrible. I decided then and there that no amount of weight loss was worth feeling that bad. So I happily went back to my bread and pasta.

Next time you get the urge to try a fad diet that asks you to eat only one thing, just don't. There's no magic food to get you healthy or make you lose weight. Getting healthy isn't the product; it's the process. It isn't something you achieve and then sit back and enjoy, like building a deck or washing a car. It's more like gardening: you never quit gardening. Sometimes its easier and sometimes it's harder, but it's something you have to commit to doing.

Healthy living means a balanced diet, not a perfect diet. So, don't give up the carbs. Just don't eat only carbs.

Notes: This dish is light on effort and big on flavor. Traditional aglio e oilo ("garlic and oil") doesn't have any greens, but (going back to the balanced diet thing) I needed some greens. Arugula is a great complement to the spicy garlic and red pepper flakes. It's got a mustard/pepper flavor.

If you can find pre-washed arugula, this dish is as easy as boiling water.

Ingredients:
1 box thin spaghetti
1 bunch arugula, washed (about 2 cups or 8 oz.)
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
4-5 garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes (1/4-1/2 teaspoon, but more if you like it hot)

Directions: Fill a stock pot with water and set it on high heat.

In a large skillet, add olive oil and butter and turn to medium low. Mince the garlic and add it to the pan along with the red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Once the water boils, add a small handful of salt and drop the pasta. Boil for about 6 minutes.

When the pasta is almost done, turn the heat up on your skillet to medium. Put your arugula in the skillet and then using a pair of tongs move the pasta from the stock pot to the skillet (just drop it right on top of the arugula). When you've transferred all the pasta, use the tongs to mix it with the arugula and the olive oil sauce.

Once everything is combined,  heated, and coated with sauce, serve and enjoy!