IMPOSSIBLY CUTE BACON & EGG CUPS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Small Dishes, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

Should I be embarrassed to blog about a “recipe” that is essentially two ingredients plus seasoning? Potentially, yes. But in reality I am not, because this non-recipe has a nice little unexpected twist to it: the bacon was pre-cooked sous-vide. WAIT! Don’t run away, you can make it if you don’t have the Anova gadget sitting in your kitchen drawer. But I must say bacon cooked sous-vide and stored in the fridge waiting to shine in any recipe is a very nice item for the busy cook. Or any cook, actually, because this method gets quite a bit of the greasy “feel” of bacon out of the equation, and the texture will be superb.

BACON AND EGG CUPS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

several slices of bacon, preferably cooked sous-vide
large eggs
salt
Aleppo pepper (or pepper of your choice)

If cooking the bacon sous-vide, place the slices in a bag and submerge in the water-bath set to 147 F (64 C) overnight. I left mine 12 hours, but you can do it longer if more convenient. At the end of the cooking time, a lot of fat will have accumulated inside the bag. You can save it if you like to cook with it, or discard it. Place the cooked slices of bacon over paper towels to dry them well. Store them in the fridge until ready to use. If not using sous-vide, cook the bacon on a skillet, but do not allow it to get too brown or crispy. Drain them well in paper towels before assembling the cups.

Heat the oven to 375 F (175 C).

Cover the bottom of a muffin baking tin with bacon, making sure to come up all the way to the top. Gently break an egg and place it inside. Season with salt and pepper. Bake according to your preference. I like the egg yolks to be runny, so 10 to 15 minutes maximum will be enough. If you like your eggs fully cooked, go for 20 minutes, but pay close attention, you don’t want to over-dry the egg.

Remove to a serving dish, and dig in!

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made this recipe for the first time in July, and since then we’ve been cooking bacon sous-vide on a regular basis. To me, it takes bacon to a whole new level, cutting some of the harshness I find overpowering. If you get your pan screaming hot, you can get by simply searing one side of the bacon slice, as the whole thing is already perfectly cooked to start with. But, even if you crisp up both sides, the texture will be perfect.

These little cups are perfect for breakfast, or a light lunch. Having the bacon waiting in the fridge makes this preparation a breeze. All you need to do is warm up your oven (we use the Breville that heats up super fast), grab the muffin tin, and you are less than 20 minutes away from a nice meal. I also made those using prosciutto and ham. Both work very well, but the sous-vide bacon is my favorite. Keep also in mind that if you’d like a vegetarian version, cooked spaghetti squash strands can be a nice receptacle for the egg. I intend to blog about that sometime. The secret is to be assertive in the seasoning, otherwise it can be a bit bland.

For those interested, this is low-carb, Paleo-friendly, Whole30-friendly, but above all, it’s very very tasty!

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31Aug2016

TURKEY STIR-FRY WITH ALMOND BUTTER

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

I was not going to blog on this recipe, since it was one of those improvised things, quickly assembled for lunch on a weekday. But I tasted a spoonful straight from the saute pan, and the “Must-Blog-This” alarm went off, loud and persistent. I quickly transferred some to a serving bowl to be immortalized on camera. The almond butter takes this simple stir-fry to a higher level of deliciousness. Amounts for the recipe are pretty flexible, I was just using stuff that I had in the fridge so you can go with the flow and add a bit more of this, a bit less of that. If you care about this type of info, this concoction would be low-carb and also Paleo-friendly. But what I really care about is that it is mighty tasty.

TURKEY STIR-FRY WITH ALMOND BUTTER
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 pound ground turkey (preferably not super lean)
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons almond butter (a must!)
5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
fresh lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms, season with a little salt and pepper, saute for about 5 minutes. Add the ground meat, Aleppo pepper, a little more salt and regular pepper, cook moving it around every once in a while, until the meat is golden brown. Add the almond butter, incorporate well, keeping the pan in medium-heat.

Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Right before serving, squirt some lemon juice all over the meat. Adjust seasoning if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve mentioned many times I was a picky eater as a child. Very. One of my favorite things to eat was ground beef and rice, which Mom called “picadinho.” Ground beef and rice. I know, so exciting, right? One summer we were all in my Grandma’s home in São Sebastião, a beach town between São Paulo and Rio, and my Aunt Sônia was getting ready to feed her three very spoiled Siamese cats. She cooked a big batch of ground beef and rice for them, and I was fascinated! Those cats were very lucky to get my favorite food on a daily basis. From then on, whenever Mom would make me “picadinho“, both me and my Dad would call it “comida de gato” (Portuguese for cat’s food). I was actually complimenting her cooking, I suppose Dad was more in his usual teasing mode. Good times. Decades passed by, but ground meat (chicken, pork, beef) is still something I resort to often for my lunch, although usually with additions that would make my younger self leave the table screaming in horror. When I make some, I always ask Phil “would you like some comida de gato?” It is blatantly clear that I am a lovely wife…

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9Aug2016

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN AND CABBAGE WITH SPICY ALMOND SAUCE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This is by far my favorite type of lunch. A lot of protein in a flavorful, spicy preparation, with some veggies to make things more interesting. The inspiration came from this post by Lydia, hostess of The Perfect Pantry. I substituted ground chicken for beef, almonds for peanuts, but the basic idea was unchanged. Of course you can take this simple method in countless directions, adding green beans, sautéed corn kernels if you’d like a bit more carbs, sautéed spinach, chickpeas, use cashew butter, sprinkle toasted cashews at the end. I adore this type of recipe!

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN AND CABBAGE IN SPICY ALMOND SAUCE
(modified from The Perfect Pantry)

3 Tbsp almond butter
3 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp Sriracha sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 shallot, thinly sliced
12 oz shredded cabbage
1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
salt and pepper to taste

In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, beat together the almond butter, coconut aminos, agave, rice vinegar and Sriracha until the mixture is smooth. If too thick, loosen it a bit with water. In a large skillet or wok, heat the coconut oil (or another fat of your choice), then saute the shallots until translucent, add the ground chicken and cook until golden. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Pour in the almond butter mixture, and stir to combine with the meat. Add the shredded cabbage and slivered almonds, and cook for 30 seconds or until the cabbage wilts slightly, but does not soften completely.

Serve with additional Sriracha sauce.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Stir-fries using ground meat are not eye-candy, I admit it. But this concoction is so flavorful, I hope you’ll overcome its looks and give it a try. The picture above was from my third day in a row enjoying it for lunch with leftover roasted butternut squash. Instead of more Sriracha sauce I drizzled Gochujang all over it. Wonderful things happen when Sriracha meets Gochujang. Clearly, it’s a Batman and Robin thing.

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24Jul2016

RUTABAGAS ANNA

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Talk about life not being fair. This poor veggie falls quite short on looks, no way to sugar coat that pill. But to add insult to injury, someone decided to name it rutabaga. I mean, c’mon! “Go to sleep now, or the rutabaga will come and get you!” No wonder most people don’t even look at them at the grocery store. My friend Denise tells me that in England they are called swedes, a much more poetic name. I was intrigued, so a quick stroll through Wikipedia-Land brought the light at the end of the tunnel: the name has its roots in old Swedish. Rotabagge from rot (root) + bagge (short, stumpy object). so swede would be a natural choice to name these ugly ducklings. Call it swede, rutabaga, white turnip, or snadger (yeah, that too), this recipe is absolute perfection. I still cannot believe that two ingredients (sliced swedes and butter) plus a little seasoning could result in such a perfect side-dish. Pretty easy on the eyes too. So, get over their funky looks and unfortunate name. Bring them home, get slicing and cooking… Did I mention it is reasonably low-carb?

