Editors from Bon Appetit can't teach you anything about cooking eggs

Chopped fresh herbs and Aleppo pepper are two way to elevate an egg-white omelet, which you can stuff with grated cheese, smoked wild salmon, Mexican-style salsa, pesto or a dried thyme mixture called za'atar -- or all of them at once.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I didn't learn anything from a Leonard Lopate Show podcast on cooking eggs with two editors from Bon Appetit magazine.

The WNYC-FM segment sounded like it was aimed at people who have never prepared their own breakfast, and still scramble eggs.

Why ruin organic brown eggs -- like the ones I buy at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro (2 dozen for $6.99) --by scrambling them?

In the Aug. 5 segment, the magazine editors, Christina Chaey and Rick Martinez, didn't even mention egg-white omelets or frittatas. 

I prepare eggs almost every morning, and often pair them with such bread substitutes as organic quinoa or organic whole-wheat pasta.

A big breakfast usually allows me to skip lunch or get by on a snack bar, and helps me to control my weight.

Forget butter

I use olive oil, the only fat that's both good for your heart and non-GMO, and I favor a blend of pure and extra-virgin olive oils from Costco.

We use that same blend for frying whole fish and antibiotic-free chicken.

I use non-stick pans, and medium heat for both omelets and eggs sunny side up. I've found that even with a non-stick pan, eggs will stick at higher heat.

For a stuffed omelet, I pour a little olive oil and then liquid egg whites to cover the bottom of a 10-inch pan, and when the eggs turn white and set, add smoked salmon, pesto, za'atar or other ingredients.

I then use a thin spatula to fold the omelet in half, and accent it with fresh herbs or ground red pepper.

See: How to make a sweet-potato frittata

I usually enjoy a pair of organic brown eggs, sunny side up, once a week and prepare egg-white omelets the rest of the time. Here, I accented the eggs with chopped fresh basil and mint from my garden, and served them over leftover organic quinoa with organic tomatoes and beans, and whole garlic cloves prepared in an electric cooker.

Store-bought Korean-style stewed tofu, top, and homemade shredded cabbage are just two of the side dishes you can serve with a stuffed egg-white omelet.

A stuffed-egg white omelet with sauteed fresh spinach and a store-bought sushi roll with cooked shrimp.

Two organic eggs served over organic whole-wheat pasta in a red sauce with canned sardines and anchovies -- left over from our dinner the night before.

Favorite things, pasta with greens and Wondee's

The perfect forkful of handmade egg tagliatelle from Italy with Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, both from Costco Wholesale. I used two generous tablespoons of the refrigerated pesto for 4 ounces of the noodles, which cook in just 4 minutes.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

Editor

One of my favorite things is a bowl of handmade egg tagliatelle dressed in Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto.

Just 4 ounces of the imported noodles yield a dozen or more perfect forkfuls dressed in one of the best pasta sauces on earth.

For an advocate of eating lower-carb, whole-wheat pasta as part of a no-bread, no-pizza diet, these Filotea-brand pasta ribbons are a guilty pleasure that show up now and again at my Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

The basil in the Kirkland Signature pesto is imported from Italy.

A Super Spice Mixture -- a combination of every spice in my cupboard and refrigerator -- is perfect for breading chicken, pork, beef and fish fillets, such as wild haddock from Costco Wholesale, above. The mixture, which I refrigerate between uses, starts out with several packages of Wick Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili Kit (omit the masa flour), available in supermarkets.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto and Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon are two of my favorite items from Costco Wholesale. Here, I used them in a frittata with egg whites and whole organic eggs, also from Costco, served with leftover Chinese takeout shrimp and vegetables, and brown rice.

Addictive kimbap -- Korean seaweed, vegetable, fish and rice rolls -- from Jinga, a food company in Queens, are half-price after 4 p.m. at the H Mart, 25 Lafayette Ave., in Englewood. Last week, I paid $3.24 for a 1-pound tray of kimbap with Korean pickles and wickedly hot sliced jalapenos instead of $6.49.

Two other favorites from H Mart are stewed wild-caught Alaskan pollock ($6.99), front, and stewed tofu ($3.99), served here with mustard greens and a baked sweet potato. The pollock and tofu, which can be eaten hot or cold, are prepared with soy, red-pepper powder, garlic, scallion and other ingredients.

Under the category of fish and greens, we often prepare wild sea bass from H Mart stuffed with okra and callaloo, a canned, spinach-like green from Jamaica, and showered with fresh lime juice.

The pesto-smoked salmon frittata is made with reduced-fat sliced Jarslberg Lite Swiss Cheese from Costco that melts beautifully, above.

