waldorf chicken salad

Waldorf Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 to 2 1/2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast (I used the breasts of one rotisserie chicken)
1 cup celery, sliced (about 1 1/2 stalks and leaves)
1 cup apple, diced
2-3 scallions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together chicken, celery, apple, scallions, and walnuts. 
2. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice and stir until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Eat alone, add on top of a bed of lettuce, or sandwiched between two slices of bread. Refrigerate any leftovers.

grilled cheese egg-in-a-hole

Back in April (around National Grilled Cheese Day), I meant to post about my grilled cheese egg-in-hole, which clearly didn't happen. I got distracted.. For three months.

So here is the story. I could not decide between breakfast and lunch. Grilled cheeses are one of my favorite foods, because it is hard to mess up and so so satisfying. All you have to do is make sure the buttered bread is perfectly toasted and the oozy cheese covers the entire surface of the bread. Whenever I'm feeling a little breakfasty (definitely not a real word), a fried egg always hits the spot. So putting the two together just seemed to make the most sense. God, I love when I'm right. It was brunch perfection.

Grilled Cheese Egg-In-A-Hole
Yields one sandwich

INGREDIENTS
2 slices of bread
2-3 slices of cheese (I use cheddar)
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter (more or less depending on preference)
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat skillet on medium to medium high heat. Place 1 Tbsp butter into the pan with one slice of bread. 
2. Cut the slices of cheese into thirds and assemble around the slice of bread, making not cheesy square I the center of the bread. Cover with other slice of bread.
3. Cook until cheese is melty and bread is toasted to liking on the one side, about 2 minutes. 
4. Flip sandwich over and 1 Tbsp of butter to pan so the other side can get buttery and toasty. Cook for about 1 minute on this side. 
5. With a cookie cutter or small glass (with about 2 1/2-inch diameter), cut a circle in the center of the grilled cheese.
6. Crack the egg into the center of the hole. Add a little more butter before cracking the egg into the pan if not using a nonstick skillet or just want to be safe.
7. Cover and cook egg until set to liking.
8. Slide sandwich onto a plate. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat and enjoy!

roasted sweet potatoes with bacon and scallions

During the school year, I suck at being healthy. So, during the summer, I try to cleanse my body of all the crap food and nourish it with the good stuff. I've especially been attempting to be as Paleo as possible before my New York vacay in July. I was doing really well but, truthfully, I've FAILEOd a few times this week for social purposes. Oops.

Can you believe I only started eating sweet potatoes about a year ago when I did my first Whole30? Crazy right? White potatoes will always be better in my book but, if it's in the potato family, I'll work with it.  Lately, I've been addicted to this one sweet potato side dish. Since sweet potatoes are Paleo-friendly, I don't even feel guilty that I've already made it twice this week. SO good.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions

INGREDIENTS
2.5 lbs sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp bacon fat (or substitute with extra virgin olive oil)
5 slices cooked bacon, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook bacon. You can do this stovetop in a skillet or baked in the oven. Cook the bacon to desired texture (I like mine crispy!). Remove bacon from pan and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat. Also reserve additional bacon fat from skillet/pan to use. 
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Prepare sweet potatoes. Wash the skin of the sweet potatoes by scrubbing with water. Cut raw sweet potatoes into 1-inch rounds, and then into half or quarter pieces. 
4. Place sweet potatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, and black pepper into a large mixing bowl with 2 Tbsp of pourable bacon fat or extra virgin olive oil. (If the bacon fat has solidified, you can warm it up in the microwave to get back into liquid form.) Stir everything together until ingredients are well distributed onto sweet potatoes. I give the bowl a few tosses, too.
5. Place the seasoned sweet potatoes onto a foil-lined baking rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
6. Toss the warm sweet potatoes with 1 Tbsp warm bacon fat or olive oil, bacon, and scallions. 
7. Serve hot. 

Mayo-Free Chicken Salad

Well, hello! I am back from my hiatus. Maybe. Kind of. I'll get back to you on this. My last post was in June, which is absolutely horrifying. I'm sorry, I suck. My goal is to try to update as much as I can but, you know, life happens-- some bad but mostly a lot of good stuff within the past few months.

So, you should know that I slipped off Paleo (a lot) lately. I went to NYC for a week and a half in July and it was pretty much downhill from there. BUT, I'm definitely back on my grind and ready to share some new creations. I'm attempting a Whole60-- 2 months of super strict Paleo. My first Whole30 was a breeze, but I also had a lot more time then. Being a full-time student with 2 jobs, I know that this will be undoubtedly more challenging. Good thing I'm up for it and ready to kick butt.

Even though it's super late and I have an early day tomorrow, I need to get this recipe posted-- or else it's very likely it may never get done. And right about now, I'm thankful for that spontaneous 4-hour face-plant into my pillow earlier this evening.

Mayo-Free Chicken Salad
Yields 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups chicken breast, roughly diced (do yourself a favor and buy a big, fat, whole rotisserie chicken and dissect the hell out of it)
2 1/2 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced (at least 1/2 cup)
2 tsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 1/2 a lime)
1/4 tsp salt*
1/4 tsp ground black pepper*

*The rotisserie chicken I bought was already gushing with seasoned juices. The s+p I added was mostly to balance the avocado, lime, and onion. If the chicken you use is bland, you can add more seasonings accordingly based on your taste preference.

DIRECTIONS
1. Dump all ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. 
2. Gently toss everything together until all ingredients are incorporated well. I use a fork to toss so I can also mash a few of the avocado pieces. I prefer to keep most chicken and avocado pieces pretty chunky. I feel like it's better when you can still identify what you're eating.
3. Eat right away or store in an airtight container. 

I already prepared some of the chicken salad on top of a bed of broccoli slaw in a container for my lunch tomorrow. I may have also squeezed a little more lime juice on top of the whole shabang with a sprinkling of more cilantro. The extra lime juice will hopefully prevent the avocados from browning too much. And the cilantro just looked pretty. I eat with my eyes, obviously.

I can't wait for this chicken salad..salad. The more greens, the better. I've dolloped this chicken salad on spinach, romaine, arugula, kale.. that whole family (and extended family) of leafy greens. Though, I also enjoy the roughage of the broccoli slaw (very similar to cabbage). It adds a crunchier texture component and it also holds up well when you're putting it together the night before. FYI, not a fan of soggy greens.

I'll probably still be baking up some fat, fat, very fat treats (which I will of course try to share, as well). Let's face it, I can't stop. However, if you've ever considered eating Paleo, I encourage you to join me! You will be eating great, looking great, and feeling great. And isn't that what we all want?! Sleep on it.. as I will be resuming face-plant into pillow.

broccamoli

Broccoli, meet guacamole. You don't know it yet, but you will be great friends. So great that you two deserve your own fun moniker. Shall we call you broccamoli? Oh, we shall.

Broccamoli

INGREDIENTS
2 ripened avocados, diced
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped
1 tsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well to combine.
2. Serve with whatever you usually eat with guac.

And there you go. Broccamoli-- your not-so-traditional dip.

cheddar and chive buttermilk scones

Okay. Storytime. So, when people don't know what the hell to buy me for my birthday, Christmas, etc etc.. I almost always receive a cookbook. And since I spend all my free time in the kitchen, I can see why I'm just so easy to please. But out of all the cookbooks I've accumulated over the years, my sister seems to find me the best ones. She actually puts in a lot of time researching and reading reviews beforehand. It's thoughtful and--I'm almost positive-- a giant hint she wants me to make all that stuff for her.

One of the most recent cookbooks from my sister, Tartine, is a must-have.. at least for me. The recipes from this San Francisco based bakery are not only diverse but doable. And for those less interested in the actual recipes themselves, this gorgeous hardbound book would look sensational on a coffee table.

I've been dying to make scones, because I'm always interested in making something new. When I was strolling through Trader Joe's the other day, I intentionally picked up buttermilk, a block of sharp cheddar, and chives knowing I had to be on this mission.

Note: When attempting to make something for the first time, always have a good standby guide on hand. In this case, mine was the Tartine cookbook. Although their dessert buttermilk scone recipe wasn't quite what I had in mind, it's all about adapting... And I happen to adapt well.

Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from Tartine // Elizabeth M. Prueitt & Chad Robertson
Yields 12 scones

INGREDIENTS
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, very cold
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar + more for sprinkling
1/4 cup chopped chives

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Then add sugar and salt and stir with wooden spoon.
3. Cut cold butter into 1/2-in cubes and scatter over dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender to cut butter into dry ingredients until it's a coarse mixture with visible pea-sized lumps of butter.
4. Add buttermilk, cheddar and chives all at once to the mixture. Stir gently with the wooden spoon. Continue mixing until dough comes together-- add small amount of buttermilk at a time if the dough is too dry. 
5. Turn dough onto work surface lightly dusted with flour. Shape into a rectangle about 18 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 1 1/2 inches thick. 
6. With a sharp knife, cut into 12 triangles and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
7. Brush the tops of the triangles with melted butter (you will need about 2 Tbsp). Sprinkle extra shredded cheddar on top (optional).
8. Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve right away.

Crisp on the outside and SO fluffy, flaky, and tender on the inside. It really is everything a savory scone should be. The end.

soft pretzel bites with dipping sauce trio

I woke up this morning to learn that my dear Russell Westbrook has to undergo knee surgery. This was is very upsetting. I thought to myself: how am I going to bounce back from this? Hours and hours later, I'm still not sure. But to keep my mind off the fact that my favorite NBA player will not be continuing for the remainder of the playoffs, I went straight to the kitchen.

In my attempt to turn my Friday into a happy one, I decided that it was only appropriate to celebrate National Pretzel Day today. I was passing through one of my favorite blogs, and came across a soft pretzel bite recipe I just had to try. So, I did.. And also made a trio of dips to go with them. If you don't already have Two Peas & Their Pod on your Google Reader, Feedly, whatever.. get it on there immediately!

Soft Pretzel Bites
Recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod
Yields: Too many to count, about 5-6 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp (1 package) active dry yeast
6 Tbsp (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour (4 1/2 cups was perfect for me)
vegetable oil (I used canola)
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
coarse sea salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine warm water, light brown sugar, yeast, and butter into bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with dough hook, then allow to sit for about 5 minutes until yeast has bloomed.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Pour dry mixture to wet mixture and incorporate on low speed. Increase speed to medium for 3-4 minutes until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough appears wet, add 1 Tbsp of flour at a time. Remove dough from bowl and place on unfloured surface. Knead the dough into a ball with your hands.
3. Lightly grease a bowl with vegetable/canola oil. Place dough ball into greased bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to proof for about 1 hour in a warm spot. Dough should double in size before using.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Remove dough from bowl and place onto a flat surface. Divide the dough ball into 8 relatively equal pieces. The best way to do this is to cut it like a pie-- in half, then in quarters, then in eighths. Roll each piece into a long rope and cut into about 1-in pieces. It isn't important to be exact.
6. Boil the 3 quarts of water in a large pot. Once boiling, add baking soda. Please make sure you are using a large enough pot because water will vigorously boil and foam up once baking soda is added.
7. Add cut dough pieces to boiling water solution. Boil for about 30 seconds, and then remove with a large slotted spoon. Place all boiled pretzel bites onto a parchment lined baking sheet. You will have a lot of pretzel bites, so I needed to bake them all in 2 batches. 
8. On another parchment-lined baking sheet, place as many pretzel bites as you can without them touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Repeat this process with the remaining pretzel bites that could not fit on the 1st tray.
9. Allow baked pretzel bites to cool on a baking rack (or directly on the baking sheet is fine).
10. Serve with your favorite dips.

 

With all these pretzel bites, it's great to have dip choices..

Here's a trio that will hopefully satisfy your sweet, savory, or spicy cravings. Enjoy!

Ginger Honey Mustard Dip

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup whole grain dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients together and serve! Duh.

 

Sriracha Ketchup Dip

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp siracha

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients. If you prefer more spice, add more sriracha. But this was a good balance for me.

