Breakfast Fried Rice

A couple weeks ago I woke up inspired. I had less than an hour to get ready for work, but I just NEEDED a fresh, fun, filling new breakfast. I looked into my fridge. I usually dread this ritual because my fridge is not always the most cohesive and useful tool in my kitchen. Ha, that's some truth for you right there. Something that I always need to work on is details. It takes a lot of patience and willingness to see the bigger picture when you're setting up your fridge. Have you washed, sliced, prepped your fresh fruits and veggies? Did you cook your grains ahead of time?

It's a lot of work. Work that I usually don't have time for, or at least don't make time for. 

But that morning a couple of weeks ago, the stars aligned and I had just the right combo of items already prepared to have that fresh, fun, filling new breakfast. So there I was in my PJs, with ten minutes left to go until I needed to be in the car headed to work, taking pictures of this awesome breakfast on our deck. I just had to share it with you. 

It's fried rice with 2 eggs instead of just 1, wilted greens and roasted sweet potato. And I mean, wow, I can't wait to have it again.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt & Pepper to taste 
• 1 cup roasted sweet potato, sliced into small chunks
• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 handful greens (about 1 cup)
• 2 eggs, scrambled 
• Feta cheese for topping, optional
• Hot sauce for topping, optional

DIRECTIONS

Start with a large pan and heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat. After about 1 minute. Dump the sweet potatoes into the pan and begin to stir fry. To learn how to roast the sweet potatoes, click here. Cook for about 5 minutes. 

Next, add the rice to the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes and then add the greens. Add some salt and pepper to your liking. Once you see the greens wilting, push everything to the side. Whisk the eggs and add them to the newly cleared space in the pan. Scrape the eggs back and forth on the pan until the set. 

Once the eggs are set, combine everything. Cook for just a little while longer until the eggs show a little brown-ness. Get a bowl out, top with fresh radish, hot sauce, feta. Serve with fresh fruit and fresh coffee. Now breathe in the morning and know you've done something good for yourself. 

Enjoy!

And remember, sometimes that extra effort is totally worth it.

xoxo,

Karen

Chloe's Hipster Brunch Bowl

Mercury is in retrograde. I have no idea what that means. But I can say with great certainty I know how it feels now. Everything, literally everything ... and everyone ... in my life is off. Here is a quick check list from the last two weeks (not comprehensive):

• I lost the ring my grandparents gave to me for my 16th birthday
• I smacked my head twice within a matter of minutes while entering the gym
• The expensive amazon package I ordered got stolen ... or lost ... or something
• My mom broke her leg
• Don't even get me started about work ...the people...the kids...the drama...
• And then there is my brilliant friend Chloe. A genius in the kitchen, has lost her ability to bake... trust me, that's a BIG deal. She is LITERALLY a genius. 

According to galadarling.com, everything in our lives are out of whack is because Mercury is in retrograde. And, "It's because Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth and travel, so when the planet goes retrograde — which means that it looks like it's going backwards in the sky — all those things go backwards. They start to get ugly and tangle up". I'm going to call truth on this one. But luckily, things are starting to look up again and it sound like Mercury is going back to doing its job. I hope you find the same is true for you in the coming week!

So, let's meet Chloe:

She's part biostatistician, part whiz kid in the kitchen. She was my neighbor in college, and a forever dear friend. I always look forward to going over to her house. It's straight out of a West Elm magazine. There's a place for everything, and its beautifully adult and adorable. I'm obsessed. Apparently, for the last two weeks, everything she has tried to bake has turned out wrong. That doesn't happen to her. I was floored to hear her mishaps and frustration. 

See? GENIUS 

Anyway, then she pulled out this large bowl of greens and starting to put together our brunch. I quickly realized her mishaps definitely hadn't spilled over to her cooking skills ... and most likely her baking skills will rapidly return. JUST LOOK AT THIS TABLE, PEOPLE! Everything you see was made by her, including the bread. 

......................#goals

So let's take a closer look at the huge bowl of goodness. We enjoyed it on a rainy Saturday morning with pour over coffee, and asked Chloe what the creation was called. "The Hipster Brunch Bowl", she said. And yes, it was practically perfect in every way. 

CHLOE'S HIPSTER BRUNCH BOWL

*note: Chloe didn't measure much, because cooking is not an exact science. Mix and match with ingredients that you like most! 

INGREDIENTS

• 0.5 pound arugula
• 0.5 pound red leaf butter lettuce
• 2 cups roasted sweet potato 
• 1 cup roasted fennel 
• 2 cups roasted brussel sprouts 
• 2 cups roasted cremini mushrooms 
• 4 sliced Easter Egg radishes 
• 0.5 cup pickled red onion 
• 4 soft boiled eggs
• 2 cups crispy-skinned slow roasted pork belly
• Parsley dressing (see directions below)

DIRECTIONS:

• Make a bed of lettuce and arugula in the biggest bowl you have.
• For the roasted veggies, you need very large baking sheets and parchment paper. Slice up the veggies, toss in olive oil and salt, and bake at 425 degrees F for about 25 minutes. They need to be brown and a little crispy. 
• For the roasted pork belly, check out this resource
• For the soft boiled eggs, boil the eggs for 2-3 minutes and put directly into ice bath. Let sit for 4-5 minutes. Peel and slice in half. 
• Slice up the easter egg radishes, thinly 
• For the pickled red onion, check out this resource
• Layer veggies and meat on top of the lettuce into quadrants and top with parsley dressing (see below!)
  
  For the Parsley Dressing 
• Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and add...
• dried oregano
• thinly sliced garlic (2 cloves)
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp anchovy paste 
• Cook over medium low heat until garlic is golden. Let it cool.
• NEXT... Add the oil+goodies to food processor with....
• 2 bunches parsley 
• handful toasted walnuts
• 1 spoonful dijon mustard 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• dash salt
• dash black pepper
• water to thin

I had a blast catching up with Chloe, and an equally awesome time spending brunch with her enjoying this delicious food. I look forward to it becoming a staple in my future weekend mornings. Thanks for hanging out Chloe, you are amazing in the kitchen, no matter what. 

Here's to no more baking mishaps!

Goodbye Mercury Retrograde!

Cheers!

xx,

Karen

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