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Archive for the category “eggs”

24 Jan 2013
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Cornbread Without Corn

coconut corn bread_edited-1How do you get cornless cornbread? Don’t put corn in it! And aren’t they cute? Big D made some awesome chili the other day and of course cornbread goes great with chili. Alas, the wheat and corn in traditional cornbread aren’t the greatest foods in the world to consume. Over the holidays we tried some low carb, corn free versions of ‘corn’ bread to make stuffing. It was okay, but the flavor and texture was not as close as these tasty little muffins. We previously tried to copy cornbread texture with flaxseed meal which did a pretty good job, but I look forward to trying this version next time we make dressing. I cooked these up in a mini muffin pan and easily got 20 muffins out of one batch of batter and cooked them for only 20 minutes – one minute per muffin – go figure. They were a bit on the dry side, compared to actual cornbread I have made in the past, but we easily resolved that issue with a slather of butter on top. Poor us. I may also try to do some kind of ‘corn dog’ version for Little B with some sausages and a larger muffin pan. I will let you know how they turn out!

Cornbread Without Corn

2/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup butter
8 large eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together the coconut flour, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the melted butter. Add the coconut flour mixture to the egg/butter mixture and stir to combine until it forms a wet dough mixture. Divide the batter among 12 greased muffin tins or 20 mini muffin tins. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before removing from pan, or burn your fingers by removing them immediately from the pan to split and melt butter on the halves before eating them too soon and burning your tongue.

Adapted from the recipe here.

Posted in baked, bread, coconut flour, eggs, muffins, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free
07 Jan 2013

Acorn Squash Bread

squash bread

I bought a big, beautiful acorn squash a week or two ago. We have leftovers from the holidays filling the refrigerator and freezer, so in the process of figuring out what to do with the squash, I realized we were running low on goodies for Little B. Additionally, she was to begin a new preschool soon and we needed to stock up on portable wheat free snacks for her. And on top of THAT, I got an awesome new mini loaf plan as a gift and was itching to break it in. To make a bread that has some sweet and savory I included nuts and spices. Of course, relying on coconut flour and eggs to beef up the protein was a must. Little B likes this stuff a lot, and this particular squash was sweet, so the squash/snack/loaf pan goals were met with one recipe. Three birds, one stone. Big D bit into it and groaned – in a good way – it reminded him of his grandmother’s banana bread, and it had no bananas. Now THAT is a compliment!

Acorn Squash Bread

1 cup cooked, mashed acorn squash
½ cup walnuts
6 eggs
½ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
½ cup coconut flour
¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
1 cup granular erythritol
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In blender combine squash, walnuts, eggs, oil and vanilla. Blend until smooth and nuts are broken up to around the size of little peas. In mixing bowl combine flour, meal, erythritol, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add blended ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Pour batter into greased bread pan or mini loaf pan(s). Bake for 40 – 50 minutes if making one large loaf, or 25 – 30 minutes for mini loaves. The bread is done when the loaves look set (no longer liquid) and the edges begin to brown. Let cool in the pan before removing. Breads made with coconut flour need to cool before they are set enough to remove from pans, but making sure the pans are greased well make the removal process easier.

Posted in baked, bread, cinnamon, coconut flour, eggs, flaxseed, nuts, Silver Spring Kitchen, snack, squash, wheat free | Leave a Comment
30 Dec 2012

Meaty Fritatta

meaty frittata

Yep. We are on a run of two meals a day. Not because we are watching calories or anything, but because we are having big holiday lunches or dinners, or leftovers of big holiday lunches or dinners, so any other meals are simple and small. For example, we have quick plates of eggs and greens, or a plate of antipasto because of a big meal happening later. Here is a meal that can use leftover meats and will keep you filled until “the” big meal later. A fritatta is easy to put together while also giving you (aka, me) a few minutes sit and sip some coffee while it cooks, but before digging in. Besides the holiday balancing of big meals, this is something we have on weekend mornings when we are not exactly sure what to do for the day. It is a great time to sit and ponder what we are going to discover in the world with Little B. The awesome part these days is that Little B is very vocal about what she wants to do, and not do, so having a conversation with her about our activities while brunch cooks is pretty darned cool.

