Whole30 Egg Salad with a Splash of Tuna!

So, confession: I made these lettuce wraps well before I started the Whole30, but now that I've learned how to make my own mayo, these are Whole30 compliant!  Woo hoo!

What you'll need:

• 1 can of tuna, drained
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• about 2-3 T mayo 
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 cup cucumber (or fridge pickles)
• salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Optional add-ins: Parsley, lemon juice, red pepper, tomato, whatever floats your boat!

To get the perfect hard boiled egg on my stove, I add the eggs to 1 inch of already boiling water in a small saucepan, cover for 8 minutes 45 seconds.  Drain and cool in an ice bath. Peel under water.  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then serve on lettuce leaves for maximum smug healthiness!

This makes a couple cups of salad, so feel free to share with a friend!  Enjoy!

What's your favorite tuna salad add-in????

Fettucine-Schmettucine! Make yourself some Carbonara!

 

Now, before you start some kind of vendetta or fatwah against me, I know that a true carbonara doesn't contain any vegetables, but when a girl falls off the no-carb wagon, she needs a veggie or two to break the fall.

What you'll need:

• 1/2 pound of spaghetti (whole wheat in my case)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 pieces of bacon, chopped
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Put a pot of water on to boil and salt it generously.

Brown the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add your onion and saute until they just start to brown.

Chop your artichoke hearts and add them to the skillet, and then add your garlic.  At the last, add your peas, so that they are heated all the way through.

When the water comes to a boil, add your pasta.  Cook for about 9 minutes, until al dente.

Drain the pasta, but reserve some of the pasta water for the sauce.

Whisk the eggs, and then whisk in about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to temper the eggs (this cooks them slightly so that they don't become scrambled when you add them to the hot pasta).

Add a little pasta water to the pasta pan, then the tempered eggs and then the meat and veggies from the skillet.

Add your cheese and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Then fill a bowl and enjoy!  It's truly delicious!!!

Sunday Brunch: Italian egg bake

I love brunch.  A lot.  Having time and energy and inclination to make a special breakfast is what Sundays are all about!  This dish is exactly what the doctor ordered, as long as he ordered something delicious.  If not, you should look for a new doctor.  And this time, you should look for a woman, women totally understand brunch. 

What you'll need:

• A cast-iron or other oven safe pan (I used a 12 inch pan)
• 1 lb. asparagus
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 link spicy Italian turkey sausage
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or cheese of your choice)

I suggest practicing proper mis en place.  Chopping and dicing everything in advance of cooking is an excellent plan, one I only occasionally follow.  Dice your onion, slice your mushrooms, slice your asparagus into 1 inch pieces and pour your tomatoes into a mesh strainer to drain (this step is up to you, I wanted a dryer consistency.

Start by preheating your broiler on low and putting your pan on the stove over medium heat.  Add your oil and when it's hot, your onions.  Saute your onions until translucent, then remove your turkey sausage from its casing and add to the pan.  Once the sausage is browned, add your asparagus and mushrooms.  

Once the veggies are heated through, add your tomatoes and bring all the ingredients to a simmer.

Carefully crack your eggs into depressions you create in the mixture.

Cover briefly while the whites set (just barely around the edges).

Add the cheese I forgot to include in the picture up top.

Mmmmmmm

Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until your whites are set but your yolks are still runny.  It's difficult to tell, so err on the side of runny, because carry over cooking once you've removed the eggs from the oven will likely finish the job!  

Then, eat hearty!!  

Incredible, edible EGG!

Maybe I read Green Eggs and Ham too many times as a kid, or maybe I'm just a simple Midwestern girl who can't escape her roots, but I love a good egg.  I also think that there's something really beautiful about a perfectly cooked egg.  Obviously, I'm not alone, a lot of ink has been spilled in the pursuit of this goal.

A perfect frittata (and even more perfect bacon)

I've already covered the perfect soft-boiled egg.  It's a beautiful thing, especially once you master peeling the suckers!  I prefer this to doing a poached egg, mostly because you can achieve the same flavor without making gross albumin water.  I have successfully made a poached egg in the microwave.  They aren't quite as good as restaurant poached eggs, but they're not bad.

For a lazy person's poached egg, fill a mug 1/2 full of water and put it in the microwave for 60 - 120 seconds (depending on the strength of your microwave).  When the water is steaming really well, crack an egg in, using a toothpick to poke a tiny hole in the yolk (trust me) so that the egg doesn't explode in your microwave.  Put the egg back into the microwave for another 30-60 seconds (again depending on the strength of your microwave and how runny you like your yolks). Fish the egg out of the mug with a fork or slotted spoon.  I like to let it air dry a second before I pop it onto really buttery toast. Delish!

This method takes a little trial and error, but once you have the times exact for your microwave, it's easy-peasy.

The frittata was made for people like me, who have let vegetables get past their peak during the week and need a "kitchen sink" opportunity to use a bunch up before they go bad.  I have yet to taste a bad combination of ingredients, though I'm sure if you tried you could come up with something. 

A basic breakdown of frittata ratios:

A 10 inch non-stick frying pan that can go in the oven under the broiler
1 tsp butter to coat the bottom of the pan
6 eggs, scrambled (add a dollop of milk/cream if that's how you like your eggs, I think it makes them fluffier)
An onion-like vegetable (leeks, green onions, shallots, whatever needs to go) chopped (about 1/2 cup)
meat and/or mushrooms and/or a starch like potato (about 3/4 cup)
a green vegetable (broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus) (about 3/4 cup)
anything else that needs eating, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
a cheesy product (the picture is goat cheese *drool*) (1/2 - 3/4 cup)

Heat up the pan over medium-high heat, preheat the broiler on low.  Whisk the eggs in a bowl and set aside. put in the butter, saute the onion until translucent, add your other ingredients and saute for 3-5 minutes (reserving cheese until last to be sprinkled over the top before it goes in the oven).  Pour your eggs in and stir with a rubber spatula for about 3 minutes or until the bottom is set. Then pop it into the oven for 3-4 minutes (until the top is set and the edges brown).  Slide it out onto a plate and enjoy!

Note: if you prefer your eggs cooked, but not browned, place the frittata into a 375 degree oven to set, rather than under the broiler.  I know some folks don't like a crispy egg, and I support you.

Now, if you're up for an adventure, I want you to try this perfectly fried egg from chef José Andrés and report back.  This is definitely not for the pale egg crowd, this is about as crispy-brown as it gets!