Chronicles of a Late Bloomer

Here’s yet another recipe that just totally hit the spot.

It was a riff off my favorite breakfast from the cafe next to my old apartment. That dish was a “California Benedict” — english muffin topped with poached eggs, slices of tomato, hollandaise sauce, and slices of avocado. Even on the menu, it doesn’t sound all that good but holy cow. Live and in person? So, so good.

But so, so bad.

Tonight it’s late and I’ve been losing my head on the research lit review that’s due on Tuesday. I needed something quick and filling and not too heavy since it’s late.

Scramble two eggs (or egg whites or a substitute, if it floats your boat) in a non-stick pan. Make sure they are lightly scrambled, over medium heat, to keep the eggs nice and yellow without turning dark or brown. Slide the eggs into a bowl, then use the same pan to sautee some tomato. You can either dice a tomato or do what I did — slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise. Sautee the tomato in a shot or two of cooking spray. I like to get them crispy and almost a little burned. (I don’t know. It’s this phase I’m going through.) Salt and pepper the tomatoes while they cook. Meanwhile, slice an avocado and put it to one side of the eggs. Top with the cooked tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. It was a nice, mild, warm, comfy, relatively light late dinner without the fat-filled sauce or white-flour bread.

Okay, this week’s food obsession is a tuna salad that is a more or less healthy version of “Clean Out the Fridge.” This might be more appropriately called: “Clean Out the Veggie Drawer.”

I usually make a large quantity of “base” at a time and can store it in the fridge for a week or more in a sealed container or heavy-duty ziploc bag. The base consists of:

• Lots of finely chopped cabbage, both white and red
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped broccoli (I only like the florets, so I just slice the topmost part of the bunch off and it breaks into little pieces)
• Chopped cauliflower (same goes as for broccoli)
• Cucumber chopped into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes, skin on

At mealtime I toss a few handfuls of this veggie base into a large bowl and then almost always add:

• A scoop of fat-free cottage cheese
• Two scoops of fat-free plain yogurt
• A teaspoon of mayonnaise

Sorry, I don’t use measurements. I just eyeball the amounts until they look like they’ll evenly coat the veggies and other goodies. These other goodies include various combinations of any/all of the following, depending on what I have on hand:

• Can of drained tuna
• Shredded chicken
• Diced sweet or dill pickle
• Chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I just snip with kitchen scissors)
• Pine nuts
• Diced avocado (yum!)
• Diced tomato
• Little bit of parmesan cheese
• Sliced grapes
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Hard-boiled egg
• Frozen peas
• You get the idea!

Stir it all up, adjusting yogurt if the mixture is too dry. I’ve also toyed around with herbs and spices. From my big bowl (out of which I used to eat sugared cereal — sometimes two or three times a day!) I can pack two whole wheat tortillas for a pair of yummy wraps. If I don’t have tortillas or feel like eating something crunchier, I pile it onto a few reduced-fat triscuits.