WWDH: little frittatas

I needed something quick and small for todays’ Wednesdays with Donna Hay. These little frittatas were perfect. As Donna says “served hot or cold (they) are great for a picnic or other portable occasion.” She is right. Infinitely portable and very tasty.

They use a simple base. Eggs and heavy cream beaten with cracked pepper. The additions are endless.
Add in anything you want – cheese, potatoes, pesto, spinach, bacon – anything. I used grated cheddar cheese and chopped ham. The perfect snack. Especially if one is on KETO.

The recipe is from Donna’s new food fast. (page 122)

Kayte and Gaye are also in our Wednesdays with Donna Hay group. Check out what they made for today.

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GFGF: Spinach

Yesterday was Spinach Salad Day. Needless to say, I didn’t quite make it. So what else is new, right?

This was Peggy’s ingredient pick. And since I hadn’t made this salad in a while I decided to make it super simple and go with what I know.

Ingredients: baby spinach, boiled eggs, raw mushrooms, bacon, shredded cheddar, and ranch dressing.

That’s it! Just cut up the eggs, shrooms, and bacon. Toss it with the spinach and cheese and add in some dressing.

See, I told you. SUPER simple.

With the store bottled ranch it is not KETO. But if you make your own….So Good!

More salads?

Kayte

Nancy

Peggy

Ulrike

Donna

Ellen

 

{CC#15} seared salmon benedict

I was getting a little tired of eggs for breakfast.  I mean, I love eggs – scrambled, poached, fried – but not EVERY morning.  I miss my cereal and oatmeal and English muffins.  But they will all still be there when I am ready to eat them again.

Now, I know this sounds silly, but just eating an egg for lunch was a nice change.  {I had leftover gumbo for breakfast! It’s a topsy-turvy world!}   I had a nice poached egg over a piece of seared salmon with a touch of  Hollandaise on top.  More commonly known as Salmon Benedict.  It with a nice change.

The recipe for the salmon is on page 210 of The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom. but you can also find it on the Whole30 site along with the Hollandaise recipe (page 314) {in which I used less lemon and it was perfect}. Perfect poached egg is on page 150.

I have to tell you I think I could eat this every day.  I loved the mix of the soft yolk with the crisped salmon and the luxuriousness of the Hollandaise.  Yep!  Definite repeat.

We are beginning our third week of The Whole30 program and plan to follow it ’til Easter. We can do this!!  I am starting to feel the benefits of the program now.  My eyes are brighter, my coat is shinier… just kidding.  But I am feeling good, not craving anything like I usually do,  and feel like I am doing the right thing on this program.  I started this program to lower my VERY, VERY high triglycerides and see if I could lower my blood pressure. Losing weight was also a consideration but not the most important one.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 15 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{CC#14} Mushroom and Herb Omelet

Wednesday I started the Whole30 Program.  My triglycerides were through the roof and I knew I had to do something.  I mentioned it to my friend Kayte and she decided to do it with me.  Then I mentioned it to another friend, Leslie, and she joined in, too.  With the three of us not living anywhere near each other we are not really together but we can keep each other motivated and on the right track.

I didn’t want to not do at least two more recipes from my current cook book for Cookbook Countdown so I am finding recipes that are, or can be, Whole30 compliant.  Like this breakfast.

Two Three eggs mixed with 1 tsp chervil curly parsley, 1 tsp tarragon, 1 tsp chives, all fresh and chopped. Dash in a little water.  Don’t over beat the eggs.

Make your omelet as you usually would and wrap it around about 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms and 1 chopped clove garlic that have been sauteed in about 1/tsp or so of coconut oil. Breakfast is done!

Using the coconut oil instead of butter makes this dish Whole30 compliant. Everything else is already there.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 14 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{EwE} Barnyard Fun!

Peggy came up with a fun theme for this week’s Eating with Ellie – Barnyard Fun!  The theme left it wide open for just about anything one would find in a barn or farm yard – beef, pork, chicken, duck, eggs.  So many different things we could choose from.  The first thing I thought of was eggs.  Because I used to have fun collecting the eggs when we lived on a farm for a couple of years.  I also loved to help bring the cows down to the barn for milking and feeding the chickens.  But since I didn’t feel like making something from beef or chickens {We are basically chickened out!} I went with eggs which turned into a quiche.

A lovely  Broccoli Cheddar “Quiche in a Bag”

In a bag because after cooking some ingredients all of the ingredients are ‘squished’ together in a bag before pouring into an no-roll olive oil pie crust.  Ellie also makes it in a bag so it will be easy to freeze to make it later if you want. 

I made the crust and I made the quiche.  Neither one set my palate on fire!  The crust is a crumble crust much like a graham cracker crust and while I like the idea of that it was tasteless.  Water, flour, salt milk, olive oil.

The quiche contained broccoli and sharp cheddar cheese with some dry mustard, salt, and pepper.  I didn’t think it had much flavor either.  With a little more seasoning and maybe a touch of nutmeg it would have been much better.  It wasn’t bad, but it just lacked something.  Doesn’t mean I won’t make it again, just with something more…

The crust and the quiche are from Ellie’s you have it made.  Pages 33 and 35.

Want more barnyard pickin’s -> Barn Yard Fun

And if you would like to join Eating with Ellie all the themes are listed.  Just cook something for the theme from one of Ellies books or online, post a comment.  We’d love to have you.  PS  We don’t include the recipe.  We would love you to simply buy her books.

 

{CC#10} Zucchini Frittata

This morning’s breakfast was a lovely Zucchini Frittata from the Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook the book I’m using for this month’s CookBook Countdown.

