Portobello mushroom breakfast sandwich

As hard as I might try I cannot escape my night-owlish tendencies. As far back as I can remember I would push the "bed-time limit" trying to stay up late and for as long as possible; once being forced to bed I would read books through the night or lie awake in the darkness imagining myself in an endless network of fairy-tales and stories. Not unlike other children my age, waking up in the morning was a nightmare.

In high school, I was often late for class due to staying out late working and having an irrational need to hang out with friends all night whom I would see first thing next day at school. In the summer, I would sneak out with my friends and we would roam the neighbourhood, loiter at the 24 hour coffee shop and creep through parks on our bikes or on foot. It was often a race to get home into bed before the sun, and our parents, would rise for the coming morning.

I followed the same pattern in my first years of university but as I became more serious about succeeding in school I switched from staying out really late with friends (I even stopped working) to staying up impossibly late with my books. But it did not matter how late I studied, I always felt the need to wind down after a late night study session. Usually I would have something needlessly unhealthy to eat while watching late night TV or films. Sleeping was never something I wanted to do; only something I had to do.

This behaviour of mine never changed. Unless I knew I had to wake up extremely early the next morning, I would not even attempt to fall asleep before midnight. Trying to break the cycle and getting to sleep early was (and still is) a miserable experience of me lying awake, mentally tallying the passing minutes, trying to keep still, trying to clear my mind, trying to convince myself that falling asleep feels rewarding on mornings woken to without struggle.

My nocturnal habits were accommodated greatly during my PhD studies where I was free to start the day when was convenient for me. Mike and I would often work late at school, catching the last bus home from campus around midnight. I was in a state of bliss during my thesis writing where I was most productive in the wee hours of the morning, getting to bed shortly before the crack of dawn and waking well into the middle of the day. If it was up to me, this is the pattern I would live by today.

But alas I now have a job where my boss is at work at 8:30 am every morning and I am doing everything I can to similarly adjust. I find running in the evenings helps tire me out, but I have trouble accommodating an evening running schedule into regular meals and my 9 - 6 job. 

My sister bought me some melatonin which is supposed to help readjust my circadian rhythm and teach my brain to be tired earlier. So far it has been helpful but it makes me feel drowsy in the morning if I take it too late. Also, there is a rebellious part of me that does not want to go to bed earlier even though I need too. I could take the melatonin at 8 pm and go to bed at 10 pm but so far I have not.

Even though I am not a morning person I love breakfast. For many years I regularly ate breakfast type foods for supper and after late-night study sessions. In high school I loved McDonald's breakfast sandwiches (blasphemy I know!) but could never get there before 10:30 am due to the whole staying-up-all-night thing. I compensated by constantly making breakfast sandwiches for myself at home and to this day still love a good breakfast sandwich.

I got the idea for this recipe whilst searching for some stuffed portobello mushroom inspiration and stumbled upon this. I snuck some sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro and parmesan into the bottom of a portobello before breaking in an egg and sliding it into the oven. While the mushrooms cooked I smeared some ripe avocado onto a fresh slice of farmers market bread, tossed in some spring lettuce mix and then sandwiched the cooked egg and mushroom between this and a second slice of bread.

I cooked this for 20 minutes but felt the egg was overdone so I would propose this strategy for my next attempt: cook the mushroom first for 5 - 10 minutes before breaking in the egg and cooking another 10 - 15 minutes. I think having the mushroom hot before adding the egg will allow the bottom of the egg to heat up right away and give the mushroom enough time to roast without having to over cook the egg.

Portobello mushroom breakfast sandwich

Ingredients

2 portobello mushrooms

2 eggs

4 sun dried tomatoes

2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp cilantro or basil, chopped

4 slices of artisan bread or 2 English muffins

3 tbsp soft avocado

Small handful of lettuce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Remove the stem and ribs from the portobello mushrooms.

3. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro and grated parmesan to the inside of the portobellos.

4. Place the portobellos into a baking pan.

5. One at a time, break open 1 egg into a cup and then gently pour 1 egg into 1 mushroom. Try to place the yolk in first (you may need to use your hand or a spoon to hold back the egg white) and then pour the egg whites around the mushroom. Put in as much egg white as will fit into the mushroom without it spilling over.

6. Place the baking pan with mushrooms into the oven and bake eggs for about 12 - 15 minutes, depending on how hard cooked you like your yolks.

