Green Egg Muffins/Casserole

Rem and I both eat eggs pretty much every day.  We love eggs all ways- scrambled, in a hash, over medium, hardboiled... and as egg muffins or casseroles.  Our 14 month old is also an egg fan!  He has been EATING UP these green egg muffins this week, which makes me really happy because they are full of nutritious protein and veggies that his little body needs!  

Green Egg Muffins

5 chicken sausage links (I used spinach feta chicken sausage)

2 c sliced mushrooms

2 c broccoli, small pieces

12 eggs, cracked into blender along with a large handful of spinach, a splash of milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Line 24 muffins cups with paper liners (I like "If You Care" large baking cups).  Divide mushroom slices and broccoli pieces (roughly) evenly into muffin cups.  Slice sausage (I use kitchen scissors to do this) and split among the muffin cups (I put 3 slices in each).  Blend eggs in a blender with spinach, milk, and salt, pepper, and garlic powder,  Pour into muffin cups, filling each almost to the top of the cup.  This takes a little patience.  Just remember, perfection is not required.  Bake at 375 degrees 30-35 minutes.  They're done when the eggs are no longer runny on top and don't jiggle.  Store in the fridge and eat cold or reheat!

You could also make this in a 13x9 pan as a casserole.  Grease the pan with olive oil, coconut oil, or butter first, then layer the broccoli, mushrooms, and sausage in the pan.  Then pour the eggs in. *I like to use 18 eggs if I'm making a casserole so the egg covers all of the goodies inside,  Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  The time can vary a lot so just keep an eye on it- when you no longer see runny egg on top and the middle of the casserole doesn't jiggle, it's done.   

You can make so many delicious variations of these.  I love using broccoli because it gives some bulk to the muffins, but broccoli + roasted peppers + chunks of cooked sweet potato + crumbled sausage is AWESOME.  Another good combo is peppers + onions + bacon + cheddar cheese.  So many possibilities...

Just because, I wanted to share some other solid recipes I made recently- all keepers. Thanks to all of the great bloggers out there with such yummy recipes! 

Cashew Beef Stir Fry- delicious served with spaghetti squash for a lower carb/paleo meal

Asian Style Meatballs (*Breck approved!)- I used about 2 T fish sauce, ground pork, and my usual ginger paste and freeze dried garlic.

DAMY Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Fudge- I used vanilla SFH  protein powder, maple syrup, no stevia, and creamy natural peanut butter.  I used a small cookie scoop to scoop the mixture into roughly 20 mini muffin liners that I arranged on a cookie sheet and then froze the fudge.  No need for cutting later!

Flourless Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins- I used regular sized chocolate chips and doubled the amount (I love chocolate chips...).  It made 11 muffins for me.  

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Tomato Soup (*Breck approved!)- Ok I didn't make this one, my sister did!  She is awesome and brought me some to try.  I loved it and am making it this weekend!

Party Foods! Featuring Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins, Bacon Burger Meatballs with Paleo "Big Mac Sauce" and Homemade Garlic Mayo

I just had a doTerra party today and of course wanted to have an adequate supply of snacks and treats to serve my friends and family!  I made some tried and true favorites but also tested out some new ideas and recipes I found around the web.  I figured since a lot of people might be having SUPERBOWL parties next weekend, posting some party food recipes would be very timely!  
On the menu today was:

Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins (see below)
Bacon Burger Meatballs with Paleo "Big Mac Sauce" (see below)
Veggies with Homemade Garlic Mayo (see below)
Homemade Guacamole with Trader Joe's plantain chips
Sweet Potato Almond Butter Fries
Knock-off Rolos *I doubled the recipe and altered it slightly, adding a little more peanut butter
Baklava Balls

I hope this list is helpful, especially for those of you who came to the party and wanted the recipes. :)

Without further ado....

Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins

Adapted from Balanced Bites
Makes 48 mini muffins or 24 regular size muffins

My mom got me this awesome 48 cup mini muffin pan that I am using a lot lately to make egg muffins!  This version is a great breakfast or appetizer recipe!

2.5 lb chicken breasts (or thighs), baked with salt, papper and garlic powder
1/4 c Frank's Red Hot
2 T grassfed butter
4-5 green onions, chopped
12 eggs
garlic powder (about 1 tsp)
pepper
1/4 c Frank's Red Hot

Immediately after chicken is done baking (I cooked frozen breasts on a foil lined baking sheet at 375 degrees for 35 minutes), immediately shred with forks or your hands.  I also used some kitchen scissors to further chop the chicken up so it would fit well into mini muffin cups.  Mix together 1/4 c Frank's Red Hot and 2 T grassfed butter.  Pour over the chicken and refrigerate overnight to "marinate."  
The next day, prepare your mini muffin tins by greasing them with some olive oil or coconut oil.  If you're using standard size muffin tins, you could use liners for easier clean up!  Divide chicken mixture evenly among muffin cups.  Then sprinkle each cup with green onion.  Next, whisk our eggs with garlic, pepper, and Frank's.  Ladle the egg mixture into each cup, filling each almost to the top.  
Bake at 375 degrees 20 min. (For standard size muffins you might need to bake them for 10 min. longer).  Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold later!  They are great both ways.  

