All post from: Interior of a Working Kitchen
The kitchen is daunting. Recipes only teach you to cook one thing, but it doesn't teach you to integrate cooking into your life. Cooking has a philosophy, there is a practice to it. By opening up about what it's like inside my working home kitchen, hopefully, it will give you some insight and you can start doing it for yourself.
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Hungover. We went to the ballet, and then to see a DJ at an art opening. Since both were light rail friendly, I was able to have a little too much. When I woke up, I decided the only way to proceed was to go for coffee and a chocolate croissant at the french bakery by mine.
I also texted my friend if we could have brunch together.
She texted back a beautiful photo of an omelet she just made with "Goat cheese, tomatoes, arugula, olive tapenade, with balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top."
I probably should do the same, but my fridge was empty with the exception of 2 corns, 1 cauliflower, and mushrooms. Blah. Nothing.
Book in hand, I decided to walk and get a coffee, a croissant, then go to the library. My son was with his dad. That was the plan until I walked out the door. It was very hot; 90 something Fahrenheit and 36 centigrade. I walked out, came back. Decided that was lazy, walked out came back. I could use my car, instead of walk, but the heat had wilted my drive for pastry.
(The actual bit where I encourage you to cook).
Returned home and did what I should have done at the very moment I woke up –I opened my fridge and actually looked.
Took out the mushrooms. I didn't have a lot of choice. The mushroom was to make soup with, soup freezes well. But haven't gotten the cream. I thought maybe I will just use the leftover to make soup… without cream..
Since I was making an omelet, I took out my Japanese egg pan called a Tamago Pan which you do not need. I use it because I am learning to plate food in a more attractive way. But if you're learning to cook, concentrate on not burning anything. Just pick up your frying pan.
I settled on mushroom omelet. Boring, I didn't even have cheese, which I don't usually have anyway. Must look more, then in between things, I found a small glass jar with pre-chopped red onion I have from making burritos last week. They were a little dry, but they weren't rotten so in they went.
That's mushroom and onions in the pan.
Next to the onion glass jar was something a little pink. I picked it up and noticed it was leftover smoked salmon in another glass jar (I put everything in glass), there was only a tiny bit left, probably because my son's little hands couldn't take it out, as it was stuck in the bottom. Smelled it. Fine. I threw that in as well.
Everything is frying. More rummaging. Then I found a microwavable edamame box. I don't put plastic in the microwave but I take the vegetable out and eat it. I give that for my son as a snack or for lunch at school. You can eat them cold and they keep well. I shelled the edamame, chucked the seeds in.
Everything was already cooked, But I needed to leave it in for longer because the little edamame peas (Are they peas? Are they legumes? What are legumes?) needed to be heated up.
This is why it's better to deconstruct your omelet (cook the insides and egg separately) so you don't over or under cook your eggs because of the other ingredients.
When everything is hot. Take it and place it on a plate.
I whisked the egg in the smoked salmon glass jar, coz that's just one less thing to wash. Just put it in the frying pan, make an empty egg omelet, when it's cooked, take it out, throw everything you already cooked on top,and you're done.
You can make scrambled eggs instead.
The reason my egg looks rectangular in the photo is because I used the tamago pan
If you're lucky, you might find some nearly dying salad mix under the cauliflower, where you have to wash it really well, and then take out all the wet yuckie bits. The leftovers just put on the side of your main dish. Put some salad dressing on (I make my own, but that's another post).
Viola. I made an omelet that saved me $10, saved me from sweating and used all my leftovers that probably would have been thrown away (which I always feel guilty doing) and was far healthier.
If the cauliflower was a leftover, I would have thrown some in too. Maybe the corn on the cob wasn't finished. Cut out the kernels. Mainly, anything will do: tomatoes, avocados, potatos, sweet potatos and even beans and a little rice or tofu. Whatever you have, whatever you like.
I know in order to do that, you have to already have ingredients in your fridge, but that's the point, even if you feel you don't have anything, trying to cook everyday means rummaging. And once you get into the groove of cooking, there is always something.
I am going to be honest. Sometimes it might not taste as good as this one, but cooking everyday doesn't mean fabulously amazing food all the time. It just means you're living a healthier life.
Anyway eat up..
Extra: If you have a blender, need some tips on what to do with old fruit, I made a smoothie with leftover fruits as well. Use your old fruit: make a smoothie.
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Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 