Recipe Friday: It's an Egg-cellent Month

As one of the most talked about trends in dining today, the shift to consuming more plant protein is all about balance and achieving an overall healthier diet rather than eliminating all animal protein. Younger generations, who are leading the plant-forward push, aspire to eat more fruits and vegetables, while still enjoying great tasting meals. A natural complement to plant-forward dishes, eggs deliver additional protein and another layer of flavor. Eggs and veggies plate well together and are an ideal pairing for flexitarian and vegetarian menu options.

Check out these recipes from the Incredible Egg to truly have an "egg-cellent" month (May is National Egg Month). Enjoy! 

Egg Crepe Cone

Recipe courtesy Paul Sletten, chef and owner of Abreo

Yield: 6

Ingredients

12 ea. large eggs
1 tsp garlic, chopped
8 oz spinach
18 ea. asparagus spears
2 ea. sweet potatoes
12 ea. sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
4 oz goat cheese
1 tsp thyme, chopped
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 tsp fennel seed, ground
3 T olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Prepare vegetables. Peel sweet potato and slice into thin strips, rub with 1 tbsp. olive oil and lay on sheet pan, season with salt and bake at 400° F for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through; set aside.

2. Rub asparagus with 1 tbsp. olive oil and salt; roast on sheet pan at 400° F until just starts to soften, set aside.

3. Over gas flame on stove, burn outside of red pepper. Once black, wrap with plastic wrap and put into container, let sit for two minutes. Then remove and rub off burnt skin, remove any seeds, cut into long strips, set aside.

4. To make egg crepes for cones, whisk eggs until smooth and warm a 10-inch, nonstick pan with olive oil. Put enough egg (equal to two eggs per crepe) into the pan to cover the bottom lightly. Pick pan up off heat and rotate to move eggs all around the pan, allowing to cook gently on one side only. When eggs are set, slide crepes on to baking sheet cooked side down, repeat until all six are done.

5. In a small bowl, add goat cheese, thyme, rosemary and fennel seed; mix together until combined.

6. In a sauté pan, heat remaining olive oil and gently sauté garlic until soft but not brown. Then add spinach and cook just until spinach has wilted; season with salt, set aside.

7. To assemble, warm all ingredients and put six crepes in front of you. Imagine each one has a large V in the middle of the crepe, this is where you will stack your vegetables. Start with a few slices of sweet potato in each crepe, followed by some strips of red pepper, then three asparagus spears, next some spinach, two sun-dried tomatoes per cone, and last one-sixth of the goat cheese mix.

8. Then starting from the left side, roll vegetables up in crepe in a cone shape with vegetables sticking out the top of the cone. Cut parchment paper circles to wrap around your egg cones and put into wire stand or another stand.

Bird Nest Kale Salad

Recipe courtesy Paul Sletten, chef and owner of Abreo

Yield: 6

Ingredients

6 ea. soft boiled eggs
4 oz kale, chopped
4 oz baby spinach
4 oz arugula
6 oz carrots, peeled, julienned
3 oz peanuts, toasted
4 oz shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 cup wonton strips
½ cup peanut dressing (recipe below)
4 cups oil for frying
Salt, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Tonarashi, to taste

Meethod

1. Start by soft boiling eggs. Bring pot of water to boil, then drop to simmer and add eggs. Simmer for 5½ minutes. Remove from heat, set aside until warm to touch, then peel.

2. Bring oil to 350° F in pot, cut wonton wrappers into ¼-inch strips, and fry into a golden-brown frizzle.

3. In a mixing bowl, add kale, spinach, arugula, carrots, peanuts, shitake and peanut dressing, season with salt and crushed pepper to taste.

4. To plate, add salad to center of bowl and create a small “nest” in center; place warm soft-boiled egg in nest. Season egg with touch of togarashi, salt and red pepper flakes; sprinkle crispy wontons around the salad. Serve immediately

Ingredients for Peanut Dressing

¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 lime, juiced
½ T freshly grated ginger
Water, as needed

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Power Spinach Bisque with Egg

Recipe courtesy Paul Sletten, chef and owner of Abreo

Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

4 ea. eggs
8 oz, plus 2 T cream
33 oz vegetable stock
4 oz butter
½ lemmon, juiced
1 ea. fennel bulb, sliced thin
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 ea. large russet potato, peeled, diced small
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Before starting the soup, hard boil eggs. Place in saucepot of cold water and turn heat on high, after water boils add eggs and set timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes run under cold water, peel and set aside.

