Impromptu breakfast sandwich!

Every weekend my husband and I peer into our fridge to figure out what breakfast masterpiece we'll create. We are breakfast people. No toast and OJ for us, we want meat, eggs, potatoes...the whole shebang!

On this lovely Saturday morning, we had leftover smoked salmon, whole wheat bagels, cream cheese and eggs. Instead of creating a regular bagels and lox we layered the bagel with a fried egg. Super simple! 

First thing you want to do is toast your bagel on a grill pan or in a toaster. Next fry up your egg in a bit of olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Next smear your cream cheese on your bagel, I always add some capers then layer on your smoked salmon then top with the fried egg. When you bite into this open-faced sandwich, instantly the yolk will flow, the velvety taste will be combined with the smokiness of the salmon and creaminess of the cream cheese. D-elicious! I hope you will enjoy your next impromptu breakfast sandwich!

xo Lo

Breakfast for Champions

As I have mentioned before, breakfast is my all-time favorite meal of the day...and I loathe missing it. Eggs are definitely my favorite ingredient when making breakfast but this next recipe comes as a close second. Salmon Lox and Bagels, piled with lucious cream cheese, salty capers, crunchy red onion and juicy tomatoes. Plus I made a side of berry fruit salad to go with this decadent creation.

My husband and I absolutely love lox and bagels...recently we were staying at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas for our honeymoon and found ourselves ordering the Bellagio Cafe's salmon lox and bagels more than a few times for breakfast. As soon as we got back home my husband insisted that we buy everything to make our own salmon lox and bagels. This recipe showcases that:

Salmon Lox & Bagels

1 package of fresh smoked salmon
1 package of original cream cheese (none of that low-fat stuff...yuck!)
1/4 cup sliced red onion
2 Tbs capers
1/2 lemon
fresh bakery bagels (we used whole wheat but any kind is delicious)
tomatoes (we used cherry tomatoes)

Now for assembly, toast the bagels in a toaster, toaster oven, on a skillet or we toasted them on our grill pan. We lightly drizzled olive oil on each and placed face down with the press on top. Meanwhile start your fruit salad.


Berry Fruit Salad

You want to make sure you use fruits that won't perish easily. Stick to berries: cherries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. I added kiwi to this batch and it only worked well the first few days then the kiwi started to get mushy. Rinse your fruit, pat down, add to bowl, add some lemon zest, a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and your refreshing fruit salad is ready!

Back to your Lox and Bagels

Slice up your red onion into thin strips, slice your tomatoes into thick slices, once your bagels are toasted remove from pan and let them cool. Once cooled, spread the cream cheese on top (I love cream cheese so I make a thick layer), top with capers (that way they don't roll off your bagel), then add the onion, tomato and place pieces of smoked salmon at the very top. Squeeze fresh lemon to bring out the fantastic flavor of smoked salmon, sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper. Then you are ready to serve!

This recipe may seem a bit odd to some of you but you must try this breakfast...with the combination of flavors it will be as if fireworks are going off in your mouth. Bon appetit!

xo Lo

Dill Salmon with Quinoa, Cucumber Salad & Fresh Peas

In the heat of summer, seafood dishes are refreshing and exciting for the palate. Salmon is a common fish that most people prefer, dill is a beautiful herb to enlighten the flavors in any salmon dish. Recently, I've been digging into quinoa, one of the most amazing grains available. This is the one grain that is a protein versus a carbohydrate and can take on almost any flavor you pair it with. Cucumber salad is one of my personal favorites for summer, the coolness of the yogurt sauce and the spike of the dill is a gorgeous combination in hot temperatures. Peas are an easy veggie to chef up, I always add them into a saute pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic.

For this recipe, I took a filet of salmon added olive oil, salt, pepper and dill then set aside to let the flavors merry. I grabbed the quinoa, added it to a saute pan with olive oil and let the quinoa get toasty, after a few minutes I add chicken stock, this will enhance the flavor of any grain or pasta dish. Next I created a yogurt sauce with one cup of plain Greek yogurt, dill, garlic, salt and pepper. I place this yogurt sauce into the fridge to let the flavors come together. Next I thinly slice the cucumber, sprinkle with salt in a colander and let sit to drain out the water.

Next, I check on the quinoa, give it a stir then I grab some yellow onions, dice them up and throw them in a saute pan with olive oil, these will go into the quinoa when it has absorbed the chicken stock. This dish has a lot of components that are time sensitive. It is important not to cook the salmon right away because it cooks so quickly that it'll be waiting for the other dishes to finish and get cold.

Once the quinoa is absorbed, scoop it into the saute pan that is holding the onions and stir. Rinse the cucumbers, add the dill-yogurt sauce and place back into the fridge to chill. Stir the peas, turn the heat lower (peas cook quickly). Finally, place your salmon onto the grill pan with olive oil. Salmon does not need a lot of time to cook, you want a crispy sear on the outside and a velvety medium-rare inside. Which means you only need to cook the salmon for 2 minutes on each side, unless you prefer well-done fish then you would cook it for about 4 minutes on each side.

Time to plate, place the salmon on the dish, the creamy onion quinoa, fresh garlicky peas and refreshing, cool cucumber salad. This dish will make you love summer nights!

xo Lo