Steak & Eggs

Looks like I've got a breakfast theme going on this week, eh?  No, I'm not Canadian but sometimes I feel like a well placed 'eh' adds a little life to the end of a sentence, while you're stating the obvious. 

 One thing I like to do is buy a little extra of whatever protein I'm preparing for dinner, and then use it in the following days breakfast.  It's an easy way to squeeze a little extra money and life out of your purchase.  I was making beef carpaccio and used the leftovers to cook steak and eggs for breakfast.  

Not the most glamorous of dishes, but effective.  I had some leftover chateaubriand (a cut of the tenderloin) that I thinly sliced and cooked in a pan with some onions, salt, and pepper.  Scramble up some eggs and you've got a very hearty breakfast in no time. 

Poached Eggs with Lemon & Basil Veal

It's rumored that there are 100 ways to cook an egg, and the folds in a chef's hat let you know how many he/she has become proficient in.  No idea about the hat, but there are a vast array of preparations for an egg, so if you're sick of scrambled, humdrum hardboiled, or over over-easy, here's one more way to get that ooey gooey yolk all over your plate.

Frittata of the Week

I don't need to tell anyone the benefits of eating a good paleo, protein filled breakfast.  Even your mom knew it was most important meal of the day.  But then Monday morning arrives in a harried fury and you find yourself 15 minutes late before your alarm has even gone off.  In a post-shower mad rush with your wet hair, maybe in a panic you grab a banana, and tell yourself this is the last week you'll start unprepared. Out the door you go, inevitably forgetting something.

Eating paleo isn't hard if you're prepared, which is sometimes easier said than done, but with this easy recipe, you'll have breakfast every morning of the week with only a few extra minutes of work. 

Frittata of the Week: Chicken Jalapeno Sausage and Red Onion

I got my sausage from a specialty market meat counter, it's a great way to get fresh sausage, and you can talk to the butcher about what ingredients it may have, as well as the flavors.

Brown sausage (about 1 lb, removed from casing) and 1 chopped red onion on a pan.  Spray baking dish with olive oil/canola oil spray, and dump in onion/sausage mixture.  Beat eggs - for this size dish I used 10 eggs, which feeds the husband for 5 days - with a pinch if salt and a couple tbs of water.  Dump in the baking dish and grind some pepper on top.

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, or until the middle has set.  Garnish with fresh chopped chives.  Keep it covered in the fridge and cut yourself a square every morning - it's delicious hot or cold.

Paleo Breadcrumbs

When I was growing up my parents owned a restaurant, so we'd eat there most nights (great food and a chance to see Dad!), but when we did eat at home, my mom would make a dish that has become my ultimate I'm-homesick-want-comfort-food.  She would pan fry sole (or tilapia, or snapper), and sometimes I totally crave it.  She'd use bread crumbs, but this is substitute that even the most discerning palates can't tell the difference.  It's a very flavorful way to cook mild fish, all you need is a lemon wedge to complete the meal.

Paleo Breading (can be used for fish, chicken or pork)

1 c almond meal

1/2 c flaxseeds (pulse in a food processor)

1 tbs sea salt

1 tbs fresh cracked pepper

1 tbs fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 tsp red pepper

Dredge fish in egg then coat both sides with breading, fry in a large saucepan in 2-3 tbs olive oil (1/2 tbs ghee can be added for flavor).  

Sustainable Seafood & Traditional Ceviche

I live steps from the ocean and sometimes forget what an amazing, dynamic, GIGANTIC, living ecosystem it is.  It's the last frontier, as unexplored in some deep trenches as space, and home to millions of life forms with limitless potential.  Coastal living can afford you many options for a diet that comes from the sea, and eating fish is healthy, right?  For the most part it is, but there are other factors that make some fish less desirable.  Just like a little pebble makes a ripple in the water that spreads to far reaching parts, the fishing practices in other regions can eventually affect you as well.  For instance, farmed salmon not only has things like added color, but it's populations spread diseases to wild species and depletes other populations of fish it needs to feed on. 

From the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch site: "The oceans supply us with food, help regulate our climate, and supply a livelihood for millions of people. Just as important, we depend on the oceans for recreation and renewal. But our seas are not the infinite bounty they appear to be. Today, no part of the oceans remain unaffected by human activities. And among the many factors influencing our ocean ecosystems, none has a greater impact than fishing."

They have a great pocket guide you can download, or an app for your iPhone that allows you to check out what you're about to eat/purchase and it's impact on the world around you.  By making a little effort to make a choice for the environment, we can all enjoy a healthy diet of the ocean's bounty for generations. 

As I'm making a massive amount of ceviche for my in-laws the evening, it made me realize that while I'm trying to make my mark on the world with my food, I need to tread lightly.

Traditional Peruvian Ceviche

This dish can be made with a number of types of fish, but snapper is fairly common.  Be sure to choose snapper/rockfish that comes from British Columbia or Alaska that has been hook-and-line caught.  Trawling practices have been known to damage the seafloor and catch other fish that are then discarded (called bycatch)

Slice the snapper filets into smaller portions, marinate with citrus (lemon, lime, orange) in a glass
 bowl, add a little salt, cover and refrigerate for 3+ hours.  Fish will become opaque as the acid in the citrus "cooks" the fish. Serve with thinly sliced red onions and chopped cilantro.

Beet and Fennel Soup

"I loooooove amuse-bouche!" These are the first words I heard from my sister as I pulled out all my little porcelain spoons prepping for a party.  Amuse-bouche, which is simply just a quick one-bite palate teaser, (usually chef's selection and not officially 'ordered' off a menu), is a nice and sophisticated way to serve up your latest creation.  Because seriously, when you're trying to impress dinner guests, offering them an amuse-bouche is way classier than a mouth amuser! It's amazing what some cheap spoons can do for your plating abilities. 

You can really do anything, but I wanted to do a cold soup, so I decided to a beet and fennel soup with a tiny dollop of greek yogurt (the recipe is paleo without the yogurt garnish).  It's a fantastic color, a combo of earthy and anise flavors, and good for your belly too. 

Saute beets, fennel bulb, onion and fenugreek seeds with some chicken stock until soft.  Pulse in a food processor -adding chicken stock as needed - until you get the desired consistency.  It's delicious warm or cold.

Salt

A post about salt you ask?  How much can you actually say about one spice?  Well my friends, it can get prolific when you're talking about tiny grains that change your entire outlook on food. I used to never think much about salt, but once you've had really good finishing salt - I'm not talking what's in the shaker at Denny's - sprinkled lightly on fresh tomatoes, you'll feel like you've been sleeping until that very first bite.

My current go-to salt for a dish like this is Fleur de Sel, French sea salt.  There are so many salts with just as many flavors, some are smoky, some nutty, some briny, and all add a slightly different dimension to your food.  Start experimenting, and you'll find that the tiniest bit of quality salt can go along way in making a simple dish something divine.