Fresh fruit and yogurt go well togetherin my latest recipe video, Blueberries and Yogurt.
Pre-mixed yogurt with fruit is too sweet for me. It is easy enough to mix a handful of fresh blueberries with yogurt.
This fruit and yogurt mix will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator -- if you can resist finishing it off in one sitting!
This isn't so much an original recipe as a recipe reminder of how easy and nutritious it is to add fresh fruit to yogurt.
Anytime I find fruit on sale at my local 99c only Store or Latin Grocer I immediately think of a light breakfast. My most common homemade yogurt with fruit includes strawberries, pineapple, sliced mango, blackberries, and blueberries.
Fresh frozen fruit mixes nicely into yogurt, although the texture is mushy when defrosted. Some canned fruit works well, I like canned pineapple and peaches in natural juice.
As for yogurt I just use plain. Vanilla and other flavors are usually too strong and often have added sugar. But, if you like a certain type on sale then use it.
Sometimes an unusual brand will show up on sale like this creamy French-style yogurt called "oui" made by Yoplait. It was so good I got half a dozen jars. They also had a lemon-flavored. It's one of those Deals of the Day that has come and gone.
"Oui"is advertised as "French Style," whatever that means. But it is milder tasting - less sour than typical yogurt, with a slight almond flavor. And the glass jars are collectible too.
As with any new find at a 99c only Store, I will try it in the car parking lot, and if it's good then I will go back and get a whole bunch more. I've learned you gotta be impulsive there or it may be gone an hour later -- snooze you lose!
So do check out my latest stop-motion animated video. There's really nothing to this recipe and anyone can make it. Sometimes less is more, for a perfectly delicious recipe.
Blueberries & Yogurt - Video
Play it here. The video runs 40 seconds.
My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.
When I'm groggy in the morning and coffee is working too slowly, I don't want to think about breakfast too much so I'll make a simple Fried Egg Sandwich, especially when I find Pretzel buns cheaply.
Just get the egg to fry, pop a sliced Pretzel bun in the toaster, and get out the mayo. Sometimes I'll stop there...that's enough for a PretzelEgg Sandwich. If I have a tomato then I'll slice off some and if I have lettuce then that's added too. You can make your own Egg Sandwich any way you like.
I used to have the small salty and crunchy Pretzels from the bowl or a bag when it was Happy Hour. Fresh-cooked hard-shelled (but soft interior) Pretzels smeared with mustardfrom Shopping Mall kiosks or County Fair fare were how I was first introduced to Pretzels as bread. They remind me of a bagel.
You can read about the difference between a Pretzel and a Bagel here. The Pennsylvania Dutch popularized them. I now see Pretzel Buns for hot dogs and burgers at regular grocery stores.
Lately, I fry my eggs so the sandwich can be a bit messy with yolk spilling out, but I do like a raw semi-cooked yummy yolk. If you prefer scrambled eggs then go for it.
It's a bummer how much eggs have come up in price, I used to get a dozen for 99 cents, but now at my local Dollar Tree I get 6 eggs for a buck twenty-five. And lately, I've not seen them...hmmm I wonder when they will return? But a one-egg sandwich is still a cheap way to start your day.
If your grocer has a bakery then look for day-old bread. My Ralphs chain grocers have a "bargain bin" and I'm always on the lookout for bread deals.
I've got everything from grainy Mill Bread to pungent Marble Rye. But, when Pretzel buns showed up I pounced!
Now, it's not fresh so it doesn't hold up to just slicing it for a sandwich as day-old bread is not soft, so I always toast the bread. Day-old bread holds up really well as toast - you can't tell the difference with fresh bread that's toasted.
I like mayo on my Egg Sandwich. I still get mayonnaise cheaply at my local Dollar Tree. I can get tomatoes and lettuce on sale at regular grocers, especially at my local Latin market.
Start your day with my Fried Egg Sandwich -- it's so good and goes down perfectly with coffee or hot tea.
Pretzel Breakfast Sandwich - VideoPlay it here, the video runs 1 minute, 36 seconds.
2 slices of bread - I like to toast mine. Okay to use a bagel, croissant, or any favorite bread you like and find on sale.
Tomato slice - I like cherry tomatoes too.
Lettuce leaf - kale or spinach are tasty additions.
Veggie oil - 1 teaspoon for frying egg.
Salt and pepper to taste - for the fried or scrambled egg.
Directions
You know how to fry an egg, right? I heat the pan, add some oil, and break the egg into the pan.
I don't move the egg at all. I just let it cook until the whites are solid, usually about 3 minutes, depending on the heat of the frying pan. If you like your yolks semi-done then you may have to flip the egg to cook the yolk a bit - be careful as that is when the yolk can break.
It's okay to scramble the egg if that's how you like it.
When the egg is halfway done, I'll start toasting the bread. I'll also slice the tomato and wash off the lettuce leaf.
When the egg is done and the bread is toasted assemble the sandwich. As I mentioned above I like tomato, lettuce, and mayo on my sandwich, it's okay to add any condiment you like or none at all.
