Simple, good tasting food is always a pleasure. In New England, ‘country’ goes from the coastline to  upcountry farms. Sample these recipes for a delicious Monday.

Buttermilk Baked Eggs:     283 cal        6.2 g fat          11.7 g protein          18.8 g carb            This recipe is from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book. All I added were the sides. Great book full of good recipes for Slow Days.

 1 slice 70-cal whole-grain bread                                                                                                               one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                     2 Tbsp buttermilk                                                                                                                                           1 oz [¼ c.] mixed berries                                                                                                                         coffee, tea, lemon juice & hot water,                                                                                                    fruit smoothie or natural apple cider

Cut out a hole from the middle of the bread using a 2” cookie cutter or juice glass. HINT: put the ‘hole’ in a sandwich bag in the freezer. Save for Dutch Breakfast later on. Toast the bread lightly. HINT: this step could be done the night before. Or cut and toast the bread weeks in advance and freeze. Lightly spray an oven-proof pan with cooking spray and put the toasted bread in in. Break the egg over the bread so that the yolk lands in the hole. Carefully spoon the buttermilk over the egg and bread. Season to taste. HINT: you could prep this far and refridgerate over night. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile put the fruit in a small dish, brew your beverage, pour your fruit smoothie and you have a terrific breakfast!

Crab Cakes: 250 cal 4.7 g fat 24.0 g protein 14.2 g carbs

Rock and Jonah crabs abound on the coast of New England and they are grand as crab cakes. This recipe is from Todd English’s Olive’s Table cookbook. Note: this is the full recipe and makes many more cakes than you will eat at one meal. Prepare them all and cook as directed. HINT: This will provide a few future meals.

½ pound crab meat                                                                                                                                      2 T [1 oz] plain fat-free yogurt                                                                                                                                   1 tsp Dijon mustard                                                                                                                                       2 Tbsp. chopped green or white onion                                                                                                  1 T. parsley, minced                                                                                                                                  one 2-oz egg                                                                                                                                                         1 tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper                                                                                                                               1 slice fresh 70-cal bread, crumbled                                                                                                          4 T. flour                                                                                                                                                           2 tsp oil                                                                                                                                                             5 oz asparagus                                                                                                                                                         1 tsp low-fat mayonnaise + few drops of lemon juice + pinch each of tumeric and garlic powder [this is your aioli dressing]

Gently combine 1^st 8 ingredients in a bowl. Dust a large plate with the flour. Using a 1/3 c. measure as a mold, form the crab cakes and turn them out onto the flour. There should be 5 cakes. Dust the top of the cakes with some of the flour. Heat a non-stick skillet and add 2 tsp olive oil. Handling them carefully, cook the crab cakes until they are beginning to brown on the top and bottom. Cook the asparagus. Put aioli on crab cakes and asparagus.

One Fast Day serving = 1.5 crab cakes. Cool the others, wrap in cling wrap and freeze. To reheat, use the toaster oven, since the cakes will be previously cooked.