Mars Noms

Welcome to my kitchen! Who is Mars Noms? Instagram

[marsnoms-blog]

Poached Eggs, Turkish Style - Cilbir

I have been wanting to try this Turkish Poached Egg dish FOREVER!  And lucky me, I had a cup of Bulgarian yogurt that I’ve been needing to use up.  I did my own take on this recipe and added in some veggies as well as roasted pine nuts!

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

Fresh Dill

Fresh Chives

Spinach

Onions

Habanero

1 Tbsp Butter

Cayenne

Paprika

Pine Nuts

Salt

Pepper

Brown Sugar

Olive Oil

First off get a small sauce pan of water boiling to poach the eggs.  Then take your yogurt and chop up the dill and chives.  Add in the fresh herbs and add salt and pepper to the yogurt.  Stir up and set aside.

Mix pine nuts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar and bake for only 5 minutes at most! I used my toaster oven and kept an eye on it.

Melt the butter and then add in cayenne and paprika and also set aside somewhere warm so the butter stays melted!

Saute the onions until browned, add in the spinach until slightly wilted, and then finish off with the habaneros. 

Once the water is boiling turn the heat down until it’s at a low simmer.  Start your whirlwind in the water and using a small bowl gently pour one egg in at a time.  Let each egg cook for about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon place the eggs onto a paper towel to dry.

In your dish of choice pour in the yogurt- play it by ear- a cup is enough for two servings so maybe go a little light.  I poured too much yogurt at first (still delicious- but I perfected the second serving with a little less yogurt for my fiance).

Place the poached eggs, add in a side of your veggies, sprinkle the pine nuts, and then pour the butter mixture over everything!

Be sure to toast some bread on the side to dip into everything!

[marsnoms-blog]

Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Chicken Broth

6.5 lb chicken

1 lemon

Handful of Rosemary, 12-15 sprigs

2-3 tbsp of Minced Garlic or Use Whole Garlic Cloves

3 Habaneros Halved

14 oz of Chicken Stock (or Veggie Stock)

Lots of Salt and Pepper

I am in love with my instant pot! I understand the craze! I have never cooked an entire chicken before. EVER.  I have never used an instant pot either so I was definitely concerned with how this was going to turn out..

Prep your chicken by taking out the innards! The chicken that I picked up from Central Market had everything cleared out already and was inside a bag inside the chicken. Don’t throw this away!

Put the garlic, habaneros, half the rosemary and half the lemon juice inside the chicken.  I didn’t measure out the salt and pepper but I would put a healthy amount inside.  Go with your gut!  Now, when I do this a second time I would stuff the chicken with so much more next time! More everything!  I would have added an onion and thyme as well.

On the outside of your chicken make sure you rub it down with salt and pepper and any other spice that you enjoy. Give it a good coating.

Place your chicken into the pot and pour your stock into the pot.  Put the rest of the rosemary and lemon juice into the pot and also the lemon halves.

I used the poultry setting and high pressure on the instant pot and let it cook for 30 minutes.  I actually just tried it for 15 minutes at first and then I let it go for a second round because I didn’t know what I was doing! It was definitely intimidating setting up the instant pot.  There are so many more options than my slow cooker!

Once that 30 minutes has passed you can release the steam valve and open it up and see your amazing chicken! While it’s cooking pre heat your oven to 425.

The finishing touch was to place the chicken into the oven to crisp up the skin.  I let it bake for about 7 minutes or until I started to see browning.

Broth

You will be left with all that broth in the bottom of the pot and your veggies, rosemary and spices!  Don’t let it go to waste!  I pulled out the stuffing from the chicken and place it into the liquid.  I also added back in the insides of the chicken.  Once the chicken has cooled enough take off all the meat or just store everything until you are ready to make the broth.  Keep all the bones!

Put the bones into the liquid with all the spices and veggies.  I added in about 8 more cups of water as well.  I also added in onion powder and garlic powder.  Set your pot to the soup setting and pressure cook it on high for 30 minutes. Strain out everything and store in jars!

You will be left with very flavorful broth that can be used for soups throughout the week.  I just ordered some Turmeric and some Green Curry paste to make a couple soups this week!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Mar

[marsnoms-blog]

Eggs on Rice Cakes

I woke up craving RICE! I knew I had a huge container of it from the other night.  There are so many options to make with day old rice.  I plan on doing fried rice later this week!

