Roast Pork Egg Foo Yung

Crisp-fried egg patties, crammed  with soft onions and crunchy sprouts....mmmm.  I know there are more authentic and complex recipes, but I've happily thrown this one together for years and find it  not only acceptably passable  but delicious, and ready in 15 minutes.

 I can indulge myself  by  smotherimg  the patties  in gravy, substituting   an envelope of  dry  gravy mix   instead of making the gravy from scratch  with fat and flour.  Gravy.....at an   unbelievable  4 carbs per 1/4 cup..and almost no fat.....I now use no-sodium gravy mixes.  If you're not concerned with   carbs, serve  the patties with  steamed or  fried rice  or  lo mein noodles and /or a salad for a satisfying  quick supper. 

Feel free to change the meat to chicken, shrimp, or just  about anything,  but stick with pork or chicken  gravy.   If you can score some leftover Chinese-style roast pork  to use, all the better.

Prepare the gravy:  use a packet of  chicken or pork gravy mix and make  as directed,  using 3/4 c. broth or water, and adding  2 TB  soy sauce   as it thickens.  Have  the gravy  prepared and rice hot   before you fry the eggs.

In a big bowl beat 5 eggs well while 1/3 c. vegetable oil is heating in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  To the eggs, add 1/2 c. (cooled) diced  ham, roast pork, chicken or whatever,  1/2 c chopped onion ( not diced finely, just chopped up)  1/4 c. chopped green onion tops, 1/2 c. sliced or chopped water chestnuts , drained,   1 cup canned   bean sprouts, drained, 1/4 tsp salt.    When I use  ham I  like it a  bit crispy,  so I frizzle it briefly in a little hot oil and drain& cool briefly  before adding to the egg mixture.

Using a  1/4 c. measure, drop portions of the egg mix  into the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy on both sides, turning once. If your oil is hot enough it  will sputter and sizzle when poured in the pan.  Cook a minute or  two  on each side., just be sure the centers are firm.      Drain briefly  on paper towels.  Serve hot, with the gravy and extra soy sauce.   This will make about a dozen  4" patties and serve about 3-4  people. I usually make them twice that size.   If you  have a few  patties  left,   freeze or refrigerate.    Nuke them a few seconds to warm, then repurpose  as  a breakfast sandwich.

Huevos Rancheros

Mexican Ranch Eggs - there are dozens of versions of this dish, but this is the one we like for breakfast any time I have a handful of ground beef on hand. As often as not, we skip the tortilla base.  This recipe serves 6 people but is easy to make just a portion or two.

If using tortillas as a base, heat oven to 400 and lightly spray a baking sheet. Lay 6 flour tortillas on the sheet and bake 8-10 minutes. Or, just heat your skillet and put them in  briefly, one at a time, to warm a bit, then cover the stack of them with foil to stay warm.

Cook beef in a skillet over medium heat, adding 3 Tb taco seasoning and  some salt and pepper as it browns. Add 2 bell peppers, red and green, cut in strips, and stir fry til crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. I sometimes add half an onion, sliced. Drain on paper toweling, cover to keep warm.

Either poach or cook eggs 'over easy', one or two per person. Assemble the stack: on a tortilla:  place the beef & peppers,then an egg. Sprinkle with a TB or two of shredded cheddar cheese, and spoon on a bit of taco sauce or salsa.     ole' !

Kitchen Sink Egg Cups

As often as not, when my husband leaves at 4am for an early flight, he's taken a couple of these out of the freezer, nuked for a minute, and eaten on the run. It doesn't take any longer to make a dozen at a time than to make a couple, and they freeze well. It's a great way to use up scraps of almost any kind of leftovers.

While there really is no recipe and no proportions of anything, here's the basic plan: Mix in a bowl: 12 eggs, then add a couple cups of any veggies you have on hand (onion, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, green beans, for example); a cup or two of cooked meat (bacon, crab, ham, turkey, deli meats, pepperoni, sausage, crumbled meat loaf, shrimp-- you get the idea) and a handful or two of shredded cheese, any flavor. Add salt and pepper, and pour into well-sprayed muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350 oven til centers are set, about 20 minutes for regular size 'muffins' or 30 minutes if using a giant muffin/popover pan. Plan on two per person.

To make just a few, use 2 eggs per person and adjust the other ingredients. Egg beaters works well too. You may find yourself making themed cups, such as pizza ingredients: pepperoni, mushrooms & mozzarella, and serving with a spoonful of warmed pizza sauce on top.

Shown in the photo above: red and green pepper, zucchini, fresh spinach, pepper jack cheese, bacon.

Dried Beef-Cream Cheese Oven Omelet

Reminiscent of the popular 1970's appetizer, dried beef rolled up with chive cream cheese inside,  this is a rich and delicious way to start the day.

Beat together 6 or 8 eggs.  Using a jar of dried beef slices , make rolls by smearing them with softened cream cheese mixed with  a TB or two of chives. Roll up and cut each into thirds. Stir  the beef  rolls into the eggs, add  1/2 tsp pepper, and  pour into a sprayed or  buttered 1 1/2 qt casserole dish or muffin cups.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 30 minutes- about 20 for muffin pan.  Sprinkle top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese the last 10 minutes.

Any leftovers will freeze nicely once completely cooled.  Just microwave for a minute or two to thaw and  heat through.