Sweet Potato Hash and Fried Eggs

It is time for a blog reboot. I have graduated with my Master’s Degree in Library Science (before you ask, yes, that’s a real thing), and I now have time, glorious time! I also have a new camera and quite a lot of new recipes to share with you.

So, I am breaking my blogging fast. In honor of that, my first post since 2009 (eegad!) shall be about breakfast. Specifically, my breakfast this morning, when I was tempted to go out to breakfast and spend quite a lot of money for someone else to cook for me, but instead I decided that it is probably better to cook with what I have here, in my pantry and in my fridge. Some of my favorite meals start this way.

I haven’t been to the grocery store in a while, but after scrounging around the kitchen I found some eggs, two sweet potatoes, and a vidalia onion. That, and a little oil, butter, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning was all I needed to make a healthy, tasty, cheap breakfast for Boyfriend and me.

Fried Eggs and Sweet Potato Hash (click for larger image)

Sweet Potato Hash Recipe (serves 2):

What you need:

• two medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• one onion (I used vidalia, but any kind will do), sliced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt, pepper, and cajun season (such as Louisiana Cajun Seasoning), to taste

How to do it:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until the onions are beginning to soften.
2. Add the sweet potato cubes to the onions. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning. Stir to coat the sweet potatoes with oil.
3. Sautee the hash until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and can be easily pierced with a fork – this took me around 15-20 minutes.
4. Taste, adjust seasoning, and enjoy!

The sweet potato hash is a nice change from home fries or hash browns. It is slightly sweet from the natural sugars in the sweet potato and the onion, and pleasantly spicy from the cajun seasoning.  Plus, sweet potatoes can be bought on the cheap (I bought mine at 99 cents per pound) and they are packed with healthy stuff, like beta carotene and fiber. One medium cooked sweet potato contains 438% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, 4 grams of fiber, and has only 105 calories, according to the Nutrition Data website. I am declaring this sweet potato hash healthy, tasty, and cheap (not to mention easy as anything to cook).

Homemade Egg Muffins

I call them Egg McEricas!

Recipe (makes one sandwich):

You will need:

• Whole wheat or multigrain English muffins (I use Thomas’ Multi-Grain English Muffins)
• 1 egg, and a small ramekin to bake it in
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patty (I usually use one and a half, since the patties are slightly smaller than the muffins)
• 1 slice American cheese
• 1 Tbsp. light margarine
• 1-2 Tbsp. real maple syrup (optional)
• salt and pepper

How to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the ramekin with cooking spray. Crack the egg into the ramekin, being careful not to break the yolk. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of the egg. Place the ramekin on a Pyrex dish or baking sheet lined with foil to make the ramekin easier to get in and out of the oven, and to catch any possible spills. Bake the egg in the ramekin until the whites are cooked but the yolk is still slightly jiggly, or to your liking.
2. While the egg is baking, cook the veggie sausage patty according to the package directions. I usually bake them in the oven on a foil-lined baking sheet at the same time the egg is cooking.
3. When the egg and veggie sausage are ready, remove from the oven. Slice an English muffin and toast the slices lightly in the toaster, toaster oven, or oven. Spread the margarine on the toasted English muffin slices. Place the sausage patty on the bottom slice of the muffin. If you prefer, you can add a drizzle of maple syrup over the veggie sausage. To remove the egg from the ramekin, first run a knife around the edge of the ramekin, then carefully lift the egg out with a fork. Place the egg on top of the sausage. Place the slice of American cheese on top of the egg. Top with the top half of the English muffin.
4. Enjoy your homemade vegetarian sausage, egg, and cheese muffin!

Using the ramekin makes a perfectly round egg.

These are so incredibly easy to make, and they taste virtually identical to what you can buy at McDonald’s. However, because of a few changes I’ve made, these little sandwiches are a lot healthier! According to the McDonald’s website, a Sausage McMuffin with Egg has 450 calories, 27g of fat, and 10g of saturated fat. I am not sure whether this information includes cheese… since it is not listed as “Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McMuffin,” I would guess that it probably does not include cheese. A Sausage, Egg and Cheese McErica has about 405 calories, 19.5g of fat, and 6g of saturated fat. In addition, the Egg McErica has 9.5g of fiber – over 30% of recommended daily value – whereas the Sausage McMuffin with Egg only has 2g of fiber, only about 8% of the daily value. And if you’re a vegetarian, this is a great way to satisfy a McDonald’s breakfast craving.

I really like the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McGriddles from McDonald’s. Who wouldn’t? It’s like a McMuffin, but instead of the English muffin… maple-flavored pancakes. The Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McGriddles has 560 calories, 32g of fat, and 12g of saturated fat, according to the McDonald’s website. To satisfy the McGriddles craving, I like to drizzle a little real maple syrup over the veggie sausage patties – delicious! This adds a couple of extra calories, but since the flavor of real maple syrup is strong, you don’t need to add a lot – 100 calories’ worth gives you a ton of maple-y goodness. This doesn’t add any additional fat, so the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese with McErica with Syrup is by far a better choice than the McGriddles.

As far as cost goes… I’m not sure exactly how much a Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McMuffin costs. I would guess around $2.50. This is about how much a Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McErica costs to make. Of course, you save gas money by not having to drive to a McDonald’s, and at home you can drink your own coffee or orange juice, which will be much cheaper than what McDonald’s offers. 😀