Nutella and Peanut Butter Dip

INGREDIENTS

Nutella 

Peanut Butter

DIRECTIONS

1. This is the easiest dip of all. Just scoop out some Nutella. Then, drizzle some peanut butter directly on top. I use natural peanut butter (where peanuts are the only ingredient), which tends to be a little more liquid-like, so it works well for this.

cheddar jalapeno bagels w/sun-dried tomato + herb cream cheese spread

I'm not sure what planet I've been on lately. Perhaps one where I'm too busy spending all my money and forgetting I have a blog to tend to or something. My bad.

But to make it up to you (by you I mean whatever loyal, occasional, or drive-by followers I may have), I will share this recipe. Bagels. Wait, let me rephrase that. Cheddar jalapeno bagels. Wait wait, there's more. Sun-dried tomato and herb cream cheese. Oh yes, this is next level Sunday Brunch. Whip up a mimosa with this and you're good to go. Okay, allow me to introduce you to a flavor explosion..

Cheddar Jalapeno Bagels
Yields 8 Bagels

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
2 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
1/4 cup room temp water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced jalapenos (I eliminated the ribs and seeds of the jalapeno to keep the bagel itself pretty mild)
1 egg, lightly beaten
topping: extra shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeno slices (for the slices I cut straight down into the ribs and seeds which will add a spicy kick to the top)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together bread flour and salt. Set aside.
2. In a liquid measuring cup with lukewarm water, dissolve sugar. Then add yeast. Do not stir. Allow yeast to bloom-- this will take about 5-7 minutes.
3. Once yeast has bloomed, make a well in the dry ingredient mixing bowl. Gradually add water and yeast mixture into the well. Use a fork to incorporate the dry with the wet. At this point, it will look kind of shaggy and super dry. 
4. Turn out the dough onto a flat surface. Begin kneading the dough. Add some of the reserved room temp water to help moisten the dough if necessary. I ended up using about 1/4 cup, but add more or less as needed. Knead for about 7-8 minutes until the dough is relatively smooth and elastic. If you punch your finger into it, the dough should spring back. At this point, slightly flatten the dough, add diced jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese to center. Fold the dough over and knead everything together for a couple more minutes until it looks like the jalapeno pieces and cheese are distributed well.
5. Dust out any leftover dry that may have stuck to the sides of your medium mixing bowl. Lightly grease that same bowl with olive oil. In order to avoid over-greasing, I pour just a little bit onto my fingertips, then spread into the bowl.
6. Place the dough back into the greased bowl and allow to rise for about 1 hour in a warm spot. It's ready when it looks like it has doubled in size.

7. Dust a little bread flour onto your flat surface. Flip the dough out of the bowl. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. The best way to do this is to cut it like a pie.

8. Shape each section into a round ball. Use your finger to make a hole in the middle. Then set aside onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow the shaped bagels to rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. 

9. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
10. In a large pot of boiling water, boil the bagels--about 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side. You can boil the bagels in batches depending on the size of your pot. I was able to fit about 3 or 4 at a time. Remove the bagels from the boiling water and set back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

11. Brush an egg wash (the light beaten egg) onto the tops/sides of all the bagels. Add extra shredded cheddar and sliced jalapenos to the tops (I might have also added a little Parmesan also because I was low on cheddar.)

12. Bake for 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Cream Cheese Spread

INGREDIENTS
8oz. regular cream cheese spread (full fat, low fat, whatever you deal with)
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp roughly chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp roughly chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes, drained

DIRECTIONS
1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together well with a spatula.
2. Once all the ingredients are evenly combined, use the spatula to transfer the cream cheese mixture to a nice dipping bowl. Or do as I do-- throw it all back into the cream cheese container. Top with extra chopped herbs and/or sun-dried tomato if you like.
3. Done! Put the lid back on the cream cheese container and refrigerate any leftover.

 I really need to start hosting Sunday Brunch..

.. because, seriously, this platter is so share-worthy.
I had brunch by myself but that's okay. It was still scrumptious. Totally hit the spot. Nom.