I used silicone rings to make these.

2 cups of cooked rice

1 Egg

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Pepper

Other Seasoning (I used Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning, I would suggest cayenne or anything else spicy!)

Sesame Seeds

Mix everything together in a bowl.  You want more rice to egg, so not too soupy and goopy but just enough that the rice is coated evenly and sticks together.  If there is too much liquid - add more rice!

I heated up butter in a stainless steel pan on medium heat and placed the silicone rings down.  Using a spoon, scoop the rice into the ring and flatten it down until the ring is filled.

2-3 minutes on one side, take the ring off and flip for 2 more minutes.  You want the rice to look nice and lightly browned.  Make sure it’s sticking together enough to have a successful flip!

If you don’t have rings, use a small measuring cup to scoop the rice into the pan and then flatten down into a rice patty.  The rice should hold it’s form (that’s why you want more rice than egg!)

Top the rice cake with an egg.  I’d suggest a runny yolk to mix in with all the rice!

[marsnoms-blog]

Toast Two Ways!

Some mornings you need sweet and savory! You look in the fridge and see so many combination possibilities...so you choose both.

Savory:

Avocado

Fresh Mozzarella

Cherry Tomatoes

Arugula

Sunflower Sprouts

Three Seeds Bread

Sweet:

Pom Seeds

Almond Butter

Three Seeds Bread

And last but not least! A sunny side up egg cooked to perfection using a silicone egg ring.

[marsnoms-blog]

Breakfast Quesadilla

Flour Tortilla

Shishito Pepper

Arugula

Sunflower Sprouts

Shredded Mozzarella

Pico

Fried Egg

Cherry Tomatoes

Do you love quesadillas? Do you also love eggs? Combine them and enjoy! I used one tortilla and folded it over BUT if you use two tortillas you could place the fried egg INSIDE the quesadilla.

I sauteed the shishito peppers and placed them inside the tortilla with the cheese.  All the other veggies I made into a small salad to get a bite of greens with each cheesy, eggy bite!

I like to try to add greens into every dish if possible!

Happy Eating!

[marsnoms-blog]

Chicken Salad with Avocado, Cilantro Lime Dressing

I am always super happy when I can figure out a salad combo that’s not just raw vegetables on spinach.  When I go out to eat, restaurants always have such flavorful salads! At home, I end up getting bored halfway through.

This salad kept my attention though! 

Grilled Chicken

Roasted Chickpeas

Baked Corn

Cherry Tomatoes

Sunflower Sprouts

Sunflower Seeds

The dressing is Avocado, Cilantro and Lime.  I used an immersion blender to whip it all up.  I added a couple tbsps of olive oil too.  It will come out a bit thick but once it’s all mixed into the salad it won’t matter!

The chickpeas need to be drained and patted dry with a paper towel.  I put them on a baking sheet and baked them at 400 degrees until they are cripsy. Add whatever seasoning you want once they are baked!  I usually use salt, pepper, and lots of cayenne pepper. 

Enjoy!

[marsnoms-blog]

Fried Egg, Turkey and Salami Toast

Hello first post of MarsNoms.com! Bear with me while I figure out my groove and how everything will work around here.  Expect changes along the way and thanks for checking Mars Noms out!

Since beginning a more health conscious/food-centered life I have tried to become more creative with my morning routine.  Breakfast has become a very important meal.

Each week tends to lead to different meals though which means more creativity or maybe just random combinations.

What we have here is the leftovers of some lunch meats stacked on a slice of toast.  I try to change up the morning meats I use.  Bacon and sausage can get a little heavy morning after morning (I love both a lot..).  Turkey is a nice lean meat and a light way to start the morning off!  I had a couple slices of salami left over and figured why not?  

Sprouts are a new staple in my meal planning! I find myself putting them on everything I can.  They add such a nice pop of flavor and texture to the plate.

Sundried tomatoes add that acidic taste to cut through the saltiness of the meats and then top it all off with a fried egg of course!

All together we have:

Chia Seed Toast

Fresh Mozzarella

Turkey

Salami

Avocado

Sundried Tomatoes

Sun Flower Sprouts

Fried Egg

Cracked Red Pepper