*november challenge, day 2.

I'm trying to get on a schedule of posting at night, so I know this comes dangerously close to spammy blogging. Ergo, I shall keep this one short. Or as short as a chronically verbose person can be.

Yesterday I managed not one but TWO disastrous attempts at homemade mayonnaise. In the future, I think avocados, which I love, will do a perfectly good job of standing in for delicious mayo, but the only avocado I could find is coming of age in a paper bag on my windowsill, and I assumed I could whisk together some egg yolks and oil and have some fast homemade mayonnaise available in the interim. And despite my documented quantity of disastrous attempts at things, I have managed to make mayonnaise in the past, so I'm not sure what my malfunction was in this case. At any rate, that failure left me with two perfectly usable egg whites, which I were just right for stirring into my favorite (albeit strange to some) breakfast: ½ cup rolled oats, covered in water and microwaved for one minute, then mixed with ½ cup cottage cheese. Please to be ignoring the horrible, contrasty shadows. That is one moody (but protein-packed!) morning.



For lunch, I took some leftover chicken from last night and mixed it with chopped celery and red onion. I made a dressing with Dijon mustard, a splash of cream, and a pinch of curry powder. A quick mix and some whole grain rye bread, and c'est la sandwich. It was delicious (curry powder and celery, who knew?), but didn't hold together particularly well. Curse you, uncooperative mayonnaise!

 

Snacks! Red grapes, banana, baby carrots. Plus a stick of Cheddar. I could have used an afternoon carb boost, so I'm going to need to do a little research on that front. Granola of some kind? Or whole grain crackers, maybe. Still, pretty and colorful in my sweet circular bento, no? I have an inexplicable affection for kindergartner lunches. 

 

Dinner was a toss-together meal, and proof that it's possible to make appropriate portion sizes feel so much bigger than they are. This is the result of one rather average-to-small-size potato and only a quarter pound of ground chicken.

 


Potato "Nest" with Chicken and an Egg 

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

¼ pound organic ground chicken 

Pinch of smoked paprika 

Ground red pepper 

Salt 

Black pepper 

1 Yukon gold potato, shredded
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ounce sharp white Cheddar 

1 egg 

1 teaspoon butter 

1 egg 

½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves 

2 tomato slices

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with paprika and red pepper, salt, and black pepper to taste. Add chicken to pan, and sauté until cooked through. Turn heat to medium-high, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and crispy. Remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside. 

2. Mix together potato, garlic, cheese, egg, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon butter and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium heat. Add potato mixture to pan, pressing potatoes into a tight cake. Cook until bottom is browned and crispy. Using a plate inverted over the skillet, flip potato cake, and return to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender and second side is crisped and golden. 

3. Crack egg into skillet (first add more oil or butter to pan, if necessary), and fry until whites are set but yolk is still runny. Meanwhile, top potato cake with spinach leaves, tomato slices, and reserved chicken. Top with fried egg, and sprinkle with more ground red pepper, if desired. Makes 1 serving.