South Beach Eggs Florentine Food

EGGS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• Arrange the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before crumbling into small pieces.
• In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and nutmeg and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Fill a small saucepan with 3 inches of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the lemon juice. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Crack an egg in a small bowl, taking care not to break the yolk. Slowly slide the egg into the water. Using a wooden spoon, carefully stir the water around the egg. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until the white has set and the yolk is still soft. Using a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
• To serve, place a tomato slice on each salad plate and season with salt and pepper. Spoon 1/4 of the spinach sauce over the tomato slice. Top with a poached egg and sprinkle with the crumbled prosciutto. Serve warm.
• Cook's Note: The poached eggs can be made ahead of time if stored in water and refrigerated. Reheat by placing in simmering water for 30 seconds.

KIM'S TEX-MEX EGG CUPS (SOUTH BEACH DIET FRIENDLY)

Steps:

• Spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking stray (Such as Pam).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk.
• Add cottage cheese, Monetery Jack cheese, green chiles, salt and pepper.
• Mix until well blended.
• Add chicken and stir until combined.
• Spoon 1/4 cup of egg mixture into each cup.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until done.
• Take a knife and loosen the cups from the pan.
• Turn egg cups out onto a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.
• Eat eggs warm out of the oven, or refrigerate for later use.
• EGGS DO NOT FREEZE WELL! Eggs become spongy and wet when frozen!

VEGETABLE QUICH CUPS TO GO (SOUTH BEACH)

Steps:

• Microwave spinach on high for 2.5 minutes.
• Put 12 baking cups in a muffin pan.
• Spray cups with non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine all ingredients and mix well.
• Spread into muffin cups evenly.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

EGGS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Put the washed spinach in a saucepan with a lid and cook until wilted, 2-4 minutes, or put the washed spinach in a microwave-safe covered dish and cook on high until wilted, 1-3 minutes, taking care not to overcook.
• Put the mayonnaise, mustard and 2 tbsp lemon juice in a small bowl, and blend well; aim for a definite lemon flavour, so add more juice if it isn't noticeable.
• Cut the croissants in half lengthwise and place them cut-side up on plates.
• Drizzle each with 1/8th of the sauce, (put tomato slices on now if you want) divide spinach into four portions and place on croissant halves, and drizzle the rest of the sauce on the spinach.
• Poach the eggs: I am hopeless at poaching them in a saucepan, so I do mine one-by-one in the microwave in a small lidded ceramic bowl; you could use ramekins or another small dish.
• Grease the inside of the bowl with a bit of the butter, add 1 tbsp cold water and one egg; pierce the yolk lightly with a fork so it doesn't explode.
• Cook on medium for 30 seconds, check for doneness (set white, still soft yolk) and if necessary cook in 10-15 second increments until the white is fully set, but keep the yolk pretty soft.
• Put one egg on each croissant, and serve.
• p.s. If you are more ambitious, make real hollandaise sauce, such as #49031, instead my cheat!
• p.p.s. When I am REALLY lazy, I just use lightly browned toast instead of the croissant, but it's not nearly as nice.

SOUTH BEACH PORTABELLA FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Brush the mushrooms and remove the stem and scoop out some of the gills so that a shallow cup is formed.
• Chop the stems and gills into small pieces.
• Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon basil in a small glass bowl for a minute or so until well combined (should be cloudy looking).
• Turn the mushrooms gill side down on a nonstick baking pan and brush the non-gill side throughly with the olive oil mixture, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper as desired.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Use the brush to coat a non stick frying pan with any remaining olive oil mixture then add 1/2 teaspoon more olive oil, the garlic and chopped mushroom and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently.
• Add the spinach, 1 teaspoon basil and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and cook stirring frequently for another 5 to 10 minutes until the spinach is completely wilted, remove from heat and add salt and pepper if desired.
• Whisk the eggs until yolk and white are well combined and then mix in the spinach mixture.
• Flip the mushrooms so that the gill side is upward and divide the spinach mixture evenly between the mushrooms being careful not to spill egg on the pan.
• Sprinkle each mushroom with 1 tablespoon grated mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the mushrooms are done and cheese is lightly browned.

POACHED EGGS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• CHEESE SAUCE: Mix the cornstarch to a paste with about a 1/4 cup of the milk. Pour the remaining milk and butter into a nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer.
• Stir the boiling milk into the cornstarch mixture, then pour back into the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Once it has thickened, simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the Gruyère cheese, salt, pepper, and optional nutmeg. Cover the surface of the sauce with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming and set aside in a warm place.
• SPINACH: Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the green onion (or leeks) and saute' for about 3 minutes, until they begin to soften.
• Add the spinach and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the leeks are tender.
• Drain the vegetables in a sieve or fine mesh strainer, pressing down with the back of a spoon to remove any excess moisture. Return to the pan and season with dill, salt, and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
• EGGS: half-fill a medium sized frying pan with water and bring to a simmer. Add the vinegar. Break in the eggs, and cook gently for 3-4 minutes, spooning the hot water over the yolks. Lift out the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
• Preheat the broiler. Place the whole wheat toast slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the leek and spinach mixture evenly over each toast. Make a hollow in each spinach mixture using the back of a spoon and place a poached egg in each hollow.
• Spoon the cheese sauce over the eggs. Lightly dust with paprika, then place the dish under the broiler. Broil until just lightly browned.

SOUTH BEACH EGGS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Bring about an inch of water to boil in a saute pan. Add vinegar. Turn down to a simmer. Carefully break eggs into a small bowl and slide into the pan. The vinegar will help the whites come together. Simmer for 3 minutes using a spoon to pot water over top of eggs. Take 2 thick slices of tomato and put on plate. Salt and pepper to taste. Slice ham in half and put on top of tomato slices. Add a handful of fresh baby spinach to the top of the ham. When eggs are ready take out of the pan with a slotted spoon and place on top of spinach. Salt and pepper again to taste and enjoy!