Why I haven’t gone vegan yet

Huevos Rancheros, Breezy Acres style

This is my newest food addiction.  Huevos Rancheros.  Eggs and beans and tomatoes and chiles.  Did you notice the potatoes in there too?  These are not your typical (or traditional) Huevos Rancheros.  I had to put my own twist on them.  Necessity was the mother of invention in this case.

The egg is overcooked because I spent so much time taking photos of it that the yolk hardened. It was still delicious, but I did miss the wonder of the golden yolk pouring out over the beans.

For years, many years, I thought, “I should try Huevos Rancheros.”  I have never been fond of the traditional (American) breakfast of cereals or anything sweet or doughy.  Once in a while I enjoy a bowl of oatmeal or kashi or some other whole grain, but mostly, I’d rather have something savory and/or spicy for breakfast.  Often that involves eggs and veggies in a frittata or an omelet.  Or leftovers from a particularly good dinner the night before, so good I can’t wait until lunch to have it again.  Lately I’ve been eating kitchari.  (For those inquiring minds that want to know, kitchari (there are a variety of spellings) is basically an Indian rice and beans dish often used for fasting.  I’ve also seen it made with barley and other grains.  There are all kinds of wonderful recipes for kitchari online.  A quick Google search turns up too many for me to explore.)

Today's view of the pond

Finally, about three weeks ago, I decided to make Huevos Rancheros.  It was a Sunday, M and I were tossing around breakfast ideas, and somehow we came to the conclusion that Huevos Rancheros would be good (even though neither of us had ever had them).  We didn’t have corn tortillas at the time so we had it over whole grain toast.  We’ve also tried the dish with polenta.  Potatoes are my favorite.  I cook them separately, and just dish the egg, beans and veggies over the potatoes the way you would over a tortilla.  I often spice up my potatoes, too, with cumin, cilantro, and something hot (jalapeno, cayenne, etc.).  I sometimes add cheese, but cheese is one of those (glorious) things I’m trying to break away from.  Smoked gouda is lovely.  You can also get that smoky flavor by adding some chipotle pepper.

I don’t really have a recipe at this point.  I started with a recipe from Cooking Light (which I still refer to just to make sure I don’t forget anything), and it has morphed from there into something to suit my taste buds.  I use black beans, green chiles, onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and tomatoes.  Cook that up for a little while and then carefully place the eggs on top of the bean and veggie mixture.  Cover, cook for 7-8 minutes (depending on how cooked you like your egg), and then serve over the spicy potatoes.  I stay full for pretty much the rest of the day after such a hearty breakfast.

The photos (except for the food) are from today’s walk around the pond.  It is cool (50) and windy here in the Bogs today.  We went from mostly sunny this morning to mostly cloudy this afternoon.  The wind has not been kind.

Wind-shredded leaves on the maple tree

Baby leaves torn off the trees and now floating on the pond

The leaves and flowers have all been shredded or tossed by the wind.  Our garden shed is a mess.

I don’t know if it’s time for a new shed or not.  We’ve rebuilt it several times after high winds have blown through, but this time around it’s looking pretty sad and worn out.  I’m not sure we can hammer out the doors.  I suspect M will want to give it a try.

That’s all the news from the Bogs for today.  I’ll be back tomorrow with some more photos from My Mountain Trail (unless something more exciting happens).  Thank you so much for visiting.  Be sure to layer if you want to go out and about.  The wind is cold and easily wiggles its way inside a coat.  It’s worth braving the wind and cold to go watch the waves on the pond.  They’re mesmerizing.

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