Baked Eggs with Parmesan and Chives

June 9, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

This is the perfect breakfast! In my opinion, baked eggs are really special. It’s something about the texture of the whites–they turn into a perfectly smooth, savory custard. With a rich parmesan crust and a sprinkling of chives, these baked eggs are the best I’ve ever had.

If you’ve never tried baked eggs, go fire up your oven! I promise you won’t regret it.

Ingredients (per person):

1/2 teaspoon butter
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
1-2 eggs
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 350. Place a half teaspoon of butter in the bottom of an individual ramekin, and place it in the oven to melt the butter.

When the butter is melted, remove the ramekin from the oven. Add a splash of cream. Add the eggs, being careful not to break the yolks. Sprinkle the salt, parmesan, and chives on top.

Return the ramekin to the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the whites are just almost set (the eggs will continue to cook a little after they come out of the oven). The yolks will still be runny. Serve hot with buttered toast.

Mocha Almond Flourless Brownies

June 8, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

Yesterday I got some almond flour and blue cornmeal in the mail from Bob’s Red Mill. I was super excited to try some chocolate baked goods with the almond flour. Did you know it’s just ground-up almonds? Amazing. Full of heart-healthy fats and protein instead of the empty carbs in flour.

I decided to try these flourless brownies, adapted from this recipe on Om Nom Ally. They are really good! The coffee and almond flavors are subtle, but add an extra richness to the chocolate flavor. The brownies are really fudgy and moist, which makes them very satisfying. Just one is enough (until the craving strikes again an hour later…).

These brownies are not overly sweet. I actually added extra sugar, because the original recipe only called for 2 tablespoons and I didn’t want a bitter brownie. I think my version came out great, but I would have dusted them with some powdered sugar if I hadn’t been out.

Ingredients (makes 9-12 brownies):

1 cup almond flour (finely ground almonds)
1/2 cup cocoa, plus extra for dusting
1-3 teaspoons finely ground coffee, to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the pan
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish and powder the bottom and sides with cocoa.

In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, cocoa, coffee, salt, and baking powder.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and extracts. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.

Garlic Honey Grilled Shrimp

June 4, 2013 By Becky 2 Comments

Yesterday I really wanted to fire up the grill and make some shrimp. That is, I wanted my boyfriend to fire up the grill and make me some shrimp. To be totally honest, I don’t know how to grill. Coals and lighter fluid and all that–it’s a mystery to me. Give me a hot grill, though, and I’ll totally stand there and flip. I’ve got that part under control.

Anyway, Ben wasn’t excited about grilling. I, however, was super excited about the yummy garlic honey marinade I’d dreamed up, and decided I could just broil them. I’ve made skewers of shrimp in the broiler before and they always come out great. But, at the last minute, Ben changed his mind and fired up the grill. I guess he didn’t like the thought of what a 500 degree oven would do the temperature in our apartment on this 90-degree day. So, I got to grill in the end and we had a great time lounging on the patio, flipping shrimp skewers.

We ate these on top of this salad and it was a very satisfying combination.

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined,
tails on

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic paste

2 1/2 tablespoons honey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of cayenne

Soaked wooden skewers (soak in hot water for 30 minutes or more to keep them from catching fire)

Mix the olive oil, garlic, honey, and spices, and pour over the shrimp. Toss to coat. Marinate for up to 30 minutes at room temperature or 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare the grill, or preheat your broiler.

Skewer the shrimp–I like to thread the skewers through each shrimp twice so they are easy to flip on the grill. I used six skewers for this recipe, with 5-6 shrimp on each skewer.

Grill or broil for about 3 minutes per side, or longer as necessary, until charred in spots and opaque throughout. Serve hot.

Chickpea Mushroom Spread

May 29, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

In my last post, I shared a recipe for gambas al ajillo inspired by my meal at Solea. The other thing I was dying to try at home was Solea’s chickpea spread, which they bring at the beginning of the meal with a basket of crusty bread. It’s really delicious! I could tell it had chickpeas in it (plus, it was adorably garnished with one whole chickpea), but I couldn’t tell what made it so much richer, and so different from, hummus.

Luckily, our waiter didn’t mind telling us the other key ingredient–porcini mushrooms! I had never cooked with them before, and they smelled really funky before they were reconstituted. But, it was worth it. I was rewarded with this hearty dip, which I think is just as good as what I had at Solea.

