Olive Oil Mayonaise and Aioli

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Mayonnaise in an emulsion of eggs, oils, vinegar or lemon juice, and mustard.  The lecithin in the egg yolks stabilizes the mixture.  The first time I tried to make mayonnaise I used a whisk and I think that my arm was going to fall off.  Making mayo this way was a two person job. Since then, I have used a blender to easily make this concoction.

Olive Oil Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp whole grain mustard

1 tbs lemon juice or white wine vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the egg, garlic, lemon juice and mustard in the container of a blender or food processor.Blend until smooth.
2. Blend on low speed while pouring oil into the blender in a fine stream as the mixture emulsifies and thickens.

Aioli

Ingredients:

5 large garlic cloves peeled

Image courtesy of wikipedia

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 large egg

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

 Directions:

1.  Mash the garlic and salt together in coffee grinder until it is a paste.  You can use the small work bowl on your food process or a mortar and pestle. In a the large bowl of you food processor or in a blender, process the egg for 30 seconds.
2. Add the garlic paste to the food processor and add the oil in a this stream until it is fully integrated into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before using.

You can keep this a week in the refrigerator.

Scotch Eggs from Well Fed

I have been salivating over the recipes in “Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat” since I got it two weeks ago. The recipes are created by Melissa Joulwan who writes a blog called The Clothes Make the Girl.  While it is true that I am a food nerd and I do read cookbooks cover-to-cover, this book has blown me away with sumptuous recipes, practical advice, and seemingly endless lists of variations for her already novel (to my palette) creations.

The book is broken down differently than a tradition cookbooks with sections on the paleo kitchen, weekly cook-up, sauces and seasonings,  protein, veggies and salads, and finally fruits.  While it is de regueur to include a section on the paleo concept, devices you need for the kitchen, and meal organization, Joulwan takes this one step further by includes loads of practical advice on how to prepare healthy food while minimizing your time in the kitchen.  “Well Fed” is worth the money for this section alone.

The recipes themselves are easy to follow, well developed directions that do not leave you questions your own kitchen prowess.  She includes information on variations, food pairings, and her own notes.

One of the recipes I had been slobbering over are scotch eggs.  While I was aware of the existence of scotch eggs I had never tried one much less thought of integrating it into my low-carb diet.  The process to makes this eggs is easy.  Most of the recipe can be made ahead and then put into the oven to finish for dinner, which I love. Did I mention they were delicious and my family devoured them?

Getting scotch eggs into their meat cocoons

 

Crispy goodness. The secret is pork rinds.

 

Seriously. Buy this book.

 

Mushroom and Leek Frittata: Savior of the Most Important Meal

Flickr image via orchidgalore

Sometimes I get overwhelmed. I get overwhelmed by the demands of work, the demands of family, and the demands of home. These are the time when I don’t manage to get the slow cooker set up the night before. These are the times when I would order take out and scarf it down without a second thought and end up feeling worse than before. But now that I am being more mindful of what I put into my body, I stop before I pick up the phone and make a frittata.

A frittata is an Italian omelet and makes great refrigerator velcro. I often put left over veggies, cheese, and meat together to create delicious and easy meals, served with a salad. They also make great next-day lunches. Many of the recipes I encounter for frittata advise putting non-stick pans under the broiler, but I am not comfortable heating non-stick pans to that temperature. I use my stainless steel.

Here is a recipe I find myself making again and again.

Leeks, Mushrooms, and Smoked Gouda Frittata

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

2 tbs heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup (small handful) fresh, finely chopped parsley

1 large leek

2 cups mushrooms sliced

2 tbs butter or ghee

1 tbs olive oil or coconut oil

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler on high and place the oven rack in the upper one third of the oven.
   

   Image via brokenarts

2. Place a large, oven-safe skillet (10 – 12 inch) over medium high heat and add the olive oil and butter.
3. Add the leeks and the mushrooms and cook until the leeks and brown and soft and the mushrooms have browned.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, parsley and half of the cheese.
5. Add the egg mixture to the pan. Slowly stir the sides and the bottom of the pan until you have large curds of egg mixture with wet parts in between.
6. Allow the mixture to cook for another two minutes or until the underside has set.
7. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and place the frittata under the broiler for 5 – 7 minutes.
8. When the top is brown, remove the pan from the oven.
9. Allow to cool from 5 – 15 minutes before eating.

Flickr mushroom image via orchidgalore.

Egg image via brokenarts.

Quick and Easy Mini Breakfast Frittatas

Image courtesy of wikipedia

I, like so many of you, hate mornings.  I wake-up with only just enough time to get my butt out the door. Breakfast? There is no way I was eating breakfast at home. Before eating the low-carb way, my breakfast consisted of coffee with non-fat creamer and an unhealthy helping of sucralose. When I spoke to my nutritionist and she insisted on me eating breakfast high in fat and protein, I was skeptical to say the least.  How was I going to make a protein and fat laden breakfast when I barely had time to brush my teeth?

I realized if I wanted to commit to changing my diet, I was going to have to reorganize my life.  The first step was breakfast. The only way I was going to eat a nutritious, protein and fat laden meal early in the morning was to make it the night before.  I decided to go with an easy frittata and reheat it in the morning.

Quick and Easy Mini Breakfast Frittatas

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Separate three large eggs and add the yolks to a medium mixing bowl or 4 cup glass measure. I usually freeze the egg whites to use another day.
3. Add the whole eggs in with the yolks and whisk until light yellow and frothy.
4. Pour in cream and whisk to combine.
5. Add goat cheese and whisk to combine.  The cheese should become part of the mixture.
6. Add the salt and pepper and whisk together.
7. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the bottom of the pan and up on the sides to coat.
8. Pour or ladle mixture into greased, 12-cup muffin pan until the cups are half filled.  I use silicon muffin trays because eggs can be messy to clean up.
9. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mixture and crack on some extra pepper.
10. Bake for 20 minutes or until the frittatas have puffed and have a golden brown color.
11. Wait for the frittatas to cool and reheat in the microwave over for about one minute.  This will vary based on the power of the microwave oven.

You can easily vary this recipe.  Some of my favorite combinations are smoked salmon and chives, Spinach and mushrooms, and basil and grated.

Smoked Salmon and Chives

1. Reduce the amount of goat cheese to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of cream cheese.
2. Add the smoked salmon and chives after you have poured the mixture into the muffin pans.
3. Cook for the same amount of time.
4. Bake as directed.

Spinach and Mushrooms

1. Add 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms to a pan with 2 tbs of butter and saute until golden on both sides.
2. Add 1 cup of fresh spinach or 1/2 cup of frozen spinach and saute until the spinach is heated through and a majority of the water has evaporated.
3. Distribute the mixture evenly between the twelve muffin cups.
4. Add the egg mixture.
5. Bake as directed.

Basil and Zucchini

1. Grate one small zucchini and one onion using the largest holes on a box grater.
2. Add 1 tbs oil and saute the mixture until the zucchini has softened about 3 – 4 minutes.
3. Spoon the mixture into the bottom of the muffin cups.
4. Pour over the egg mixture.
5. Bake as directed.

For the bacon, I would place a rasher of thick-cut and nitrate-free bacon on some cooling racks over aluminum foil lined jelly roll pans. Make sure the bacon strips are not touching. Before I put the mini-quiches in to cook, I would start the bacon in a cold over set for 400 degrees. After 15-17 minutes, I would check on the bacon to take it out when it is brown, but before it is crisped.  Depending on your oven and the brand of bacon you use cooking time will vary. The bacon will finish cooking nicely in the microwave.

Egg image courtesy of wikipedia.