Meaty Veggie Fritatta

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ sweet onion, finely chopped
8 ounces sausage, roughly chopped
8 ounces ham or bacon, roughly chopped
1 cup broccoli, finely chopped
8 eggs
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 cups shredded cheese, a combination of cheddar, colby jack, monterrey and pepper jack

In large frying pan add oil over medium heat. When oil is hot add garlic and onion. Cook until they begin to brown. Add sausage, ham and broccoli. Toss and cook until broccoli begins to wilt. In medium bowl while meat is cooking add eggs, basil, oregano, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper. Whip until eggs yolks and whites are combined and spices are mixed up. When meat is ready add eggs and stir until meat mixture and eggs are combined. Turn heat down as low as possible and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover pan and cook for ten to fifteen minutes, until eggs are set and cheese is melted all the way to the middle. Remove from heat and leave covered for about ten minutes. Uncover and slice into wedges. Serve with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Posted in breakfast, cheese, eggs, onion, parsley, Silver Spring Kitchen, Uncategorized, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
26 Dec 2012

Eggs and Greens

eggs and greens

After all the effort put in to making holiday lunches and dinners, the last thing I want to do after a late or particularly celebratory evening (aka, one too many glasses of champagne), is make a big, fancy breakfast. To fill the tummy and make the breakfast last until said lunches or dinners, try some eggs and greens! The combination of protein and fiber will fill up your tummy and won’t take very long to throw together. You can always use fresh greens, but more cooking may be needed. We like keeping frozen greens in the freezer that were previously blanched, so a quick saute will make instant, hot veggies for us. We always, always have eggs around, so the combination is a no brainer. I like my eggs cooked medium so there is some firm parts to munch with the egg whites, while the runny part mixes up with the greens. Occasionally I will throw some leftover meat in with the greens if we are realllllly hungry, but it is not necessary to fill right up. Leftover ham could, potentially, result in a type of green eggs in ham, without the freakishly green food coloring added to the eggs. Yes, I have done such a thing to poor eggs, and they taste great if you close your eyes. Heh. If Little B is in a -particular- mood I may have to scramble instead of fry an egg for her, but she likes the greens regardless! Yay!

Eggs on Greens

3 Tbsp butter, salted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cups frozen collard greens, chopped
4 – 6 eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a saute pan over medium high heat add 1 Tbsp butter. When butter is melted add garlic and toss until garlic sweats. Add greens and toss until wilted and heated through, about five minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss. Remove from heat, cover and set aside. The greens will continue to soften and keep warm, but not lose much more in the way of nutritional benefit. In another pan add 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. When butter is melted crack all four eggs into the pan. Fiddle with the edges of the eggs so they don’t become one big four-eyed egg. Sprinkle with just a bit of salt. At this point you have two choices – flip or cover. After just enough time to let the eggs set, turn down the heat to low. You can either: 1) flip each egg separately and cook for another minute, or 2) if you don’t like flipping, just cover the pan for a minute or so, allowing the top of the eggs to set. Either way, poke the yolks gently to monitor speed of cooking, until they are cooked to desired doneness – soft, medium or hard. It is not my fault if you over poke and puncture the yolk, but how else will you determine how done it is? To plate, put a half the greens on a plate and flatten them a bit, then add two eggs. Serve and consume immediately.

Posted in eggs, garlic, Silver Spring Kitchen, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
15 Dec 2012

Cranberry Roasted Chestnut Muffins

After you do some holiday baking and roast chestnuts on an open fire, you want to do more! We set aside some chestnuts from our recent roasting adventure so I could make these muffins. A recipe for my extra special secret cornbread dressing includes the wonderful inventions of roasted chestnuts and fresh cranberries. I have yet to convince myself to share the recipe, especially since I have not made it in a while, but did recently have a hankering for the flavors that make up the dressing. The evils of corn (it is not the fault of the natural corn, but the sugary nature of the vegetable, which is why I avoid it) have discouraged me from making the dressing in recent years. To recreate the flavor and texture in a corn free way I came up with these muffins. The flax seed gives them the texture that hints at cornbread (and adds extra fiber), while dancing well with the cranberries and chestnuts. Muffins continue to give Little B a sweet treat while keeping her diet high in fiber and low in sugar. She still gets a little confused sometimes when she can have muffins at home and not when we are out, but I have taken to having muffin back ups in my purse for such occasions. She helps make the muffins pretty much every time, which helps keep her interest, and they sate her desire for baked goods. So good so far!!

Cranberry Muffins with Roasted Chestnuts

6 eggs
6 Tbsp butter, melted
4 Tbsp heavy cream or half and half
1 tsp vanilla3 drops liquid stevia
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup coconut flour
¼ cup flaxseed meal
¼ cup powdered erythritol
½ tsp baking powder
8 ounces fresh cranberries
4 roasted chestnuts (can substitute with 10 raw pecan or walnut halves)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with liners. In blender add wet ingredients, nuts and cranberries together. Blend on low until cranberries and nuts are broken up in small pieces. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Divide batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for about 15 minutes until tops begin to brown. Let cool for about ten minutes before serving.

