Grown-Up Bacon & Egg Sandwhich (Caramelized onions, pancetta and arugula)

Fried egg sandwiches....mmmm....so good. There was a little breakfast joint in McKinney, TX, called Bill Smith's Cafe, that had the greatest egg sandwiches: perfectly fried egg with lettuce, tomato, cheese and mayonnaise. I always try to make it but it feels so heavy when I do it at home for breakfast. Then I came across this little recipe in the Breakfast for Dinner article in September's Cooking Light magazine. I changed it around a little bit to work with what we had in the fridge and it was amazing! With caramelized onions and arugula, it's a little more sophisticated then a Bill Smith breakfast sandwich and happened to be perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.

*recipe makes 2 sandwiches, double if you need four*

6 slices of pancetta (if using regular bacon use only 4 pieces)
1 whole yellow onion, sliced nice and thin
1 tablespoon water (ok, I'll be honest I used Sam Adam's Oktoberfest instead!)
1/2 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 tablespoon butter (ok, I used more)
Dash of sugar
Cooking spray
4 slices of hearty multi-grain bread
2 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup arugula
2 slices swiss cheese, optional

1. Cook pancetta (or bacon) in a non-stick pan until crisp.  Remove pancetta to a plate lined with paper towel. Leave the grease in the pan (yikes, I know but wow it's good)

2. Add onions, water (beer) and hot sauce to the bacon pan. Stir to coat well and let cook over a medium heat.  Sprinkle in your dash of sugar. Stir frequently to prevent fast browning. You want these puppies to soften and turn a soft golden brown. The onions will reduce by more than half the original size.  They'll get limp and sweet and mmmmm good. About 15-20 minutes is good. Cook for less time if you like them crunchy.

3. While onions are cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray (ok, yep, I used butter.) Grill your slices of bread until golden. Set aside.

4. In the same pan, fry your eggs to your desired doneness.  Season with salt and pepper. If you want, you can throw on a piece of cheese and melt it on your eggs.

5. Build your sandwich! Place half of the onions on one piece of bread, top with egg, then add arugula. Top with bread and serve with a side of fresh fruit.

Faux-Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie! Oh, yeah, I cannot turn it down. Ever. No matter how big of a meal I just had and how full I am, if there's Key Lime Pie, I'm eating it!  So creamy and so tart! This one is way easier than I thought it would be and sooooo much better for you than traditional pie. Of course, it's pie and pie isn't good for you, but cut out the cream and the heavy reliance on egg yolk and it's not so bad. I feel like I need another piece...

If you don't have limes, you can substitute lemons instead.

Pre-made graham cracker pie crust
14 oz. can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. liquid egg substitute ("Egg Beaters")
3/4 cups fresh lime juice
Cool Whip for topping

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Whisk together milk, "eggs" and lime juice until well combined.
3. Pour into crust.
4. Bake pie 15-20 minutes until center jiggles but edges do not.
5. Let pie cool 15 minutes then transfer to the refrigerator. Chill at least 1 hour.
6. Slice pie and top with Cool Whip.



*Thanks WeightWatchers for this yummy piece of heaven!!!!

Brown Sugar Zucchini Bread

Yep, it's late summer. And that means zucchini! If you have happen to have a garden anywhere in the US, chances are you have zucchini coming out of your wazoo!  What to do with it? What to DO with it? Everyone can make zucchini bread and everyone has a recipe, but this one might be worth checking out. Especially if you don't like dried out boring zucchini bread!

Mix this by hand! It's hardly any work and seriously, use your hands when you mix in the zucchini. It's fun!

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar, packed
6 tbsp regular sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Cup old fashioned rolled oats
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 Cups shredded zucchini
more brown sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bread loaf pan and instead of flouring like you usually do, try granulated sugar! Bread pops out easier and has a sweet crunchy outside!!!
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. No chunks!
3.  Make a little well in the middle of the flour mixture.
4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla. Add to your dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don't over mix it or your bread will be tough! It's going to seem too dry, don't panic.
5. Mix in the zucchini until everything gets all moist and squishy. If you have some nuts, toss them in at this time.
6. Pour batter into greased and sugared pan.  Generously sprinkle extra brown sugar on the top. This will give you the crunchy topping that makes this one special!
Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

It's delicious the way it is or you can jazz it up with some vanilla frosting and toasted coconut shavings.

To toast coconut, heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add coconut and stir frequently until the edges begin to brown. Stay with it and watch the pan. It won't take long for it to burn past recognition! 

Asian Inspired Slaw

Have you ever had a fish taco? Mmmm....that delicious cabbage slaw mix that makes the yummy crunch? Yep, I wanted to recreate that on chicken tacos and found this little recipe. Not to mention its loaded with with veggies and very colorful for a nice presentation.

2 Cups carrots, shredded

2 Cups red cabbage, shredded

1 Cup radishes, shredded

1 Cup jicama, shredded ***

1/3 cups scallions, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 medium jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

2 Tbsp orange marmalade 

4 tsp rice vinegar

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Combine vegetables in a large bowl. 

Combine marmalade, vinegar, oil, salt and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Whisk until well mixed.

Stir dressing and vegetables together. 

Serve with grilled chicken and soft corn tortillas or grilled fish. 

*** Jicama is like potato that smashed into an apple.  It's a root and needs to be peeled. It's crunchy like an apple but more dense like a raw potato with a slightly sweet taste. It's great in salads.