Cooking For Two When you want to serve a quick-and-easy meal for just the two of you, count on eggs. Handily portioned by nature, eggs are conveniently packaged for quick-and-easy meals for one or two. Plus, eggs are one of the most versatile of all foods. You can fry, scramble, poach or bake them or cook them in the shell. You can also turn eggs into omelets or a frittata, quiche or strata. French toast is yet another option -; a special but very economical option. In the Cajun areas of Louisiana, French toast is called pain perdu, lost bread. Long ago, thrifty cooks discovered they could rescue day-old (or older) bread which otherwise would have been wasted by soaking it in a mixture of eggs and milk before cooking it. When it’s dressed up with a topping, though, who would ever guess that French toast had such a practical origin? Although many folks consider French toast a breakfast food, you can serve this popular dish for any time of the day. For a classy meal, you can even split the toast slices, stuff them with cheese and serve them up with sugared strawberries. Does French toast make a good meal? Sure. Following MyPyramid.gov, the bread is in the grain group and the eggs are a meat alternate. In Superb Stuffed French Toast, you get added calcium from the cheese stuffing and vitamin C from the strawberries on top. For the fiber it contains, this recipe calls for whole wheat bread, but you can use any type of bread you like. You can also use a different flavoring in place of the vanilla, such as almond, lemon or orange. Cooking For Two Superb Stuffed French Toast 2 servings 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries (about 4 ounces) 2 teaspoons sugar, divided 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, divided 2 (1-inch) or 4 thin slices whole wheat bread 2 eggs 2 tablespoons skim or low-fat (1%) milk Cooking spray In medium bowl, stir together strawberries and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Set aside. In small bowl,
stir together ricotta, 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar until thoroughly blended. Make pocket in each 1-inch bread slice by cutting from top to within 1/2 inch of bottom. Fill each pocket with 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Or, spread 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture onto each of 2 thin slices of bread and place remaining bread on top to make 2 sandwiches. In small bowl, beat together eggs, milk and remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until well blended. Pour into 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Place filled bread slices in egg mixture. Soak bread, letting stand about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until egg mixture is absorbed. Evenly coat baking sheet with spray. Place soaked bread on baking sheet. Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven 10 minutes. Turn slices. Continue baking until puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes. To serve, top each bread slice with 1 tablespoon of the remaining ricotta mixture and 1/4 cup of the reserved strawberries. Cooking For Two Nutrition information per serving of 1/2 recipe using 4 thin slices whole wheat bread and skim milk: 328 calories, 12 gm total fat, 227 mg cholesterol, 428 mg sodium, 383 mg potassium, 38 gm carbohydrate, 18 gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for vitamins A, B12 and C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc. Cooking For Two Preparing a meal for just the two of you can be quick and easy, especially if you keep eggs on hand. Versatile eggs are a high-quality protein food portioned by nature to suit small households. Egg producers have made eggs even more convenient by offering 6- and 8-count packs to retailers. However many eggs you buy, they’ll keep in the refrigerator, with insignificant quality loss, for at least three weeks from the time you bring them home. With eggs in the fridge, it’s easy to add a welcome change of pace to your menus. Eggs can also help you include more vegetables in your diet, as the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend. Quiche in Pepper Pots is a good example of an entree that combines egg protein with the vitamins, minerals and fiber of veggies. These novel individual quiches are easy on the cook, too. Simply choose any colorful vegetable blend you like to fill the peppers, pour on an egg-and-milk custard and bake. Got company coming? Then just multiply the recipe to suit the number of servings you need. For fast, nutritious eating other times, you can use the remaining eggs you have on hand in a variety of ways. Toss slices or wedges of hard-cooked eggs with greens and other veggies for a main-dish salad; poach eggs right in your favorite soup; reheat leftover pasta and veggies and pour on eggs to make a skillet scramble. Cooking For Two
Quiche in Pepper Pots 2 servings 2 medium (about 4 oz. each) green, yellow or sweet red peppers 1/2 cup (about 8 oz.) frozen vegetable blend, thawed 2 eggs 1/4 cup skim or low-fat milk 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Sawtooth or scallop pepper edges, if desired. Stand peppers upright in custard cups or muffin-pan cups. Spoon 1/4 cup of the vegetables into each pepper. In small bowl, beat together eggs, milk and seasonings until well blended. Pour about 1/3 cup of the egg mixture over vegetables in each pepper. Cooking For Two Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cooking For Two Nutrition information per serving of 1/2 recipe using green and yellow peppers; broccoli, sweet red pepper, mushroom and onion vegetable blend; and skim milk: 119 calories, 5 gm total fat, 213 mg cholesterol, 89 mg sodium, 283 mg potassium, 10 gm carbohydrate, 9 gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for vitamins A, B12 and C, riboflavin, phosphorus. http://www.recipekingdom.net/