Eggs Baked in an Avocado with Fresh Herbs & Sriracha Sauce

Eggs baked in an avocado. Eggs baked in an avocado. Eggs baked in an avocado. Go make it! Cut an avocado in half, take out the pit, squeeze in some lime juice, crack in the eggs, bake, and top! I cannot believe I waited so long to try out this meal. I had told myself over and over again that I was going to try it, but I never did up until a few weeks ago. Now eggs baked in an avocado is my go to meal for breakfast, lunch (on the weekends), and sometimes dinner. Eggs and avocado are both considered brain food, and I need all the brain food I can get these days. The first time I tried it out, I liked it, but I wasn't head over heels in love with it. I think I liked the idea of eating it because it is so healthy, and since it is super healthy, I kept making it for myself. Now I am completely passionate about eggs baked inside of avocados. It is easy to make, low carb, high protein, filled with Omega 3s, gluten-free, well, you get the idea. So stop dragging your feet, and go make yourself some eggs baked in an avocado! You will thank me one day for telling you to try it. Enjoy.

Recipe for Eggs Baked In Avocado with Fresh Herbs & Sriracha Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1 Hass avocado (any size, I've been using smallish ones lately), cut into half lengthwise with pit removed
Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt and Pepper
2 eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes
Sriracha sauce
Fresh Herbs (thyme, dill, parsley, whatever you want)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Scoop out some of the avocado from each half so that there is enough room for the egg in each. Squeeze desired amount of lime juice over each avocado half. Sprinkle each  with salt and pepper. Crack one egg into one half of the avocado. Don't worry if some of the white runs out, you just want to make sure the yolk is in the avocado. Crack another egg into the other half of the avocado. Place in oven and bake for 12 - 14 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Make sure the egg whites are set and not runny, though! Remove from oven and drizzle with olive oil and sriracha sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs.
Grab a fork or spoon and dig in (make sure you only eat the fruit of the avocado and the eggs - discard the peel)!

Recipe Adapted from: Serious Eats

BRAIN FOOD
Brain benefits of Avocado: Cognitive functioning and mood.
Brian benefits of Eggs: Cognitive functioning, focus, and mood.
Brain benefits of Olive Oil: Cognitive functioning and memory.
Brain benefits of Lime: Cognitive functioning, memory, and mood.
Information from: The Healthy Mind Cookbook

Veggie and Cheese Omelet Muffins

Some days, it is really difficult to find things that my 18-month old daughter will eat. She will change her mind on what she likes from day to day, and sometimes she has a great appetite and other times I am lucky if she eats anything at all. I can pretty much count on her always eating eggs, though. She loves eggs, especially when they are scrambled up with lots of cheese. Making eggs every day though takes time, and it dirties up quite a few dishes. I came across a recipe for mini omelets on Skinny Taste, and I decided to give it a try. I am sure glad I did! The first time I made them, I used broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. I chose to leave out the broccoli the last time I made them and just did the cauliflower and carrot. You can really use any veggies that you want to in the omelets. I also added more cheese than the original recipe called for, because you can never go wrong with too much cheese. I used paper liners in the muffin tins to avoid having to scrub the pan afterwards! What I love about this recipe is that it combines a good amount of veggies with protein, and it is easy to make. I stored the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and then I just zap them in the microwave for about 45 seconds before serving. Not only does Wendy love eating these veggie and cheese omelet muffins, but I love them too.  Enjoy!

Recipe for Veggie and Cheese Omelet Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of cauliflower florets (I used Trader Joe's cleaned and cut cauliflower florets)
1 cup matchstick carrots
Salt and pepper
6 large eggs
4 egg whites
2 Tbsp. of half and half
2 Tbsp. of 2% or whole milk
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup of colby jack or medium cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice), divided
A dash or two of hot sauce, such as Tabasco (optional)
1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add in the cauliflower and the carrots, a sprinkle of salt, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and allow to cool for a few minutes.

While the veggies are cooling, crack the 6 eggs and 4 egg whites into a large bowl and stir. Add in the half and half, milk, Parmesan cheese, and 2/3 cup of the cheddar cheese. Add in a pinch or two of salt and some black pepper. Add in the hot sauce, if using. Set aside.

Chop up the cauliflower. Remove the stems and chop the rest into very small pieces. Put the cauliflower into a medium bowl and add in the carrots. Toss with the olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in the microwave in a small bowl. Once melted, let it cool for several seconds. Then dip your finger in the butter and then brush the bottom and sides of each liner with the melted butter. Add the remaining butter to the egg mixture and stir. Drop about 1 - 2 Tablespoons of the vegetable mixture into the bottom of each liner. Then pour the egg mixture in, filling each liner almost full (before doing this, I poured the egg mixture into a large liquid measuring cup to make it easier to pour into the liners). Once all the liners are filled, top each one evenly with the remaining cheddar cheese. Place into the oven and cook for 20 - 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove each one from the pan, peel off the liner, and serve. If you are not serving right away, remove each paper liner (they should peel away pretty easily, but make sure to get all the paper off), and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

If storing in the fridge, you can reheat before serving easily! Just put on a plate, and zap on high in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. I like to eat mine with a little Tabasco sauce on top. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from: Skinny Taste

Quiche with a Homemade Buttery Crust

I remember that my mom used to the best quiches for dinner. Nobody's quiche could ever compare to hers! When I threw Carrie's shower back in October, I did a brunch theme. I thought homemade quiche would be great to have on the menu. I had never made quiche, so I asked my mom to send me her favorite quiche recipe. I made a couple of quiches with bacon and one without bacon for the shower. The quiches were really good - the crust buttery, the filling creamy, and every bite melted in the mouth!

