Spaghetti with Bok Choy and Poached Egg

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If this recipe looks familiar to you, it’s because it’s the cover recipe on the January/February 2013 of Vegetarian Times.  I got my subscription in the mail one day and literally squealed when I saw this on the cover.

Done and done.

I immediately added some of the ingredients for my next trip to the store.  Having not worked with bok choy before, this was an exercise in expanding my culinary horizons (p.s. it’s super easy to prep and cook…..). The combination of flavors here is pretty great, too.  This dish also worked extremely well as leftovers (just reheat in the microwave.)  As a side note, if you want to make this a vegan-friendly dish, here’s a tip:  When I took this for lunch (not having access to randomly poaching an egg at work), I mixed in a little soy sauce and peanut butter with extra green onions on top.  It was like a spicy little peanut soy sauce version (and, to be honest, I almost liked this version better.)  Mix and match your flavors here-this is an extremely forgiving dish that you can play around with.

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Spaghetti with Bok Choy and Poached Egg

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch bok choy, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Pinch red pepper flakes

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup vegetable broth

4 large eggs, poached

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti

Green onions, chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 

Instructions

1. In a deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.

2. Add the bok choy, bell pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are lightly browned and softened, about 5 minutes or so.

3. Add the garlic and the vegetable broth, mixing well.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the mixture for three minutes.  Remove from the heat; cover, and set aside.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to package directions (get your poached eggs ready at this point, too).  Drain the pasta and then toss with the bok choy mixture.  Cover; set aside and keep warm.

6. Divide the pasta between serving bowls and top each serving with a poached egg, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle with green onions.

 

Source:  Barely adapted from Vegetarian Times, January/February 2013.

 

January 26, 2013 - 9:07 pm

Jade Asian Greens - Love this! How simple, nutritious and downright beautiful! We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. If you wish, come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on super healthy Asian green vegetables like baby bok choy, gai lan, dau miu, yu choy, gai choy, etc. https://www.facebook.com/Jade.Asian.Greens

–Your friendly Southern California farmers at Jade Asian Greens
https://www.facebook.com/Jade.Asian.Greens

January 26, 2013 - 9:59 pm

Alex - If you have access to a microwave at work, you can use it to poach an egg: http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2011/04/how-to-poach-eggs-in-the-microwave.html

January 27, 2013 - 12:23 am

Batya - I have such a humongous bag of Bok Choy in my fridge (courtesy of H-Mart and their ridiculously low prices on Asian greens)…so I’m pretty sure this recipe’s got my name on it. I’ll also be scouring your blog for Super Bowl treats– I think Fried Bocconcini will likely do the trick! Have a great weekend.

February 4, 2013 - 1:16 am

Maria - Love it! I ate bok choy when I lived in Japan nearly two decades ago but only cooked with it at home about a month ago. Hubby and I, too, are looking to expand our veggie horizons and every time we shop at the Asian store, we pick up a new veggie and scour the internet for recipes to use it. Bok choy is now a regular in our grocery cart.

June 17, 2014 - 3:07 pm

13 Homemade Spaghetti from Italy – GleamItUp - […] via thecurvycarrot.com […]

Coconut-Almond Chia Seed Pudding

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One of the best things about writing a totally random food blog is getting a little experimental in the kitchen.  I’m trying new recipes-things I wouldn’t have necessarily tried before.  Which actually has been a pretty positive thing for me, too.   The other positive thing about writing a food blog?  Oh, just trying all the new trendy-ish food fads that pop up on all the main stream sites (p.s.  The Curvy Carrot is finally joining the 21st century and is now on Pinterest-check it out!)

This time it was the lovely chia seed.  I had seen it around Whole Foods, and I knew that I could sprinkle the little wonder seeds over things like cereal and oatmeal without any issues.  Packed full of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber (and about a billion other important things), I wanted to immediately maximize my exposure to these guys….and then I read that I could do this by putting it in dessert form.  Hallelujah!

