Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

It can be tricky to know how long to cook your eggs for when hard-boiling them since you can't see the inside. You want the yolk and white to be solid but there should be no discoloring between the yolk and white (that green/black color). If there is discoloring you over-cooked the eggs (you can still eat them - but I know you want to master this so they look pretty!!) This method always works great for me.

1. Use a small sauce pot (I like one that is ~ 3 cups)
2. Place large eggs in pot and cover with water (doesn't need to be hot water)
3. Put on small burner of stove, turn heat to high, set timer for 14-15 minutes
4. When timer goes off, pour out water boiling water and run cold water over eggs for about 20-30 seconds to shock them.
5. Crack eggs on counter top, and gently peel off shell. You will notice that if you can peel the shell with the membrane attached on the inside, then the shell comes off almost all in one piece, if the membrane is not attached to the shell then you end up with a whole bunch of shell fragments which makes peeling more annoying.

ENJOY!!!

CBS December Newsletter Recipe: Spinach & Pesto Egg Casserole with Feta

Sara's monthly recipe pick comes from The Pinning Mama

Ingredients/Materials Needed
Non-stick cooking spray
9 x 13 inch casserole dish
Medium sized bowl
Wire wisk
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
4 cups egg whites
4 Tbsp. prepared pesto
1 cup feta cheese
Salt & pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved Instructions

1)Set oven to 350°F. Spray the 9x13 casserole dish generously with cooking spray.
2)Spread your chopped spinach into the dish.
3)In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the pesto and egg whites. Stir in half of the feta cheese, salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the spinach.
4)Sprinkle the tomatoes and the remaining feta over the top of the casserole.
5)Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until the eggs are set (firm).
6)Let cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve warm.

ENJOY!!

Herb Frittata

Eat this frittata hot, at room temperature or cold. It holds well in the fridge and would be a great dinner on a warm summer night out on the patio.

Ingredients:

1 cup egg whites

¼ cup firm tofu

1 cup mixed fresh herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro, dill, oregano, thyme, chives) - remove stems and rip up any large leaves/pieces

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, or crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method of preparation:

           *Heat oven to 350° F.

          * In a bowl, add the two tablespoons of water and the red bell pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH for 3 ½ minutes, until you can remove the skin of the red pepper. Also remove the seeds from inside, and chop finely.

     *Using a fork, mash the tofu, and add to a new bowl. Add the egg whites, the zucchini, the mushrooms, onion, and red bell pepper, and mix until everything has been incorporated.

     *Add the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

     *Spray a baking dish with the olive oil spray, then pour the mixture into the dish.

     *Bake the egg white tofu mixture for 15 – 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

     

     ENJOY!!!

Breakfast Bruscetta

This came across my desk from the Fruit and Veggies - More Matters group. I have added a tweak or two to accommodate a bariatric patient.

Serves 4-6

1 ripe avocado
2 medium tomatoes
1 green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 hard boiled eggs, shells removed
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
whole wheat baguette, sliced or whole wheat crackers
cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Dice up the avocado, tomato, eggs, and green onion - mix in a bowl with fresh ground black pepper and olive oil. Toss in most of the basil - reserve about 1 teaspoon for garnish.
2. Toast baguette slices then spread ricotta over them (or just spread ricotta on crackers)
3. Top with the avocado mixture and sprinkle with more basil.

ENJOY!!!

A Breakfast (or Anytime) Scramble - Ecuadorian Style

I came across this recipe (by Liz Spittler) in my latest Edition of Food & Nutrition Magazine. If you can't find canned hominy in your local grocery store, canned corn will work just fine. You might have to look for canned hominy in the ethnic aisle at the grocery store.

Hominy is actually corn kernels that have had their germ and hull removed with an alkali solution of lye or slaked lime. It comes in white or yellow - the yellow is slightly sweeter then the white version. Canned hominy is fully cooked and ready for use, if you find dried hominy pellets then you will have to soak them for several hours and then simmer them to soften (just like you would have to do dried beans). The most famous/well known use for hominy is as a ground item called grits.

