Some Assembly Required

Continuing with a sandwich theme this week, I thought I'd share my most recent bagel shop re-creation: The Mexican Bagel. There's been a variation of this "recipe" at almost every lunch spot with bagels I've ever been to. So, I figured making it at home would be easy and less expensive. Especially now that our house sale/purchase is actually moving forward!

YAY!

Anyway, I posted a poorly lit photo of this sandwich last night on Instagram. I had all the right ingredients to make it again today for lunch.

THE MEXICAN BAGEL

What you'll need . . .

• Your favorite type of bagel
• Your favorite type of cream cheese
• Your favorite sliced cheese (cheddar, Jack, Colby-Jack, etc.)
• Your favorite salsa
• Avocado
• Your Favorite hot sauce

Method . . .

1. Slice the bagel and toast until lightly brown. 
2. Spread a layer of cream cheese on both halves.
3. Top with your sliced cheese and then broil until melted.
4. Scoop on a couple spoonfuls of salsa. Then top with avocado slices.
5. Dash liberally with the hot sauce + enjoy!

*     *     *     *     *

Tonight's plans include going to our mortgage bank and signing some papers. Then we're taking Ada to the park + both going to try to fit in a brief run.  (I'll share more of my marathon training plans next week.) Then we're making these sandwiches for dinner and drinking some trail mix beer from Saranac. I think we'll also indulge in renting the movie Her because I've been dying to see it.

Do you have any fun weekend plans? I'd love to fit in a yard sale one of these weeks!

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Blueberry Applesauce Cakes

I whipped up these cute little cakes for my mother-in-law over the weekend as a belated birthday treat. I used some homemade + handpicked blueberry applesauce I had frozen and then thawed -- as well as some Greek yogurt and sprouted flour. Cakes aren't my forte in the kitchen, so I'd love to refine my skills with baking them.

In my formative learning-to-cook years, I was vegan. As a result, I rarely (and I mean r.a.r.e.l.y) bake anything using milk or eggs or butter. I've developed some crafty ways to use flax eggs and to thicken almond milk for a "buttermilk" effect, etc., but now that I'm garden variety vegetarian, I see no reason not to bake more classically from time to time. I think I may have baked one other cake using eggs in my entire life, so I thought it'd be worth a try to see how they might add to the fluff + binding equation.

Definitely worked.

BLUEBERRY-APPLESAUCE CAKE
with a beautiful neufchatel cheese frosting

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup blueberry-applesauce*
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sprouted flour
• 1 cup pulsed oats
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

* You can use plain store-bought or homemade applesauce (or cinnamon or strawberry or whatever other kind you have). Alternatively, you may also use pumpkin puree, zucchini puree, or any other puree with a similar consistency to applesauce.


Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease 6 to 8 ramekins (or a mini bundt cake pan or even a 9 x 13 cake pan). Set aside. Depending on what you use to bake the cake, you may have some batter leftover.
2. In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, applesauce, sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla. 
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, oat flour, and cornmeal. Distribute evenly the baking powder, soda, and salt. Then add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
4. Mix by hand until just combined. Then fill your ramekins about 3/4 full and bake for around 30 minutes. Cake is done when edges brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let cool completely before frosting.

// For the frosting + assembly . . .

Combine 8 ounces neufchatel or cream cheese with 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk or almond milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Begin beating on low and work up to high speed, adding powdered sugar to taste + texture preference.

Then -- if using ramekins -- slice the cake into three pieces, frost between layers, and top with something pretty. I'm not sure if this marigold is edible (some are, some aren't), so it's just for looks.

Something's just more special about individual cakes, don't you think? And I'm thinking there will be more cakes to come. I really enjoyed baking this one, especially now that I'm not cooking as much. This week related to the vegetarian freezer month of meals, I'll be sharing some of the recipes as well as thawing and cooking tips!

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Brunch Sandwich

If I ever open a restaurant, it will be called Brunch.

And I will serve only brunch.

And this sandwich will be the signature item on the menu.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is.

Let's break it down:

• First you'll need to roast one large portabella per sandwich you intend to make. (You can find some handy instructions in this post all about the merits of mushrooms for runners.)
• You'll need slices of tomato and avocado, too. As well as some cream cheese or Tofutti, which is what we had in the fridge.
• The french toast is just slices of sourdough bread soaked in an egg mixture and then cooked over medium-high heat on both sides until browned.
• = 2 whole eggs + 1 tablespoons Chipotle Vegenaise + 1-3 tablespoons almond milk. Whisked.
• (That should be enough to soak 6 to 8 slices of bread or make 3 to 4 sandwiches.) 

Sandwich assembly is quite easy.

Slice everything up nice + thin, then pile on to your liking.

Fold into a sandwich and cut.

You may remember back in my last waffle post that I had intended to give you a waffle sandwich recipe that was of the savory variety. Well, yes. But I never took photos. Anyway, this is pretty much THAT sandwich.

But there's more sandwich deliciousness where this came from.

Stay tuned . . .

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