2. Start by bringing a pot of water to boil. While water is heating, fill bowl with ice water for shocking cooked spinach. When water comes to boil, add spinach and stir for about 5 to 10 seconds, drain spinach and add to ice water to stop cooking and retain bright green color.

3. Next in a medium saucepot add butter, fennel and onion; cook on medium heat until onions and fennel soften (but don’t brown.)

4. Then add vegetable stock, potato and cream (less the 2 tbsp.) Bring to a simmer and cook until potato is fully cooked. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

5. Remove spinach from ice water and squeeze excess water out.

6. Next add cream mixture to blender and process until smooth.

7. Then add cooked spinach, parsley, cilantro and process again until smooth. Add lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. (Do not over blend or you will cook spinach and soup will turn brown.)

8. To serve, ladle soup in bowl and drizzle each with extra cream.

9. Then chop hard-boiled eggs and put on top of soup. 

Cucumber Egg Strip Salad

Recipe courtesy Paul Sletten, chef and owner of Abreo

Yield: 6

Ingredients

6 ea. eggs
2 ea. English cucumbers
3 ea. scallions
6 T miso inaigrette (recipe below)
2 T black sessame seeds, toasted
½ tsp canola oil
¼ cup cashews, whole
¼ cup edamame
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Start by whisking eggs until well mixed and blended.

2. In a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan, warm oil, then ladle approximately 2-ounces of egg into pan and move around to make thin single-layer of scrambled egg. Gently cook on one side until egg is set, slide on to baking sheet and repeat with rest of eggs until all cooked (do not stack cooked eggs.)

3. Next peel and quarter cucumbers; spoon out seeds and julienne cucumbers into long thin strips, add to mixing bowl.

4. Then thinly slice scallions and add to mixing bowl (reserve a pinch for garnish.)

5. Now take all cooled egg “crepes” and gently roll up, then slice into ¼-inch circles, add to mixing bowl.

6. Add miso vinaigrette, sesame seeds, plus salt and pepper to taste.

7. Gently combine all ingredients and mound into bowl and top with reserved scallions for garnish.

Ingredients for Miso Vinaigrette

1 ea. red Fresno chile with seeds, finely chopped
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 T fresh lime juice
2 T white miso
1 T reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 T unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
½ tsp ginger, peeled and grated

Method

1. Whisk all ingredients together

Fried Green Tomato Schnitzel

Recipe courtesy Paul Sletten, chef and owner of Abreo

Yield: 6

Ingredients

6 ea. large eggs
2 ea. fried green tomatoes (recipe below)
¾ cup tomato chutney (recipe below) 
6 ea. wedges of St. Andre cheese
Parika to taste

Meethod

1. To poach eggs, carefully crack each egg into shallow cup and cover with lemon juice to tighten. Carefully slide into simmering water and poach 3 to 4 minutes or until whites are set, but yolk is runny.

2. To assemble, place two tablespoons of tomato chutney in the center of the plate, place a fried green tomato slice on top, followed by one small wedge of St. Andre cheese. Finally, top with poached egg and sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately.

1. Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer.

2. Simmer for 30 minutes or until all the liquid evaporates and a fairly thick mixture is left.

3. Remove from heat. Set aside until ready to use.

Ingredients for Fried Greed Tomatoes

2 ea. green tomatoes 
1 cup whole milk
1 ea. large egg
1 cup cornmeal
3 T vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Slice green tomatoes into six, consistent-sized slices to batter. (Leftovers can be added to chutney recipe.)

2. Beat egg into cup of milk until well blended.

3. Let tomato slices soak in egg/milk mixture, while adding cornmeal to shallow dish and seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. Dredge tomato slices in seasoned cornmeal. Fry in vegetable oil three minutes each side, draining onto paper towel lined plate.