Bacon Burger Meatballs

I don't know exactly how many meatballs this makes, but hopefully this picture is helpful! The amount pictured is roughly the number of meatballs it makes, depending on the size. I form mine about the size of a ping pong ball.  

3-4 lb. grassfed beef
12 oz. bacon (use the kind without all the preservatives- Kroger Simple Truth is good, or Applegate Farms)
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 large pickle spears, diced
1/4 c tomato paste (about 1/2 a 5 oz. far)
garlic powder, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste
3 eggs
3/4 c almond meal

First, you will need to thinly slice the bacon and cook it over medium heat until you have brown and crispy pieces.  Next, mix ALL meatball ingredients together- it works best if you mix it with your hands until everything is fully incorporated.  You can prepare this mixture in advance and just refrigerate it for up to a day until you're ready to make the meatballs!  When you're ready to cook them, form the meat mixture into balls and place on either a foil lined baking sheet OR a broiler pan with grates.  (I like to use this because it helps drain some of the fat from the meatballs and helps the outside of the meatballs brown a little better).  Bake at 375 degrees about 30 min. 

Paleo "Big Mac Sauce" 

Honestly I have never had big mac sauce, but this is based on copycat recipes for big mac sauce, with substitutions to make it paleo.  All I know is, this is GOOD.  

1 recipe homemade mayonnaise (see below)
4 T tomato paste
1 T honey
1 pickle spear, diced
onion powder (1/4 tsp)
garlic powder (1/4 tsp)
pepper
salt to taste

Make homemade mayonnaise then add remaining ingredients and mix with immersion blender until tomato paste is incorporated throughout.  Refrigerate, then serve cold.  

Homemade Mayonnaise (*use this for the Paleo "Big Mac Sauce" and Homemade Garlic Mayo)

This is the easiest mayo recipe ever, it just requires that you have an immersion blender.  I asked for an immersion blender for Christmas a few years ago for the sole purpose of making homemade mayo (true story).  I use it all the time to make mayo all the time.  I often use mayo as a dressing, a veggie dip, or a dressing for chicken salad or cole slaw.  It's easy and infinitely healthier than store-bought Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise.  

1 egg
1/2 T apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1 c avocado oil or light olive oil

Crack egg into cylindrical container that is wide enough to fit an immersion blender into.  (I use the measuring cup that came with my immersion blender).  Add apple cider vinegar/lemon juice and dry mustard.  Pour in 1 c of oil (all of it at once).  Then stick your blender over top of the egg and let it run, without moving it, for 30 sec.  Then, gradually and gently, swirl the blade head around and bring it to the top of the mixture.  It should be nice, thick, and creamy!

Homemade Garlic Mayo (Best Veggie Dip!)

1 recipe homemade mayonnaise
handful fresh chives, chopped
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 garlic clove, minced (then sprinkle some salt on it and mash it up)
1/8 tsp paprika
pepper

Make homemade mayonnaise then add remaining ingredients and blend again until everything is mixed together.  

"Pasta" Carbonara

Carbonara is a pasta dish made with bacon or ham, egg, and cream.  This version is a veggie-filled take on the traditional pasta carbonara, with several substitutions that make it very nutritious and incredibly delicious.  To be honest, it is actually very reminiscent of fried rice!  I'm pretty sure it's the peas and egg that give it that taste.  Either way, this is a unique dish that would be great served for breakfast, as a non meat-heavy main dish, or as a chicken side dish.  

"Pasta" Carbonara

1/2-3/4 lb. of bacon, cut into small pieces
2 candy onions (very small onions), minced (about 1/2 c onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups frozen peas
freshly ground pepper
6 egg yolks (I used yolks because I made biscuits with the whites the day before, but you could use 3-4 whole eggs instead!)
3 large zucchini or squash, spiralized

Cut bacon into small pieces and saute in a large dutch oven or high sided pot.  Once the bacon is crispy, remove the pieces but leave the fat in the pot.  Add the onion, cooking until soft, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. (This dish is very much based on feel- I don't have exact cooking times or temperatures, you just have to go by the look of the ingredients!)  Then add peas and saute until the peas are hot.  Sprinkle a generous amount of pepper on top of the peas.  Pour the egg yolks on top of the peas and stir everything until the egg yolks no longer look wet.  Then add the zucchini/squash noodles, and add the bacon back in as well.  Cook, stirring occassionally, until the "noodles" are soft.  For us, this made about 4 servings!