7. Remove mushrooms from oven.

8. Spread about a tablespoon of soft avocado over 2 of the slices of bread and top with a bit of lettuce.

9. Add one baked mushroom and egg to a slice of bread with the avocado, close the sandwich with a second piece of bread and eat like a sandwich.

Israeli couscous with roasted summer vegetables

I have not always been adventurous in the food department. I grew up eating very standard foods like chicken and steak and potatoes and spaghetti and simple salads made with lettuce, tomatoes and carrots. I complained when something unrecognizable was placed on the dinner table and I detested things like broccoli, mushrooms and brussel sprouts.

When I was a teenager, all that I cared about eating was french fries, submarine sandwiches and nachos with cheese. I probably ate one of those things everyday leading me to fall victim to the typical "freshman 15". It wasn't that I was really picky, I just didn't care to eat something that I did not already love. Thus, anything that was unusual to me was usually avoided.

I started working at a coffee shop called Milanos, my first job, when I was 15 which was managed by my best friends' mother, Rose. Milanos was more than just a coffee shop however. There was a large convection oven behind the counter which was used by the in-house baker to make things like muffins and cakes and cookies right there in the coffee shop. 

At Milanos we also served various lunch items which I had never even heard of before working there. We served things like tabbouleh, spanikopita and grilled paninis stuffed with exotic ingredients like Genoa salami, marinated eggplant and red pepper spread. We also served a fusilli pasta salad, a spinach salad with orange segments and pot pies. Needless to say, working a Milanos opened my mind to a whole new world of food items and taste sensations.

I still have very fond memories of that place and think that one day, if I am able to retire with a little extra money in the bank, I will open a coffee shop of my own while instilling many of the qualities that Rose injected into Milanos. People did not just come to Milanos for the coffee. They came to see Rose who is a wonderful friend to everyone she meets and for the dependably jovial atmosphere.

The coffee was pretty good too, but I think it was the food that set Milanos apart from many other coffee joints that served premade sandwiches which sat in the display fridge all day collecting dust. Our paninis were made to order, the salads were made fresh almost daily and we went through the food so quickly that everything was always turned over regularly.

When I started to develop an interest in cooking I would think back to the things I ate at Milanos and try to replicate them. Since I often had to make the food there, I knew what went into most of the dishes we served. Pasta salad was one of the first things I ever started to cook for myself all on my own.  

I started at home by replicating the Milanos recipes exactly but eventually I was brave enough to experiment with new vegetable combinations and dressings. Living on my own, away from home, during university, I would make giant batches of pasta salad and keep them in the fridge to snack on in the evenings. That was my first attempt to be healthy; to eat a "salad" (even though there was probably half of a bottle of dressing in there) instead of chips or chocolate. I tried.

Today's recipe post is for a glorified pasta salad. Israeli couscous it turns out, is just little balls of pasta with a fancy name. These pasta balls tossed with roasted summer vegetables makes for a wonderful post-run or post-hot yoga snack. The flavour comes from the roasted vegetables, meyer lemon zest and tarragon, plus the vegetable stock used to cook the pasta. No oily dressing is required so this is something to fill you up that you do not have to feel guilty about eating.

Israeli couscous with roasted summer vegetables

Summer seasonal: tomatoes and peppers

You can replace the Israeli couscous with just about anything; use quinoa or wheat berries to turn this into a super healthy meal or just sub in your favorite small pasta shape.

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

1 yellow (or orange or red) pepper, cut into 2 cm squares

1 small eggplant, cut into 2 cm cubes

2 shallots, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

1 vegetable bouillon

1 cup Israeli couscous

Fresh tarragon, chopped

Zest from a meyer lemon

Goat cheese (optional; omit for vegans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Toss chopped tomatoes, eggplant, pepper and shallot with olive oil, garlic and sea salt.

3. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper

4. Roast 25 minutes, tossing once half way through cooking (caution, a lot of steam will be generated from the tomatoes so watch your face!)

5. Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a pot and add a vegetable bouillon cube; stir to dissolve.

6. Add Israeli couscous and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain extra broth from the couscous.

7. Remove vegetables from oven and let cool slightly before tossing with the cooked couscous.

8. Mix in the meyer lemon zest and chopped fresh tarragon.

9. If desired, serve topped with fresh goat cheese and a slice of meyer lemon.

Sea asparagus, shiitake and meyer lemon zest pizza

 

It may be too cold and rainy for the summer berries, tomatoes and corn thus far in Vancouver but we have one little local treat that does not require it to be hot and sunny out. This intriguing food item which I only discovered this weekend is called sea asparagus.

