Sunny Side Eggs

Eggs are one of my favorite foods. And while I could not partake in Greg's wonderful breakfast due to a tomato allergy, I sure could enjoy the presentation.

For breakfast, Greg slow cooked 4 whole eggs sunny side up in butter and spiced it up with sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. He topped the eggs with fresh tomatoes and Fagee yogurt.

Yummy bread with dinner!!

Yep - we had bread with dinner tonight and what yummy bread it was! We got this recipe from OEvolve and decided to give it a try. It was very simple and easy to make. And I'm proud to say that the only ingredient NOT in our pantry was the buttermilk.

I highly recommend trying this recipe. It really is very very good!

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup flax seed meal
1 cup almond flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 packets Splenda (or 1-1/2 packets Truvia) (Just a note- if you don't want a sweet bread, I would skip the Splenda/Truvia; or if you wish to make more of a desert bread - add more! We added Truvia and it was a bit too sweet for our dinner.)

Wet Ingredients:

5 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large sheet pan (mine is 13 x 18) with buttered parchment paper. Mix ingredients together and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour mix onto parchment paper lined sheet pan and spread evenly and out almost to the edges of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Set oven to broil then open oven door a bit and watch bread closely. Remove pan when top of bread must begins to brown. After a couple of minutes, pickup ends of parchment paper and flip bread out onto large cutting board. Carefully peel parchment paper from bottom of bread. Slice to desired size and put slices on cooling rack.

For dinner, we decided to use the bread as chicken, salmon, 1/2 avocado, olive tepanade, olive oil and balsamic, homemade brucshetta, and cheese on slices of our newly baked bread. We thought we would build little sandwiches, but we mainly dipped the bread in the olive oil and balsamic vinegrete mixture.

If I had known I was going to blog on our meal I would have taken a better picture ;)

Eggs n' Sausage

This is Greg's dish. Looks like he panfried eggs and threw in some sausage. I see a glass of wine in the picture so it must not have been breakfast -- or maybe it was a rough morning ;)

Greg doesn't particularly like the taste of Ghee - so he would have either used butter or bacon grease that he collects after making bacon.

Cajon Shrimp Fest!!

Simple, Easy and Yummy!!

This is a dinner we enjoyed at Bubba Gumps in San Francisco and have had several times since then. We use a creole shrimp/crab boil to boil 2-4 lbs of unpeeled shrimp w/ lemon slices. Follow the directions on the boil. It's supposed to be spicy but we always add more spice. Drain the water, add 1/2 stick butter and add more seasoning to taste.


Grab a couple beers, lots of napkins and Enjoy!

Eggs as Late Night Snack

Looking for a late night snack? Instead of grabbing for a bag of chips or peanuts, or any of the other crappy high carb alternatives -- try this yummy, nutritious, low calorie, high protein filling alternative late-night snack. Plus, it goes great with a nice glass of red wine :)



Recipe:

1 TBSP Ghee
2 whole eggs - breaking and spreading out yoke through whites
thinly sliced onions
salt n' pepper to taste
whatever small sliced veggies or meat you crave

Fry it up - then flip it until it's done. Slice avocados adds some good flavor.

Enjoy!

The Results are In for Mayo Experiment

I like Mary Eades mayo better! It's a little sweeter - so I'll add less Splenda or Stevia in the future. The Omega 3 had too much flax oil. Perhaps I'll try this recipe again -- just using more olive oil, and a little less flax oil -- perhaps 3/4 c olive oil and 1/4 c flax oil.

What mayonnaise do you like best?

Ghee and Blackened Shrimp and Steak

For lunch, Greg and I made blackened shrimp and steak with veggies using Zataran's blackened seasoning and Ghee!



This meal was really easy, quick and yummy. Recipe:

1 steak or 1-2 servings shrimp
1/2 onion
squash, zucchini - amount determined by you
1 TBSP Ghee
Zataran's to taste

Steak: Sprinkle steak with Zataran's. Heat pan with ghee. Toss in steak for just a minute or 2 on each side. Done! Greg cooked his veggies in the pan after taking his steak out - and switched to using regular butter, not ghee.

Shrimp: I tossed shrimp in pan with ghee and veggies and let them sit in the pan for about 7 minutes. I added more Zatarans - the spicier the better!

About the ingredients:

We've recently started using ghee (clarified butter) for our sauteeing. Ghee has the more stable saturated bonds (i.e., lacks double bonds easily damaged by heat) it is not as likely to form dangerous "Free radicals" when cooking.



Zatarain's is a company who has some fun spices we've recently enjoyed. Today, we purchased Zatarain's Blackened Seasoning. It's really good but I had to use a lot of it to get the kick I wanted from this meal.

The Big Mayo Experiment

I don't use mayonnaise for anything other than the once a week tuna fish n' pickle fest, I haven't been in a rush to make my own. However, it has been bothering me to use even the tablespoon or two of this mayonnaise -- even though minimial ingredient of an otherwise wonderful dish.