1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup chopped scallions (including the green ends)
1/4 cup diced white or yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 eggs
1 cup hominy, drained and rinse
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Combine seasoning in a bowl and mash garlic in to form a paste (this will be easiest if you use a mortar and pestle).
2. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions, paste and scallions, cook until onions start to soften. Add hominy, stirring to coat and cook for about 1 minute. Add milk and let simmer until milk is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, scramble eggs in a bowl. Add eggs and pepper to skillet once milk is absorbed and stir occasionally until eggs are cooked through and fluffy, sprinkle with cheese and cilantro.

ENJOY!!!

Olive Oil Basted, Poached Egg Breakfast

Farm fresh eggs are one of the most beautiful things you can cook. The yolk is a bright but burnt orange color from a diet richer in nutrients then commercially kept laying hens. Our chickens get corn and grain daily and we 'treat' them daily with vegetable and fruit scraps, stale bread and crackers, leftover cooked grains like rice and quinoa, and fresh grass (seasonally obviously!!). They have a pen/paddock that they can roam in with the freedom to go back inside whenever they would like. You can see from the photo that the yolk is a much richer color then conventional eggs and typically the richer orange color is indicative of a higher omega content and higher nutrient volumes like vitamin A and beta-carotene. They have a much deeper flavor, slightly more earthy and not so bland as commercial eggs, if you can find a friend or CSA program that sells farm fresh eggs you should take advantage of it and purchase eggs from them.

Feta cheese comes from many places. In grocery stores most of the feta in the dairy section would be known as Greek feta, but French feta is also common and usually found in the specialty cheese aisle at major grocery stores. However, I find that Bulgarian feta has the nicest flavor. It is creamier then its Greek and French counterparts which can be more dry and crumbly, it has a touch - a small touch, more salt which helps to develop the flavor but makes it no way salty. Bulgarian feta is easily found in Armenian/Turkish/Lebanese food markets but you could probably also find it at a specialty cheese shop or even a market like Whole Foods. It is well worth the slightly higher price (about $1/pound more), you will use less cheese then with an inferior product which doesn't have as much flavor.

For the breakfast:
eggs (1-2 per person)
olive oil
slice of a crusty type bread like ciabatta, toasted (optional)
feta cheese
mixed fruit

1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat - depending on size of pan you will need about 3 tablespoons (or 1 tablespoon/egg BUT don't use a pan that is too large for the number of eggs in it - a large saute pan about 8" in diameter is good for 3-5 eggs, for 1-2 eggs use one that is more like 5-6" in diameter). Meanwhile toast your bread if you are using it.
2. Crack eggs right into pan, let them cook until the whites of the eggs become solid or completely white (the eggs to the right are half-way done).
3. Tip the pan slightly to collect some olive oil in a spoon and spoon it over the eggs yolks. Do this 2-3 times for each yolk and then the eggs will be cooked with a runny yolk center. Remove from heat.
4. Spread feta over the toast if you are having toast, and then place your egg over toast; if you are not using toast, place egg on plate and crumble some feta over the top of the egg. You can drizzle some more olive oil over the top if you so desire.

ENJOY!!!

Morning After Egg Bake

Summer parties are in full swing and if that means you have a full house the morning after the party and minimal energy to make breakfast, try an egg bake with some of your leftovers. We had a BBQ and so I threw together some of our leftovers in the AM and put it in the oven, once all the guests were showered and ready to start their day the egg bake was done! Everything was extra from the night before except for the eggs!

Cornbread
Mushrooms, sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Red Onions, diced
Dried Basil
Dried Sage
Eggs
Shredded mozzarella
Olive oil

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, then heat some olive oil in a pan to saute the onions. Once they are soft, add mushrooms and herbs let cook another 3-4 minutes and then add tomatoes. Cook until liquid is evaporated.
2. Meanwhile, grease a baking dish (or spray with PAM). Then crumble leftover cornbread over the bottom of the pan.
3. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk (think 2 eggs per person).
4. When vegetables are done, spoon over top of cornbread. Then pour eggs over the whole thing. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake. The top may brown because of the cheese but make sure the center is not liquid. Depending on the depth of the pan that could be 30-60 minutes (our pan was 3.5" deep and took 60 minutes but most baking dishes are only around 2" deep)

Enjoy!!

