Gareth's Omelet: A great breakfast that captures Italy and Spain for a British Palate

Honoring one of my friends (Gareth Stowers), the one who inspired me to become a vegetarian, this omelet captures the flavors of Spain and Italy on one dish. Inspired by the traditional Italian tomato sauces and the Spanish, Tortilla de Patata, this is a regular visitor on my weekend table, mainly on Sundays when I have the time to be carefree and careful I created this piece of delectable joy that can easily serve as a brunch item for those lazy souls who need tons of flavor without meats or cheeses.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 avocado
½ medium red bell pepper
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 table spoons of soy milk
1 medium size potato, shredded
4 - 5 roma tomatoes
½ teaspoon of dry basil
½ teaspoon of dry oregano
½ teaspoon of dry rosemary
A dash of curry powder.
(if you have fresh herbs it will taste much stronger as I usually do)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preparation

1. Remove the pulp from the avocado and slice, add some lime juice and salt to preserve from oxidation (a quick trick).
2. Chop the onion finely. Divide the product in two. Chop the bell pepper finely and mince the garlic.
3. Wash and peel the tomatoes. Chop them. Most people deseed them, I don’t, I really like the seed juices but if you prefer to deseed them you are most welcomed.
4. Beat the eggs with one half of the chopped onion, the bell pepper, the soy milk, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. On a heavy skillet heat 2 spoons of olive oil. When heated add the dry basil, dry rosemary and dry oregano and cook for 30 seconds (adding the aromatics to the fatty substances makes them give the rest of the ingredients all their flavors). If you are using dry ingredients add them on this stage, if you are using fresh, add them at the end.
6. Add the remaining half of onion and cook until tender. After that add the minced garlic and let it cook. Once you feel the strong smell of the garlic you can proceed.
7. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Let the juices of the tomatoes, the spices and the remaining vegetables mingle and mix.
8. Add the sugar, salt and pepper and let it cook.
9. On another skillet, let one tablespoon of oil to heat up and let half of the egg mixture to cook and form the omelet. Once cooked on one side, add half of the avocado and fold to finish cooking.
10. Serve by placing one omelet on the plate and sauce with the tomatoes. If you feel like it add some decorations with pieces of avocado.

Sumptuous and delectable this will need to be accompanied with a decadent cup of hot chocolate or café con leche (coffee and milk). I will set the mood for this breakfast with a decadent piece of music as well, how about “Amor” by Nino from the Buddha Bar series or “No sé porqué te quiero” by Ana Belén and Antonio Banderas.





As usually, I wish you wonderful experiences on your kitchen.

Namaste.

The exotic flavors of the islands without the fuzz: Hawaiian Chicken

Cooking is a passion of mine, maybe the one that I enjoy the most. Although I became a vegetarian about six months ago, and I handled the Spanish version of this blog for about 3 years, a friend of mine requested to have my recipes in English. I thought this is not the first time someone asks for that. But returning to the vegetarian side of me, I do not eat meat, poultry, fish or seafood on any form by practicing some Mitahara principles from my yoga practice. Buuuut, I am a cook, as far as I know one of the best hehehehehe. And for my friends and for other people I can cook meats.



This time I will be showing you one of my favorite recipes, when I was a hungry meat lover, chicken lover this time; my Hawaiian Nuggets and Pineapple Sauce.



Ingredients:



• 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (easily found on your local supermarket)

• 6 thick slices of sweet pinneapple (organic is the best but if you just can't find them, a canned one will suffice)

• 1 egg

• 3/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs

• Dry parsley
• Dry basil
• Dry thyme
• Onion salt
• Garlic salt (if you can't find it, just add some salt to dry garlic and dry onion)
• 2 tablespoons of white wine (if you don't drink alcohol, pear juice will suffice)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• Salt
• Pepper

Procedure:

1. 30 minutes before preparing your chicken, mix the juice of two crushed slices of pinneapple, some thyme, salt and pepper and mix well. Place the breasts on a bowl and let them marinade on the mixture. Place on the fridge and let them sit for 30 minutes.

2. Mix the breadcrumbs with some dry parsley, dry basil, dry thime, onion salt and garlic salt to your taste. I strongly recommend for you to use no more than 1/8 of a teaspoon for each spice but if you want a stronger flavor go for a little more.

3. Beat pretty well your egg with some salt and pepper.

4. Cut the remaining pinneapple slices on halves.

5. Take the breasts out of the marinade. Discard juices, this marinade might get spoiled and we will use some more juices to prepare the sauce (I know, I know, just don't be lazy, I said this is a simple recipe but it is not an instant Ramen soup or a microwave dinner)

6. Mix the chicken breasts on the beaten egg and roll them on the breadcrumbs. Do the same with the pinneapple halves (I know, I know, but come on, you guys have eaten Hawaiian Pizza so don't tell me this will taste weird).

7. On a strong skillet, fry the chicken breasts and the pinneapple halves until well cooked. I recommend you to fry them separately since the fruit will be done in no longer than 3 minutes but the chicken will take much longer.

8. On a small saucepan mix the remaining pinneapple juices (the ones for 2 slices or the juices in which the pinneapple was packed on the can will be good), with a little olive oil (no more than 1/2 teaspoon), some salt, pepper, thyme and parsley, and 1/8 of a teaspoon of cornstarch until smoothly thickened.

When ready you can serve the chicken alongside the pineapple slices and the sauce. I will go for some wild brown rice as a starch option and some broccolli and cauliflower as my veggie side dish, with a dressing of lime juice, salt and thyme, for the whole exotic flavor experience.

I wish you the most delectable and nice experiences on your kitchen.

Why don't you enjoy this with some luscious sounds from the distant shores of Hawaii, yes, one of my favorite pieces "Wicked Game" with Cris Isaak.



Namaste.