Been on vacation but wish it hadn’t ended?  Haven’t gotten away yet?  At least you can eat as if you were somewhere else!  The breakfast is from the Basque Region of southwestern France. The dinner is from China. Feast, dream, be healthy.

Basquaise Omelette: 283 calories

This recipe,  comes to us from Saulte to Healthy Cooking, published by the French Culinary Institute. Wonderful book from which we cook all year long. Note that this is a baked omelette, so the method is a little different. Faites bien attention.

3 two-oz eggs HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week                                                                  3 Tbsp tomato sauce, such as Hunt’s                                                                                                            2 Tbsp bell pepper, chopped                                                                                                                              ½ clove garlic or pinch granulated garlic                                                                                                2 tsp parsley, chopped                                                                                                                                    1 ½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated                                                                                                                 3 oz apple or 4.5 oz melon                                                                                                                            5-6 oz fruit smoothie or green smoothie or natural apple cider                                             blackish coffee or blackish tea or lemon in hot water     

Heat the oven broiler. In an oven-safe skillet, put the tomato sauce, peppers, garlic, parsley, and 2 Tbsp water. Cook gently until the veg are soft and the water is evaporated. Remove from pan. Add a spritz of non-stick spray and heat the pan. Whisk the eggs with 2/3 of the tomato mixture and pour into the pan. As the eggs cook, gently lift the edge of the eggs and let uncooked egg flow underneath. Do not flip or fold the eggs. Top the eggs with the cheese and put the skillet under the broiler to finish cooking. Prepare the fruit and beverages. Slide the omelette onto the plate and top it with the remaining tomato/pepper mixture.

Shrimp Stir-fry with Soba Noodles: 275 calories                                                                          The back of a bag of udon noodles supplied this recipe and then I adapted it.

1 oz of dry soba [or udon] noodles                                                                                                          3 oz raw shrimp, cut in half across the body OR 2 oz chicken breast                                               2 oz carrot, peeled and sliced into coins                                                                                                           1½ oz green cabbage, chopped                                                                                                                 1 oz onion, sliced or chopped                                                                                                                    1 1/2 tsp soy sauce.                1 tsp olive oil            1 oz chopped green onion [or a Tbsp steamed chopped broccoli]

Cook noodles in a quart of water about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, shell the shrimp and cut in half crosswise.  Peel the carrots and slice.  in a cast iron pan or wok. Add the carrot, cabbage, and onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and any liquid and cook one minute more. Toss the cooked noodles into the pan and mix to warm them. Add , salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Toss to mix ingredients.  If you think this sounds complicated and long, I did it in 25 minutes and that included peeling carrots and cleaning shrimp. Satisfying and good to eat.  If you don’t like shrimp, substitute just under 2 oz sliced chicken breast.