This morning I woke and decided this is the day I'm going to make mayonnaise. So, I searched for a recipe I copied off Dr. Mary Eades website. After a closer look at the recipe, I was shocked that it uses just the yolk of an egg, or even had sugar! Okay, well I trust Mary so I decided to make it. Here's the receipe:

1 raw egg yolk (pasteurized in the shell egg if available)
2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, juice only (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1 packet Splenda (optional, but gives it a slight sweetness like Miracle Whip)
3/4 to 1 cup light olive oil

1. Crack egg and put yolk only into the blender
2. Add the vinegar and salt and blend on low speed.
3. With the motor running, add all the remaining ingredients, except the oil.
4. With the motor still running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until it makes mayonnaise of the consistency you desire. Be careful not to add the oil too fast or add too much oil or you may break the emulsion and the mayonnaise will separate and clump.*
5. Store in the refrigerator in a clean jar (good use for store-bought mayonnaise) or a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to a week.

Here's what my mayonnaise looks like - ewww.....



Well, since that recipe was so different from another recipe I saw, I decided to make that recipe too (it literally takes 5-10 minutes from start to finish!), and compare. Here's a recipe for Omega-3 Mayonnaise:

1 whole egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup olive oil
½ cup flaxseed oil

Put egg, lemon juice and mustard in blender and blend for 3-5 seconds. Continue blending and slowly add oils. Blend until the mayonnaise is thick. Scrape mayonnaise into a snap lock plastic container and refrigerate. The Mayonnaise should keep for 5-7 days.

Here's what my Omega-3 Mayo looks like. It looks better than the Eades mayo, above.

The Question: Omega3 Mayo looks so much better than Mary's Mayo-- but which one tastes better??

Answer will be posted AFTER the mayo has sat in the refrigerator for awhile.

Cabbage Noodles

This recipe is a fantastic addition to a meal. We just had it last night and I was surprised with how many people really liked it!

Cabbage Noodles

1/2 head cabbage
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 c. butter.

Slice cabbage into strips about 1/4" wide, and separate the pieces so they are not in clumps. Place the sliced cabbage pieces into a saucepan (or steamer) and about 1/2c water. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the cabbage on medium heat for about 8 minutes or until tender. The cabbage noodles need to be slightly soft for a noodle feel. Drain the water from the cabbage. Place butter in the bottom of a serving bowl and sprinkle lemon pepper and seasoning salt over it. Add the cabbage and mix thoroughly with the butter and seasonings.

Pumpkin Bread

I can't remember where I found this recipe and I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I should hold onto until Thanksgiving -- but pumpkins are yummy and this also sounds like a yummy cold summer treat!

Primal Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup packed Splenda brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Splenda sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cups canned pumpkin (Libby's 100% pure pumpkin)
• 1/3 cup butter (melted)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.


2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and beat in pumpkin and butter.


3. Combine dry ingredients.


4. Pour batter into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.


5. Tab pan to level.


6. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.


7. Let cool fully before removing the loaf from the pan. Put it in the fridge to speed it up.


8. Serve with a pad of softened butter on top.

Yummy Yummy Yummy Energy Granola!!

These are absolutely fantastic energy granola!! They are soooo good that you won't stop eating! It's supposed to be an energy bar but after several attempts, it's simply too loose to be a bar so I call it granola ;) Nonetheless, absolutely fantastic!!! We even brought it to a party and it was a HUGE hit!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup almond or sesame seed meal
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of raw honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Method:

1. On a cookie sheet, toast nuts and shredded coconut until golden brown (you may need to shake the tray once or twice to make sure they cook evenly). Watch the coconut as it browns fast!

2. Once toasted, pour mixture into a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and the mixture becomes coarsely ground.

3. In a mixing bowl, melt coconut oil and almond butter (about 20 seconds). Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

4. Add vanilla extract, honey and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.

5. Fold in nut mixture and almond (or sesame seed) meal until mixed thoroughly.

6. Fold in blueberries.

7. Press mixture into an 8 by 4 loaf pan.

8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

9. Cut "loaf" width wise. Should make 6 good-sized bars.

10. Enjoy! (or, if you don't plan to eat immediately, you can store the bars in the refrigerator, covered loosely with a paper towel and plastic wrap.

Brownies - Yum Yum!

Okay, so I don't think cavemen ate like brownies! But here's a brownie recipe recently posted by Wisecracks and Wisdom that looked interesting. We haven't made these brownies yet but Greg is pretty excited (I don't care for chocolate so I'm in no rush) to make these soon!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups Splenda
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 oz (half a bag) of dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melth the butter.
3. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs; blend with wisk.
4. Mix in flour, cocoa and salt. add chocolate chips and chopped almonds.
5. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan.
6. Bake for 30 mins.

HT: Kevin W., Wisecracks and Wisdom

Steak, Veggies and Potato

The other night Greg made an excellent meal for himself and Cameron which included steak, potatoes and stir fried veggies. (I had my own shrimp creation which was not blog worthy.) Greg made steak on the grill, 4 minutes each side. I'm not sure what spices he used - I thought just salt and pepper. He also made his own veggie stir fry including red onion, yellow squash, red pepper, mushrooms and zucchini, all fried in coconut oil (I enjoyed a couple of those veggies, but mainly ate my own shrimp dinner). Dinner also included a couple baked potatoes - Greg limited his own intake to just 1/2 potato with sour cream.