Cooking recipes

This Green Pea Carbonara is a version of bacon and eggs, that traditional breakfast combination but combined with pureed peas and pasta makes it into a quick and delicous dinner and that is the aim of Breakfast for Dinner, by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth.

Breakfast for Dinner contains more than 100 classic breakfast recipes made with a twist.  I love the look of those Sunny Side Up burgers featured on the cover,  and they are definitely on my list.

There are only three chapters in this book, you go straight into the Main Dishes after a page of introduction and a double page about ingredients called Getting Started. Many of the recipes also have variations listed as More to try.

Main Dishes includes: Steak Eggs Benedict, Italian Style Stuffed French Toast, Egg & Chorizo Burritos, Cornflake-Crusted Tenders, Huevos Rancheros Tacos, Green Pea Carbonara, Savoury Lentil and Carrot Stuffed Crepes, Polenta Cakes with Shitake Mushrooms, Pizza Over Easy and those gorgeous Sunny-Side-Up Burgers.

Sides and Starters includes: Maple-Glazed Pork Meatballs, Root Vegetable Latkes, Bacon Jam (I am definitely going to make this), Habanero-Cheddar Bread Pudding, Espresso Baked Beans, Mini Zucchini and Pesto Quiches and Bloody Mary Tomato Soup.

Drinks and Desserts includes: Maple Bacon Cupcakes, Mocha Ice Cream Pie with Biscotti Crust, Blood Orange Mimosa Sorbet, Frozen Sunrise Margaritas, Granola Cookies, Chocolate Brownie Waffles with Blackberry Sauce, Earl Grey Panna Cotta, Doughnut Fudge Sundaes and Mint Choc Chip Pancakes.

This is not an exhaustive list of the recipes just the ones that jumped out at me.

Who is it for? Most people would find something in this book that they enjoy, on the whole if you like cooking and eating comfort food, youll enjoy the recipes in Breakfast for Dinner.

Pros

• The book is clearly laid out with excellent photographs and there is almost every recipe. 
• There are some step-by-step photo tutorials e.g.  Perfectly Poached Eggs, How to Make Ravioli.
• Bacon does seem to feature quite prominently in this book but there are a number of excellent non-meat recipes too.
•  Although this book is originally published in the USA, there is an excellent Metric Conversion Chart at the back.
• Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth also have their own website/blog Love and Olive Oil

Cons

• There are some healthy recipes but on the whole, breakfasting like a King at dinner time is for treats rather than every day!
• Most of the main dishes and desserts appealed to me but not so sure about some of the sides and drinks, okay for entertaining but not something I would make regularly.

Green Pea Carbonara

Makes 4 servings
Time 40 minutes

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 large egg*
2 large egg yolks
1 oz (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated plus more for serving
1/4 cup heavy (double) cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 oz pancetta or bacon, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound rigatoni (I used half this amount of pasta as I would normally allow 2oz per person)

1. In a blender or food processor, blend peas, egg, egg yolks, cheese and cream on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.  Add salt and pepper.




2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pancetta until browned, 6 to 8 minutes (if using bacon, cook for slightly longer or until beginning to crisp then drain excess fat from pan). Add onions and cook until softened, another 5 minutes.
3. Cook pasta according to package direction until just tender and still firm to the bite.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Add pasta to skillet and toss with onions and pancetta for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, stir in pea mixture, working swiftly and vigorously so egg does not scramble.  If sauce is too thick, mix in reserved pasta water, a little at a time. Transfer to serving bowls and top with more Parmesan Cheese. Serve.



*Do note that the eggs in this recipe are not fully cooked; we recommend using farm-fresh eggs from a trusted source.  Or buy parteurised eggs if you are worried about bacteria.

I made this recipe on my return from the Marmalade Awards, it was quick and easy to make, tasted delicious and my mother-in-law commented that it was different!  She will generally eat whatever I put in front of her, I think it was a compliment, perhaps the colour was not what she was expecting.


Breakfast for Dinner
Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth
Published by Quirk Books, distributed in UK by PGUK
RRP: £12.99
Online bookstore: £8.96
Previously reviewed books by this author: The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook by Lindsay Landis

Jan at A Glug of Oil is running a giveaway, so if you fancy your chances of winning a copy of Breakfast for Dinner, hop over to her site and enter.

I received a copy of Breakfast for Dinner to review, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.

A healthier version of the traditional green bean casserole that your family and friends are sure to enjoy...

Serves: (6)
Prep: 15 mins. |
Bake: 25 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
6 medium-size crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh green beans, sliced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon pepper
1 (2.8 oz.) can french fried onions
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9”x9” baking dish with oil, and set aside.

Boil the green beans in the chicken broth for 10 minutes, and drain, and then set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions and mushrooms, until onions are translucent. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, garlic powder, and pepper to the onion mixture, stirring well to combine.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the french fried onions, and then the grated parmesan cheese, and bake for 5 minutes longer, just until the cheese melts. ~ Enjoy!

Brilliant green and fresh sauteed green beans...Yummm!

Servings (6)
Prep. and Cook, about 15 to 20 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

½ lb. fresh green beans, trim ends, and cut into 1-1/2” pieces
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon light olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

METHOD

Place the cut fresh green beans in a microwave-safe bowl with water, cover with a damp paper towel, and par-steam in microwave on high for 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse in a colander under cold water to retain color and to stop the cooking process, and then pat dry (this can be done ahead of time). Place olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, when oil is hot add the par-cooked green beans and spices, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, just until crisp-tender. – Enjoy!


~~~~~~~~~~~~


Tip: I have found that many like fresh green beans cooked longer until tender - not crisp, if so, you may choose to do so and continue sauteing for another 5 minutes.

Kathy Bates stars as an unhappy wife trying to get her husbands attention in this amusing and moving 1991 screen adaptation of Fannie Flaggs novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. After befriending a lonely old woman (Jessica Tandy), Bates hears the story of a lifelong friendship between two other women (Mary Stuary Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker, seen in flashback) who once ran a cafe in town against many personal odds. The tale inspires Bates to take further command over her life, and there director Jon Avnet (Up Close and Personal), in his first feature, has fun with the film. Bates develops a real attitude toward her thickheaded spouse at home and some uppity girls in a parking lot, but dignity is generally the key to Avnets approach with the storys crucial relationships. Tandy is a joy and clearly loves the element of mystery attached to her character, and Masterson and Parker are excellent in the historical sequences. --Tom Keogh

Price: $9.98

Click here to buy from Amazon

The eastern Thrace is the north western or the European part of Turkey. The region (except for Istanbul) is mostly occupied by people who migrated from the western Thrace (Greece and Bulgaria). Most of those people, like my grandparents, settled down in the region after the 1924 population exchange. This green lentil dish is cooked widely in eastern Thrace and known to be a western Thracian recipe.

1 cup dry green lentils
3 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 big onion, chopped
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt
pepper
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp rd pepper flakes


























-Cook 1 cup green lentils with 3 cups of water on medium until water is completely soaked.
-In a different pot heat the oil and stir in onions. Cook until soft.
-Add flour and stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add tomato paste and stir for another couple of minutes.
-Add lentils with 2 1/2 cups of water. Salt to your taste. Cook on medium low for 30 minutes. -Add dill after you turn it off.
-For the sauce, in a little bowl mix 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and crushed pepper.
-When you serve the lentils, put a couple of spoons of the sauce on lentils.
-Serve with bread or rice.


This recipe with the perfect touch of garlic is for Kalyns WHB. WHB is hosted by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once.