Posted in baked, coconut flour, eggs, muffins, nuts, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
30 Oct 2012
1 Comment

German Chocolate Cake

A special treat for a special guy. Big D’s birthday happened a few days ago, and on the short things he actually wanted was a German Chocolate cake – his favorite kind. To keep with our diet of low carbohydrates, no sugar and few grains, I felt a challenge coming on. Is there a way to make a German Chocolate cake following those guidelines? I knew it was out there somewhere. I searched and experimented and finally found one that I thought would work. And it did! He was so happy with the rich, dense cake to top off his birthday. He leaned back from the table after eating it with a big grin across his face, surrounded by his consumable and functional presents (he is not a buy-me-something-to-sit-on-a-shelf-so-I-can-dust-it kind of guy). Good thing that German Chocolate cakes are coconut centric by nature, because the coconut flour worked really well. Of course, being cake, Little B scarfed down a whole piece, clueless about how good for it actually was. For this effort I pretty much followed the instructions closely from Maria’s blog here. She has a bunch of other absolutely delicious recipes, so check them out too! The only variation I did to the noted recipe was use a 9×13 pan instead of two round cake pans. After the cake was frozen it popped right out of the baking dish, I cut it up and trimmed the edges off to make a rectangular two layer cake. The recipe cooking times and frosting quantity were both effective for my approach, so I don’t recommend any changes. This approach also gave Big D another birthday treat. He grew up watching his grandmother trim and decorate special occasion cakes, nibbling on the cake scraps while he watched. When he saw there were cake scraps from this cake his face lit up like he was a little kid. I will definitely be making this cake again, maybe experiment with some other flavors for the holidays. If nothing else, I surely know when I will make it German and Chocolate, in about a year…

German Chocolate Cake

Cake
2/3 cup butter or coconut oil
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
8 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup Truvia (or erythritol and 2 tsp stevia glycerite)
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp vanilla (or coconut extract)
1 cup coconut flour

In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil (or butter) over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and mix well. Remove from heat and cool. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form; set aside. In another bowl mix together coconut milk, 2 whole eggs, 8 egg yolks, sweetener, salt, and vanilla. Slowly mix in cocoa mixture. Add coconut flour into batter and mix until it is very smooth. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour batter into 2 greased round 8 or 9×1½-inch layer cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool (I put mine in the freezer overnight…it frosts really easy then). Fill layers and cover top and sides of cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

Coconut-Pecan Frosting
1/4 cup coconut milk
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Truvia
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (or more to taste)

Mix coconut milk, cream cheese, sweetener, and butter until well combined and very smooth. Add vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Frost the cake and enjoy! Serves 16.

Posted in baked, chocolate, coconut flour, eggs, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free
25 Sep 2012

Oniony Omelet

So many weekday evenings there is a need for food, but not necessarily a desire for cooking. Don’t get me wrong, I adore cooking, but sometimes I walk into the house in the evening and just want to collapse and enjoy my family while doing the minimum necessary to prepare for the next day, much less for the evening. That includes dinner. Preparing a quick meal can add to the evening enjoyment, but only as long as it stays quick. The past couple of weeks have included crazy busy long days at work, so the oldie but goodie – breakfast for dinner – is ideal and filling. For me, there is just something about an oniony, cheesy omelet that hits the spot. Slap a couple of tomato slices on the side and dinner is served!

Oniony Omelet

1 Tbsp butter
½ small sweet onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 slices ham, finely diced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
3 eggs, cracked and mixed
½ cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

In medium skillet melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until they begin to sweat. Add ham and cook until ham, garlic and onions begin to brown. Add salt, pepper and parsley. Lower heat to medium low. Spread out ham mixture in pan. Pour in egg and swirl pan around to spread it out. Let cook for a few minutes until egg sets. Using a spatula pull egg in from the edges of the pan. When egg from the middle of the pan begins to bubble slide your spatula under half of it and quickly flip it over the other half of the egg, pushing a little from the middle to complete the folding in half. Cover and cook for another minute until the egg is to desired doneness. Serve immediately.

 

Posted in breakfast, cheese, eggs, onion, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
11 Aug 2012

Blueberry Coconut Flour Muffins

Little B used to not like blueberries at all. We stopped even offering them to her, then suddenly, they were the best thing since sliced bread! They still come after blackberries, but they rank pretty high with her these days. When we celebrated Lammas a couple of weeks ago we wanted to honor the day with what is typically use of traditional first harvest items, and the recognition that days are getting shorter and cooler. Well, not cooler yet, but linger in the anticipation. First harvest is usually grains; more specifically, wheat. Since we are avoiding wheat there was a need to focus on a more creative symbolic dish. We mixed up some grain free muffins with a different seasonal harvest item – blueberries! They were wonderful accompaniments to the other harvest items on which we feasted: apples, zucchini, pork and wine. We had a lovely evening releasing regrets and looking towards autumn – what I consider my favorite time of year. I used coconut flour again, which has become a favored ingredient in my baking lately – it does not take much to go a long way and it is good for you! I hope you enjoy the muffins, for we did, in all their bluberry-ness.

Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins

6 eggs
4 Tbsp plus 2 Tbsp (or 12 1/2 tsp) butter
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 drops liquid stevia
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup powdered erythritol
1/2 tsp baking powder
8 ounces blueberries

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare muffin pan with liners. In mixing bowl blend together wet ingredients. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for about 15 minutes until tops begin to brown. Let cool for about ten minutes before serving.

Update 11/26/12: Little B and I made a batch of these muffins tonight. A tweak made some doubly delicious muffins! We threw all the wet ingredients, along with the blueberries into a blender and whipped them all up together before combining with wet ingredients. We also added juice from half a very juicy lime – about 1/5 cup (very juicy lime). The tweaks made them more moist and the sweet and tang of the berries and juice worked great together. Everything else remained the same in the recipe.

Posted in baked, blueberries, breakfast, eggs, fruit, muffins, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
29 Jul 2012

Scotch Eggs

The nostalgia is dripping from my entries lately. Never fear, it continues here. Starting in high school my friends and I would go to the Texas Renaissance Festival every autumn. It ran October through November on weekends. The trip was a big deal for us because it did not include parents. Since we could not get permission (or collect the funds) for an overnight trip, our adventure was a freakishly long marathon. A one way trip from San Antonio to the festival north of Houston was at least four hours. The round trip, plus time at the festival (and staying up late the night before leaving) equaled a twenty hour day. It was a lot of fun and a lot of gas station stops. We returned home tired and smelly and happy, with bags smelling of incense and full of Christmas presents. Our first stop in the festival grounds was always along the right edge of the outer ring, to eat our first of many treats – Scotch eggs. They were great sources of protein after the doughnuts we grabbed in Flatonia and the empty calories of candy and chips. Here is a low carb version that reminds me of the festival snack. We will be going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival in August, and I am curious to see if they have them. On this fine Sunday morning while the summer sun shone brightly through the kitchen window I made a batch that tasted so very good, and introduced Little B to the dish – she inhaled her egg and ate some of Big D’s and mine. After the feast was over we lamented the fact we did not include some theme music. Consumption of the next batch will definitely include the tunes of Tartanic! I took guidance for this recipe from here. Have a happy day, and always return to happy thoughts and places whenever you can.

Scotch Eggs

1 pound hot breakfast sausage (we typically use Jimmy Dean All Natural or Spicy style)
8 medium boiled eggs, peeled
2 raw eggs
1 cup golden flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the flaxseed meal and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl whisk together the two raw eggs.

Divide the sausage into eight piles. Using your hands, press the sausage into a patty in the palm of your hand. Place a hard boiled egg in the middle of the patty and and mold the sausage around it until it is completely and evenly covered.

Roll each sausage covered egg in the raw egg, then each in the flaxseed meal to coat it. Repeat with the remaining eggs, then roll them all once more in the meal until it is gone.

Place the eggs on the foil-lined baking sheet, at least two inches apart. Bake the eggs until the outside is browned and the sausage is cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the eggs rest for 5 minutes. Slice in half and serve with mustard.

Posted in baked, breakfast, eggs, flaxseed, sausage, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
23 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Cauliflower Fritters

When I make it a point to avoid processed grains and starchy carbohydrates in my diet I seem to have more energy and lose weight. I also start to crave vegetables. Of course a loaded baked potato or breaded mushrooms don’t really fit the balance I want. Ideally I would crave steamed veggies with some lime juice and herbs, but the reality is I want substance and texture and flavor. These fritters help me balance the need for hearty high fiber veggie variety and a low carb energy source. I was inspired by the recipe here, but tweaked it to make chunkier fritters held together by flaxseed. Low carb and hearty. Yum!

Cauliflower Fritters

½ large head cauliflower
2 whole eggs
¼ cup flaxseed meal
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp lime juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp tumeric
pinch cayenne pepper
½ cup olive oil or fat of your liking

Cut cauliflower into little florets and add to the bowl of your food processor. Process on pulse until cauliflower has texture of large grains of cracked wheat*. In a large mixing bowl add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined. Add the cauliflower and combine until well coated. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and add about ¼ cup of the mixture for each fritter. Using a large spoon droop a mound about the size of a baseball into the oil. Cook three or four fritters at a time for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown, then keep warm while you cook the remaining fritters.

*I just chopped them up a bunch, resulting in big and little chunks instead of cracked wheat chunks. They were yummy all the same

Posted in cauliflower, eggs, flaxseed, side dish, Silver Spring Kitchen, vegetables, wheat free

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