Feed Yourself With Your Eyes + Eat With Flavor (some tips + a recipe)
An open face omelette can be stuffed with any topping, leftover, vegetable, meat, you name it.
WAY QUICKER than my favorite, the frittata, this is a quick morning, evening or weekend way to make a pretty bite.
Why do I say make a pretty bite? It's because we are first fed with our eyes. Similar to attraction, stares from across a room, the look over the shoulder and glance back, the bend and snap for those Legally Blonde Fans - somewhere along the way it's been forgotten that there's an art to food, even in our own homes. We have to be attracted to what we eat. To what's in front of us. And it's something we now have to consciously do, more so in our own homes. We amble about the day (I do it too, I have to constantly remind myself because being aware of our needs is THE WORK), finding whatever is next to put in our mouths, unsatisfied, sometimes searching for more, eating in front of the TV, computer or while texting ...
Have you looked down at your plate? Even once? The styrofoam take out container, soggy with condensation ...
A part of healing my relationship with food was about:
1. Taking Responsibility For My Food (yes, I mean cooking): No, I don't cook every meal and l sure as hell didn't start that way, but caring about what I put in my body became important to me. It allowed me to grow curious to try new flavors and grocery shop on my own - seeking colors and rainbows so I was stimulated by food. I pursued this responsibility with abandon once I witnessed how good it felt to actually feel good.
2. Plating Pretty: Food is beautiful, it's colorful, and it doesn't have to take much time to make it. Somehow we can manage to watch hours of TV to turn our brains off (yes, I binge watch too) but we don't think about how and what we're putting in our body and what it looks like. A plate of food in all its beauty and color can be satisfying. It's often times not what's on our plate but how we present it and enjoy it. I'm not saying every meal needs to be art, but to recognize this factor is important - it can't be glossed over. Food is the information we give our brain and body every day.
3. Eating With Flavor: So, this morning I made this omelette - swirled with leftover truffle ricotta from my NYE dinner and some onion jam. This sounds complicated, but it isn't. Truffle ricotta is plain old ricotta you can mix with truffle oil or truffle salt to make for an interesting and new palate pleasing flavor. Onion jam is nothing but onions cooked down in butter and oil with balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
So, today, think about how you want to feel. How can you get comfortable with food? And I know it's more than feeding with eyes and eating with flavor for many. I emotionally ate my whole life, even now, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm not perfect. I don't want to be. I'm doing this work because I'm human. If there's more you're interested in learning about changing your relationship with yourself and food, you've come to the right place.
All love. Happy Cooking. Happy Feeding. Sit + plate pretty.
XO
Truffle Ricotta
- 1/2 c. fresh ricotta
- 1 T. truffle oil or 1 tsp. truffle salt
- Mix in a bowl and, boom, truffle ricotta
- Lovely as a spread on crostini, in an omelette. on top of pasta with shaved pecorino, stuffed in a chicken thigh, dolloped on salad, spooned on a grain bowl!
Onion Jam
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 T. each butter + olive oil
- 1 T. balsamic vinegar
- Sprinkle of salt
- Drizzle of honey or maple syrup
- Add onions to a large skillet over medium low heat along with butter and olive oil, sauteeing until translucent - about 7-8 minutes
- Lower flame, add sprinkle of salt and continue to slowly cook down until caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour
- You'll begin to see the sugars/brown releasing from the onions - when this happens add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan (and a little bit of water if you need more liquid) and continue to cook another 15 minutes
- Drizzle with honey or maple syrup and toss
- Serve warm or room temperature