 

(p.s. do you see that melted cheddar in the middle?! ^^ YUM.)

pesto, prosciutto, roasted brussels sprouts, and sun-dried tomato pizza

Every time I walk through Trader Joe's, I pass by the pre-made pizza dough section. The pizza I like dream about has a crust that is crisp on the bottom but also chewy with just the right amount of bite. And let's face it, Paleo pizza crust-- most commonly made with almond flour, coconut flour, or cauliflower-- never quite measures up to that platform of gluten goodness.

Let it be known, for a well-made, well-balanced pizza, I will break all the Paleo rules. All I needed was a pizza that was worth the cheat-- a reliable recipe that I could over and over again trust to appease my pizza craving. And, for me, that all begins with the pizza dough. Alas, I've finally found the greatest pizza dough recipe that must be shared. In the past, I've made good pizza. But it wasn't until the other day that I realized I could make an incredible homemade pie.

Basic Pizza Dough
Recipe by Annie's Eats
Yield 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup water, at room temp.
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

It's been about 24 weeks since I started Paleo. I'm not consistently on a strict Paleo diet these days, but now I do try to make better food decisions. Everyone who begins Paleo has a reason and a specific goal in mind. My intention was not necessarily to lose weight (though, that seemed to happen naturally), but to challenge myself and to become more conscious of what I put into my body.

One of the biggest changes was realizing that I didn't need to top everything off with cheese. I literally used to have 5 different types of cheese stocked in my refrigerator at all times. There always seemed to be a cheese that made every meal just a tad bit better. But because I no longer have any cheese readily available in my fridge, I made a delightful pizza sans cheese. Give this topping combination a try.

Pesto, Prosciutto, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza
Yields 1 medium pizza

INGREDIENTS
1/2 of the Basic Pizza Dough Recipe
1/4 cup pesto (I just used my favorite store bought pesto to make things easier)
1 1/2 cups of roasted brussels sprouts (See how I roast my brussels sprouts here. Do not glaze.)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 to 4oz. prosciutto

*NOTES: These measurements are about what I used for my pizza. Use more or less depending on the diameter of your pizza crust.

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pizza dough. Follow the directions of Basic Pizza Dough Recipe.
2. Prepare roasted brussels sprouts. This can be done ahead of time or while the dough is rising.
3. Form pizza crust. Use only half of the Basic Pizza Dough Recipe and continue to shape and prepare as instructed.
4. Assemble. Spread pesto onto uncooked pizza crust in an even layer. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone and bake for 8 minutes at 500 degrees F. Remove pizza stone from oven, Scatter prosciutto, brussels sprouts, and sun dried tomatoes on top of the crust. Then, place back into the over for about 4 more minutes.
5. When the outer crust is golden, pizza is ready. Remove from oven, slide pizza onto cutting board. Slice and serve.

loaded sweet potato bites

It's a good thing I have no interest in football, or else I might be upset that my Bay Area team came up short. The Niners did not have a great Super Bowl Sunday, but I sure did. Big surprise, my favorite part about Super Bowl Sunday is making cute bite-sized foods.

Since making these, I've had this carton of sour cream chillin in my fridge. Even though it's not Paleo, I just hate wasting ingredients. After work on Saturday, I made a stop at Trader Joe's. I knew I wanted to make little loaded sweet potato bites. It was a little disappointing to come home realizing I did not have the green onion I thought I had. Worst feeling in the world as I scoured every drawer and shelf of the refrigerator. Oh well, I made it work. Try these out. They are delish!

Loaded Sweet Potato Bites

INGREDIENTS

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp chili powder

toppings (optional): 

3 slices crispy bacon, chopped

parsley, chopped (can also use green onion or chives)

sour cream

shredded cheese

whatever you put on your loaded baked potato!

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Thoroughly wash sweet potatoes and dry with a paper towel. Cut off and throw away the ends. Then, slice sweet potatoes into about 1/4" thick pieces.

3. Place sweet potatoes in a medium bowl along with all the other ingredients (except toppings). Mix everything together well with a spoon or your hands-- whatever works for you. Make sure all sweet potato slices are coated well with olive oil and seasoning.

4. In an even layer, spread sweet potatoes out onto the lined baking sheet.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then, flip all potato slices over. Place back into the oven for about 12 more minutes or until they develop a nice golden "crust" color.

6. Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly first before adding toppings (don't want your sour cream to melt!). Top with whatever you like! If you want to add cheese, I would sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheddar or parmesan on top and pop back into the oven to melt before adding other toppings.

To make this recipe Paleo, you would just omit sour cream as a topping option. Honestly, they would still taste good. I just happened to have sour cream I needed to use, and it also helps all the other toppings to stay on top of the sweet potato. My compromise for using the sour cream was not adding any cheese. Although, I do not recommend skipping out on the crispy bacon. Crispy bacon with the seasoned sweet potato is heavenly. But that's just my personal fatty opinion. I believe everything tastes better with bacon.

egg roll up

I eat eggs almost every morning. In order to keep myself from getting bored of the same looking breakfast, I try to come up with new ways to eat my eggs. This morning I made egg roll ups. They look just like a breakfast burrito or wrap minus the heavy flour/corn vessel. Instead, the egg acts as the "wrap" (and, might I add, holds up well). I like to stuff mine with veggies and bacon for breakfast. But you can use this technique for any type of sandwich wrap, too.

 

Egg Roll Up
Yields about 2

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 small zucchini, cut into lengthwise strips (thinner is better)
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 avocado, sliced
4 strips of bacon, cooked
salt and pepper
olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare veggies. On medium high heat, saute red bell pepper in a skillet until tender. Simultaneously, lightly dress zucchini strips with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place a grill pan on the stovetop and preheat to medium heat. Then, grill the zucchini strips. If they are thin, it will only be a couple minutes on each side. I love the grill marks and it also gives the zucchini great flavor. Set aside zucchini and red bell pepper with bacon and avocado.
2. Prepare egg wrap. In a large, liquid measuring cup, beat eggs. This makes for easy pouring. Then, in a preheated skillet with a little olive oil, pour just enough of the eggs to coat the bottom. (Add more egg for a thicker wrap, but I prefer mine to be on the thinner side) Swirl around for an even layer. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, then flip the egg over to cook other side.
3. Assemble. Set your egg wrap on a flat surface. On top of the egg wrap, layer with the bacon and veggies. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top if you like. Then, tuck everything in and roll it up!

 

These egg roll ups are a fun way to shake up your breakfast, while using the same simple ingredients you might see in an omelet or scramble. Especially when I'm eating Paleo, it's also a nice alternative to lettuce wraps. These are substantial but will also keep you feeling lighter and less guilty as you continue your day!

salmon and veggie cakes

Happy NBA Sunday! So far, I've spent my morning watching NBA on ABC and I don't see that changing anytime soon since Thunder/Lakers are up next.

During halftime of this Heat/Celtics game, I cooked up some salmon cakes. Salmon cakes are by far the best breakfast/brunch if you have leftover salmon in the fridge. I made a batch a couple weeks ago on a whim. I loved how they turned out, so I decided to make them again. They also happen to be gluten-free and Paleo!

Salmon and Veggie Cakes
Yields about 11

INGREDIENTS 
1 cup salmon, cooked and shredded (gently break up with hands)
1/3 cup onion, finely diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1/3 cup broccoli, finely chopped
1 large egg
3/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp parsley, chopped
pinch of salt and pepper
olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. On the stove, heat a skillet/saute pan on medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When the pan is hot, add onion, red bell pepper, and broccoli. Saute until veggies are all tender. This should only take a few minutes since the veggies are finely diced. Remove from heat and allow veggies to cool.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add salmon, 1 egg, cooled veggies, parsley, salt and pepper. Use a fork to combine together well.
3. Then, add almond flour to mixture. Gently incorporate. The mixture should look sticky but not wet. If the mixture looks too wet, add a little more almond flour.
4. To the same skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil and heat to medium/ medium high.
5. Place about 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp portions of the salmon and veggie mixture to the hot skillet. Press down slightly on each dollop to flatten for even cooking.
6. These cook quickly. With a spatula, flip each cake over once it is golden brown on the bottom. Cook for a couple more minutes on the other side.
7. Turn off the stove, and serve right away while they are still warm!

These aren't baked but they are definitely good! I'm letting my oven rest because I will be baking up a whole lot of sweetness tonight..