Tag: Eggs

Keto Chorizo Mince with Fried Eggs- and Leafy Greens

It’s cold and wet – it’s winter! And that alone calls for a hearty, tasty dinner.

If you love the flavours of Chorizo sausage, but not the cost of buying the sausage, you will enjoy this very easy mince dish – and for those of us eating a Keto menu it’s perfect. Just 7.5 grams net carbs per serve 😊

Ingredients: served 4

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red capsicum, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 500ml Beef stock or beef broth
  • Sea salt & black pepper to taste
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 small handful of lettuce leaves/baby kale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

How to put together:

Melt 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in a pan, add the onion and capsicum and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Turn up the heat in the pan and then add the beef mince. Use your wooden spoon to break up any lumps – cook for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned.

Add all of the spices, oregano, apple cider vinegar and tomato paste – cook for a minute mixing the ingredients together well. Pour in the broth or stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half. Season with salt & pepper.

In another pan, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cook the eggs as you like them – I like the whites cooked and the yolks runny! Season the eggs with salt & pepper and set aside ready for plating.

Put the salad leaves in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Mix well.

Divide the chorizo mince onto a plate, top with a fried egg, some salad leaves – and you’re ready to eat!

This is a super easy meal to put together – it is very tasty and full of good fats and protein. Perfect for a Keto diet. I love the combination of mince with eggs, and happily eat this type of meal anytime of the day. It’s a good breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A good idea is to make up a double batch and freeze it. It freezes well and for the busy working mum, a meal you can defrost and reheat during the week is gold. The kids will love this too – add nacho chips for them with a dollop of sour cream and there won’t be a complaint in the house.

Happy cooking xx

lessonstodate

Cheesy Cauliflower Waffles

Cheesy Cauliflower Waffles

Last weekend I ventured into the exciting new world of waffles after purchasing my very first waffle maker. Blueberry Waffles were my first attempt and they were a big success with the chief tester.

These airy, delicate and crisp-edged waffles were so fabulous, yet so simple to throw together, that they are destined to become part of our weekend breakfast routine. You can freeze leftovers, if you have any, and serve them during the week. You can pop them in the toaster to reheat (use a light setting) and they come out nearly as well as freshly made, maybe even slightly crunchier.

During the week I had considered what other ingredients I could use to make a different type of waffle. I had mentioned sweet potato, or Kumara, as we know it in New Zealand, and cauliflower as a couple of thoughts.

Late last year the cauliflower rice ‘fad’ hit the news and I climbed onboard that train with many others. It’s light and fluffy, like couscous, but totally healthy – and very simple to make.

There are two the techniques for making cauliflower rice. You can either use a grater traditionally used for cheese, or a food processor with the grate blade to blitz it into small pieces.  With both techniques you’re aiming for little pieces.

One you have your cauliflower rice, it’s super easy to cook! Simply sautĂ© in a large pan over a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Use the lid to cover so the cauliflower steams and becomes tender.  Cook for 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally, then season to your taste.

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Anyway, I made a recipe that used cauliflower rice and ended up with leftover blitzed cauliflower so I popped it into a ziplock bag and out it in the freezer.  When I got up on Saturday morning thinking about my next great waffle, I grabbed the frozen cauliflower rice rom the freezer and this became my base for my first savoury waffle.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw cauliflower rice
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese (or grated colby if you don’t have mozzarella cheese)
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
  • fresh parsley

Heat the waffle maker until ready. Mix all of the ingredients together well in a large bowl. Add approx. 1 1/4 cups of the batter to the griddle. Set your timer to 4-6 minutes, and check at about the 4 minute mark. If the waffle maker sticks, let cook slightly longer. Remove once cooked, and allow to cool on plate.

These crispy waffles with a side of bacon and an egg made the most delicious brunch and got the thumbs up from the chief tester!

*I did find the mix got a little wet as the cauliflower rice defrosted waiting to be the second batch so I add 1/4 cup coconut flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. This did not have a negative impact on the flavour profile but does add gluten to what is otherwise a gluten-free recipe)

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If you have only gone sweet with your waffles, do give this savoury version an opportunity.  Without the flour it is gluten-free; and only the cook will know it is made with the cauliflower rice.

I’m thinking I will add spinach to this next time, and perhaps sundries tomatoes to really jazz up my Cheesy Cauliflower Waffles.  The options are really limitless and I’m looking forward to next weekend and something different again. Watch this space

Happy waffling xx

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Weekend Brunch for Two – Spanish Eggs!

We have been blessed with another long weekend in New Zealand – Waitangi Day falling on Monday creating this welcome three day break from work 🙂

Now for those of you reading from outside of New Zealand, Waitangi Day is a significant day in our history. On the 6th February 1840, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.

For some people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is the occasion for reflecting on the Treaty. Since the 1970s the style and mood of the commemorations on Waitangi Day have been influenced by the increasingly heated debate surrounding the place of the Treaty in modern New Zealand.