Breakfast sandwiches of champions - or at least of amateur spartan racers

These breakfast sandwiches were a big hit in the morning before the girls and I hit the Tri-State Spartan Race course. They are a near perfect blend of carbs, protein and fat for muscle strength and endurance-cardio for that 5 mile long run with military grade obstacles. A more bariatric friendly version might be to use a tortilla or whole wheat pita pocket.

Hope it powers you through a big day too!




Makes 3 sandwiches:
3 whole wheat English muffins
5 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped basil
6 slices Brie cheese
1 avocado, mashed
Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
Tin foil

1. Whisk eggs in a bowl. Heat oil in a sauté pan. Toast English muffins.
2. Pour eggs into pan and cook them like you will be making an omelette ( if it is easier you can cook them like you would if making scrambled eggs ) - season with salt and pepper
3. Divide avocado between three halves of the English muffins, place two slices cheese on the opposing half. Spread some mustard over the cheese and sprinkle some basil over the avocado. When the eggs are done divided them between the three sandwiches - close the sandwiches and wrap in foil to help the cheese melt (should take about 3-5 minutes)

Enjoy!!!!

High Protein Power Lunch (or Dinner)

I came up with this last night (mostly due to lack of groceries), but I realized that this was super high protein, high on taste and soft enough for the soft foods' folks post-op.

**please note - serving size will be slightly different for the post-op patient

2 eggs, soft poached
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon homemade pesto sauce (see recipe on blog under 'Sauces' link)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Akmak Armenian cracker bread (or other whole wheat cracker)

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil - add 1 tablespoon vinegar (any kind BUT balsamic) or lemon juice, then crack eggs right into water. The vinegar will help the whites of the egg to curl up around the yolk and form a tight ball instead of having pieces of the white floating all over the pan. Let cook one to two minutes - I like for the yolk to be runny, but you could cook longer if you do not.
2. On a plate spread down the ricotta and then top with pesto sauce.
3. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon or mesh spoon. Place over the top of ricotta/pesto.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, place pieces of cracker bread on the side for scooping.

ENJOY!!

Total protein in this is about 20 grams

Our pesto sauce is not oily, that is why I added the extra teaspoon of olive oil, to give it some of that rich flavor but you could abstain from using it if you wish.

Looking for something different for breakfast? (or even dinner!)

I am on a ton a list serves and get copious amounts of 'junk email' each day, but occasionally something comes through that I decide I just have to share. This came through from the LiveStrong people, and I could never have put these ingredients together myself, though I do love me some Sriracha! I doubt you will look and feel like Lance Armstrong after you eat it but it could quite possibly taste delicious and start your day off right. I have pasted the recipe in its entirety here and have added a photo of Sriracha so that you know what that looks like - it is a spicy/hot Thai chili pepper sauce, similar to Tabasco but with a smoother taste.

INGREDIENTS:1/2 cup dry (slow-cook) oatmeal*
1 cup water
1 egg
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 Tablespoon tamari or low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sriracha (if you like things spicy, like I do! I was inspired by the Sriracha Cookbook Blog)
Salt and pepper to taste

*I use slow-cook oatmeal because the glycemic load for fast-cook or instant oats is quite a bit higher than that of rolled or steel-cut oats. That means that a bowl of quick-cooking or instant oats might not keep you satisfied for as long as rolled or steel-cut oats would.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil water on stove top and cook oatmeal according to package.
2. When oatmeal is a few minutes away from being ready, crack and stir in one egg.
3. Stir in tamari or soy sauce, chia seeds, and sriracha sauce (if you like things spicy!), and salt and pepper to your taste.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/surprising-easy-egg-recipes#ixzz2bNiE5Abh

Twisted: Salad Nicoise

A typical salad nicoise is made with red skinned potatoes, tuna, egg, and vegetables. I thought it might be interesting to give it more colorful twist. It you're not a fan of tuna, try out this rendition!

2 cups sweet potato, diced into about 1" cubes
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
3 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup canned chickpeas, strained and rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 hard boiled eggs sliced
2 - 6oz cans of chicken, drained (or 1.5 cups of chicken pulled off a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook about 10-15 minutes, until tender. Add the green beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking. When done cooking, strain, douse with cold water (let it run over the vegetables in a strainer for about 10 seconds) then let sit for about 5 minutes to slightly air dry.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil, vinegar and mustard and let sit.
3. In a large bowl, place tomatoes, eggs, chick peas, chicken and when sweet potatoes and green beans are ready add them as well. Leave the salad greens out.
4. Toss the vegetable, egg and chicken mixture with the vinaigrette. Serve over the mixed greens.

