Fried Egg and Tempeh Bacon Sandwich with Avocado Chipotle Mayo

When I was about 10 during the summer I would go over to my Grandparent's house for the day.  When I arrived there in the morning, Grandma was usually cooking.  Much of the time I was greated with the aroma of smokey bacon which being fried on the stove for breakfast.  Then came the eggs, which were later made into a denver sandwhich with the bacon and some onions on toasted bread.  I loved the sandwich...the crunchy salty bacon, smooth eggs and savory onions.  Grandma was always such a good cook, and I always enjoyed watching her while she prepared meals.  I have since become a vegetarian, so no more pork bacon for me. I do however still crave the flavor once in a while, so I am glad there are options such as tempeh bacon!  Tonight I decided that an egg and bacon sandwich sounded delicious, so I got to work making one.  Not that it was much work, it was a quick meal to throw together! 

I could have simply scrambled my eggs, but I decided to fry them instead.  There is something I enjoy about seeing that sunny yellow yolk staring up at me that I enjoy.  Plus I like the way  the silky yolk runs when you cut into it and soaks into the toast!  I had an avocado sitting on my counter, so I decided to make an avocado chipotle "mayo" to spread on my sandwich as well!  I also added some greens for color, and sauteed onions to make the sandwich even more delicious!  It was wonderful with all of the different flavors and textures!  The smooth avocado mayo, the crispy salty tempeh bacon, the silky eggs, and the crunchy toast!  It was the flavors of that denver sandwich my Grandma made, but with my own twist on it!  Here is the recipe if you would like something quick, but delicious for dinner, or even brunch:

Fried Egg and Tempeh Bacon Sandwich with Avocado Chipotle Mayo

Serves 1

Mayo:
1 small avocado
1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp agave nectar

1/8 tsp ground chipotle powder

Sandwich:
3 strips tempeh bacon
1 small shallot, sliced
2 organic eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pieces toasted whole wheat bread

a small handful salad greens

Buzz all mayo ingredients together in a food processor and set aside.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small non-stick skillet, and cook tempeh bacon until browned, about 3 minutes on each side.  Remove bacon from the pan, and add shallot.  Saute until very soft, and almost caramelized, then remove from pan.  Add a little more olive oil to the pan and crack one of the eggs into it.  Cover and cook for a couple minutes until the yolk is set (or at desired doneness.  If you prefer over easy, flip it and cook the other side).  Remove from pan and keep warm.  Repeat with other egg.  Sprinkle eggs with sea salt and pepper.  To assemble sandwich, spread one piece of toast with avocado mayo.  Top with greens, tempeh bacon, eggs, then onions.  Place other piece of bread on top and enjoy!

Avocado and Roasted Carrot Ravioli with Toasted Almonds

I had grabbed a couple avocadoes while I was at the store last weekend hoping to do something wonderful with them some time this week.  They were on sale so I figured it was a good idea, knowing I would need to use them in the next couple days before they got to mushy.  But they got mushy faster than I expected, and I wasn't in a guacamole sort of mood (although I suppose that is why they were on sale due to it being superbowl weekend), so I had to come up with another use.  It wasn't hard to figure something out, I love avocadoes, they are like nature's butter, so silky when they hit the tongue.  So I thought why not use them in a way that would showcase their smoothness.  I was in the mood for ravioli, so I thought why not incorporate them into the filling?  It may sound wierd, but really it is not.  They add the richness that a cheese filling usually would provide.  I paired them with pureed roasted carrots and almonds and garlic in my filling, and it was rich and delicious but heart healthy at the same time!  This may have been the most unusual ravioli I have ever made, but it was amazing!  Not wanting to distract from the delicate flavor of the filling, I decided a red sauce was not an appropriate accompaniment to this pasta.  I instead used a simple combination of olive oil and orange scented with a little basil and garlic.  I added some more roasted carrots, spinach, and shallots for color, as well as some additional toasted almonds for crunch.  It was a colorful, beautiful dish, and a creative use for the avocadoes!  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some!

Avocado and Roasted Carrot Ravioli with Toasted Almonds

Serves 3-4

Pasta:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp water

Fillling:
1 cup roasted carrot puree*

1 medium avocado, pureed

1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 tsp dried basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 large carrot sliced on the diagonal

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, sliced

juice of one small orange
2 cups baby spinach greens

A few fresh basil leaves, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

To make pasta, mix together flour and sea salt in a bowl.  Make a well in the center, and crack the egg into it.  Add 1 Tbsp water, and start slowly mixing in flour and incorporating it into the wet ingredients.  Mix until all flour is incorporated and a soft but not sticky smooth dough is formed (if you need to add more water if dough is too dry).  Divide dough into 2 pieces, and flatten each slightly.  Lightly flour each, then send through a pasta maker until the dough is a very long thin sheet.  (alternatively, roll each out until very thin with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface).  Cover with plastic, and set aside. 
To make filling, combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  To fill pasta, lay out one sheet, and drop filling onto sheet with at least a 3/4 inch boarder around the filling.  Cover with the other pasta sheet and press down around each filling mound to seal the filling in.  Cut into squares (in about a 1 inch boarder around each filling mound) using a pizza cutter.  Discard extra scraps (or you can attempt to re-roll them, but it doesn't always work so well).  Set raviolis aside.  Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss carrots with just enough oil to coat, and spread out on sheet.  Roast for about 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown at edges. 
Meanwhile, place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil (for pasta).  When boiling, add ravioli and cook until it floats to the surface, about 2-3 minutes.  

To finish, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan, and add shallots.  Saute until softened and caramelized, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic.  Cook for a minute until garlic is fragrant, then add another 2 Tbsp olive oil, ravioli, roasted carrots, orange juice, basil, spinach, sea salt, and freshly per ground pepper to taste and almonds.  Mix well until heated through, then transfer to plates and serve!

*To make roasted carrot puree, cut about 1 1/2 cups carrots into slices, toss them with olive oil, and roast them on a sheet pan for about 15 minutes at 475 degrees until starting to brown at the edges.  Let cool, and puree until smooth.