Bistro Sandwich With Herb Salad and Poached Egg

Have this awesome sandwich for lunch, brunch or even supper. Leave out the ham and make it vegetarian. Even fancy enough to serve to company. Buy good quality deli ham and delicious Swiss style cheese, I have used Jarlsberg, a Norwegian cheese. My family loves this dish, I hope yours will too.

Good quality ingredients make a huge difference. Buy the best that you can afford.

Start by making the vinaigrette. You will need a blender or food processor. I like to use my Ninja bullet to make this dressing.

Put the tomatoes, oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper into the blender. Blend until the tomatoes are pureed. 

Next, comes the toast. 

Cut 1 inch slices of bread from a French loaf.

Brush both sides of bread with olive oil.

Broil until lightly toasted

Spread one teaspoon dijon mustard onto one side of the toast

Poach the eggs. I have this contraption that fits into my sauté pan. Poach your eggs in water if you don't have one of these.

Poach the eggs so that the yolk is still liquidy.

While the eggs are poaching, assemble the sandwich. Place a generous portion of ham onto the toast. Top the ham with cheese.

Broil the sandwiches until the cheese melts. This will only take a minute or two.

Place about two cups of the herb salad mixture onto your plate. Place a slice of toast onto the salad.

Put one poached egg on top of the toast. Drizzle the tomato vinaigrette on top of it all.

The flavours compliment each other perfectly. Just delicious!

Bistro Ham And Cheese Sandwich (Serves four-six)

Tomato Vinaigrette
1/4 cup tomato, use the best tasting tomatoes that you can find
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper

The Rest
4 slices French bread, sliced 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons dijon mustard
200 grams shaved deli ham
200 grams Swiss, Gruyere, or Jarlsberg cheese, sliced
8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
4 eggs

Start by making the dressing. Put all ingredients of the vinaigrette into a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Put dressing in the fridge while you assemble the rest of the dish.

Bush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Put slices of bread onto a foil lined baking pan. Broil bread until lightly toasted. Spread one side of the bread with dijon mustard. Set toast aside.

Make this sandwich vegetarian by leaving out the ham.

Mix salad greens and fresh herbs together. Put about 2 cups of the salad onto each plate.

Poach eggs in water until the whites are firm but the yolks are still runny.

While eggs are cooking. Put a generous portion of ham and cheese onto each slice of toast. Broil the toast until the cheese has melted. It will only take a minute or two.

Assemble the dish. Put toast on top of the salad greens, put the poached egg on top of the toast, drizzle with tomato vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Bacon and Eggers

Bacon and eggers are great make-ahead frozen sandwiches. They are perfect for busy days when the chaos is getting the better of you. I love to have these sammy's in my freezer. They are very high in protein and very filling. We have eaten them for breakfast, lunch and even supper. Really great for those days when everyone needs to be someplace different all at the same time. Just grab, heat and go. 

Here's how to do it.

Start with one pound of bacon. If you prefer, make these with ham or if you would rather have meatless, then skip this step.

My family loves bacon. I like to cook my bacon in the oven. On a tin foil lined baking pan lay the slices of bacon into a single layer. Bake at 305 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.

Remove the bacon from the baking sheet onto a plate lined with paper towel. Let the bacon cool.

Next step. Bake the eggs. I have these 3 1/2 inch ramekins. If you do not have ramekins, you can use muffin tins. Spray them with cooking spray or oil. Crack one egg into each container.

Using a fork, gently scramble the yolks and whites. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and a bit of chopped green onion.

Bake the eggs in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the eggs have set.

Run a table knife around the side of the ramekins to loosen the egg from the container.

My family prefers these sandwiches made with buns. Use English muffins or anything else that your family would like. My guys like things plain. No sauces or spreads. Place the egg onto the bun.

We like old white cheddar cheese. Use whatever cheese your family likes. Please stay away from the super processed plastic cheese. Yucky!

Top the egg with a slice of bacon and a slice of cheese.

Freeze them in a plastic container

To serve, wrap them in tin foil and bake them for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees or until they are heated through. Or microwave them, from frozen, for a minute or two.

Super fast, very filling, home-made. 

Add lettuce and/or tomato to make it even more nutritious.

Watch me make them on You Tube

Bacon and Eggers

1 pound lean bacon, cooked and cooled. Alternately, use ham or make meatless eggers
1 dozen buns, English muffins or equivalent
12 slices of cheese of choice
1 dozen eggs
2 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper

I like to cook my bacon in the oven. Lay bacon slices on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until it is crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and let it cool. Next step is the eggs. Leave the oven at 350 degrees. Crack one egg into a well greased 3 inch ramekins or use muffin tins. Sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper. top with a pitch of green onion. Lightly scramble each egg with a fork. Bake the eggs for 20-30 minutes of until they have set. Let the eggs cool for 10-15 minutes.  Slice the buns in half. Put the egg on the bottom half. Top the egg with bacon and cheese. Replace the top half of the bun. Place the buns in a freezable plastic container. Freeze them until they are needed. To serve: microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or wrap with foil and bake from frozen at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until they are heated through and the cheese has melted.

They can be eaten as is or add a piece of lettuce and a slice of tomato. My guys like to dip them in ketchup. YUM!

Oatmeal Apple Pie Waffles

Gluten free and sugar free deliciousness. Oatmeal and cornflour make up the bulk of these tasty waffles. Honey and xylitol add sweetness to the batter and the yummy apple pie topping. The apple pie topping is further topped with maple syrup sweetened Greek yogurt. Super good. The recipe doubles well and the waffles can also be frozen and popped in the toaster for a quick, before school breakfast. Make the batter the night before to make for a quick easy breakfast.