ENJOY!

Mini Quiches

With the dawn of a new term comes fabulously creative new students! The next few recipe postings will be from our newest student Abby Shelton, who is looking to join the Food Corps upon graduation in May. Food Corps is like the Peace Corps, but it works with people in the USA to ensure that everyone has access to nourishing food and that no one goes hungry.

6 egg whites
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard (I like Dijon best but you could use whatever you favorite is!)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced onions
1 cup baby spinach leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Crack 6 eggs, remove 3 of the yolks. Then whisk eggs together with milk and mustard.
3. Saute mushrooms and onions in pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil. When the onions and mushrooms are nearly done (soft) add spinach and let cook another 2  minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Spray a non-stick muffin tin with cooking spray.
5. Once vegetables are cool, add them to the eggs and mix well. Then add about 1/4 cup of egg mixture into each muffin well.
6. Bake until fully set in center, about 25 minutes. Remove from pan and ssprinkle with cheese.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Frittata with Goat Cheese and Herbs

Another creation from this term's student Tara! I love frittata's and they reheat in the nuker really well also so that you have breakfast or lunch for most of the week made in one try!

4 eggs
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 1/2" pieces
2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes (dry packed, not packed in oil), chopped
3/4 cup spinach, fresh or frozen (thawed)
1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano
2 oz goat cheese (or feta) crumbled
cracked black pepper as needed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat the eggs and egg whites together with few tablespoons of water
3. Heat a medium sized heatproof (will not have rubber on handle) saute pan over medium heat
4. Add oil and then saute garlic, onion, pepper, asparagus together until tender about 6-8 minutes
5. Add spinach, oregano and sundried tomato and cook until spinach wilts. Season with black pepper.
6. Pour eggs over vegetables. Make sure the egg settles to the bottom of the pan and that the vegetables are evenly distributed throughout.
7. Crumble cheese on top
8. Transfer pan to the oven. Bake until the eggs set and the cheese starts to show some light brown color, about 10-15 minutes.

ENJOY!

Protein content in 1/4 of the frittata is 13 grams

Sweet Potato Frittata

One of my JWU students made this at support group and I am finally getting the recipe up on the blog. Thanks Evangelia!

Ingredients:
1 Large Sweet Potato
1 Package of Provolone cheese, sliced very thin (or about 12 slices)
1 dozen medium eggs
1 small broccoli Crown
1 Large Green Bell Pepper
½ oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Pam Spray (just to coat the pan)
1 can black beans, strained and rinsed (optional)

Method of Preparation:
1) Gather all ingredients and mise en place.
2)Cut the sweet potato-julienne, cut the: green pepper-small dice, broccoli- small dice, green onion-on a bias, and set aside in separate bowls.
3) Sauté the onion for about 1 minute and add your sweet potato, cook until just tender.
4) While the sweet potato is cooking, crack your eggs in a separate bowl, 7 whole eggs and 5 egg whites, stir and set aside.
5) Remove your sweet potatoes from the heat, and spray the new sauté non-stick pan you will cook your frittata in. Evenly arrange the sweet potatoes on the bottom of the pan.
6) Add the pan to the heat, after a moment add some of your egg mixture. Depending on how big of the non-stick pan you have you might have to make 2 or 3 batches of your frittata.
7) Next, add an even amount of your green bell pepper and broccoli. Allow cooking for 3 minutes or so, covering it with a lid to allow it to cook faster; cooking until the egg is barely running.
8) Add 3-4 pieces of cheese to it and let it sit for a moment. Remove from heat and rest.
9) Serve and enjoy with black beans if you wish!

Truffled Egg Sandwiches

Egg sandwiches for 4 people - if you have friends with chickens, invite them over for breakfast and ask them to bring the eggs! The truffle essence adds a delightful twist to these sandwiches, to make an ordinary egg breakfast into a holiday extraordinary meal!