Organic whole-wheat spaghetti from Whole Foods Market in Trader Joe's canned Marinara Sauce with sardines, anchovies and fresh dandelion leaves.

Pasta with greens

I prepared organic whole wheat pasta with greens again, but couldn't find the baby kale I used the last time.

Instead, I bought 1.8 pounds of dandelion, a foot-long leafy green the Greeks call "horta," for 89 cents a pound at the International Food Warehouse in Lodi.

At home, I washed them and chopped them into 3-inch sections, adding them to the hot water in which the pasta was boiling in the last minute of cooking time.

I then drained pasta and greens, and transferred them to anther pan containing the bubbling sauce, which included three cans of sardines and a can of anchovies (drained of oil and rinsed).

The last time, I folded the baby kale into the sauce along with whole wheat shells.

I didn't find any difference in color retention when I added the greens to the pasta water, but next time, I'll chop the leaves smaller to avoid clumping.

For breakfast, a fried organic egg with a pinch of Aleppo pepper makes a nice topping for leftover whole wheat spaghetti.

A three-tomato, three-cheese frittata gets added flavor from leftover marinara sauce and Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto. It also includes fresh and sun-dried tomatoes; shredded Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese and Pecorino Romano Cheese in the pesto, all from Costco. 

Flavors of Wondee's

The snow was falling and the wind blowing, but we got a warm welcome during a late Saturday afternoon visit to Wondee's at 296 Main St. in Hackensack.

As I ate spicy shrimp soup, salad with crispy tofu and fruit, and jumbo shrimp in wine sauce, I marveled at all the wonderful Thai flavors that give this food such vibrancy.

Lemongrass, wilted leaves of fresh basil, chili paste, lemon juice, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, ginger and other accents are matched by an abundance of vegetables in nearly every dish.

At Wondees Fine Thai Food & Noodles in Hackensack, Talay Thai Shrimp ($17), front; Lamb with Panang Curry ($14) and Pad Kraprow Fried Rice with Pork ($10.50).

From the Vegetarian Menu at Wondees, Yum Rod Pedt, a salad of crispy tofu tossed with oranges, carrots and onion, and dressed with lime juice and chili paste ($10). Fresh cilantro and romaine lettuce that can be used for wrapping also are used.

Thome Yum Koong is shrimp soup with lemon juice, mushrooms, chili paste, lemongrass and other ingredients ($4 for small). Wondee's is closed on Mondays.

This year, we're giving thanks without the turkey

The wine department at Costco Wholesale in Wayne offers some pricey bottles, above. A 3-liter bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne from France is priced at $299.99.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Our Thanksgiving menu this year offers a bounty for meat eaters and vegetarians alike, but doesn't include the traditional turkey.

A whole turkey hasn't been the centerpiece of our meal for several years, because we prefer the dark meat and usually visit Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff for naturally raised drumsticks, thighs, wings and necks.

This year, we're picking up ingredients for the holiday meal at Whole Foods Market, Costco Wholesale and ShopRite.

For the meat eaters, we'll serve a Niman Ranch Smoked Uncured Petite Ham from Whole Foods Market in Paramus.

This fully cooked, 3.3-pound ham -- which is vegetarian fed and raised without antibiotics or growth hormones -- was $7.99 a pound. 

We'll also serve a Kirkland Signature Frenched Lamb Rack from Australia ($10.99 a pound) that I picked up today at the Costco Wholesale in Wayne.

Kirkland Signature Champagne, left, and California Cabernet Sauvignon flanking Beaujolais Nouveau.

I drove to Wayne to shop the only Costco wine, beer and liquor department in the area, picking up Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon and Kirkland Signature Champagne (Brut).

A 1.5-liter bottle of the California wine was a bargain at $7.99. 

The champagne, from France, was $19.99, about half the price of such premium brands as Veuve Clicquot Brut (more than $40 at Costco).

I also purchased a bottle of Goerges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau for $8.39, about 60 cents less than elsewhere.

The new wine has always been overpriced, and this year is no exception.

On Wednesday, I plan to shop the Seafood Road Show at the Hackensack Costco for Alaskan king crab legs and mussels.

They will be part of my Thanksgiving seafood meal, which also may include whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce, and sardines, shrimp or salted cod -- possibly all three.

For side dishes, we also have ShopRite sweet potatoes to bake or mash; and broccoli, organic spring mix and Campari Tomatoes from Costco.

As for turkey, I plan to donate a whole one to the Center for Food Action in Englewood, as I do every year.

Good food that helps me watch my weight

Crunchy cucumber kimchi at So Gong Dong, the soft-tofu house in Palisades Park.

Instead of tofu stew and lots of white rice, I had So Gong Dong's seafood pancake.