Humble ingredients. Nothing fancy. Great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or snack time.

Mix the oats, cornstarch, xylitol(learn more about xylitol here) or sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, buttermilk, eggs oil and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. The batter will be thin. Let the batter sit for 1-2 hours, the oats will absorb the liquid and the batter will become thickened. You can make this the night before. Put the blender in the fridge if you leave it sit for longer than 2 hours.

While the batter sits, make the apple pie filling. Roughly chop four apples, any kind will do. In a medium sauce pan combine the apples, water, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the apples are softened but not falling apart.

Combine one teaspoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of water. Stir until the cornstarch is mixed with the water. Add the cornstarch mixture one teaspoon at a time to the apples. Stir mixture well and let it cook for a few minutes. Keep adding the cornstarch mixture to the apples until the desired consistency is achieved. The apple mixture should resemble apple pie filling.

Make the yogurt topping for the apple pie topping. Combine 1 cup plain Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Stir well to combine. Place mixture in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

The oats have absorbed the buttermilk. The mixture has thickened.

Follow the manufactures guidelines for your waffle maker. I have used about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle

The waffles are light and very tender. Remove the waffles from the waffle maker to a warm platter. The waffles will become firmer and crispy as they cool.

This recipe makes about 10-12 waffles. The recipe doubles very well and the waffles can be frozen and reheated. 

Top the waffles with the apple pie mixture and the yogurt.

Almost like apple pie and ice-cream 

Watch me make them on You Tube

Oatmeal Apple Pie Waffles

Waffle Batter

(this mixture needs to sit for a minimum of one hour up to overnight)

1 cup large flake oatmeal 

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons xylitol or sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients into a blender jar. Blend ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until the oats are pureed well. Let the mixture sit at room temperature 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

Apple Pie Topping

(while the batter is sitting make the topping)

4 apples (any kind will do, I like Galla)

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

In a medium sauce pan combine apples, water, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to boil, reduce heat  to low and cover. Let mixture cook for 20-30 minutes or until the apples have softened but are not falling apart. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water, mix well to combine. Add about 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch mixture to the apples, stir well and cook the mixture for a minute. Keep adding the cornstarch mixture to the apples until the desired thickness has been obtained. I like my topping to be the consistency of apple pie filling.

Yogurt Topping

(while the apples are cooking, make this)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl combine yogurt, syrup and vanilla.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve waffles topped with apples and yogurt. Sooo good.

Christmas Morning Omelette For a Crowd

It can be challenging to serve omelettes to a group of people at one time. This baked omelette rises to the challenge. I make this often for my family. We have eaten it at breakfast, lunch and supper. It really tastes exactly like an omelette. Make it the night before to serve the next morning. Great for Christmas morning. It will feed six or more people at one time.

I use one dozen eggs for my family of six. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream. Whisk the eggs and milk together.

Melt two teaspoons of butter in a non-stick pan. Add the eggs /cream mixture to the pan. Cook the eggs on medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan as you would to make scrambled eggs. Be patient, eventually they will cook. Do not be tempted to turn the heat up. The eggs will be nicer when cooked on medium heat. When you subject eggs to high temperatures it causes the protien strands to become stiff. As the strands stiffen the water in the strand is squeezed out. If you have ever experienced watery scrambled eggs, high heat is likely the reason.

Remove the eggs from the heat when they are mostly scrambled but not all the way scrambled. Ideally they will still be glossy and moist. Spread the eggs into a 9x13 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pat the eggs into a thin layer using a spatula.

Add the toppings. Anything goes. My boys are minimalist, they like green onions, diced ham and cheddar cheese. Try bacon, peppers, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes or what ever you would put into a traditional omelette. I prefer white cheddar cheese. The orange colour of most of the cheddar in North America is food dye. 

Prepare the omelette to this point if you wish to serve it the next morning. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. Remove the pan from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before it goes in the oven.

Bake the omelette at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the eggs have cooked.  There will be small bubbles around the edge of the pan. The objective here is to not brown anything. Only bake it until the eggs have set. Remove the pan from the oven. Let it sit for five minutes before serving.

Cut the omelette into large squares. This omelette ail serve six people. If you have more than six people to feed, make two pans, don't just increase the eggs. The reason that this tastes so much like an omelette is because the thin layer of egg is covered with the toppings. The other reason that it works is that it is only baked until the eggs have set, do not brown the eggs or the cheese.

I like to serve this great breakfast with toast and jam, fruit and juice.

Watch me make it on You Tube.

Christmas Morning Omelette For a Crowd

Serves six

1 dozen large eggs

1/2 cup whipping cream or half and half

2 teaspoons butter

1 cup diced ham

1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add cream and whip until combined. Melt butter in a large non-stick pan.  Cook eggs on medium heat, scraping the pan(as for scrambled eggs). Do not be tempted to increase the heat. Continue to cook until the eggs have mostly cooked. Do not cook them completely. They should be glossy and a little wet. Spread the eggs into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with baking spray. Using a spatula, pat the eggs into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the green onions and the ham on top of the eggs. Finally, add the cheese, spreading evenly over the top.

Prepare the omelette to this point if you wish to serve it in the morning. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove the pan from the fridge about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. Bake the omelette for 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the eggs have set. Do not brown the eggs or the cheese. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for five minutes before cutting. Cut into large squares. Remove from pan with a spatula.

Serve with toast and jam, fruit and juice.