Un-Bagel Breakfast Salad

Late last summer in our travels out east, we found ourselves in Portland, Maine. Bon Appetit had just named it as the “Restaurant City of the Year” and a deli, Rose Foods, got a big mention by the magazine. I played into the hype and talked Roy into going there for breakfast. We split the large-sized Classic Nova Bagel Sandwich. I had a coffee and Roy had orange juice. The total bill was a bit pricey at $25. Was it delicious? Yes! The cold smoked salmon was so good with the capers, cucumber and dill, that I could have ordered another one and eaten it all by myself. When we got back home, I found myself craving the flavors, but didn't want to indulge in the carbs. I figured a brunch salad situation might work. I've served this a couple of times when the girls were home, and it seemed to be a big hit. Whole Foods and even Costco are good places to get smoked salmon. And fresh dill -if you have it on hand- makes this alternative breakfast even better. 

Ingredients for Four Salads

4 eggs

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 lemon juice plus 1 teaspoon and 1 whole lemon, sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

5 oz. bag or tub of spring mix salad greens

1 small cucumber

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

8 oz. sliced smoked salmon

4 teaspoons capers

*2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning

Directions:

*Use prepared everything bagel seasoning or mix up a batch of your own and save what you don't use here for something else: 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt.

Make the jammy eggs: fill a sauce pan with water; bring it up to a boil; gently lower the eggs in the water; boil 7 minutes; plunge them into ice water; wait 2 minutes and peel. Set aside.

Whisk together the olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, dill, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.

Thinly slice the cucumber and half the tomatoes. Set aside.

Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Set aside.

Assemble the Salad

Divide the salmon among four serving plates - or put on one large platter.

Place the 1/4 of the greens next to the salmon on each plate.

Arrange 1/4 of the tomatoes and cucumbers on each plate.

Cut each egg in half and place two halves on each plate.

Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.

Smear a tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture on the edge of each plate.

Place a couple lemon slices on each plate.

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of everything seasoning over the eggs, greens, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Put 1 teaspoon capers on top of the cucumber slices.

Cookbook Giveaway: Indian-ish and the Winner!

Congratulations to Desiree Summerhill from Kalamazoo!

And thank you to all who entered the quarterly cookbook giveaway!

I'm already excited about the next one - suggestions anyone?

Over all the years I've had fun with this blog, I have had very few giveaways. The best offering was a set of T-Fal pots and pans courtesy of a now defunct website, Cooking Planit - I developed recipes for it and was, for a hot minute, an influencer. Once I gave away a pint of frozen cookie dough from a company that is also no longer operational, Green Field Cookie Dough. But I guess that's to be expected since I've had this blog for so long. I started it as a hobby - and that's still what it is - to share recipes with my three daughters and friends. Along the way I got some readers who became friends. Of course I wish I would have started with WordPress, but back then I was working full time and trying to keep my head above water and Blogger made it so easy. That's why this cookbook, Indian-ish by Priya Krishna with her mom Ritu Krishna grabbed my attention.

It reads like an entertaining family memoir and it's filled with recipes Ritu, a busy, working mom, developed. Priya, a writer for Bon Appetit and the New York Times, put it all together with humor and love. What's interesting about these recipes is that while they have a flavor profile that's definitely Indian, they use ingredients such as olive oil or sourdough bread. And - they are all fairly easy. They remind me how I could get a decent meal together for three kids and a hungry husband in 30 minutes or less. Check out what I cooked up:

The Most Basic Dal

Dal is really just soupy lentils and yes, the flavors in this recipe did have a basic taste - but one that grew on me. The best thing about this recipe was that it introduced me to Chhonk. Chhonk is essentially letting spices bloom in oil, and then adding the mixture into a finished dish. 

Basic Kachumber

Kachumber is salad and this is just a simple chopped one dressed with only salt and lime juice. It was a perfect accompaniment to the dal above. 

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Green Pea Chutney

The technique this recipe gave for roasting a whole cauliflower was great and one that I'm going to use from now on. It would have been even more impressive if I could have kept the cauliflower whole! I was just a bit too aggressive when I cut out the stem! The pea chutney is definitely spicy and Indian-ish. 

Dahi Toast

This was my favorite! It's a tangy grilled yogurt sandwich finished with chhonk. It is even better with the suggested Cilantro Chutney and/or Priya's dad's sauce of choice, ketchup.

So, here's the deal:

I got so jazzed up about trying out a new cookbook, that I decided to share the joy quarterly.

This quarter, I will send a copy of Indian-ish to one lucky winner.

Email me at yatesyummies@gmail.com and send me a photo of something that YOU have made from Yates Yummies. Please include where you are from.

Don't worry, the photo doesn't have to be great! And - it can be something you have made in the past.

I'll accept "entries" until midnight, Sunday, June 16th. (Father's Day)

On June 17th, I'll announce the randomly chosen winner right here, on this post. I'll just update it with the magic of editing!

Good Luck - I can't wait to hear from you!