Organic eggs, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and pesto make a fluffy frittata. Instead of bread, I eat all of my egg dishes with leftover brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Egg-white omelet with reduced-fat cheese, kimchi and picked jalapeno.

Canned-fish salad (sardines, salmon, tuna) with chopped celery and red onion is flavored with Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin, not mayonnaise.

Cabbage and salted cod fish with Korean 7 Grains, a mixture of brown rices and beans.

An omelet with sun-dried tomato, pesto and cheese is finished under the broiler.

I bought two Seafood Fra Diavolo takeout dinners at Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood for $5.99 each (reduced from $7.99 after 4 p.m.), and plated the tender shrimp, squid and octopus with vegetables before reheating them. I left rigatoni in vodka sauce and two bread-crumb-and-cheese stuffed zucchini for someone else.

Related article

• Weight-losing strategies that work for me

Blurring the line between meals

Breakfast without bread relies on organic brown rice bibimbap to give me a full feeling. In restaurants, bibimbap is usually served with a cooked or raw egg on top.

I've given up bread and pizza, but not foods that leave me satisfied and allow me to keep off the weight I've lost.

I often rely on 100% whole-wheat pasta from Trader Joe's and organic brown rice from Costco Wholesale -- and other dinner leftovers -- as substitutes for bread at breakfast.

My body seems to process whole-wheat pasta and brown rice better than their conventional counterparts or bread.

I miss pizza, but get the same gooey pleasure by adding sliced, reduced-fat cheese to omelets.

A gooey cheese-and-wild-lox omelet goes great with whole-wheat spirals.

Leftover sauteed cabbage and boiled squash add body to another cheesey omelet.

Stewed pollock, a prepared item from H Mart; smoked wild salmon and canned fish salad taste great for breakfast with tofu, radish kimchi and tomatoes in a za'atar thyme mixture.

I bought shredded vegetables from H Mart, and prepared a Korean comfort dish called bibimbap for dinner one night last week.

But I ate most of it at breakfast instead of bread (top photo).

For bibimbap, I made 2 cups of organic brown rice in an electric cooker, then added prepared vegetables from H Mart, a hot-pepper paste called gochujang and sesame oil.

H Mart Fresh in Fort Lee sells vegetables for bibimbap ($6.49).

This hot-pepper paste from Korea is one of the few without high fructose corn syrup.

H Mart Fresh (1379 16th St., Fort Lee; 201-944-9009) is the smallest of the Korean chain's stores in Bergen County, but it has a lot of prepared food and seafood, below.

H Mart Fresh draws shoppers from nearby high-rises. You see the word "fresh" repeated a number of times inside the store.

I did find a hot-pepper paste, called gochujang, made without high-fructose corn syrup or sugar (see photo). A 2.2-pound jar was $7.49.

Many food claims don't hold water

Image via Wikipedia
If you want pure juice, don't buy Trop50.

Have you seen the TV ad for Trop50, which Tropicana calls "fabulously refreshing with 50% less sugar and calories"?


How do they do that, I wondered as I watched the ad from the maker of 100% pure orange juice on Monday night.


I found out when I looked at Trop50 labels at the Hackensack ShopRite this morning.


It is only 10% to 43% juice, depending on the variety (not 30% as I wrote earlier ). It is labeled a "fruit-juice beverage" and sweetened by PureVia -- called an all-natural plant extract.


McDonald's beef


Another TV ad from McDonald's seems to suggest the fast-food giant is using naturally raised beef in its hamburgers.


The ad shows a rancher, who says he supplies McDonald's, in a field where cattle are grazing -- what you'd see if the animals are grass fed 

Image via Wikipedia

and free range.


But the ad tells you nothing about whether the cattle are raised on antibiotics and growth hormones, and whether they spend most of their lives eating grain in the confines of a feed lot with hundreds of other animals.


Shrinking boxes


I've been buying mostly 100% whole wheat pasta, but many brands come in a box that is less than a full pound.


ShopRite, Barilla and other brands offer whole wheat or whole grain pasta in boxes that are about 13 to 14 ounces. Dreamfields Pasta boxes also hold less than 16 ounces.


Even on sale, they are not a good buy.


Last week, Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood had 100% whole wheat capellini from Italy in a 16-ounce package for $1.49. Trader Joe's sells a 16-ounce package of organic 100% whole wheat spaghetti for $1.39.


Coupon madness


The ShopRite in Hackensack today refused to honor a Progresso Soup Super Coupon from its sales flier that said "10 for $10.88" unless I bought the full number of cans.


Nowhere on the flier or coupon does it say "Must Buy 10" to get the price of about $1.09 per can compared to the Can Can Sale price of $1.25.


I left a message at Bergen County Weights and Measures in Hackensack.