Chirpy Breakfast Bagel with Cherry Almond Butter

It’s been a while since my last post; I’ve been pretty busy with musical side projects, but apparently not so busy that I couldn’t post a quick brunch recipe. At any rate….a couple of weeks ago, I tried something new with some circular bread dipping dishes that my best friend’s parents gave me. Let me tell you, these are absolutely perfect for making circular egg-patties, but I put them to better use: making egg and cricket patties. Check out the recipe below–your taste buds will thank you!

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Crickets
2 Eggs
Splash of Milk
1 Bagel (I used Thomas’ Everything Bagel Thins–if you’re gluten free you could try O’Doughs.)
2 tbsp. Cherry Almond Butter (I got mine from Cherry Republic.)
1 Slice of Pepper Jack Cheese (Cheese with a little kick pairs well with the cherry almond butter.)
1 Medium Russet Potato
Olive Oil (to taste)
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cherry Salsa (to taste–I got mine from Cherry Republic.)

First, wash the potato and cut it into small 1″ (ish) cubes. Put a little oil into a pan with some garlic salt and pepper, add potatoes, mix so oil is evenly distributed, cover, and cook on low-medium heat for 15 minutes, or until potatoes turn golden brown. I always cook my potatoes this way–you’ll end up with potatoes that have a nice, crispy outside and a soft, creamy inside. Best breakfast potatoes ever. I prefer mine over anywhere else I’ve had them…just sayin’.

While the potatoes are cooking, put some more oil into another pan and toss in the crickets (that–hopefully, were frozen, and then rinsed and prepped). Stir the crickets around over medium-high heat for about a minute or two, then set aside.

In another bowl, crack and whisk the eggs, and add a splash of milk. Then, add the mixture to two small, circular (about 4″ in diameter) dishes, and toss in the crickets. (Note: If you are serving people who are averse to eating insects, you should go the extra mile and blend the with the eggs, so they are not visible. If you yourself are squeamish about seeing crickets, I would advise you to do the same.) Then, put the dishes into the microwave for one minute and 45 seconds, or until thoroughly cooked. Once cooked, it should look like this:

Next, get out the bagel thins and spread both sides with the cherry almond butter. Then, turn the oven on just enough to toast the bagels. Toast the bagels for about 3 minutes, then remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. Using a dull butter knife, remove the cricket and egg patty from the dish, and layer the bagel with the cricket and egg patty, a slice of pepper jack cheese, and another cricket and egg patty. It should look like this before topping it off: