art Easter eggs

simple omelette

an easy & delicious gluten free breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped and softened in hot water for a few minutes
1 Tbsp fresh chives, cut into small pieces
4 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in a bit of olive oil.
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 sweet potato, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

1. Boil your sweet potato for 10-20 minutes until cooked.

2. Heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan on med.  Pour in your eggs.  When the omelet begins to cook, lift an edge to allow the liquid on top to move out to the pan.  continue doing this until most of the liquid has been spread to the edges of the pan.

3.  Add a bit of sun dried tomato, the sautéed mushrooms, chives and salt and pepper.  Fold over the edges of your omelette and serve with the sweet potato.

so satisfying yet high in protein and low in fat.

(Tiny) Piccolo Potatoes, Sundried Tomatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms, Chives and Poached Egg Stack

So simple yet very satisfying.

Ingredients:

mini potatoes
olive oil
chives
sundried tomatoes
mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
eggs, for poaching in water


Directions:

1. Boil your baby potatoes until done, set aside.  Sauté your sliced mushrooms in a little oil, set aside. While your egg is poaching, arrange your potatoes on a plate (season to taste) , stack your sundried tomatoes on next. then add your sautéed mushrooms and chives.  When your egg is ready, carefully stack it on top, season again to taste.  Top with more chives and some red pepper flakes.  Voila!  healthy breakfast stack!

Hominy & Egg Scram

I happened across this South American style cooking blog and saw this recipe for Mote Pillo.  I was intrigued, so off I went to a local Latino Market to purchase the required ingredients to make my breakfast.  Apparently Mote Pillo is a typical dish from the highlands or Sierra region in Ecuador.  To Laylita it is comfort food.
 For me it was an entirely new experience.  The texture of the Hominy (treated maize kernels) is somewhat similar to a dense pasta.  The flavor is brand new to me.  I liked the dish but of course felt it needed a kick or something.   I tried a bit of cayenne (nope) some hot sauce (better) and finally some maple syrup (always best!) haha -I never tried ketchup though that might have been nice. I enjoyed the dish and ate my entire meal but like most regional comfort food.  It might take me a while to actually crave it.  :)
Here is the recipe as she wrote it with my substitutions in parenthesis (I made a 1/2 batch) -

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked mote or hominy (canned is fine)
2 tbs butter (or organic red palm oil for color)
4 eggs
1 cup chopped leeks (white part only) or white onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp ground achiote
1/4 cup milk (rice milk)
2 tbs chopped chives
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste

serve with cheese slices and black coffee  (or herbal chai tea if you are like me and don't do dairy or caffeine )

Directions:

1. Heat the butter over med. heat in a large sauté pan, add the leeks, crushed garlic, achiote and salt.  Cook until leeks are soft (about 5 min)
2. Add the hominy, stir in well and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk (rice milk) and cook until it is almost absorbed by the hominy.
4. Whisk the eggs and add them to the pan, stir well and cook for 3 minutes or so.
5. Stir in the chives and cilantro, season to taste.

note- the achiote powder is what gives the dish it's color.  You can mix together some oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, salt and annatto in a mortar and pestle and make your own.  It is the annatto seeds that dye the mixture red.

Fiddleheads & Fried Egg

 Well I saw these baby fiddlehead's in my local market and I decided to try them.  I admit that up until about an hour ago I had NEVER tried a fiddlehead.  That said, I made sure to read up on the best way to cook them and pretty much every source I looked at claimed it was best to boil them like crazy until you are sure they are cooked.  Steaming apparently can leave behind a bitter taste.  So here is how I ate em-

(And yes, I liked them; though not in the same way I like,  say, chocolate or sweet potatoes or even spinach.  My guess is fiddleheads are a bit of an acquired taste.  So I intend to keep trying as they are very good for you!)

Ingredients:
a generous handful of fresh fiddleheads, hard stems removed and rinsed thoroughly in cold water
sesame oil
gluten free soy sauce
sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 egg, fried

Directions:

1. Boil your fiddleheads in a medium pot for 7-9 minutes.  (fry your egg just before they are done)
2. Drain, place in a clean bowl and toss with sesame oil and soy sauce.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with a fried egg.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Vegetable Quiche with Sweet Potato & Goats Milk Yogurt

Ingredients:

For Crust

1 cup sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 1/2 cup, carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup zucchini, peeled and grated
3 cups butternut squash, grated (flesh only)
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup almond flour

For Filling

1 cup yellow onion, chopped
4 cups fresh button mushrooms, sliced
3-4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
8 free run eggs, beaten
1/2 avocado
1 cup organic goats milk yogurt
paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. For the crust, peel and grate the sweet potato, carrots, zucchini and squash and place in colander set on top of a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 10 minutes to drain. Press out any extra moisture and transfer to a large bowl. Add the almond flour, butter and a bit more salt, mix well. Transfer to 2 buttered ceramic quiche bake ware or glass pie pans, and press crust onto the bottom and sides of pans.

2. Preheat oven to 375

3. For the filling. Heat 3-4 Tbsp butter in a large skillet, sauté the onion and mushrooms with the herbs and until tender. Season to taste. Place the mushroom mixture on top of the crusts. Next dollop spoonful dots of yogurt on top of the mushroom mixture. Beat eggs, and then blend with the avocado (in a food processor or blender) until smooth. Pour over the other layers. Dot with butter and brush a little butter onto the edge of the crust. sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375° for 25-35 minutes or until set. (should come clean when pricked with a fork) Allow to cool before serving.


super delicious with a little Tabasco sauce!

The Big Breakfast

It's the Saturday morning of the annual Calgary Folk Music Festival. I am going to be expending a whole lot of energy outside in the heat today. There are acts on six small stages plus the main stage! That's a lot of music to take in. Of course it is 30° c out today so I will need good fuel to keep me going all day. :) Here is what I have just finished eating for breakfast!


Ingredients:

1 egg, poached
1 cup of baby potatoes, boiled until done
2 cups of spinach, sauteed quickly in ghee
1 small tomato, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
fresh ground pepper to taste
coarse salt to taste.


delicious!

If you were really decadent (like kencent)
you could slice up your cooled boiled potatoes and fry them in butter and garlic with some green onion and chives for a morning hash. (oh yes he did!)

Baked eggs with Cumin and Saffron

so easy and very pretty for a nice weekend brunch.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 Tbsp. ghee
1/2 Tbsp. butter (for greasing ramekins)
4 med shallots, diced
6 tiny tomatoes, sliced
pinch of saffron
coarse salt to taste
fresh ground pepper
3 large free run eggs


Directions:

preheat oven to 375° F
1. In a cast iron skillet, toast cumin for a minute or so on med heat. Next add ghee to skillet and once heated, add the shallots. Cook until soft (about 3 minutes).

2. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, a bit of salt and a pinch of saffron. Cook until heated through and beginning to soften (about 3 minutes)

3. Thoroughly grease 3 ramekins with butter. Place ramekins on a baking sheet so you can move them easily in and out of the oven. Fill the bottom of each ramekin with the tomato and shallot mixture. Crack one egg into each ramekin. Bake for 12 minutes (check at 10, might take 14).

4. Sprinkle a little more saffron on each, fresh ground black pepper and some course salt.
enjoy!

Saturday Breakfast

the breakfast sausage is a treat. All natural, gluten free maple breakfast sausage's available locally from Spolumbos.
Omelette Ingredients:
2 fresh free range eggs
1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 small tomato diced
salt and pepper
ghee or butter

Omelette directions:
1. heat a small amount of butter or ghee in a small non stick pan on med heat.
2. in a small bowl, whisk the two eggs together with some salt and pepper
3. pour the egg mixture into the warmed pan and let it spread to the edges
4. when the mixture has begun to set, carefully lift an edge (with a heat resistant spatula) to allow the liquid that is on top to run underneath the setting egg. do this several times until all the liquid has been lifted from the top of your omelette.
5. when the omelette is fully set add your diced pepper and tomato to the center of the omelette. do not overfill. carefully fold over the sides of the omelette towards the center. one side and then the other. salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.

Serve with fresh fruit.

Savoury poached eggs with tomato

Ingredients:

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic pressed
1 fresh tomato, washed and quartered
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
a dash of each of the following- dried Oregano, fennel, tarragon, thyme and rosemary
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 large free run eggs
fresh sprouts
fresh parsley or dill for garnish if you have some

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, adding the onions and garlic once hot. Stirring often, cook onions until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and assorted herbs and cook until the skins begin to wrinkle, and the tomatoes begin to break down, about 6 minutes. Turn off heat and cover.

2. Fill a small sauce pan with 2-3 inches of water and bring to boil.

3. Break two eggs and gently place them in a small dish or ramekin

4. Add the vinegar to the boiling water and gently and carefully lower the dish of eggs until just above the water's surface, gently drop eggs into the water while keeping the egg yolks intact. Turn off the heat and cover for about 3-5 minutes depending on how you like your yolks. (I like mine starting to set)

5. Spoon the tomato mixture into a ramekin and, using a slotted spoon, carefully remove eggs from water and place on top of tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste (lots!), and top with fresh sprouts, garnish with fresh dill or parsley or mint if you have any.

Broken Birds Nest

Good Food need not be complicated
Ingredients:
1. 1 egg (free range) - hard boiled, peeled, and sliced (cover over egg with cold water in pot, bring to full boil on high, reduce heat to med/low and lightly boil for 10 more minutes. remove pot from heat and run cold water in the pot over egg until cooled)

2. 1 organic avocado- (slice avocado open, remove pit, remove avocado flesh from skin with a large spoon, slice into bite size pieces)

3. handful of organic broccoli sprouts (rinse quickly in colander and shake off excess water)

4. salt and pepper to taste

Directions: assemble your salad. I like to twirl the sprouts on the bottom of the bowl to look like a nest and then of course there must have been a horrible accident...... teehee, add remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Gluten Free Breakast Sandwich

Ingredients:
4 slices of Gluten free, soy free, dairy free bread (I chose Quinoa Raisin bread, as I like a little sweet at breakfast) toasted

2 hard boiled eggs (to boil eggs: place 2 eggs in a pot, cover over with water, bring to full boil, reduce heat to med/low and boil lightly for 10 more minutes. remove pot from heat and run eggs in pot under cold water until cooled , I usually just replace the hot water with cold and then add some ice cubes to the pot and let it sit for 5 minutes)

1/2 cup broccoli sprouts
1 Tbsp. grated carrot
1/2 Tbsp grated celery
1 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp cilantro lightly chopped
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. extra virgin organic olive oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. peel the eggs and separate the egg yolks from the whites.
2. mash the egg yolks in a bowl and combine with the olive oil, dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, cilantro and a dash of salt and pepper
3. dice the egg whites and combine with the remaining ingredients (except the sprouts) to the yolk mixture. stir and combine (you can mash slightly but don't make it all mushy). salt and pepper to taste.
4. spoon egg mixture onto warm toasted bread and top with fresh broccoli sprouts

you can replace the broccoli sprouts with sliced avocado if your in the mood. Serve with fresh tomato slices for a nice lunch.