I made this for lunch on Day 4 of the Paleo Challenge 2012. Oh. My. Hell. It is good. I made several changes to the recipe to make it Paleo, but you can check out the original version over at Tasty Kitchen here. I haven't blogged or updated recipes for a while. It feels good. I missed it. Life gets so busy before you realize it you forget about the things you love doing. So, I'm back. I'm taking the paleo challenge as more of a life challenge. So, I'm trying to streamline Max's bedtime, keep the house clean, cook meals every night and start working out again. whew. That is a lot to do.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion, and Gorgonzola Quiche

3 whole Onions

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided

1 whole Sweet Potato

Gorgonzola Cheese

6 whole Eggs

2 cups coconutMilk

½ teaspoons Pepper

¼ teaspoons Nutmeg

To caramelize onions, slice onions into an even 1/4″ slice and heat a medium pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat. Start cooking onions, stirring occasionally. After onions have cooked for 15-20 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to let cook, letting more time go by before you stir the onions (I go for about 15-20 minute increments.) Continue to cook and stir onions until golden, soft, and cooked down – usually 60-75 minutes. Then remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare sweet potatoes, peel and cut into 1/4″ slices. Toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and place on a covered baking tray. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and begin to brown. The onions, and sweet potatoes can be done all at the same time.

Preheat oven to 375˚F when you are ready to assemble and bake the quiche.

Once the three elements are ready, layer the sweet potatoes into the bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese on top. Finally, whisk eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Pour the egg mixture over the filling ingredients.

If you don’t want to bake it now, it is at this point that you can cover the quiche, place in the refrigerator, and let sit for up to day before baking.

To bake, carefully transfer quiche to the oven on a baking tray. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the filling domes up and barely jiggles. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Paleo Latkes

These are a fall staple for breakfast in our house. We love squash and it's not only comforting but also super easy to whip up a batch in the morning or evening. You can make them sweet or savory and they store well in the fridge. I usually make a big batch and cook them up on my griddle and store them layered with parchment paper between layers in the fridge for a few days (as if they last that long).

Latkes

4c butternut squash, shredded (food processor or shredder)
3 eggs, whisked
1 small onion (optional - I add for a more savory approach)
EVOO

Optional Toppings:
blackberry preserves
unsweetened applesauce
greek yogurt

In a large bowl make batter by mixing together squash, eggs (and onion if using)
Use your hands to form batter into 3 inch patties
In a large skillet, heat oil (I typically use EVOO but have used Grapeseed in the past with success)
Fry patties on each side over medium heat until golden brown and crispy

Top with your favorite topping or enjoy plain.

Cinnamon Rolls - Not AT ALL good for you

I love Ree Drummond. I want to be her and live on her ranch and cook all the time. Everything except for the five kids; that's a lot of work! Anyway, I made her cinnamon rolls for a food day at work. They were amazing, delicious and life changing. They are not good for you. Not at all. But they are oh so good .. try these. Just note the recipe makes 7 or 8 (mine made 8 - a total of 56 rolls) round baking dishes of cinnamon rolls. Not that that is a bad thing. Also make sure your read her instructions on her site, they are good and fun. Just click on the words "Cinnamon Rolls" below. Oh, and if you feel if-y about the coffee , don't be. I hate coffee but added it anyway and it was delish. I asked people at work and they said it's great!

Cinnamon Rolls

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions
Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Paleo Pancakes

Eek! Sorry for the posting hiatus! I drove to New York for a late Easter with the fam and then got sick! But, I'm back and so are the recipes!!

Breakfast it by far my most favorite meal of the day. Historically, pancakes are my favorite thing, specifically banana-walnut pancakes. So I miss them! These pancakes are a delicious alternative to regular pancakes. You can even add your favorite ingredients to them if you want! Make a big batch and store them in the fridge, heat them up for 25-30 seconds for a super quick breakfast treat!

Paleo Pancakes (thanks for the recipe Elana's Pantry!)