Ingredients (makes about 1 1/2 cups):

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Juice of half a lemon, or to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for serving
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
Paprika for serving, optional

Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, and pour in very hot water to cover. Let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking water, rinse, and pat dry.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms for about five minutes.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, and mushrooms. Turn the processor on and add the half cup of olive oil in a steady stream (you can use less oil and more mushroom water if you’d like). If the spread seems too dry, add the mushroom soaking water a tablespoon at a time and process until smooth.

Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Serve with crusty bread or vegetables for dipping.

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Gambas al Ajillo–Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

May 29, 2013 By Becky 8 Comments

It could not be easier or quicker to make gambas al ajillo at home! These sizzling garlic shrimp make an ideal paleo appetizer. With such a short and simple ingredients list and such delicious results, there’s no reason not to try it!

For my birthday, we went to dinner at Solea, a fabulous tapas restaurant in Waltham. If you live in the Boston area and haven’t been, you need to try it! It’s one of my absolute favorite restaurants.

Ben, my mom, and I ordered six tapas to share. We got sizzling garlic shrimp, scallops in saffron cream, lamb meatballs in truffle cream sauce, greens sauteed with pine nuts and raisins, and baked goat cheese. Everything was amazing. I ordered a blood orange sidecar to drink, which was delicious, and we started out snacking on a really good chickpea-porcini mushroom spread (my take on that coming soon). The whole meal was great and I highly recommend everything we ordered.

I decided the sizzling garlic shrimp would be fun to recreate at home. At Solea they serve them still bubbling in a small cazuela. You could achieve the same effect by putting the shrimp into ramekins and sticking them under the broiler for a couple of minutes before serving. If you try that, don’t cook the shrimp all the way on the stovetop since they’ll finish cooking under the broiler.

Looking for more delicious and easy paleo shrimp recipes? Try these, which can all be made in 30 minutes or less: curry butter shrimp, pesto shrimp bake with squash and tomatoes, or roasted shrimp and asparagus with green goddess dressing.

Gambas al Ajillo--Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

Name: Gambas al Ajillo--Sizzling Garlic Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil; 10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, defrosted if frozen; Salt and pepper to taste; 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika; Pinch or two of red pepper flakes, optional

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, defrosted if frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

Preheat the broiler, if using.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute, stirring frequently, for about five minutes, until the garlic is softened but not browned.
Add the shrimp, raise the heat to medium high, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper. Cook for three minutes on each side or until the shrimp are completely opaque. Serve hot. If you decide to broil the shrimp in individual ramekins, cook on one side in the skillet, flip over into the ramekins, top with some of the oil and garlic, and broil until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes.

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Tipsy Coffee Ice Cream

May 28, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

I’m in love with my new ice cream maker! It’s so easy to use. I loved the strawberry ice cream I made the other day, and was ready to try again as soon as we finished eating it. Since the machine was a gift from my mom, I decided to ask her what flavor she wanted, and she said Kahlua. I convinced her that it would be even better with Jamaican rum cream, since that’s what I had. And I added a little hint of coffee to round out the flavors. You could probably make this with Kahlua, although it’s not creamy like rum cream and Bailey’s. Let me know if you try it!

Anyway, this ice cream was seriously delicious. My mom and I could not even wait for it to fully freeze before eating all of it (hence the melty pictures, sorry!). It’s different than the strawberry ice cream because it doesn’t have an egg custard base, but it was still very creamy. I didn’t miss the eggs at all (plus, I was out). It also means this ice cream is easier to make! Win-win-win.

P.S. I store my ice cream in recycled coffee cans. Not just my coffee ice cream, but it’s especially fitting here. They are a good size, and convenient with the snap-on lids.

Ingredients (adapted from this recipe on Annie’s Eats; makes about 3 cups or 6 servings):

1 cup 2% milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup whole coffee beans
Pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups heavy cream, divided
1/4 cup rum cream or Irish cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon finely ground coffee or espresso powder

Combine the milk, sugar, coffee beans, salt, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is hot and starting to bubble around the edges. Turn off the heat and let steep at room temperature for an hour or so.

Strain the coffee mixture into a bowl. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of cream, the rum cream, vanilla, and coffee. Stir and chill in the refrigerator until completely cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker and enjoy!

Double Strawberry Ice Cream

May 26, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

You may have noticed I am on a bit of a strawberry kick recently (see no-bake strawberry swirl cheesecake bars, strawberry shortcakes with balsamic chocolate glaze, strawberry & cream margaritas, and strawberry curd). Well, the strawberry love continues. This is partly because I still have a jar of strawberry curd in my fridge, and am tempted to add it to just about anything. However, if you don’t feel like making strawberry curd (but really, why wouldn’t you? twenty minutes and your strawberries will last for weeks in the fridge in a delicious, spreadable form) you can still make this ice cream. Just omit the strawberry curd for single strawberry ice cream, or replace it with an equal amount of fresh strawberry puree.

