Baked Eggs #2

This is a slightly more complicated version of baked eggs since it has to be cooked in two stages.  Still fairly simple but it will take more of your energy to make.

Baked Eggs #2
serves one or two

vegetable saute
pastured butter
2-4 asparagus spears
1 leek leaf washed and dried
4-6 criminis (baby bella mushrooms)
1-2 kale leaves washed and dried

1. Break off course ends of asparagus.  Just grab and snap the end off.  It will break in the right place on its own.  Finely slice asparagus on the diagonal.  Discard the ends.
2. Peel and cut criminis into small bite size pieces.
3. Trim kale leaf off stem, discard stem, slice or tear into small bite size pieces.
4. Slice leek into 1/4" strips.
5. Saute vegetables in butter.  Set aside when everything is cooked through and mushrooms are starting to release liquid.

eggs

pastured butter

1T heavy cream

2 pastured eggs

vegetable saute from above

2T Parmesan cheese

2 strips of bacon (optional)

pinches of dried herbs: marjoram, dill, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary (in any combo)

pepper

sea salt if not using bacon

1. Place single serving au gratin dish in cold oven and preheat to 350F.
2. If using, cook bacon and crumble it and set it aside.
3. Mix cheese, herbs, salt and pepper together and set aside.
4. Once oven and dish are hot, very carefully remove dish and put on heatproof surface.
5. Melt butter in dish and swirl so it coats the bottom.
6. Add cream to dish.
7. Place sauteed vegetables down center of dish along the short axis.  This will divide the dish in half.
8. Crack an egg into each side of dish being careful not to break the yolk.  If you're not brave enough to do this, you can crack the egg into a cup and then pour it into the hot dish.
9. Sprinkle bacon on top.
10. Sprinkle cheese mixture on top.
11. Bake at 350F for 10-15mins until eggs are set the way you like.  If you want runny yolks undercook the eggs since they will continue to cook once they come out of the oven.

Simple Baked Eggs

Variations of this recipe have been popping up all over the Paleo blogs.  I finally tried it this morning with my own twists of course and not only are they really easy to make but they taste FANTASTIC!!  I'm in love with my new breakfast food.

Ingredient quantities are loose so don't stress over amounts.  I actually didn't measure anything.  I used pinches, dabs and splashes and it came out fantastic.  I didn't use any salt because the ham adds its own saltiness.

Simple Baked Eggs
serves one or two

2 pastured eggs
2t pastured butter
2t of heavy cream
1 slice of deli ham
1 fistful of baby spinach
2T grated Parmesan cheese
pinch pepper
pinch dried marjoram
pinch dried dill

1. Place two small single serving ramekins in cold oven and preheat to 350F.
2. Mix herbs, pepper and cheese together and set aside.
3. Rip spinach up into 1/2" pieces, discarding stems, set aside.
4. Cut ham into 1/4" squares, divide in half and set aside.
5. Very carefully remove hot ramekins from oven, add 1t butter and swirl to coat with melted butter.
6. Add 1t cream to each ramekin.
7. Line each ramekin with spinach.  Layer ham on top.  Don't worry if it clumps.
8. Crack egg into each ramekin carefully keeping egg yolk intact.  Break into separate cup/bowl if desired and then pour into ramekin.
9. Sprinkle cheese mixture on top.
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending upon how well done you like the yolks.  For runny yolks undercook slightly as the eggs will continue to cook after they are removed from the oven.
11. The eggs will deflate slightly after coming out of the oven.  Don't worry about it.
12. Gently remove from ramekins and let cool slightly before eating.  

Breakfast Stir Fry

In my quest for better health through food I've been reading Minding My Mitochondria by Dr. Wahls.  She is a physician who went from living in a wheelchair due to MS to riding a bike in six months through radical diet changes.  In her book, her diet roughly follows Paleo but with the emphasis on vegetable consumption rather than meat consumption.  She recommends nine, that's right NINE, servings of fruits and vegetables a day; three cups of leafy green veg, three cups of colored veg and three cups of mixed fruits and veg.

In order to come even close to this, juicing needs to be done daily and I've been eating spinach with my eggs in the morning.  Today I decided to add a bit of variety and came up with this delightful and easy breakfast.

BTW, I use pastured butter because of the nutrients it has.  According to Weston Price the fats are required by our bodies to aid in proper digestion.  http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/why-butter-is-better

Ingredients
serves one

1 leak leaf
1 large collard green leaf
1-3 leaves of kale
a fistful of portabello mushroom (i used the stalk from a giant one I grilled for dinner last night)
2-4 stalks of asparagus
pastured butter
2 free range eggs
2-3 leaves of fresh sage
drop of pastured milk
salt and pepper

1. Wash and dry the kale, collard greens and leaks.  A salad spinner works great for this.  Take extra care with the leak since they are dirt magnets.
2. Roll up the leaves and slice into thin strips discarding the tough middle vein/stem.
3. Dice the mushroom and asparagus into bite size pieces.
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add a drop of milk, rip the sage and add that, add some fresh ground pepper
5. Saute the mushroom, leak and asparagus in butter until mushrooms start to soften.
6. Add the kale and collard greens and saute until wilted.  The greens should cook down to about half the original volume.
7. Load the vegetables onto the serving dish.
8. Add more butter to the pan and make scrambled eggs.
9. Serve with the vegetable.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Almond Oatmeal

About 30 years ago I was reading a science fiction novel where the main characters ate a nut porridge for their main meal and this gave me the idea for an oatmeal modification that I use to this day.  My normal recipe involves using milk instead of water as the cooking liquid and adding vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon to it along with nuts, seeds and raisins.  Over the years I've used walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds or whatever I happen to have in the cupboard at the time.  I love this porridge and it has become a family favorite.

Now that I'm on The Diet From Hell I've had to modify my beloved oatmeal recipe.  After a few iterations I've come up with a yummy substitute, Almond Oatmeal.  The only bummer about this recipe is that you really need to stand and stir this so it won't stick and I have huge problems standing in one spot as many CFSers do.  Feel free to drag a stool over to the stove to sit while stirring.

A few notes regarding the recipe.  This is based on Bob's Red Mill oats.  Alter the liquid amount and cooking time to the oats you are using.  The amount of both the vanilla and butter can be tinkered with to your preference.  I love both so I tend to add a lot of each to the oatmeal.  The butter not only adds a huge amount of flavor to this but also adds good fat and nut protein to the meal.  This helps balance out blood sugar, helps with mouth feel and taste of the dish and keeps you feeling full a bit longer.  If you leave off the jam this is a low glycemic index dish.

Ingredients
serves 1

1/2 GF rolled oatmeal
1c unsweetened almond milk
1/4t vanilla powder (might have to order on line as it is hard to find)
1-2T plain almond butter
1-2T fruit only spread (optional: my fav is strawberry)
pinch sea salt

1. Bring milk and salt to boil.
2. Add vanilla, oats and almond butter.  Stir thoroughly to fully incorporate the butter.
3. Reduce heat to simmer.
4. Stir and cook 10 mins.  Stiring doesn't have to be continuous but the more often the better.
5. Serve topped with jam.