Never having been a fan of puddings before, I was a little hesitant about the texture here.  But, after a recent exposure to some amazing tapioca pudding in Mexico (don’t ask-long story.  Never did I think I would be eating a delicious serving of tapioca pudding in Mexico….talk about random), I decided to give it a go.

So, think about tapioca texture here, because that’s basically what you’ll get.  The little seeds swell and gel up, becoming super soft but also a little gummy in the process.  Flavored with milk alternatives, this was a great guilt-free vegan dessert.  The one down side?  It’s an overnight kind of dish (you need to let it chill at least four hours, but I highly recommend chilling it overnight), so make sure that you plan to make it in advance.  And the variety of flavors/add-ins here are pretty endless-this is just a nice base recipe to have on hand.

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Coconut-Almond Chia Seed Pudding

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

1 and 1/4 cups almond milk

1 and 1/4 cups coconut milk beverage (I used So Delicious dairy-free brand)

3 tablespoons agave nectar

1/2 cup chia seeds

For topping:  toasted sliced almonds, shredded unsweetened coconut

 

Instructions

1.  In a 1-quart jar, combine the almond milk, coconut milk beverage, and the agave nectar, mixing well.

2. Add the chia seeds, close the jar tightly with a lid, and shake well to combine.

3. Refrigerate overnight (the original recipe says at least 4 hours, but I thought mine definitely needed more time, so check yours if you are on a time crunch.)

4. Top with toasted almond slices or shredded coconut.  Enjoy.

 

Source:  Adapted from Food and Wine.

 

January 27, 2013 - 3:29 pm

Ruthie - I would love to print off a recipe, but noticed there is not a way to do it on this page, this recipe looks amazing! I could easily write it down, but I love printing off recipes with the picture attached to put in my folder! Anyhow, thanks for posting this and can’t wait to try it!!!

January 27, 2013 - 4:35 pm

Stephanie - First Ruthie, you can copy and paste to a blank word doccument, or toward the top of the web page there is a small icon of a printer and print from that.

My request is for nutritional value of recipe.

Thank you looks Yummy!

January 27, 2013 - 4:42 pm

srlacy - Hi Stephanie-
Thanks for the response. Currently I do not offer nutritional content information on this blog. I would recommend using an online nutritional content calculator based on the particular ingredients you use.

January 27, 2013 - 11:26 pm

SHY - I loved this! So simple and so good! Thank you!

January 28, 2013 - 11:16 pm

Rhonda - My husband and I really liked this. Very earthy and clean tasting. We tried it after 4 hours with the ingredients suggested. Then tried it again 24 hours later with some fresh blueberries and a squeeze of meyer lemon. Both great! As the post suggests though, it has a texture like tapioca pudding…so if you don’t like tapioca, this probably isn’t for you.

March 1, 2013 - 8:53 am

Donna - I love this – try adding some cocoa powder for a yummy chocolate favor. I also added a litte almond extract then top with whipped cream or whipped coconut cream and blueberries. Add a little granola for some crunch!! Yummy breakfast!

March 5, 2013 - 8:58 pm

Allison - Just learned that if you whiz the ingredients in a blender/bullet gadget, the pudding becomes thick almost instantly! However, you don’t get the “pearl” effect of the seeds. My recipe called for a little less liquid too (3/4 cup milk to 1/4 cup seeds). I also added a tablespoon of cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp. raw honey as the sweetener. YUM!

