Eggs in Peppers

We had these for breakfast this weekend, and they're so fast and tasty!  Simply cut a bell pepper (color of your choice) into 1/2" rings, then put them in a frying pan with whatever you usually fry eggs in, crack an egg in each ring, and fry them up.

I had kind of a small pepper, so my eggs spilled out -- try to find a larger pepper so that doesn't happen to you.  But they were still tasty!  (We got the recipe here on lifehacker.com.)

Did you have a good Easter?  We did!  We had a short egg hunt at home as soon as the kids woke up, ate breakfast with our church family before the service, sang lots of great hymns during church ("I Know that My Redeemer Lives" always makes me tear up), and then went to a relative's house for lunch and supper and lots of fun with our kids' second cousins.  A happy Easter indeed!

Asparagus Berry Salad

As promised, here's the recipe for the salad we made last week.  This is a lovely seasonal salad -- we usually eat it warm as soon as it's made, but this time we ate it cold, which is good too.

Asparagus Berry Salad


Ingredients:


1 lb asparagus -- trimmed and cut 1"
3 Tbsp olive oil -- divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bag salad greens (about 5 oz)
1 lb strawberries -- quartered
1/4 small onion -- sliced thin
1/2 cup chopped walnuts -- toasted
2 Tbsp cooking sherry
2 tsp. sugar


Directions: 


In a sealable container, toss the asparagus with 1 Tbsp oil.  Spread on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In a large bowl, mix greens, strawberries, onions, walnuts, and asparagus.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sherry, sugar, and remaining oil.  Drizzle over salad and toss to coat.

Easy Cheesy Macaroni Salad

I made a double batch of this yesterday to take to a church potluck.  I love how colorful it is -- a bright, cheerful dish, don't you think?  And it's very easy.  You can eat it cold or hot.

Easy Cheesy Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:


1 box macaroni & cheese
As much milk as the mac & cheese calls for
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup celery -- sliced thinly
1/2 red pepper -- finely chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs -- chopped
1/4 cup green onions -- sliced

Directions:


Prepare mac & cheese as directed, replacing butter with mayonnaise.  Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well.  Serve warm or cold.

That's it!  I used the green onions we've been regrowing, of course :-)

Asparagus and Tofu Stir Fry

My hubby occasionally makes up recipes, and some of them turn out quite well.  Here's one we had this week :-)  We're not vegetarians, but we try to eat meatless dishes several times a week, as many of the health benefits of vegetarianism can be gained by simply eating less meat rather than cutting it out altogether.

Asparagus and Tofu Stir Fry

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. Sesame oil - divided

1 lb. Extra firm tofu - sliced 2" long and pencil thickness

1 bunch Asparagus - trimmed and sliced 1" long

6 cloves Garlic - minced

1 bunch Green onions - chopped

6  cups Fresh spinach - coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Lime juice

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

1 tsp. Basil

3/4 tsp. Ginger

1/2 tsp. Crushed red chilies (optional)

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Mint

1/2 cup Cashews (optional)

1 cup Rice - cooked according to package

Directions:

In a large skillet, sauté the well-drained tofu in a 2 tbsp. oil until golden brown.  Remove from skillet.  Add remaining oil and sauté garlic and asparagus for 1 minute.  Add the spinach and onions.  Saute until wilted.  Return tofu to pan.  Stir in juice, sauce, and spices.  Sprinkle with cashews and serve over rice.

The crushed red chilies are optional because our kids fuss if they chomp down on one, so we tend to leave those out these days.  But they add a nice kick if you don't have anyone who will howl about them.

Broccoli and Squash Medley

This recipe from BettyCrocker.com combines four of my son's favorite foods: broccoli, squash, dried cranberries, and nuts. And yes, I have an absurdly healthy boy. If I ate the way he does, I'd be a lot better off. Working on that. Anyway, this is fairly quick to make -- the hardest part is peeling the squash. It makes enough to feed 3-4 people as a main course, or you can use it as a side dish for a bigger gathering.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. Frozen broccoli
2 cups Butternut squash -- peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Orange juice
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup Pecans - chopped
1 tbsp. Grated orange peel
1 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Steam broccoli; set aside. In a large skillet, cook squash in orange juice 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add butter and stir until melted. Add all ingredients and toss to coat.

This also tastes good cold, so you can make it ahead of time and put it in the fridge if you want a cold veggie side dish.