Avocado, fried egg, and lemony greens tostadas

I'm going to make it really easy on you today. If you need dinner in 15 minutes, this is it. You are going to look at the ingredient list and think these tostadas are too simple to be delicious, but I promise you won't be disappointed.

We made them two week in a row, we like them that much. In the midst of what has been a spectacular display of eating since Christmas, we needed a little break. Something a little lighter. Something with a vegetable involved. Avocado and egg are pretty spectacular especially when accompanied by a little citrus. The dressing I made for the greens is my go to vinaigrette for salads. The simplicity and ease of this dish have made it a new favorite in our house.

Avocado, fried egg, and lemony green tostadas
Serves 4, adapted from How Sweet It Is

Lemony vinaigrette
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Pinch of salt and pepper

Tostadas
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 large eggs
1 avocado, halved and sliced
Head of butter lettuce
Flour tortillas
Hot sauce

In a small jar or tupperware that seals well, mix together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette and shake.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Once oil is shimmering add the eggs in batches. I can do about 3 at a time in my skillet. If you want to do this for a couple of nights, only fry up the eggs you are going to eat that night. Once egg edges begin to brown slightly (around 3 minutes), turn the heat off and carefully flip (so you don't break the yolk). Let the egg cook about 1-2 more minutes on this side in the hot pan with the heat off. If you like your eggs well done, leave the heat on for the last 1-2 minutes.

Spray another large skillet with nonstick spray and put over medium high heat. Once hot, add tortillas one at a time, crisping each side, 3-4 minutes a side.

Toss greens with the dressing. Over a tortilla layer greens, 2 eggs, avocado, and hot sauce.

Grapefruit olive oil cake with chocolate chips

It's February and I'm feeling good. Sure I'm not loving the 17" of snow that recently fell making for death defying morning runs. Snow and I are good for the year. I could go for spring.

But spring will come and until then I have this to hold onto: the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl this week! Super Bowl 50! We are going to eat buffalo chicken fondue fries and watch the Broncos dominate the Panthers. The combo of the two will probably give us heart attacks. I'm counting on my hero, Von Miller, to sack Cam Newton and his silly pants into the ground.

On the 14th, we are going to celebrate love at our favorite restaurant, Bru, at their beer paired Valentine's Day meal. Cue second heart attack.

While you may be worrying about our health at this point, we will also be snowshoeing lots. We are going to spend one weekend in February in Crested Butte cross country skiing (theoretically, because I don't really know how to ski) and snowshoeing around my favorite town. And eating fried chicken! Alright the food stuff may be getting a bit excessive.

Finally, February is the month of good citrus. I love oranges and grapefruit. Love! I also love to bake when it's cold. I have been eyeing this cake from Not without Salt for awhile. I was intrigued and uncertain. Grapefruit and chocolate chips? Delicious, that's the answer, delicious. Citrus and olive oil is already one excellent combo but the chocolate chips added a little bittersweet (if you will) touch I  really enjoyed. The batter is quick to make. You can justify eating it for breakfast and dessert.

On a final note, go Broncos!!!

Grapefruit olive oil cake with chocolate chips
Serves 8, adapted from Not Without Salt

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grapefruit juice (about 1 grapefruit)
1 1/2 tablespoons grapefruit zest
3/4 cup plain 2% greek yogurt
3 large eggs
2/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together grapefruit juice, zest, yogurt, eggs, olive oil, and sugar.

Add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until cake is browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Chili garlic chicken with yogurt dipping sauce

I realize that we can't all spend 6 hours in the kitchen every day. Even I have recently become more practical in my kitchen endeavors. My kitchen marathons have become fewer and further between. I still make dinner 3 nights a week and once a week make us muffins for breakfast. But I have tried to make the dinners a little more reasonable. No more homemade pasta on Wednesday nights. No more making the pumpkin puree to then make the pumpkin muffins to then go on and make coq au vin.

This week for example, all I wanted was to make jagerschnitzel with braised cabbage and spaetzle (my husband's german family would be proud). This meal has four fairly labor intensive components. My goal was to do this on a Wednesday night but I then thought the better of it and decided to wait for the weekend, where I could put my husband in charge of part of the meal. Look how practical we've become. 