2 eggs
¼ cup agave nectar**
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
grapeseed oil for sautéing

In a blender, combine eggs, agave and vanilla and blend on high until smooth
Add almond flour, salt and baking soda and blend again to incorporate dry ingredients into batter
Let batter sit for 15-20 minutes to thicken up
Warm grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Ladle pancake batter onto skillet - make silver dollar size
Pancakes will form little bubbles, when bubbles open, flip pancakes over and cook other side
Remove from heat to a plate
Repeat process with remaining batter, adding more oil to skillet as needed

**In an effort to reduce my sugar I halved the amount of agave.

Butternut Squash Latke

This creates a well rounded and satisfying breakfast!

Latkes

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and grated
1 small onion, peeled and grated (**I've had with and without onions, both are good, but I prefer without)
3 eggs, whisked
grapeseed oil, for frying(**I use olive oil)

-In a large bowl make latke batter by mixing together squash, onion and eggs
-Use your hands to form batter into 3 inch patties
I-n a large skillet, heat oil
-Fry patties on each side over medium heat until golden brown and crispy
-Remove latkes from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil
-Repeat Steps 2-4 until batter is used up
-Serve with applesauce, sour cream or yogurt

Savory Vegetable Quiche - Paleo!

The crust smells amazing when it's baking and the whole thing is amazing!!! YUM!!

Savory Vegetable Quiche

Crust:
1 & 1/2 c blanched almond flour
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 T minced scallions (white and green parts)
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1 T water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and scallions. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil and water. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Press dough into a pie pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

Quiche:

2 T grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 c mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 c finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry packed)
3 large eggs, whisked
4 oz goat cheese (** I omitted this ingredient to make it paleo)
1/2 t sea salt
1 savory pie crust

Preheat oven to 350

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion for 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent. While the onion is sauteing, steam the broccoli until it is bright green. Add the steamed broccoli, garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes and saute for 15-20 minutes, until the broccoli softens. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese (** if using), and salt. Stir in the sauteed vegetables, then pour the mixture into the crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until browned around the edges and cooked through. Let the quiche cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then serve.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Blueberry Banana Muffins:

3 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 t sea salt
1 & 1/2 t baking soda
2 T grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
2 c (4-5) mashed very ripe bananas
1 c frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

in a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir the bananas into the batter, then fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 30 min, then serve.

My new favorite breakfast

Zoned Crustless Quiche Breakfast

2 whole eggs (2 blocks protein)
4 egg whites (2 blocks protein)
(OR substitute 1 cup egg substitute for egg whites and whole egg)

2 oz skim mozzarella (2 blocks protein)
1 1/2 cups chopped portabella or button mushrooms (1/2 carb)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1/2 carb)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen spinach (thawed and drained) (1/2 carb)
3/4 cup chopped tomato (1/2 block carb)
(OR use other vegetables equaling 2 blocks carb)

6 macadamia nuts, crushed (6 blocks fat)
Basil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste
2 apples, sprinkled with cinnamon (4 blocks carb)

Directions:

Use nonstick mini bread loaf pans or coat each with a little vegetable spray. (I made it in a casserole dish and just divided it in 2)

Layer vegetables in two mini bread loaf pans. Layer half the cheese on top of each loaf.

Beat eggs and add seasonings. Pour one-half of the eggs over each pan and sprinkle with macadamia nuts.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown on top.

Makes two mini quiches, each with 3 blocks protein, 3 blocks fat and 1 block carbohydrate.

Remark: Serve two, 3-blocks meals.
Eat one with an apple and cinnamon for a 3 block complete breakfast. (also an ovo-lacto vegetarian meal).

Blueberry Pancakes

Inspired by my recent stay at the Captain's Inn B&B in Moss Landing, Ca, I found this recipe for Zone appropriate pancakes! The innkeeper made these amazing high protein blueberry custard pancakes! I hope these are close!

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

1. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk ricotta, egg, egg white, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
2. Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Using a generous 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour the batter for 2 pancakes into the pan, sprinkle blueberries on each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter and berries, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Serve these light pancakes with our Chunky Blueberry Sauce, maple syrup or honey. Sprinkling the berries on top of the cooking pancakes ensures even distribution. Keep finished pancakes warm in a 200°F oven, if desired, while cooking the rest.

