Egg salad with bacon & herbs

The other day I took an Instagram picture of my breakfast, which was pretty much this very concoction, sans the bacon, and it really got my thinking about egg salad.  That and the fact I had 2 dozen Easter eggs to do something with.

I'm a huge egg salad fan anytime of the year and have created my ultimate recipe for this classic.  Lots of herbs, not too much mayo, some cornichons & microgreens to make it a little fancy and some bacon to make it amazing. 

Serves 6

3 slices nitrate-free bacon

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 ribs celery - finely chopped
1 t. fresh tarragon - minced
1 t. chervil - finely chopped
2 T. chives - finely chopped
2 green onions - whites only, finely chopped
2 T. finely chopped cornichons
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. mayonnaise
1/2 t. celery salt
fresh ground pepper

3 English muffins - split
a handful of micro greens or arugula

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place bacon in a single layer on baking sheet.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until cooked to desired crispness.  Remove from oven & drain on a paper towel.

Cut hard-boiled eggs in half.  Crumble yolks into a large bowl.  Place whites in a food processor & pulse in one second intervals until finely chopped.  Add white to yolks in the bowl.

Add celery, herbs, green onions, cornichons, dijon mustard, mayonnaise, celery salt & pepper to the eggs.  Mix together with a fork mashing lightly.

Toast English muffins.  Top each half with a generous amount of egg salad.  Break bacon slices in half and place on top of each open face English muffin/egg salad combo.  Top with a garnish of micro greens or arugula.

power breakfast (or lunch) (or dinner) bowl

This bowl has it all...whole grains, protein, fresh veggies and a whole lotta deliciousness.  I love to start my day with something healthy and filling so I'm not starving my 10:00.  And because this bowl uses frozen brown rice (or quinoa), it takes just a few minutes to bust out in the morning.

Of course, this combo would be great any time of day. It's kind of like the California version of the Korean bibimbap and would make a perfect lunch or a light, healthy dinner.  Use whatever veggies you have on hand, but I highly recommend the avocado in there...it's so creamy and a great combo with the eggs & rice.

I also love to give it a little kick of spice.  I've used togarashi which is a Japanese chili & spice blend, but feel free to use your favorite hot sauce or some cayenne.

serves 1

1/2 c. frozen brown rice or frozen quinoa
1 egg - cooked to your liking
kosher salt & pepper
1 c. baby spinach
1 T. green onion - sliced
1 T. red pepper - finely diced
1/4 of an avocado - sliced
fresh cilantro leaves
a sprinkle of togarashi or cayenne pepper (or hot sauce)

Heat frozen brown rice or quinoa in a bowl according to directions on the package.

Cook your egg as you like it in a small skillet, seasoning with salt & pepper. Remove egg and place in your bowl on top of the rice.  Then throw your baby spinach into the already hot skillet and let it cook until slightly wilted - about 1 minute.

Add spinach to rice & egg bowl.  Top with green onion, red pepper. avocado & cilantro.

Sprinkle with togarashi, cayenne or hot sauce.

And here is the breakfast bowl play-by-play from Kin Community & me...click HERE or on the video screen below to watch :)

Egg sandwich with pancetta & arugula

We all know, and have possibly loved, that famous breakfast sandwich from a certain fast food restaurant that starts with a “Mc.” I don’t eat fast food anymore but I love making a similar homemade version of this classic combination using good, quality ingredients and fancy-ing it up a bit.  I make some adaptation of this sandwich pretty much every weekend – either for myself, my family, or guests - and it’s a hit every time!

Note: I use over-easy eggs in this recipe, but do them how you like…scrambled, poached or sunny-side up eggs all work!

Serves 4 – or make just one J

8 slices pancetta

4 whole grain English muffins

4 slices Havarti cheese

4 eggs

Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

A large handful baby arugula

A couple drops of Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Warm a skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add slices of pancetta in a single layer.  Cook about 1-2 minutes and flip.  Cook another 1 minute until browned and crisp.  Remove from skillet and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.

Toast English muffins until browned and crisp. Remove them from toaster & lightly butter.  Place a slice of Havarti between tops and bottoms of each muffin (this will start the cheese melting while you are cooking the eggs).

Warm a non-stick pan over medium-low heat.  Once pan is warm, add a little butter and let melt.  Crack 2 eggs into the pan without breaking yolks.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Let cook about 3 minutes or until the white is mostly set.  Flip over and cook for about another 30 seconds.  Remove and place eggs on bottom halves of English muffins.  Repeat with remaining 2 eggs.

Finish assembling sandwiches by topping the egg with a 2 slices of pancetta, a few leaves of arugula, Sriracha (if desired) and the muffin top. Done!