This meal is a perfect example of one of those nights where I needed dinner to be really easy but still tasty, always tasty. This does require you plan ahead and either marinate the chicken the night before or at least two hours before. The marinade only takes about 5 minutes to throw together. After the marinade, the dinner takes about 15 minutes to get ready. 

The chili garlic sauce gives the chicken great depth of flavor. The honey in the marinade gives the chicken a nice crisp in the pan. The yogurt sauce is simple but provides a nice tangy counterpart to the sweet garlic burst of the chicken. This has the making of a new staple in our household. 

Chili garlic chicken with yogurt dipping sauce 

Serves 3, adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons chili garlic paste (Asian aisle of the grocery store) 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil (to cook chicken)

Yogurt sauce

1 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 2%) 

2 tablespoons snipped chives

1 lime juiced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large tupperware, whisk together olive oil, honey, chili garlic paste, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken a stir until coated. Marinade in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight. 

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes a side. 

In a small bowl, mix together all the yogurt ingredients. Either dip the chicken straight into the yogurt or serve over the top of the chicken. 

Beef stroganoff

I'm supposed to be sharing something healthy with you today. I'm sure of it. Those New Year's resolutions have yet to wane. I will say this though-if you want to eat healthier, I think that starts with cooking meals at home. No fad diet necessary. No silly cleanses. This is a simple place to start. Cook at home more often. Cooking at home is not only better for your health than eating out but cooking with others and sharing a meal brings us together. All good things for the New Year.

Growing up beef stroganoff was my favorite family meal. I have requested stroganoff for all of my birthdays. In fact, next week I turn 30. 30! And you can bet I will be eating stroganoff. And cake! And pizza! And I will drink wine! I intend to celebrate all week with good food.

Stroganoff is a comfort food. We don't eat red meat often but I make an exception for stroganoff. This stroganoff is slightly adapted from my mom's version. The worchestire sauce and mustard are new additions and I love them. My husband and I agreed that this was our favorite stroganoff recipe to date. Our only complaint is that the beef is a little tough. Next time I intend on trying this baby in the slow cooker.

Beef stroganoff
Adapted from Bon Appetit, serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound crimini mushrooms, rough chopped
2 teaspoons thyme
1 pound top round steak, cut into 1" cubes
3 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons worchestire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces egg noodles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Stirring occasionally cook until the onions are translucent, 7-8 minutes. Add thyme and stir to combine.

Add beef to the skillet and cook until brown on each side. About 3-4 minutes a side.

To skillet add broth and cook until reduced by almost half, about 20 minutes.

While the broth is reducing, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Once cooked and strained mix the noodles with the butter.

Once the broth has reduced, add to the skillet sour cream, worcheshire, and mustard. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon stroganoff over the top of the buttered noodles.

Bison dogs with Asian BBQ sauce and slaw

Let's go out with a bang 2015! We will unapologetically devour these hot dogs right up until the end. Then in 2016 we will eat them as leftovers because they are awesome. Who said the New Year was for clean and healthy eating? I say it's for hot dogs! Especially really good ones, like these.

I'm talking the best combo of sticky sweet and spicy BBQ sauce with the lovely tang and crisp of the slaw. We both almost ate 2 each last night but we decided to be reasonable, if only slightly reasonable.

2015 was lovely. Top notch. Blake graduated from law school and passed the bar. I am proud of him because it was almost never fun. He also got a job. Big stuff. But in our household, the real success of a year is measured by the adventures we had outside of work.

In 2015, we visited 1 national monument, 3 state parks, and 7 national parks. Those are the metrics we love. The ones that give our day-to-day meaning. The great outdoors. Adventures shared together.

In 2015, we saw the Columbia Icefield, the largest icefield in the Rockies. We touched glacial turquoise waters in Canada's national parks. We wandered among hoodoos. We spent time fishing with family in the mountains. We learned about birds. We celebrated 2 years of marriage surrounded by blazing aspen trees. I wouldn't have traded a moment.

