Bagels are boring: Just go wild at breakfast

A delicious blend of brown, black and wild rices served with Chana Masala, chickpeas with Asian Indian spices, both available at Costco Wholesale.

Looking into an open 4-pound bag of Lundberg Wild Rice Blend reveals a colorful mixture: Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Whole Grain Wehani Rice and Whole Grain Black Japonica Rice. It's non-GMO, too, and the re-closable bag uses Velcro.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss two new-to-me items from Costco Wholesale, and my attempt to add body to Kirkland Signature's thin, watery Egg Whites.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Once, I was a big fan of those enormous North Jersey bagels, which I bought by the dozen, sliced and stored in the freezer.

Every morning, I'd toast my favorite Pumpernickle-Rye bagel, spread it with pesto and build a multi-layered sandwich with smoked wild salmon, cheese, spring mix and whatever else would fit.

The bagels -- from my favorite shop on Englewood's Palisade Avenue -- were twice the size and about half the price of the mediocre H&H bagel from Manhattan.

No-bread diet

If the bagels were big, I was bigger, and I soon downsized to a sliced health loaf from Zabar's that I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

Bagels and other forms of bread are no longer part of my diet, but brown rice is, and 100% whole grain Lundberg Wild Blend Rice is the ultimate brown rice and a great bread substitute.

Last week, I prepared 2 cups of the brown, black and wild rice blend in an electric cooker with a 15-ounce can of Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes and chicken broth.

I tried it for dinner first, then for breakfast the next day, and I can't think of a more flavorful rice.

Lundberg Wild Blend Rice reminds me of Korean 7 Grains without the beans and without the need to soak it for hours before you cook it.

Although the rice blend isn't organic, it is certified non-GMO. 

Click on the following link to the Organic Authority Web site for a discussion of GMOs:

 8 reasons GMOs are bad for you

Wild Blend Rice with wild salmon, peaches and tomatoes.

A refrigerated Sweet Potato Salad from Costco Wholesale can be eaten cold or hot.

A four-fish salad: Homemade canned-fish salad (yellowfin tuna, pink salmon and sardines); smoked wild salmon and Menino Brothers Sweet Potato Salad over Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, all from Costco.

 
Potato salad

A refrigerated Sweet Potato Salad I found at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack last week tastes like a keeper.

The ingredients: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Crunchy Jicama, Fresh Kale and Red Quinoa in a dressing of Rice Vinegar, Canola Oil, Sugar, Dijon Mustard and spices.

It is produced by Menino Bros. in Massachusetts, and carries a sell-by date.

I tried the salad right out of the fridge with my homemade canned-fish salad for breakfast over Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix.

It also tasted good plated and warmed briefly in a microwave.

Ideally, I'd tone down the taste of rice vinegar and let the sweetness of the diced potatoes come through.

The price is $6.99 for 1 pound 12 ounces.

A 3-Tomato Frittata with Pesto sounded like a good idea, but my attempt to add body and color to Kirkland Signature's thin, watery 100% Egg Whites failed.

A heavy hand

I thought I could add body and color to Kirkland Signature's watery Egg Whites by using another Kirkland Signature item, Organic Tomato Sauce.

So I combined half of a 15-ounce can of the thick sauce with about 8 ounces of Egg Whites, 3 whole brown organic eggs and a few ounces of grated Italian cheese.

I poured the mixture into a preheated 10-inch non-stick pan with oil, and added sun-dried and sliced beefsteak tomatoes, and homemade pesto.

When the mixture set, I moved the pan to the oven and continued cooking it under the broiler for about 10 minutes (low setting).

Right out of the oven, it fell apart: I used much too much tomato sauce. 

A 3-Tomato Frittata with Pesto tasted good, but had no body. Next time, I'll use 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce in the egg mixture or simply spoon it on top.