I had some eggs that needed to be used, so I decided to make another quiche for dinner last week. This time I just made the quiche without the bacon.  One nice thing about the quiches is that the crust can be made ahead of time. When I threw Carrie's shower, I made all of the crusts the night before and tightly covered them in foil and left at room temperature. It saved a lot of time! I'm glad I tried out the quiche recipe, and I know it will be a meal I make often. Enjoy!

Recipe for Quiche with a Homemade Buttery Crust

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust

1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. of kosher salt

1 stick of well-chilled unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

2 - 3 Tbsp. of ice cold water

For the filling

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks (I love this gadget to separate the yolk)

2/3 cup of heavy cream

2/3 cup of whole milk

1/4 tsp. of salt

1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper

a pinch or two of ground nutmeg

1 cup of grated swiss cheese

4 ounces of cooked bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

For the crust

Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a couple times to combine. Add in the pieces of butter to the bowl. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the food processor running, slowly pour 1 tablespoon of the water through the feed tube. Add in 1 more tablespoon of water. If the dough does not leave the sides of the bowl after several seconds, add in the remaining tablespoon of water. Once dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms into a ball, turn the processor off. Carefully remove the ball of dough, slightly flatten it into a disc, and cover it in saran wrap. Place in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Remove the dough from the fridge. Press the dough into the bottom and up onto the sides of a 9.5-inch pie plate. Place the dough back in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Fit a piece of parchment paper into the pie plate to cover the dough on the bottom and the sides. Fill the pie plate with pie weights or dried beans. Place the pie plate into the preheated oven and cook for about 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, carefully remove the pie plate from the oven. Then carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights/beans. Place the pie plate back into the oven and cook for another 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. While it is cooling, make the filling. 

For the filling

Place the eggs, egg yolks, cream, and milk into a medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or whisk to beat well. Add in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mix it in. Stir in the cheese. 

For assembling

If using the bacon, arrange it in a single layer on the bottom of the slightly cooled pie crust. Pour the egg, cream, and cheese mixture into the crust. (If not using bacon, just pour the egg mixture into the pie crust). Place back into the oven and cook for about 35 - 40 minutes, or until golden in color. The quiche will still wiggle a little in the middle - you can check doneness by inserting the edge of a butter knife into the middle of the quiche, if it comes out clean the quiche is done. Remove from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Makes 8 one-piece servings. 

Recipe adapted from The Food Network, Emeril Lagasse 

My First Frittata (recipe)

I made my first frittata the other night. It was a success, and I'm excited to share the recipe with you. I have seen many frittata recipes on some of my favorite cooking blogs, but for some reason I have always been intimidated by them. Why? I don't know. A frittata is actually pretty easy to make and it does not require too much time. I think I may have feared the frittata because it sounds kind of fancy. Greg was surprised that the dish mainly consisted of eggs. He said it sounded like it should have a crust and be fried. I agree. In cooking, names of recipes can be quite deceiving!

What I love about the frittata is that you can use a lot of different ingredients in the dish. If you are trying to use up veggies, cheese, or meat, consider the frittata! I had some chicken sausages, baby spinach, and bell peppers that were going to expire soon, so I looked up recipes that use sausage on Annie's Eats. It must had been my lucky day - I found this frittata recipe that uses chicken sausage, spinach, AND pepper! I was happy to be able to turn my baby spinach leaves into frozen spinach. I ended up using all of the spinach in the frittata, but it was good to know that if I had spinach leaves on the verge of going bad, that they could be transformed into frozen spinach. You can learn how to save your baby spinach too!

Greg and I thoroughly enjoyed the frittata for dinner on Saturday evening. It was my breakfast this morning, and Greg's lunch this afternoon. A frittata is a great way to eat your eggs, which are now healthy for you! I'm glad I tried out the frittata for the first time - I'll definitely be making another one soon! Enjoy.

Recipe for Sausage, Spinach & Bell Pepper Frittata

INGREDIENTS:
6 extra-large eggs
3 Tbsp. of milk
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. of olive oil
3 chicken sausages (precooked), sliced into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup of thawed frozen chopped spinach, drained
1/2 cup of red bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 cup of orange bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Adjust your oven racks so that a large skillet will be able to fit on the top rack. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Add the oil and butter to a large (9" - 10")  oven-safe/non-stick skillet. Put the skillet over medium heat, and allow the butter to melt. As you are waiting for the butter to melt, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a medium-sized bowl.

Once butter has melted, add the sausage, peppers, and spinach to the skillet. Stir the mixture frequently and cook for about 5 - 6 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low. Carefully pour in the egg mixture to the skillet. Top evenly with the cubed cheese. Cover the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes. The eggs should be set but the top will be runny.

Use an oven glove to carefully move the skillet from the stovetop to the top rack of the oven. Cook at 475 for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the top is set and no longer runny. Remove the skillet from the oven (make sure to use the oven mitt)! Let the skillet cool for a few minutes.

Once frittata has cooled, cut into 8 slices and serve. Top with extra freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Have leftovers? The frittata will still taste good after a couple days!

Recipe Adapted from: Annie's Eats