In case you haven’t heard of Cookbook Countdown is an online cooking ‘group’ where we use one of our cookbooks each month that we have had but haven’t used much and post about the recipes.  The Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook is one I have had for about 14 years and only used once.  What a shame because there are lots of great recipes in it.

Like this one:  

Laura’s frittata is full of zucchini, onions, tomatoes, and Parm along with thyme and parsley.  Lots of flavor.  I did add some salt and pepper to taste which enhanced the flavor.

I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes so I used canned from this summer. Store ‘fresh’ tomatoes just aren’t any good this time of the year.

I would definitely make this again.  It is so adaptable – as are most frittatas.  I could see this one with mushrooms, maybe some butternut squash. Asparagus. Add in some wild rice?  Quinoa?

2 Tbl olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs {I made the crumbs from herb/garlic croutons.}
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 – 8 eggs, beaten

In an ovenproof skillet cook the onions until they are soft but now browned. Add in the garlic and sautee only a few seconds. Remove the onions and garlic into the bowl with the remaining inredients.
While the onions and garlic are cooking mix together all the other ingredients. Add the onions and garlic and pour back into the ovenproof skillet.
Bake at 350F for 25 – 30 minutes until fritatta is a light golden brown.
Slice into wedges to serve.

The recipe is from Laura Korth and is on page 88. You can also find the recipe HERE at Google books!

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

 

{IHCC} Diana Henry – August Chef

This month’s chef of the month is Diana Henry.  When we were cooking with her starting  October 2014 (for the next 6 months) I didn’t get to do many of her recipes.  I saw lots of yummy dishes through the other members of IHCC.  One of them was this dish which looks so tasty.

Spaghetti with Bacon, Egg, and Smoked Cheese.

This would be a great brunch dish.  A warm gooey egg drizzling down over spaghetti tossed with bacon and cheese.  It was comforting.  It was full of flavor.  It was delicious.  I understand how it got rave reviews from the members who made it.  I will definitely make it again.  The egg mixed with the melty cheese and crunchy bacon. 

The only change I would make would be to use less pasta.  2 ounces was really way too much for a single serving.  I didn’t realize it until I saw all that goodness piled on the plate and I knew I could not eat all of it.

6 oz spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil
4 oz bacon
2 large eggs
salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (use about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro)
2 oz smoked cheese, grated {I used Smoked Gruyere.}

Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil {I actually didn’t use this for the bacon}in a large frying pan and cook the bacon until crispu and brown. Set aside.
Fry the eggs sunny side up. {If you used the rest of the olive oil, which I didn’t spoon the warm oil up over the top of the eggs to cook the yolks.} Season with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta and put into the saucepan. Add the extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add in the bacon and parsley and toss.
Divide between two plates, sprinkle on the cheese, and top each serving with a fried egg. Serve immediately.

The recipe is from Henry’s Cook Simple:  Effortless Cooking Every Day.  You can find it HERE.  You should try this one.

For more from Diana Henry visit I Heart Cooking Clubs .

 

{EwE} Grilled portobello benedict

I like a good omelette.  Filled with ‘shrooms, ham, cheese.  Maybe a little basil.  I usually put all the goodies INSIDE the eggs.  But this dish from Ellie has everything – ham, cheese, ‘shroom, cheese, basil, and pesto – OUTSIDE the egg.  In fact it’s all stuffed INSIDE the mushroom.

Grilled portobello benedict

I honestly didn’t like it at first.  But after a couple of bites it kind of grew on me.  Not enough to make it again like this, but it was rather tasty for breakfast.  I can definitely see all this in an omelette.

The ham added substance, the basil a touch of lightness and the pesto a burst of flavor. All laid out on a grilled portobello.

The recipe is on page 49 of Ellie Krieger’s so easy.  You can also find the recipe on FoodTV.

More eggs on EGGS-ACTLY!

If you would like to join us every Thursday the weekly themes are on Eating With Ellie.  Just find a recipe, cook, blog, and leave us a comment.  We’d love to have you

 

{WWDH} Breakfast!

Morning, noon, or night, Breakfast is always good.  This week’s theme: Wake-Up Call! Breakfast meant we could just fix a good meal to get the day started.  Maybe not in the morning…..I made mine for lunch.

Puffed Cheese Omelette

I tell you – THIS is the way to eat eggs!  Whipped egg whites mixed with cream, seasonings, and yolks folded over a filling of Parmesan, Cheddar Cheese, and Mascarpone (I used Greek Yogurt} seasoned with chives which just oozed out of the omelette.

And it was delicious!  The puffiness of the eggs and the tartness of the filling was just right.  Worth the 5 containers and the time it took to make it.

The recipe is from Donna’s Website .

What else is for Breakfast?  Visit Wednesdays with Donna Hay.

 

{IHCC} Sunny Side Up – Breakfast with Curtis

This week we woke up with Curtis.  Not literally, of course.  But facing Curtis across the breakfast table would be a treat!

I had marked this recipe a long time ago hoping we would eventually need a breakfast item.

spicy sausage breakfast burritos

A whole wheat tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, spicy sausage {I used a local Cajun Sausage}, and onions.  And I really should call this a semi-spicy burrito because I left out the jalapeño.  Trust me, the cajun sausage had plenty of bite without it.

The sausage is broiled and then sliced before being mixed in with the eggs and green onions.  This makes it quick and easy to make.

This was the perfect breakfast.  Lots of protein, lots of flavor.

The recipe is from  relaxed cooking with curtis stone. (page 53) I also found it HERE if you want to try it.

What else is for breakfast?  Check the buffet at I Heart Cooking Clubs.