Restaurant favorites at home
Since I don’t have the budget, time or inclination to eat out all the time, I often try to re-create some of my favorite restaurant (and prepared-grocery) dishes. It’s generally cheaper and also usually healthier, because you can control what goes into the dishes, making them less fattening than the originals.
One of the first items I tried my hand at re-creating was a white bean-and-roasted onion dip that Whole Foods used to carry. Even though it didn’t taste quite the same, I was pretty happy with the results. Unfortunately, Whole Foods no longer carries it, and I haven’t actually made it in awhile—I need to dig the recipe out from the morass of clippings in my recipe drawers. (Not only do I have a cookbook problem, I have a recipe problem—the drawers will barely shut anymore!)
One of my favorite breakfasts is a healthier, vegetarian, open-face version of McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. I take a whole-wheat English muffin, layer it with a slice of reduced-fat Swiss cheese and a couple of slices of vegetarian ham, and toast it until the cheese is melted. Then I top with a poached egg. Even though I’ve been having it for breakfast several times a week for a good couple of months, I still haven’t tired of it. It’s yummy and much more filling and energy-sustaining than my previous staple of cereal or a fruit bar. If you wanted, you could make it vegan by substituting soy cheese for the Swiss cheese and a slice of tofu for the egg.
I also enjoy making my own version of the BBQ tofu sandwich from Mary’s Of Course. It’s tasty and very easy. I make some slaw by mixing packaged, already-shredded cole-slaw veggies with a dressing of mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar and a bit of sugar. Then I sautee sliced onions until tender, add cubes of tofu and bottled BBQ sauce, and cook until heated through. I put some slaw on a sandwich bun (take it from me, bigger is better, since it’s a messy sandwich!), add some of the tofu and top with a slice of Swiss cheese—voila!
Do any of you have restaurant favorites that you’ve re-created at home?
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