Makes 4 servings, 2 pancakes each

238 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrate; 12 g protein; 3 g fiber; 334 mg sodium; 128 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (24% daily value), Calcium (16% dv).

Zone-ing? This recipe contains almost 3 full blocks of fat, just shy of 2 blocks of protein, and 3 blocks of carbs. To make it a perfect 3 block meal, add 1 oz of turkey sausage on the side for your protein, and an almond.

Zoned Baked Oatmeal

This is my new favorite oatmeal breakfast! Even the official taste-tester who loves his bacon and eggs in the morning loves this one! I like to do a mix of strawberries and blueberries and add just a few chopped up nuts. I make it the night before for a quick on the go breakfast, but I imagine (though I haven't tried it) that it is amazing straight from the oven!! If you like cinnamon, I'd add more!

Baked Oatmeal - Makes 4 -3 Block Portions
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. sea salt
½ cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups egg substitute
1 cup milk
4 scoops Protein Powder (28g protein per scoop)
½ cup blueberries or 1 cup strawberries - diced (I used 1/4 c bluberries and 1/2 c strawberries)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl except fruit. Add milk, fold in strawberries or blueberries. Lightly spray a 9x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place mixture into pan. Bake around 30 minutes. I test the center with a toothpick.

Spinach and Cheese Quiche

This is an interesting take on traditional quiche. It's a lightened up version that you won't feel guilty about eating, even though you won't be able to taste that it's a lightened version!!!

YUM!! This was so good that I had to fight with Rich for the left-overs and I don't like to eat left-overs!!!

1 (12 oz) can evaporated fat-free milk
1/3 c low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (or extra-sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, aged or sharp provolone, percorino)
2 large eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
1 pie crust, baked and cooled (I just bought the ready-made kind at the store)
1 (10 oz) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, cottage cheese, parmesan, eggs, egg whites, salt, and pepper.

Place the pie plate on a baking pan; spread the spinach over the pie crust, then pour the filling over the spinach. Bake 15 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake until the filling is set, 20 minutes longer. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

**Hint: Make sure your pie crust covers the pie otherwise, the filling will overflow under the crust and the crust will be soggy.

Makes 12 servings

Easy (and Yummy) Breakfast Casserole

This is such an easy recipe to make. I often make it for work and it's so easy to put together the morning of, or prepare and bake the night before and simply reheat. Either way, it's delicious! I believe I'll be serving this for my Christmas morning brunch! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 packages (12 oz each) bulk pork sausage
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 cup Bisquick (or store brand baking mix) mix
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease rectangular baking dish. Cook sausage, bell pepper and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir together sausage mixture, potatoes and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese in baking dish.
2. Stir Bisquick mix, milk, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour into baking dish.
3. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or just until cheese is melted

Breakfast!

I love breakfast, it is by far my favorite meal of the day. I even like to eat it as dinner! Fall is upon us and since pumpkins are in season, the more I can cook with pumpkin, the happier I am! So, on the menu: Pumpkin Pancakes, Breakfast Potatoes and Sausage (just plain ole patties, nothing special)!

This recipe came from who else other than Martha Stewart (October 2004)
Pumpkin Pancakes:

1 & 1/4 c flour
2 T Sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
pinch of cloves

Wisk above ingredients together

In a separate bowl, stir together:

1 c milk
6 T canned pumpkin puree
2 T melted butter
1 egg

Fold mixture into dry into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet (or use a griddle) over medium heat; pour in 1/4 c batter for each panake. Cook pancake about 3 minutes per side. Serve w/ butter and syrup.


Breakfast Potatoes:

3-4 potatoes (you could use "regular" or red)
1 onion
Cajun Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning)
Olive oil

-Microwave potatoes about 8 minutes until a fork pierces through potato. Cut into cubes.
-Chop onion.

Heat a skillet with olive oil (ok, a total Rachael Ray comment here) I just did a couple swirls around the skillet and added more as needed throughout cooking. Add onion to warmed skillet/oil. Saute onions for about 2 mintues. Add potatoes and cajun seasoning, I just did about 2 tsp or a little less of the seasoning. Season to your liking! Saute potatoes & onion together until potatoes are a nice brown color it takes about 8-10 minutes. Make sure you watch them so they don't burn. I added a little more oil about half way through so they would brown better. Serve immediately (they can lose heat fast)!