This ice cream is rich and creamy thanks to the vanilla bean, strawberry curd, and custard base. You have to try it! It’s also a wonderfully pastel shade of pink, my favorite color.

Ingredients (makes 1 1/2 quarts, adapted from Martha Stewart):

8 egg yolks (save the whites for breakfast or meringues)
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 cups milk (I used 2%, but Martha calls for skim)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 vanilla bean
1 pound strawberries, hulled and finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup strawberry curd or fresh strawberry puree

In a saucepan (off the heat for now), combine the egg yolks, 2/3 cup of sugar, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk. Scrape the seeds of half a vanilla bean into the mix, and throw the bean in, too.

Heat the mixture over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

Prepare a bowl set oven an ice bath (a larger bowl filled with ice or ice water). Place a fine-meshed sieve on top. Pour the thickened custard through the sieve, discarding the vanilla bean. Stir in the cream and strawberry curd. Let the mixture chill, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is cold, I recommend you refrigerate it overnight to make sure it’s REALLY chilled.

Mix the chopped strawberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside.

When the custard mixture is completely chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker. A few minutes before the ice cream is ready, add in the strawberries.

Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

You can also sandwich some of this between two honey vanilla cookies for the world’s best ice cream sandwich!

Honey Vanilla Cookies to Kickstart Jesi’s Art

May 25, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

Have you heard of colony collapse disorder? My friend Jesi, an artist based in Vermont, is working on a participatory project with a large installation about colony collapse disorder and the plight of the honeybee. The coolest part is that she’s creating a canvas for each person who sponsors her project, in different sizes depending on the amount you donate, and sending them out to her supporters after the show! Her art is amazing and I can’t wait to see what she creates for this show.

Jesi asked me to post a honey cookie recipe that she could bake to show her thanks to supporters who pledge $25 or more. Her project only has one more day left on Kickstarter! You can read about the project and donate here. You should consider giving! Even if you don’t have $25 to give, give any amount and then make yourself these cookies! Jesi and the honeybees will thank you.

Note: I hadn’t used my honey in a while and it was totally crystallized! Don’t worry if that happens to you. Just spoon out your honey into a glass jar and heat it in a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until it’s clear and liquefied. If you do this, let the honey cool down a little before you add it to the dough.

Ingredients (makes one dozen; adapted from this recipe on Lulu the Baker):

1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed (or use unsalted and add 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons honey, plus extra for brushing
Flaky sea salt (I use Maldon), optional

In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar, and butter until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the honey and vanilla bean seeds and pulse just until combined. Use your hands to pat the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour or so. Try not to eat all the dough at this point. It’s delicious!

Preheat the oven to 325.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter or round jar, cut out cookies about 2 inches across. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are starting to brown around the edges.

Brush the cookies with honey while they’re still warm, and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt if desired. I love the salty and sweet combo, so I highly recommend it!

Lentil & Corn Fritters (plus Lentils & Couscous)

May 23, 2013 By Becky 7 Comments

I made lentils the other day, and was really surprised at how good they were. They were easy to make and flavorful. We served ours on top of pearl couscous, my new favorite grain product. It made a great healthy dinner, and we had tons of lentils left over.

I got the idea to make lentil fritters, and invented the fritter recipe using masarepa
(my other favorite grain product). If you have leftover lentils, these are very easy and quick to make. If not, you should make this first recipe and have it for dinner with rice or couscous. The next day, you can make the fritters with the leftovers.

Ingredients for lentils:

1 pound red lentils, picked over and well washed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

4 cups water

1 cube chicken or vegetable bouillon

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons red or white wine

2 wedges Laughing Cow creamy Swiss cheese (optional)

Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish

Cooked rice or couscous for serving

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and cumin and saute until softened, about five minutes.

Raise the heat the medium high. Add the lentils, water, and bouillon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about twenty minutes. The lentils should be tender and lightened in color, with almost all the liquid absorbed.

Add the wine and salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cheese, if using, and stir until smooth.

Serve over rice or couscous with scallions and cilantro on top.

Ingredients for the fritters:

1 1/2 cups leftover lentils (from above recipe, or any well-cooked red lentils)
1 cups frozen corn kernels (no need to defrost)
3 scallions, sliced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup masarepa

Sea salt
1 cup hot water
Canola oil or olive oil for cooking
Lime wedges for serving

In a large bowl, mix the leftover lentils, corn, scallions, cilantro, masarepa, and a pinch or two of salt. Add the hot water and stir to combine. Let sit for five minutes.