I get e-mails every Thursday and Friday reminding me to go to the Saturday and Sunday Farmer's Markets. Each e-mail starts with a little blurb about what is new at the market that week, or if there are any other special events happening.

Sea asparagus was the first thing I came across and I must admit I had never heard of this vegetable before. I did a quick google image search to see what sea asparagus looked like and found it to look similar to asparagus only it appeared to grow in these complicated networked branches - kind of like sea coral.

It was not until I went to the market before I realized that the sea asparagus is much smaller than regular asparagus - each stem is only a few milimeters in diameter. I also found out that the sea asparagus is really salty because it is actually grown near the sea in estuaries which I have also just learned are water zones that transition between rivers and ocean environments. The growing of sea asparagus in this environment means that the resulting sea asparagus is nice and salty.

Here is a link giving some other useful information on sea asparagus such as the fact that it is high in vitamin A, calcium and iron - all important nutrients for a vegetarian.

When I find a new salty ingredient I always want to test it out on a pizza. Since I am always looking for new and interesting pizza toppings I was convinced that this would be a great opportunity to invent a new pizza recipe.

I briefly considered making a risotto dish using the same ingredient combination applied to this pizza. If sea asparagus is still being sold at the farmer's market next weekend I will likely try a sea asparagus risotto next. Maybe.

I also stumbled upan a tempting sea asparagus gomae recipe that I really want to try. Spinach gomae is one of my favorite things to have at japanese restaurants so I am sure I would love this recipe.

For this particular pizza, I roasted some sliced shiitake mushrooms for 20 minutes and boiled the sea asparagus for 2 minutes before shocking in cold water. Some grated meyer lemon zest added a perfect burst of flavour that complemented the pizza nicely.

The rest of the pizza was made according to my standard methods. I have posted my pizza making strategies many times but I will summarize everything again here. If you want more details check out my previous posts.

I always start by making the pizza dough. I mix the ingredients for 10 minutes then let the dough rise for an hour on the counter or keep it cold in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 nights. This depends on my schedule. Sometimes I am good at planning ahead, sometimes I decide that I want pizza at 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon.

I always make a very simple homemade tomato sauce for the base of my pizzas, I find it makes homemade pizza so much better. All you have to do is peel a few tomatoes and simmer them down for half an hour in a pan with some garlic, honey and sea salt.

Fresh bocconcini, grated parmesan and basil are additional staples that I use for pretty much every single pizza that I make.

When it is time to prepare the pizzas I start by bringing the dough to room temperature (if it was in the fridge) and heating up the oven. I will start the tomato sauce then prepare toppings (cutting, roasting, draining, grilling, boiling) during the half-hour it takes the sauce to simmer and thicken. Then I roll out the dough rounds and let them rise a few minutes while the oven heats full blast and while I tidy things up. When the dough has risen slightly, the pizza gets dressed and placed in the oven under the broiler for just a few minutes until the crust is bubbling. When it comes out, the pizza is topped with Parmesan and basil. Cutting and eating are the last and most enjoyable steps.

I should note that I just recently started using the broiler during my pizza cooking process. I have always cooked the pizza at the top of the oven, heated to the highest temperature. I find switching to the broiler just as the pizza goes in allows the top to get a nice singed look like you get in wood-fired ovens. The stone needs to be pre-heated so that the bottom of the pizza also browns.

Sea asparagus, shiitake and meyer lemon zest pizza

Spring seasonal: sea asparagus

I usually make 3 - 10" pizzas but making 2 larger pizzas is also doable.

Ingredients

1 cup cold water (for overnight rising) or luke warm water (for 1 hour rising)
2 tsp sugar or honey
2 tsp active dry yeast
2.5 cups all-purpose flour - organic is best! (more if necessary and extra for pressing out dough)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil 

1-2 cups tomato sauce (see below)

2 cups sea asparagus

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, roughly sliced

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp olive oil

zest from 2 small meyer lemons

tomato sauce

pizza dough

fresh grated parmesan

30 pearl bocconcini

fresh basil 

Directions:

(make dough)
1. Stir honey or sugar into water and sprinkle in the yeast. 
2. Mix in the oil and salt and 2.5 cups of flour. Make sure the dough is not too dry otherwise your crust will also be dry, so adjust with flour or water as needed.
3. Knead for 5 - 10 minutes until you have a slightly sticky ball (you can use a bread machine to do the mixing for you if you have one - just make sure to power it off after 10 minutes of mixing).
4. Lightly coat dough in olive oil. Place in a bowl and cover.