Bison hot dogs with Asian BBQ sauce and slaw
Serves 4

4 bison hot dogs
4 Buns (we used pretzel buns which were superb)

Asian slaw
1 small head of red cabbage or 1/2 a large head, sliced
1 carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
3 large radishes, grated on the large holes of the box grater (if you hate radishes, sub an extra carrot)
1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped
2 serrano or Thai chiles, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chile paste (found in the Asian aisle)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

I think this slaw is best made a few hours before you want to eat but it will still be tasty if made right before.

In a large bowl, mix together cabbage, carrot, radishes, cilantro, and chiles.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, chile paste, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over the cabbage mixture and stir until combined. Store in the fridge until use.

Asian BBQ sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons red chile paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of red pepper flakes

In a sauce pan over medium heat, whisk all ingredients together. Whisk occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until sugar has dissolved and ingredients are combined.

In a saute pan over high heat, crisp bison dogs on both sides. About 3-4 minutes a side. Load up your bun with hot dog, BBQ sauce, and slaw.

Black lentil and spicy Italian chicken sausage soup

Between all the stuffing, au gratin potatoes, cookies, and pie, we must take a break. A small break, albeit, but a break none the less. I don't want to scare you away by calling this dish clean eating. I figured you already are a little less than enchanted by the thought of eating lentil soup, but this dish is darn good. You will look at the simple ingredients and you may not believe it but give it a go. 

The parsnips, carrots, celery, and onions up the flavor of the broth. Use a chicken sausage you really like. That's part of the success here, good chicken sausage. This meal is healthy and good. So so good. In fact, Blake and I ate lentil soup at one of our favorite restaurants in town last night and we thought this recipe was better. We may or may not have served this with a big chunk of crusty bread. We all have our limits. 

Black lentil and spicy Italian chicken sausage soup

Serves 6, adapted from Bon Appetit 

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 pound cooked spicy Italian chicken sausage, cut into 1/2" rounds 

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped 

2 celery stick, chopped 

2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 

1 pound black lentils

3 quarts chicken broth

4 cups of spinach 

In a large pot over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Once oil is warm, cook sausage until browned. Transfer sausage to a plate. 

Add last tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, and Italian seasoning to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 7-8 minutes.

Add lentils and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. 

Add sausage back into the soup along with the spinach. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Banana bran muffins

I'm reading Bob Dylan's Chronicles right now. He has a brilliant mind. It's like going down the rabbit hole of an endless and interesting train of thoughts. One minute he is ruminating on how little he knows about the Civil War and two sentences later he is talking about Tolstoy and Pushkin and you are wondering how those topics connect so you just hang on for the ride.

I especially enjoyed his reflection on how he came to write his own songs. In Dylan's words, "I couldn't have come up with anything comparable or halfway close to the folk song lyrics I was singing to define the way I felt about the world. I guess it happens to you by degrees. You don't just wake up one day and decide that you need to write songs, especially if you're a singer who has plenty them and you're learning more every day. Opportunities may come along for you to convert something-something that exists into something that didn't yet. That might be the beginning of it."

I like this because I love to write and the way Dylan speaks to writing songs is how I feel about writing in general. Writing is an opportunity for me to express my thoughts about the world in small doses daily. It's a part of the reason I started this space on my favorite topic, food.

Which means my train of thought for the day went something like this: Dylan's ruminations, love of writing, food is great, breakfast muffins, need to use old bananas, love bran muffins, what about breakfast banana bran muffins? See how we got here?

Muffins! You all know how I feel about muffins. I especially love bran muffins. They are nutty, hearty, and full of fiber. I also happen to love banana muffins. Banana adds sweetness without sugar. These muffins were a perfect marriage. I feel good about eating them in the morning. As with all muffins, these are easy to make! Easy, I tell you! You are 30 minutes away from enjoying warm homemade muffins start to finish. Do it on Sunday and enjoy them the rest of the week.

Banana bran muffins
Adapted from my favorite Cook's Illustrated bran muffins, makes 12

2 1/4 cups bran cereal
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups 2% greek yogurt
3 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a large muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a food processor or blender, add a cup of the bran cereal and pulse until powder.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cup of bran cereal you just processed with wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract until combined. Add melted butter and yogurt and whisk until combined. Add bananas and use a potato masher to mash until mostly smooth (a few banana lumps don't matter). With a spatula, stir in remaining bran cereal.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. Distribute batter in muffin cups. Bake 14-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.