Meanwhile, heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough, a droplet of water should bounce and skitter across the skillet.

Using your hands, make balls of dough a little larger than golf balls and flatten them slightly to form patties. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Be gentle when you flip them–you’ll lose a few pieces of corn, but that’s okay.

Drain on paper towels. Serve hot, with sea salt sprinkled on top and lime wedges for squeezing over.

Extra uncooked fritter mixture can be kept for up to three days in the refrigerator.

A Cupcake Party and Simple Chocolate Buttercream

May 20, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

We had a decorate-your-own cupcake party last night! I got the idea from this post on A Beautiful Mess. People had so much fun choosing a cupcake flavor and heaping on toppings inside the ring of frosting. Carrot cupcakes were the most popular, and I saw lots of people spooning on strawberry curd. It wasn’t too bad waking up to leftovers this morning, either. I am a big fan of cake for breakfast. Maybe the decorate-your-own cupcake station can become a permanent feature around here?

In case you want to throw your own cupcake party, here are the recipes I used:

For the chocolate cupcakes, I was too lazy to make the Swiss meringue buttercream that’s in the post for the Double Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes, so I made a simple chocolate buttercream. Here’s the recipe in case you want to make it!

Ingredients (makes enough for 12 cupcakes):

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients and beat on high speed until smooth.

I also put out these toppings:

Shredded coconut
Chopped pecans
Chopped strawberries with a little sugar
Sprinkles
Mini m & ms

There are so many other things that would be great on cupcakes! What are your favorite cupcake flavors, frostings, and toppings?

Creamy Beer & Black Bean Queso

May 19, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

We had a party last night! The main feature was the decorate-your-own cupcake station (more on that later). However, we did have one delicious thing from the savory side–this queso! I highly recommend it.

This is adapted from a recipe on How Sweet It Is, one of my very favorite food blogs. I was so excited that Jessica posted this just in time for me to make it for my party! All the recipes I’ve tried from her site have been fabulous. Plus, her blog is really fun to read. I had to take out the chorizo because of all my vegetarian friends. I’m sure it would be fabulous with sausage, but it’s hard to imagine it being more fabulous than it already is!

This morning, I used the leftover queso to make delicious chilaquiles. I fried up some onions and garlic, added two eggs and a handful of crushed tortilla chips, and stirred in a few big dollops of this queso. I served it with sliced avocado, cilantro, and scallions with a squeeze of lime. Most delicious hangover cure ever!

Ingredients (serves 8 as an appetizer):

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced (I used 1, but the dip was not very hot. Try 2 for more spice, or use the seeds.)
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups beer (your favorite kind–or use a Mexican beer)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese
Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot, jalapeño and garlic and saute until fragrant. Stir in the black beans, and raise the heat to medium. Add the beer and cumin and stir to combine. Cook for five more minutes, until some of the beer has bubbled away.

Add the cream cheese, and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the cheddar and stir until smooth and creamy.

Serve with scallions and cilantro on top, and a big basket of chips for dipping.

If the queso hardens up, you can microwave it for a minute or so with a bit of water and stir until it’s creamy again.

Strawberry Curd

May 18, 2013 By Becky 10 Comments

Have you made lemon curd yet? Either way, you’re going to love this sweeter, pinker version. I’m thinking you could put this on a dutch baby, pipe it inside some cupcakes, spread it on your toast, or drizzle it on some vanilla ice cream.

It’s easy to make, and tastes like spring in a jar! What are you waiting for?

In case you’re not convinced, here are just a few delicious recipes you’ll be able to make with your strawberry curd:

No-Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Double Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry Creamsicle Sherbet

Rest assured that it’s also fabulous just eaten by the spoonful.

Ingredients (adapted from this recipe on Lavender & Lovage; makes about 1 1/2 cups):

1/2 pound organic strawberries, hulled
Zest and juice of one organic orange
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), cubed
4 large eggs

In a food processor, puree the strawberries and orange zest until very smooth.

Heat water to a simmer in a double boiler or a saucepan. In the top of the double boiler or a heatproof bowl, combine the puree, juices, salt, sugar, and butter. Place the bowl on top of the pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t actually touching the water. Beat the eggs and add them to the bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until the curd comes together and thickens, about ten minutes. When the curd is done, it will coat the back of a spoon.

(Full disclosure: my strawberry curd was that grayish-pink color that used to be trendy but was never appetizing. I added a few drops of red food coloring and one drop of yellow to perk it up.)

Store in sterilized jars in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.