4 English muffins (sour dough ones if you can find them work great!)
12 eggs (use the whites only of 8 eggs and the full egg for 4 of them)
1/2 cup chopped pancetta
1/4 teaspoon of truffle salt
1/2 teaspoon truffle essence olive oil
2 tablespoons half and half
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

1. Heat a large non stick sauteuse pan (shown above - it is a saute pan with steeper sides) to medium-low heat.
2. Meanwhile, beat eggs with salt, oil, and half and half until well mixed. When pan is warm, pour eggs into pan.
3. As eggs cook, and begin to set, lift and pull back a corner of the eggs and let liquid portion of eggs on top run underneath (you may have to twist pan to get them to run under). Repeat until all liquid on the top of egg is gone.
4. Place chopped pancetta, shredded mozzarella cheese and Swiss down middle of eggs. Fold omelet in half to melt cheese.
5. English muffins should be split and toasted in toaster oven to desired doneness.
6. When eggs are done (about 1 minute after folding), slide out of pan onto plate. Divide into four portions, place 1 portion on each English muffin bottom, top with slice of mozzarella cheese and squirt some spicy brown mustard on top if desired!

Enjoy with friends for breakfast!

How doooo you flip an egg?

Well with the help of my best friends, I gave a cooking video a try. It is short and sweet (almost 4 minutes) - about how to flip an egg with some nutrition facts in the mix!! Perhaps this can start to be a regular feature on the blog :) I hope that the quality comes out ok - the original cut was to large of a file size...

Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peeled, cubed
2-3 red bliss potatoes, cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 jalepeno, chopped
clove garlic, minced
pinch paprika
pinch salt and pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
handful chopped spinach/kale (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Eggs

Directions

1. Toss potatoes and onions in oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Put onto a covered baking sheet and place in oven at 400 to roast for about 20 mintues (until soft).
2. Meanwhile, in saute pan, heat some olive oil and suate garlic and jalepeno until soft.
3. Add spinach/kale if using.
4. Add potatoes and saute to incorperate.
5. Start small pot with water on high heat to boil. When water is boiling add 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or red wine vinegar).
6. Crack eggs into boiling water, turn heat down to low. Whites of eggs will congeal up. Cook 2-3 minutes for runny centers.
7. Place eggs over top of hash.

ENJOY!

Couldn't be better...

I know I am fortunate enough to get to jet set all over and eat at fabulously delicious places, but one of the things that I have most enjoyed recently is something so simple, yet so satisfying to the eyes, the tongue and the tummy.

The last few weeks when I have gotten home late from work I have put together the following dinner time meal:

2 thick slices from a large tomato
2 sliced scallions
2 slices toasted bread
2 poached eggs
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO to all you Rachel Ray worshipers)
sea salt & fresh ground pepper
1 oz grated Romano cheese

I toast the bread, then pile on top, first the tomato, then scallions, salt and pepper, EVOO, then the eggs, then a touch more pepper and then the cheese. When you pierce through the yolk it runs all over everything - coating the tomatoes and soaking into the toast. The cheese adds a salty-savory touch, and the acid from the tomatoes cuts the fat in the egg. The SECRET to the dish? Everything is homemade (except for the cheese, which was a high quality import). The tomatoes and scallions we grew in our garden, the bread was homemade the night before (and none of that bread-maker shit, I needed that stuff out myself!). The eggs, thanks to a constant supply from Dot, come from a handful of chickens kept as pets on our friends' horse farm. You can always tell a farm fresh egg from a commercial egg. The yolk is the tell all. A farm fresh egg will have a rich, orange yolk, a product of high quality feed for the chickens, while commercial eggs have yellow yolks which depict a low nutrient, poor quality diet. The farm fresh eggs will also all be different sizes (because they do not have enough eggs to size-sort).

In the waning days of summer, I challenge you to grab up the remains of summer produce from local farmers and compare the taste of the items with their grocery store counterparts. You will notice a difference and undoubtedly it will keep you from wanting to purchase grocery store vegetables anymore. The better the flavor, the less food you need to eat to feel satisfied, because your taste buds are not 'bored'. Challenge yourself to take three bites of something and to really study them, the next three bites will never taste as good as the first three. People laugh at the French for their small portions, but their portions are roughly 3 bites and those are most powerful bites of something. When they are gone, it is time to move on to another dish. Try it for yourself, you might be surprised how little of something you actually need to eat!