RUTABAGAS ANNA
(slightly modified from Ketogasm)

2 small rutabagas, thinly sliced
½ stick of butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice rutabaga thinly using a mandolin or knife. Reserve the sliced rutabaga in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme to melted butter and let it gently simmer for a couple of minutes.
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Pour the melted butter herb mixture over the sliced rutabaga. Ensure the slices are evenly coated by rubbing them all with the butter using your hands. Gloves work wonders here…

Arrange and layer the rutabaga slices, dividing among the muffin tins, larger slices at the bottom, overlapping smaller slices on top. Drizzle any remaining butter over your rutabaga little towers. Cover the muffin tin with foil.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil. Continue baking uncovered for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I found this recipe over at Ketogasm, a blog that is new to me. Being a huge fan of Potatoes Anna, but rarely indulging in it, I thought that this version with a lower-carb root veggie could be worth trying. We both loved it. The rutabaga gets very creamy, with the crusty edges offering a nice contrast, very similar to the authentic Anna. I don’t usually like to mess with classics, but there’s really nothing bad to say about this version. My only recommendation is to add more slices to the muffin tin than you think you’ll need. The little towers collapse a lot during baking. Next time I’ll start with three rutabagas and make 6 individual portions. We love our leftovers, and I am not finicky about warming up in the microwave for my lunch next day. If you’d like to serve these for company, do the first step of baking, covered, and reserve. Twenty minutes before serving, finish them uncovered. They keep warm for quite some time. You can add different spices, perhaps. Smoked paprika sounds great, maybe a little cumin for a Southwest flair. Great side dish, satisfying without being too heavy.

Note to self: Try alternating slices of rutabaga and sweet potatoes,
I bet it could look and taste wonderful too!

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28May2016

FAKEBBOULEH

Posted in Salads, Small Dishes, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

Meet the lighter sibling of tabbouleh. Made with riced cauliflower instead of cracked wheat, it is every bit as delicious, but won’t make you feel stuffed after going back for seconds. I don’t know about you, but I can never stop at one serving of tabbouleh. I always go back for another helping, or when dining at home just the two of us, I keep visiting the serving bowl with my own fork: a little mindless bit here, another there as we talk about life, the mysterious process of bacterial iron uptake, or which brand of shoes could prevent my ankle from saying nasty things to me during a longer run. You know, real important stuff.

CAULIFLOWER A LA TABBOULEH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil)
salt and pepper
2 cucumbers, seeded, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon dried mint)
1/3 cup parsley leaves, minced (or amount to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
zest and juice 1/2 lemon

Rice the cauliflower florets in a food processor, blender, or grating box. Heat the coconut oil (or other fat of your choice) on a large skillet, preferably non-stick. When the oil is hot, add the riced cauliflower, season lightly with salt and pepper, and move it around for a few minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a dish to cool. I like to use a baking dish to get the cauli-rice well spread.

Add the cucumber, tomatoes and parsley to a bowl. Don’t be skimpy on the amount of parsley, and mince it very well. If using fresh mint, add it to the bowl too.

Make a quick and simple dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, add salt and pepper, dried mint if using it.

Add the cooled cauliflower rice to the veggies, pour the dressing on top and mix gently. It gets better with a little time in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: There are several ways to cook riced cauliflower, each with a slightly different outcome. When I enjoy it as I would real rice, I prefer to bake it. For this type of recipe, I’ve tried three ways: baked, microwaved, and sautéed in oil. I favored the third option because the texture was perfect to mimic cracked wheat. Baked would be my second choice, the problem is that the grains of cauliflower shrink a lot more in the oven. You can of course use any method you like, just make sure it is all at room temperature when you mix the fakebbouleh. As to the parsley, next time I will add more to my version. I love it and like my tabbouleh – fake or authentic – to be pretty “herbal.”

Next day leftovers were all I had for lunch. I did squirt a little more lemon juice on top because I believe there is never too much lemon on this type of preparation. It freshens up everything. One last thought before I leave you… I usually add a lot less dressing to salads than most recipes call for, so if you try this recipe, keep that in mind and consider doubling the amount. A touch of Maldon salt flakes right before indulging is not mandatory, but quite pleasant for the taste buds.

dinner-2