Green Deviled Eggs

Another recipe I shared with friends at the Fit Club games on Sunday was these deviled eggs!  They were well received by all, and I even had strangers asking to try them!  I’m not usually a big fan of deviled eggs (mayo and mustard aren’t my favorite) even though they are a staple appetizer at many family gatherings.  These eggs, however, are something I will make again and again!  Instead of the traditional mayo and mustard base for the filling, these eggs have avocado.  Yum!  I won’t say this recipe is quick, because cooking, cracking and peeling the eggs does take some effort and patience, but making the filling is very simple if you have a food processor.  These eggs are also inexpensive and require only a few ingredients.

I have heard of about a thousand “best” ways to hardboil eggs and get them to turn out “perfectly.”  I am definitely not claiming this is the best way, but I do like how they turn out when I make them the following way: Place eggs in medium saucepan and cover with cold water to just above the eggs.  Place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil.  Once the water is boiling hard, cook for 3 minutes.  Then remove pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to continue cooking.  After 10 minutes, drain the hot water from the pot and replace with cold water, and let the eggs sit in the cold water for about 5 minutes.  Then refrigerate the eggs to peel later, or peel immediately.  I can’t say I’ve figured out a great way to peel the eggs perfectly, but this method of cooking does provide good results in terms of the “doneness” of the yolk.  The yolks will be a nice bold shade of yellow and not chalky at all.  And they never have that grey/green tint to them. 

The original recipes called for 6 eggs, 1 avocado, and ¼ cup of cilantro, but I adjusted the ratios for this recipe.  I wanted to use 9 eggs because 18 halves fit in my deviled egg carrier!

Green Deviled Eggs

Originally from Mastering the Art of Paleo Cooking 

9 hard-boiled eggs

1 ½ avocados

½ c cilantro (I estimated here- just use a “good amount”)

Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Hard boil eggs, cut in half and remove yolks.  In food processor, pulse cilantro until finely chopped.  Add egg yolks, avocado, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Process until uniformly smooth and creamy.  Scoop filling into eggs as desired.  (I used a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off and a star decorating tip inserted in the corner to make a pretty “swirl.”  You could use an actual pastry bag to pipe in the filling, or to make it even easier, just scoop the filling in with a spoon!)  Refrigerate.  These are best if served the day you make them. 

Zucchini and Bacon Frittata

At our house we frequently have veggies and eggs for dinner, but that usually consists of a delicious, messy pile of sautéed veggies mixed around with scrambled eggs and spices.  I don’t know why, but I had never thought to change it up a little and make a frittata instead!   In my opinion, it is a much more “sophisticated” take on veggies and eggs.  After sautéing them, I made sure the veggies and bacon formed an even layer on the bottom of the skillet, poured some scrambled eggs in, and put the whole (oven proof) skillet in the oven.  It baked up beautifully into what was essentially a crustless quiche.  This is something I would be proud to serve to guests!  It also keeps well as leftovers.  I know because Rem and I both had it for lunch today.  I reheated mine in the toaster oven and it was PERFECT. 

The recipe below reflects what I used last night to make this frittata, but you could use any veggies and any meat that you think sounds good.  Tomatoes, spinach, red peppers, asparagus, broccoli, ham, ground turkey, sausage…  you get the idea.  If you have fresh herbs, those would be great in it too.  Rem’s mom once made a really great frittata with sautéed apple, and then sprinkled cheddar cheese on top!  Trust your instincts, and just use what you like.  It will be good, I promise.  I must say that the bacon really elevated this dish from good to exceptional.  I highly recommend the applewood smoked uncured turkey bacon from Trader Joe’s (it is gluten free as well as nitrite and nitrate free). 

In the recipe I say to use an electric whisk to beat the eggs.  I just used the whisk attachment on my hand held mixer.  I recommend beating the eggs this way because it makes them extra fluffy and gives the frittata a light, fluffy texture!  If you don't have this type of whisk, just beat them vigorously with a hand held whisk.  

Have a great day!  If you come up with a yummy combination of veggies, meat, and spices for your own frittata, please share it! 

Zucchini and Bacon Frittata

8 slices applewood smoked turkey bacon

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 ½ green peppers, chopped

Stems from 6 portobello mushrooms

1 zucchini, cut into thin coins, then quartered

12 eggs

¼ c water

Salt, pepper, garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil and spread bacon out on sheet.  Bake for 20 min.  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees after the bacon is done.

2. While the bacon cooks, chop the veggies.

3. In a 14 inch stainless steel sauté pan (or you could use a cast iron skillet), heat 1 T evoo on medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and just starting to brown.  Add green peppers, mushroom stems, zucchini, and salt and pepper to taste.  

4. Chop bacon and add it to the veggies.  Cook until veggies are just beginning to soften.  You may want to turn up the heat to medium high for a few minutes if they don’t seem to be cooking fast enough.

5. While the veggies and bacon cook, crack 12 eggs into a large bowl and add ¼ c water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Beat with an electric whisk until all yolks are combined and creamy. 

6. Turn heat back down to medium and pour eggs into the skillet.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.

7. Put skillet in 350 degree oven, uncovered, and bake 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are set on top.

8.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve!  Makes 4 large servings or 8 small servings.