how to soft-cook scrambled eggs

2 -3  large eggs at room temperature
Salt and pepper
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Crack eggs into medium bowl. (Note: to avoid shells falling into your eggs, tap the eggs on a flat surface rather than the edge of your bowl or sink. If a bit of shell does make it into the bowl, scoop it out with the edge of an egg shell – it’s more efficient than chasing it about with your fingers or a spoon).

2. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Whisk until the mixture is frothy and pale yellow, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Melt 1 T butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.

5. Pour in the beaten eggs and quickly start stirring in small concentric circles all around the pan with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, making sure to scrape up and incorporate eggs on the bottom and sides of pan.

6. Small curds will start to develop; keep stirring.

7. Once most of the egg mixture is set, drop in the remaining ½ tablespoon butter and turn off heat.

8. Keep stirring to incorporate the butter and serve.

Eat immediately. Serves one.

make-ahead breakfast: bacon, egg, and cheese “muffins”

Salty bacon, sharp cheddar, and light fluffy eggs all speckled with herbs and spices in a handy little cup. Now that’s my kind of a breakfast!

http://www.ournourishingroots.com/make-ahead-breakfast-bacon-egg-and-cheese-muffins/

samoa brownies

In the home of the Paleo Parents, overwhelming health successes have occurred since adopting a new diet and lifestyle. Matt and Stacy together lost over 200 pounds in a little over a year while their seasonal allergies, bouts of depression and digestive issues have disappeared. In their three young boys asthma, eczema, allergies, attention deficits and self-control issues have been solved. It is the authors’ sincere wish that this book will have a positive impact on your family’s health and well-being. Buy Eat Like a Dinosaur: Recipe & Guidebook for Gluten-free Kids [Paperback] here.

Oh-emm-gee these brownies look divine. And you’d expect nothing less from Paleo Parents, Stacey & Matt.

Visit their blog for the complete recipe: http://paleoparents.com/featured/samoa-brownies/

chocolate valentino, flourless chocolate cake

Flourless chocolate cake, spiced up with a hint of chili powder.   A silky, decadant texture…very moist and rich.  Heaven!!

Served with sweetened whipped cream, a simple raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries – a  classic and  perfect combination.

Chocolate has many associations – godliness, health-giving, mood altering, and addicting. Bless the ancient Mayans and Aztecs for developing the cocoa bean into the delicious luxurious chocolate drink that the Spanish explorers brought back to Spain. How the Spanish kept chocolate a secret for 100  years is a mystery that perhaps can only be explained by the lack of the internet!

Use your favorite chocolate – the finished cake will taste exactly like the chocolate you use. Be creative with your chocolate, if you like a sweeter cake use milk chocolate or a combination of the semisweet and milk chocolate. If you like bittersweet chocolate use that and add sweetness by mixing the semi sweet with bittersweet. If you are daring, try white chocolate. A higher cocoa percentage increases the bitterness of the chocolate.

Note: it is optional to use a heart shaped pan. For a real Valentino, bake it in a heart shaped pan or cut it out into a heart shape. You may use any shape pan that gives you an area of 50” – 6×8 or 7×7. An 8” spring form pan works with great results as do smaller pans or ramekins.

This recipe is adapted from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan.

Chocolate Valentino,  Flourless Chocolate Cake

Preparation Time:  20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1/4 tsp Vanilla extract

1/4 tsp chili powder

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks, chili powder and vanilla to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

 

Whipped Cream

1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract

Mix ingredients together and whip to a stiff peak.  Make sure not to over mix!!

Or if you prefer a dairy free whipped topping, see the ultimate guide to coconut cream frosting (dairy free, gluten free, paleo)

baked egg cups

“Food can bring people together like not much else can. Sitting around a table, sharing a meal breaks down barriers and walls- it crosses cultures, it tells a story…it nourishes and sustains us. I believe in the power of fresh, seasonal food with simple preparations- light, healthy and full of nutrition. Cooking healthy food that tastes good is what its all about. Its easy to throw a stick of butter in basically anything and make it taste good- but creating a balanced nutritious dish is so much more fulfilling!”

These little cups are the perfect pairing with any breakfast…they are SUPER easy to make, and packed full of healthy lean protein…one lovely little cup has only 100 calories and 17.6 grams of protein…not to mention lots of creamy, dreamy cheesy flavors.  So, whether it is Saturday morning brunch, or a quick grab-and-go Monday morning breakfast (you can throw one of these egg cups in a whole wheat english muffin for good food on the go) these egg cups are a definite winner in my book.

http://thesimpledelights.com/?p=246

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Teresa Cutter’s chocolate cupcakes

 

FEEL LIKE A LITTLE CHOCOLATE THERAPY ? Well here it is.
Delicious one bowl chocolate cupcakes that take a few minutes to make with just a few basic healthy ingredients. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that cocoa which comes in the form of cocoa powder and dark chocolate can improve heart health, lower blood pressure and reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. When choosing cocoa powder or chocolate to eat, make sure to choose the dark variety as it has a higher antioxidant content than milk chocolate. I’ve used almond meal in this recipe which makes these cupcakes deliciously moist with a lovely crumb and the macadamia nut oil adds a lovely sweetness and full of good heart healthy mono-unsturated fats. You can also use olive oil or almond oil in place of macadamia nut oil if you prefer. These cupcakes keep well for about 5 days and can be eaten warm or at room temperature. I love these topped with smashed berry sauce or topped with my home made chocolate and macadamia nut nutella.

http://www.thehealthychef.com/2012/02/flourless-chocolate-cupcakes/