My Favorite Breakfast

Poached Eggs on a baguette w/ goat cheese, tomato, and spinach



If you don't know how to poach an egg, you can find many helpful "how-to" videos on YouTube. This is the easiest, healthiest version of eggs benedict. Spread a little goat cheese on your baguette to substitute for the overly rich and fatty hollandaise sauce, throw some spinach on the plate, and you've got a pretty healthy, non-greasy breakfast on a Sunday morning.

Chicken and Angel Hair Pasta with Artichoke and White Wine Sauce

There are two kinds of recipes I work from: Those I learned from my mother and those I picked up from friends or various food service jobs I've held. This one was a favorite in my house growing up. This can be made with boneless skinless breasts, bone-in thighs or legs, or in this case boneless skinless thighs.

One of the best things I learned from watching my mom cook as a kid was to always sear and brown the chicken ahead of time and then finish it with the sauce later. I usually roll my chicken in a little flour so it browns easier in the pan. Then I sautée the shallots in olive oil, add a little chicken broth and white wine and then simmer the chicken until it's cooked all the way through. Then I add artichokes, fresh or dried basil, and toss it with angel hair pasta. I believe this one was featured in my mom's 15-minute gourmet cookbook she compiled for her friends one Christmas.

Too hungry to cook? Have a snack...

Tonight we got home and were too hungry to cook. We found this beautiful package of sliced tuna in the cabinet (only cost $1), put a little soy sauce and sesame seeds on top, toasted some whole wheat bread...and there you go. The perfect appetizer. Amazing.

Baked Tofu with Black Beans and Ginger Tahini Slaw

Baked Tofu with Black Beans



Ginger Tahini Slaw



This is the kind of stuff people buy from the prepared food section of the Whole Foods, but it's cheaper and better if you make it at home. For the slaw, just mix thinly sliced cabbage and carrots with slivers of ginger, tahini, and a little canola oil. Then add some canned mandarin oranges if you want it a little sweeter. I stole this recipe from an old roommate of mine who would suggest eating this with chop sticks.

The Tofu is best when it's a little crispy on the outside so I suggest making it in the broiler. Just rub it down with spices and olive oil and while it's cooking, sautee the onions, then the black beans and add them to the baking tray for the last minute or so.

enjoy!

Broiled Tilapia Tacos with Beet and Cucumber Salad

Broiled Tilapia Tacos



Beet and Cucumber Salad
with romaine hearts, chickpeas, mint, green onion, and goat cheese




This is a great simple summer recipe based on a dish I had at my cousin's house in Oakland a few years ago involving grilled Halibut. But without a gas grill, it's too much of a hassle to grill out fish for two and Halibut costs about $16 lb, so I made some poor man's substitutions. Tilapia is a great tasting fish that absorbs spices really well and only costs $8 or 9$ lb at the Wholefoods (for more information on why I encourage their's over other Supermarket chains ask their fish guy and he'll explain it to you pretty well), and only takes about 5 minutes to to cook in the broiler.

Here's the long and short of it: Rub the fish down with olive oil, black pepper, and a little garlic salt. Make sure to grease the broiler pan with a little oil so the fish doesn't stick. Cook for 3 minutes on each side (or until the fish is white in the middle), cut it up and put in a warm tortilla with your favorite garnish. We used green onions, cilantro, and lime. A little salsa doesn't hurt either.

The salad is what it is, though generally this much stuff gets a little busy. The goat's cheese was an afterthought, but if I were to do it again , I'd substitute the mint with basil and get rid of the chick peas, but without the goat's cheese, the mint and chick peas are perfect.

Top it off with our standard homemade salad dressing: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and a little soy sauce.

About this blog, plus our recommendations for amazingly good, unhealthy memphis fare

This is our food blog in Memphis. Lots of good food, recipes, ideas, and knowledge. We write about what we eat. We eat what we like. We like good food.

You can't eat cheeseburgers, bbq and fried chicken every day (though Memphis has the best of all three) and live a long life. So this blog will try to provide alternatives. That said, here is a list of some our favorite unhealthy establishments in Memphis

Memphis has an amazing array of soul food, bbq, and burger joints many of which have been featured in cooking magazines and on the food network.

Here are our favorites:

Soulfood/Fried Chicken: Uncle Lou's for Honey Dipped fried chicken, Ellen's Soulfood (they are in the process of moving , but have the best fried chicken and mac and cheese in Memphis, not to mention fried okra), Gus's Fried Chicken---it's touristy and takes too long, the sides are terrible, but they serve quarts of beer and have a juke box.

Barbecue: Payne's Barbecue on Lamar has the best chopped sandwiches and at $3.50 they are the best deal in town. Cozy Corner ribs must be experienced to be believed. Best in the world? Maybe. If you are eating after 6pm, try A&R Barbecue on Elvis Presley Blvd. Ribs, Sandwich, and sides are all great.

Cheeseburgers: The Lamplighter serves wonderful patty melts and is a top notch beer joint straight out of the 70s. Fantastic old country/western juke box that only plays 45s. Wild Bill's, one of the city's finest authentic soul clubs not only has great live music and dancing on weekends, but also serves one of the tastiest cheeseburgers I've ever eaten.