5. Option 1: Refrigerate dough for 24 – 72 hours. Take the dough out of the fridge about an hour before you are ready to press out the dough. 

Option 2: Let the dough rise on the counter for 1 - 2 hours.

(make sauce)

6. Meanwhile, make pizza sauce according the directions at the bottom of this post. The sauce cooking takes about 30 - 45 minutes. The other pizza toppings can be prepared while the sauce is simmering.

(roast mushrooms)

7. Preheat oven to 400F.

8. Slice shiitake mushroom and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves and sea salt. Spread the mushrooms out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
9. Cook for 20 minutes and remove from oven.

(preheat oven)

10. Move oven rack to the top of the oven and place the pizza stone on this rack.

Increase oven temperature to 500F or higher if you can.

 ***If your oven is really hot the pizza will cook really fast. The faster it cooks, the moister your pizza dough will be. Preheating your oven is an essential part of this process.

(cook sea asparagus)

11. Bring a pot of unsalted water to boil. Add sea asparagus and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and submerge in cold or ice water for 2 minutes. Drain.

(make pizzas)

12. Divide pizza dough into 3 balls, tucking the torn side underneath the ball and shaping it to be smooth on top. Cover 2 of the rounds with small bowls.

13. Shape the 3rd round into a pizza round by pressing out with your palms and finger tips. Use all-purpose flour to keep the dough from sticking to the counter and to your hands.

14. Transfer flattened pizza dough to a baking sheet sprinkled with flour, semolina flour or corn meal.

15. Cover dough with a tea towel and allow it to puff up slightly for about 10 or 15 minutes. Timing depends on your preference and the temperature of your kitchen. If you want a thinner crust then don’t let the dough rise for very long.
16. Spread a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce onto the dough.

17. Top pizza with roasted shiitake mushrooms and sea asparagus. Sprinkle on a third of the meyer lemon zest. Rip 10 of the pearl bocconcinis in half and scatter across the pizza.

(cook pizzas)

18. Place pizza in oven (on baking sheet) and switch the oven setting to broil (switching to broil is optional but I like the slightly singed effect it has on the crust).

19. After 2 minutes, when the dough has firmed up, remove the pizza from the oven and shake it gently off of the pan and directly onto the pizza stone. 

(Having the first 2 minutes of cook time ensures your dough is firm enough to not collapse as you struggle to get it on the stone).

20. Cook an additional 3 - 5 minutes or until the crust is deep brown and cheese is bubbling. The timing depends on how hot your oven is and how close your pizza is to the top of the oven. 

21. Remove the pizza from the oven (I use a pair of tongs to pull the pizza back onto a pan or cutting board).

22. Sprinkle the pizza generously with fresh Parmesan and basil.
23. Repeat the process for the remaining two dough rounds, starting with step 13.

Quick fresh tomato sauce

Bring a small pot of water to near boil. Cut a small slit in the bottom of 3 or 4 tomatoes and add to water for one minute. Remove from hot water and place in cold ice-water until cool enough to handle. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a seperate pot and add 1 crushed garlic clove. Cook for a couple of minutes. Slide the skins off of the tomatoes, cut them roughly and add to pot with a pinch of sea salt and 1 tsp of honey. Simmer until thickened for about 30 minutes. Stir periodically and break the tomatoes apart further with a spoon while you stir.

Asparagus, fennel, mushroom and tofu dumplings

I officially graduated this past week. In itself, the event was not the most exciting thing I have ever done. The affair began with me sitting on stage at the Chan Center (along with one other PhD graduate, several professors and some other important people). I listened to some speeches, then rose from my seat to head to the bottom of the stage where I was to begin my final journey towards official doctoral-hood. 

I walked cautiously up the stairs and handed a small white sheet of paper to a man on the stage. From the sheet he first read my name aloud and then recited a blurb summarizing my PhD thesis. As he was reading I stopped and posed for a picture, then I walked partway across the stage to shake hands with the university president who, grinning, said something to me which I did not hear. 

I then continued to creep across the stage before pausing in front of a man to whom I handed my hood, which, up until then, I had been carrying over my right forearm. I took off the funny maroon hat that was perched crookedly atop my head. The man then placed the hood over my head, around my neck and then positioned it across my shoulders.