The most humble and cheapest of veggies is the tuber or potato. I can get them for way less than a dollar per pound. So there is every reason to celebrate National Potato Day. Be sure to click on any recipe name to see the tasty original blog post recipe.
I'll start my potato recipe roundup with the most soul-satisfying Mashed Potatoes. I make mine the easy way with just boiled potatoes, milk, butter, a lot of black pepper, and a touch of salt. I always serve them with my Thanksgiving Turkey.
Here's my video below (Click on the recipe name above to see my photos and recipe text.)
Carrying on the Mashed Potato theme, my next recipe is from across the pond (Great Britain,) Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie. Potatoes are at their best when playing second fiddle to the main ingredient, often it's meat.
It's a hearty one-pot meal that has it all. Ground meat, green peas, carrot, onions in a bath of au jus gravy, and topped with mashed potatoes...it's so good. Once assembled, you finish the Shepherd's Pie off in the oven to get a browned topping. The prep work is straightforward, just some veggie chopping and pre-cooking the meat, veggies, and mashing potatoes. See how I do it below.
You can't get more red, white,andbluethan a picnic-style chilled Potato Salad. I still make it quite often, too. My version is a Classic Potato Salad.
Again, the ingredients are cheap, simple, and easy to get. I like the added crunch of fine-chopped raw onion and chunks of celery. I make mine extra decadent with the addition of chopped boiled eggs.
For your next picnic or backyard BBQ make a cool batch of my Classic Potato Salad.
This is one of my most controversial recipes and it's called Mom's Cajun Potato Salad. Mom came to visit me in Los Angeles and I got her to make it. My Mom lives in Louisiana and she knows her Cajun cooking.
When I saw what she was doing I had to point out to her that she was making Mashed Potatoes, not Potato Salad!
Well, we had it out and she won, of course, I should have known better butting heads with her. I'll let you make the call if it's mashed or salad-style after watching the recipe video below.
Originating in Central and South America, the potato comes in many varieties and colors. I like red potatoes but orange sweet potatoes are especially delish. Lately, I've been grilling them more than typically baking in the oven.
You can grill them just like you would a regular Russet potato. They soften and char quickly and easily. So next time you're at the grill throw on sliced sweet potato and make Grilled Russet and Sweet Potatoes.
My Cajun nephew Zak works as a cook and learned a great Sweet Potato Hashto go with his classic Blackened Fish recipe. It's a 2'fer you can check out below.
You'll find theseBreakfast Potatoesat truck stops and diners just off the interstate almost everywhere. This potato recipe sautes chunky potatoes, with a veggie mix of bell pepper, onion and garlic. They're also called Skillet Potatoes and Home Fries. Make a big batch, they reheat fine the next day, too.
I like spuds fried, boiled, and grilled, in the morning, noon, and night. For breakfast, I'll grate a potato to make Old School Hash Browns.
You may think I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for this Cheap$kate Deal of the Dayreview of canned Corned Beef Hashfrom years ago - you know, I kinda liked it, really.
I can't argue with you here, I guess you get what you pay for. But, you know, this canned potato and meat breakfast side is not too bad...really. You can read my review/taste test by clicking right here - reading is believing!
Speaking of Corned Beef here is a classic St. Patrick's Day dish ofCorned Beef and Cabbage - with potatoes of course.
I make mine with cabbage, carrot and red potatoes. Normally expensive corned beef drops to half price or less during the holiday. I cook the corned beef first and finish up the dish by boiling the veggies in the broth until tender.
It's actually a very easy recipe to make, just watch it below to see for yourself.
Ribeye Steak and Red Potatoesmay be my favorite oven-broiled combination. I usually start the potatoes first because I slice them thick.
After one side of the potatoes are browned I throw on the Ribeye. When it's cold outside the oven does double duty by warming up the kitchen, too!
A most unusual tuber is a Yuca. It looks foreboding, but when boiled it is super tender and very mild in flavor. I first had them at L.A.'s premier Cuban Restaurant, Versailles served with white rice, black beans, and roast pork.
I buy Yuca from local Latin groceries and even at 99c Only Stores in the frozen deli cases all peeled and ready to reheat.
I had a neighborhood restaurant I would frequent on Sunday mornings for an expresso and a Spanish Omelet to go with my Sunday L.A. Times newspaper.
A Spanish Omelet is simply scrambled eggs with sliced potatoes. You should saute the potatoes first as the eggs only take a couple of minutes to cook.
I have a great Fritattato start your day. Again it has sliced potato, but with a Latin pepper called a pasilla or poblano. But don't worry as they are not spicy. They are more like a sweet red or yellow bell pepper.
It's basically an omelet as well, that's finished with a layer of cheese and baked in the oven under the broiler to get a nice cheese-charred topping.
And let's not forget the French Fry, or Chips, as they call them in England.
The trick to a crispy Fry with a soft center is to fry them twice. Check out my video below of Fish and Chips and at the end of the video, I show you the frying technique.
I'm always coming up with recipes that include the common potato. So do check back for more eats that feature the most versatile spud.