Waitangi Day is recognised as New Zealand’s national day, and the date is an important marker in the country’s history. Recognition of the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi as the nation’s founding document will continue to encourage leaders, communities and individuals to mark the day in new ways.

So that’s my history lesson for today!

But back to the kitchen where our long weekend began with a late start and a weekend brunch of spicy Spanish eggs. I wish you could smell the aroma of the lovely chorizo sausage as it sizzled quietly in the pan ahead of the other ingredients. It certainly got the ‘Chief Taster’ moving through the shower quickly!

Spanish Spanish chorizo is made from coarsely chopped pork and pork fat, seasoned with pimentón – a smoked paprika – and salt. For this recipe you need very little of the spicy sausage as a little goes a long way.

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Ingredients:

  •  100-150g chorizo sausage, chopped
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 2 eggs (I use Otaika Valley Organic eggs)
  • Handful of chopped fresh spinach
  • 2-3 fresh tomatoes (or use canned)
  • 1 red capsicum, sliced or chopped
  • 1 tbsp Chipotle sauce or to taste
  • Salt
  • Cracked pepper
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Heat the oil gently in the pan and add the chopped chorizo – sizzle gently for a few minutes before adding the sliced onion, red capiscum and chopped tomato.

Next comes the chipotle sauce – and salt & pepper to taste. Let the pan bubble along for a few minutes then taste it before seasoning.

Add the chopped spinach and stir through the tomato base.

Make a small indent with the back of a soup spoon for the eggs –  and crack each one gently into the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer gently for 3 minutes.

Today we had cumin & coriander pita breads toasted on the side – any fresh crusty bread is good to soak up the yummy juices to be honest 🙂

ps…if you are on a low carb diet, ditch the pita bread and substitute in a slice of  your favourite keto-friendly bread.

Happy ‘brunching’ xx

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Sunday or should I say ‘Monday’ Brunch on a long weekend!

I lay in bed pondering what the day ahead looked like and decided it should start with a nice cooked brunch!  Auckland Anniversary weekend giving most Aucklanders a sleep-in today and as far as I was concerned this called for a celebratory brunch and not the normal tea & toast!

Now a quick shower before slipping into a nice summer dress and heading to a slap-up brunch at any number of great North Shore cafe’s would seem the best way to go however when you are on one income these trips really are a treat reserved for a special occasion – maybe a birthday or Mother’s Day? 

Getting an extra paid day off is certainly a special occasion but let’s be fair not quite birthday material!

I had spied some creamed sweet corn in the pantry leftover from my daughter’s stay over Christmas and I knew there was bacon and eggs in the refrigerator and that signalled a great brunch to me.

Sweet corn fritters are a favourite of mine since childhood and are often seen on breakfast and brunch menus in all the best cafe’s – usually priced between $16.00 and $20.00 too!

Here’s my ‘go-to’ recipe for easy sweet corn fritters which I take straight from the NZ Edmonds Cookbook.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 440g can cream-style corn
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • Cracked black pepper

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt & pepper to take into a bowl. Add egg, mixing to combine. Stir in sweet corn.

Heat oil in a pan; drop 1/4cup of the mixture into the pan and cook until golden. Flip and cook the other side. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot.

Makes 6 nice sized fritters.

Sunday brunch at it’s best…

Drizzle balsamic glaze on your plate; top with a fritter, followed by crispy bacon – another sweet corn fritter with sliced avocado topped with a poached egg. A dollop of hollandaise sauce and a grilled half tomato on the side. That will be $18.50 thanks 🙂

Happy long weekend brunches xx

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One Pan Breakfast or Brunch!

Bacon,eggs, beans & tomatoes – all in one pan and all in under 10 minutes!

Seriously?

Yes!

I made this for a late breakfast this morning with the following pulled-together ingredients from the fridge:

  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/4 each of a red & green capsicum or pepper
  • 4 rashers of bacon, chopped
  • 1/3rd of a can of baked beans
  • 1/3 can of tomatoes (any variety)
  • 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or powder
  • 2 eggs
  • Sprinkle of fresh herbs – whatever you have in the garden!
  • salt & pepper to season.
  • Crusty bread or toasted ciabatta to serve.

 

Okay, oil & onions in the pan, chop the capsicums/peppers and add to the pan. Next comes the bacon, cook for about 2 mins. Tip in the tomatoes and beans…stir in the spices and let the aroma fill the kitchen! Make a little dent in the mixture to settle an egg into – repeat! Pop a lid over the pan and turn down the heat for about 2-3 minutes depending on how you like your eggs cooked. 

While the eggs cook, cut up your crusty bread or toast a slice or two from the freezer (that was me this morning!) 

Sprinkle fresh herbs over the top with a little cracked black pepper and salt. And there you have it 🙂

 

 

I have presented this for dinner on the odd occasion I have not ‘felt kitchen love’ after a day at the office and it has gone down well.  I have added spinach to the pan before adding the eggs to get a dose of greens too. Just let the spinach wilt before adding the eggs.

ps….first time I have taken photos as I went – what do you think?

Happy cooking!

xx

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