I completed the procession by walking to the opposite end of the stage (hat in hand), shaking two more hands (I cannot even tell you if they belonged to men or women), kept walking, then someone handed me an alumni booklet and pin. Finally,  I circled around the rear of the stage to sit back in front of the glaring stage lights at my plastic, third row seat. The next hour was spent watching a few hundred students follow a similar ritual before we were all officially declared as graduates.

The otherwise boring event was made special by the presence of my loving family: My biggest fan and always supportive mother, my unfairly beautiful and brilliant sisters, my best friend and partner in life, Mike and Mike's always encouraging and caring parents. For the graduation I had to wear this ridiculous bright blue, maroon and gold costume (Mike likened it to a wizard's dress) with a silly and unnaturally large hat. Donning this comical outfit and being surrounded by my happy family made me feel special and even proud.

My mom and little sister spent ten days in Vancouver, which is why I have not been posting much, and we passed most of the time together, exploring Vancouver, cooking in, eating out and visiting with friends and family. Now they have left, and I am trying to mentally rearrange myself into a work mode that will leave me feeling like I deserve a vacation in July.

Although it is June, summer is ever elusive here in Vancouver. We experienced two, super nice days while my mom was visiting but those days have disappeared leaving much of summer to be desired. I want so bad for it to become steadily sunny and warm outside so I can lounge on the beach, in the grass or on the patio whenever I choose. 

Unfortunately, it appears that the clouds and rain are here to stay, at least for this coming week. I will chase away my sadness in face of this reality by cooking and eating some delicious food items that are filling up my recipe book and to-make lists.

Today I made these easy healthy dumplings filled with asparagus, mushrooms, tofu and fennel, that have been on my mind for a couple of months. The only thing holding me back was that I could not find any wonton wrappers at my usual shopping locales. I found some fresh wrappers at T&T, an Asian supermarket, and finally found enough time on Sunday afternoon to invest in chopping, cooking and wrapping these little snacks.

I made a big batch of 60 dumplings which are now waiting patiently in my freezer to be eaten when the craving strikes. You can make a simple dipping sauce, as I often do, by mixing together rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Or you can make a somewhat fancier dip by adding lime juice, maple syrup and chili garlic sauce.

Asparagus, fennel, mushroom and tofu dumplings

Spring seasonal: asparagus, fennel
Makes 60 dumplings

Ingredients

1.5 cups crumbled tofu

10 mushrooms, sliced and chopped (1 cup)

12 asparagus shears, chopped and sliced

3/4 cup thinly sliced and chopped fennel

1/4 cup finely grated carrot

1 cup chopped shallots

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 garlic cloves crushed

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp lime juice

Sea salt

Chili flakes
60 wonton wrappers

1 tbsp tamari or sushi soy sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp maple syrup (for vegans) or honey

1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce

Directions

1. Begin by draining tofu - wrap in a towel and place under a heavy pan or a stack of plates.

2. Meanwhile chop all of the vegetables finely: mushrooms, asparagus, shallots, and fennel. Grate carrots, ginger and garlic into vegetables and toss them all together.

3. Crumble the tofu and add to the vegetables.

4. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp sesame oil.

5. Stir in the vegetables and tofu and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often. When I cook tofu it often sticks to the pan so a non-stick skillet works best.

6. While cooking, stir in some lime juice, maple syrup or honey and season generously with sea salt. Stir in a pinch of chili flakes.

7. Remove vegetables from heat and cover with a lid or baking pan and let stand 10 minutes so the vegetables can soften thoroughly.

8. Uncover and let the vegetables cool.

9. Make the dumplings by spooning 1 tbsp of filling onto a wonton wrapper.

10. Moisten the edges with water, fold in half and seal while pressing the air gently out of the wonton.

11. Set aside on a cutting board or baking sheet and continue making the dumplings until all of the filling is used.

12. At this point you can freeze the dumplings or cook them.

13. To cook the dumplings, place a 1/2" of water in a pot and then place a steamer or a colander over the water and cover with a lid.

14. When water starts to simmer, place in dumplings (I cook about 8 or 10 at a time - this will vary depending on the size of the pot you use). 
*Note that the hardest part about this is keeping the dumplings from sticking together. So try not to overlap them too much, or brush the dumplings and steamer with a little bit of oil.

15. Cook/steam covered for about 6 to 8 minutes or to desired tenderness.

16. Meanwhile whisk together tamari or soy sauce and the next four ingredients.

17. Serve steamed and warm dumplings with the chili-lime sauce.