March 12, 2013 - 9:51 pm

Blueberry Chia Blast Smoothie | The Curvy Carrot Blueberry Chia Blast Smoothie | Healthy and Indulgent Meals Dangling in Front of You - […] smoothie is out of this world.  I was excited to experiment with chia seeds again since the Chia Seed Pudding I posted a few weeks ago was actually a pleasant surprise for […]

April 30, 2013 - 3:04 pm

Coconut-Almond Chia Seed Pudding - […] For recipe visit the source:  thecurvycarrot.com […]

May 7, 2013 - 2:29 am

susie - All you have to do is click and drag your mouse over the text & pic. Right click the mouse and select ‘copy’and go to a new file in microsoft word. right click the mouse and select ‘paste’ then edit the text accordingly. Good Luck 🙂

August 8, 2013 - 5:56 pm

The Scoop on Chia Seeds | Sweet Lemon Magazine - […] Coconut-Almond Chia Seed Pudding […]

Eggs Benedict Florentine with Creamy Butter Sauce

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If you follow this blog, then you know by now my love for Eggs Benedict.   I love it.  But, I don’t necessarily love the whole process of making the hollandaise and working with all those egg yolks, hoping I won’t accidentally scramble them.  I also don’t love the ridiculous amount of butter present, either.

Until I saw this recipe. I was wondering if I could still get the same effect of a hollandaise sauce but that would be a little lighter on the waistline.   I didn’t want to spend my whole morning whisking over a hot stove in my kitchen, either.  I was, needless to say, a little hesitant to try this recipe out because I wasn’t sure if it could compare to my favorite brunch dish (oh, and this does call for some whisking, too.)  I was pleasantly surprised.

And, in a nice twist, instead of the usual spinach found in this dish, I went ahead and used up some kale that I had on hand.  The sauce itself is a little light and tangy version of traditional hollandaise.  It’s definitely not as thick and creamy as its more well-known cousin, but it stands in as a nice substitute.  The next time I make this, I might add some lemon juice to add a bit more citrus flavor.  And feel free to play around with the seasonings here-you could add whatever kind of seasonings you like.

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Eggs Benedict Florentine with Creamy Butter Sauce

Servings: 4

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons clarified butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 bunch kale, cleaned and leaves torn into pieces

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

4 large eggs, poached

4 whole wheat English muffins, toasted

Special equipment:  heat-proof thermometer

 

Instructions

1. For the sauce:  Place the corn starch in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (or use a double boiler) over medium heat.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the water, buttermilk, and eggs, mixing well.

3. Add the buttermilk mixture to the corn starch, and whisk until combined.

4. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened and bubbly and reaches 160 degrees, about 7 minutes or so.

5. Add in the clarified butter, whisking until combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.

6. For the kale: Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.  (At this point, I also got the water ready to poach the eggs.)

7. Add the kale leaves (I added mine in small batches), stirring until the kale is dark green and wilted, about 4-5 minutes.

8. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.

9. To assemble the dish:  Top each toasted English muffin with a few tablespoons of the cooked kale/garlic mixture, a poached egg, and a few tablespoons of the butter sauce.  Serve immediately.

 

Source:  Adapted from Cooking Light.

 

January 13, 2013 - 5:06 pm

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar - This looks absolutely lovely! Gorgeous breakfast!

January 14, 2013 - 1:33 pm

Annie - This sounds awesome! Love it, and totally want it.

January 15, 2013 - 3:30 pm

Laura - I pretty much need this in my life immediately. Wowza!

January 19, 2013 - 1:40 am

dirtgirl - Found your site by accident but am loving looking through all the different recipes! This recipe for Eggs Benedict Florentine looks awesome and I have no excuse for not attempting it – a constant supply of eggs from my 11 chickens and my freezer is always full of spinach (even though I grow it myself) there is something comforting about being able to have spinach whenever I feel like it! Kale is hard to find here and even harder to grow in our blistering climate, so Spinach has to do…

March 8, 2013 - 12:14 am

Charlotte - WOWZA, this looks amazing. Totally going to make this. Thank you!

February 5, 2014 - 11:17 pm

15 Devine Eggs Benedict For Healthy Breakfast - […] Recipe & Photo credit to thecurvycarrot.com […]

February 6, 2014 - 12:16 pm

15 Divine Eggs Benedict For Healthy Breakfast - […] Recipe & Photo credit to thecurvycarrot.com […]