Sausage:

Not much explanation needed here. Buy sausage, either already in patty form, or form into patties. Cook until finished. I like to use the George Foreman to get rid of a lot of grease!

Enjoy this hearty, comfort food breakfast!

Apple Cinnamon French Toast

I you have never tried Kings Hawaiian bread for your french toast, you are truly missing out. This bread makes fabulous french toast because it is already sweet! I have made 2 recipes for french toast using this bread and both are amazing. I really like the french toast bakes vs. traditional french toast b/c there are more options with the bake and it's a lot easier that dipping and flipping! Plus, this is a perfect fall treat because of the apples!

This recipe come directly from the Kings Hawaiian Website:
http://www.kingshawaiian.com/recipes/ft/appcinn.htm

1/2 loaf Kings Hawaiian Sweet Bread (16 oz) cut into 1-inch pieces
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 & 1/2 c milk
1/2 c sugar, divided
2 t cinnamon
1 lg apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 T butter/margarine



Makes 8 Servings

Blueberry French Toast Bake

I made this for an office "food day". It went over very well and is super yummy! Try with blackberry or blueberry syrup!
You can make it the night before and throw it in the oven as you are getting dressed! So easy!

Seriously.. this recipe has 3 of my favorite things: breakfast, blueberries, and french toast.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
10 slices French bread, 1 inch thick, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but I think pecans would have been better!)
Powdered sugar, if desired
Blueberry or maple syrup, if desired


1. Generously grease 2 1/2-quart casserole or rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Beat flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in large bowl with hand beater until smooth. Stir in bread cubes until coated.
2. Pour bread mixture into casserole. Top evenly with cream cheese, blueberries and nuts. (make sure you spread the cream cheese out - don't leave it in the cubes!) Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Heat oven to 400°F. Uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup.

Spicy Pumpkin Pancakes & Maple Pecan Syrup

Perhaps the most versatile food.. the pancake. French toast always used to be my favorite, but the ever versatile pancake has stolen my heart! Below is a great recipe for all you pumpkin lovers. A great fall treat or whenever the mood may hit!

Pancake:
2 & 1/3 c Bisquick mix (or generic alternative)
1/3 c. canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix)
1 & 1/4 c milk
1/4 c oil
2 T sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
2 eggs

-mix all ingredients together until blended.
-pour batter by about 1/4 c onto a hot griddle.
-cook until edges are dry and flip.
-Serve with syrup (recipe follow below)

Maple-Pecan Syrup:
1 c maple flavored syrup
1 T butter/margarine
1/4 c chopped pecans ( I used walnuts)

Heat syrup and butter until butter is melted. remove from heat stir in nuts

Blueberry Pancakes! Yum.

Today, 8/6/05 is Rich and my one year wedding anniversary. I thought to celebrate by making a breakfast. Actually, it turned into a brunch deal because I had to pay some bills and play on the internet a bit first. But, when I got down to business, it was all good.

I love pancakes. French toast was my favorite breakfast treat, but there is so much more you can do with a pancake, in my opinion. Blueberry pancakes are a fantastic example. Of course, the most important ingredient, blueberries, should be fresh. Make sure you pick thru them and discard any that are smooshed or icky.. yes, icky.. technical cooking terms here. Next, if you don't have one, buy an electric griddle. I swear it is the best thing ever!! I love it! You can make most of your pancakes at once so you, the cook, can actually eat with your family/taste-testers/whomever rather than flipping flap jacks while they eat! Anyway.. here is my recipe for....

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES:
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teasooon salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup fresh (or frozen thawed blueberries) rinsed

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; set aside.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl; add milk and melted butter. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients; mix until batter is smooth and stir in blueberries.
Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake on hot lightly greased griddle.


~It's a lot of steps, but well worth the effort~

From taste-tester Rich:
"um, some of the best homeade blueberry pancakes I've had, but could have been sweeter, and maybe with some blueberry syrup, you know.. to enhance the blueberryness"

I'm not sure blueberryness is a word, but I'll go with it.. sweeter..we can do that.