Brain Food - Breakfast Skillet Inspired by the Wahls Diet
The Wahls Diet makes sure we are eating enough nutrient dense foods to not just fuel or bodies, but make sure they have the elements to build and repair cells particularly brain cells. This breakfast skillet insures you get the right fuel to your brain in the morning.
To check it out I am doing a month of the Wahls Diet. This egg breakfast skillet is the first recipe I have developed to front load vegetables to reach the goal of 9 cups of leafy greens, bright color and sulfurous foods.
Over medium heat in a large skillet saute the onions and peppers in half of the fat until the onions are glassy.
Add the cabbage and miso and continue cooking until the cabbage is starting to go limp.
Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes and greens give them a quick stir then push all the veggies to the edges. Melt the remaining fat in the now empty center of the skillet to coat. Reduce the heat to low and add the eggs. Cook the eggs in the center until just set. Sprinkle the seaweed flakes over the top and you’re ready to serve.
Gather up some of your summer bounty from the SCA or your garden and combine it into a delicious breakfast worth savoring any time of the day. Summer squash and tomatoes take a front seat in this vegetable breakfast hash. The hash is topped with eggs done any style (poached or soft boiled is best) to help you absorb the most nutrients from the veggies.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add coconut oil and butter to pan. Add onion and saute until transluscent. Add garlic and saute another minute.
Add chopped squash and cook for 2 minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until almost completely done.
Sprinkle with salt (we prefer REAL Salt) and pepper to taste. Add dash of hot sauce. Add in tomatoes and spinach or preferred green and cook until greens are wilted.
Drain hash mixture and place on individual plates. Top each mixture with 2 cooked eggs per person.
Serve with a slice of fresh avocado!
My daughter and I came up with these one day after a conversation about how deviled eggs were one of our favorite ways to eat eggs. We decided that since they were so great, variations to a favorite had to be made. After a quick look in the fridge, we decided to make a green deviled egg using lime and cilantro. Man! Were they yummy! Even my not-a-deviled-egg-fan husband enjoyed them. I think he’s a convert!
Peel the boiled eggs and slice in half lengthwise.
Remove the yolks to a small bowl or food processor. Using a food processor will create a creamier egg with more uniform color like that pictured, but mashing and mixing with a fork is just fine.
Add remaining ingredients and blend well until mixture is smooth.
Spoon or pipe into the cavities of the white halves.
Garnish with extra cilantro.
This is a fun way to eat eggs and makes a great dinner or lunch dish. The yolk is nestled in a bed of fluffy beaten egg whites with greens.
Heat a small cast iron pan on low and add 1 teaspoon of butter. Add the chopped onion and saute for 1-3 minutes until translucent. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Separate the eggs and beat the whites with the salt until they are fluffy and stiff, but not dry. Gently fold in the cayenne pepper, chopped greens and sauteed onions.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spoon out the egg white mixture into 4 mounds on the parchment paper. Use the back of the spoon to create small dents in the center of each mound.
Put 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 egg yolk into each dent. Top each yolk with 1 teaspoon of cream and sprinkle with additional salt.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the whites are golden and the yolks slightly set.
A most delicious way to eat collard greens: with onions and garlic sauteed in ghee, mixed with ricotta cheese, and added to a grain-free crust made of almond flour and eggs.
Preheat oven and prepare the grain-free crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add the 2 cups of almond flour, 1 lightly beaten egg, 2 teaspoons ghee, salt and nutmeg, and blend until a dough forms. Taste a tiny bit to adjust seasoning to your liking.
Add dough to an 10-inch baking pan and bake. Press down to even out the crust, making sure it covers the bottom and curves upwards on the corners and sides. Bake on 350F for 10 minutes until crust starts to turn a very light golden color.
Saute the collard greens, onion and garlic. Chop one onion, and saute in ghee for a few minutes till beginning to caramelize. Chop collard greens (I include the stems, but it’s up to you), and add to pot, stirring for a couple of minutes. In a separate small pan, peel 4-5 garlic cloves, and saute in ghee till lightly golden. Then, add garlic to collard greens and onion mixture. Stir and turn off heat.
Add spices and egg. Add salt, ground ginger and ground nutmeg to collard greens mixture. Taste to adjust seasoning. Then, beat one egg, and mix well into collard greens.
Add cheese and bake. Add a layer of ricotta cheese on the set crust. Then, pour the collard greens mixture on top of the ricotta cheese, and even out. Add hard cheese on top (I used Dubliner), and put in the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. Add a dash of freshly ground black pepper and serve warm.
Frittata for breakfast is wonderful, and it is so versatile that it can be used as a main course in any meal. You may substitute other meats, vegetables, cheeses, etc. for the filling. It is a great way to use up a bit of leftovers too. This Frittata is savory and filling. You will love it!
In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter on medium heat.
Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring, until it is partially cooked.
Add the chopped vegetables and continue to stir until the bacon is fully cooked.
Beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
Carefully pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and bacon in the pan.
Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top.
Set the range heat on low. Allow it to cook, undisturbed, until the eggs are set within 1/4 inch of the top.
Place the pan under a broiler on “low”. Broil until the top is nicely browned.
Cut in wedges and serve warm.
If you wish, you can invert the Frittata onto a platter to serve.
Curry spiced pickled eggs with the awesome side effect of a brilliant yellow. These not only look great but taste great too. Use as you would an hard boiled egg. Sliced on a salad, as and egg salad or eat by themselves as a nutritious snack.
Pack eggs into a quart sized mason jar. I was able to fit about 10 eggs in a jar. Sprinkle spices in as you pack the eggs. Cover with salt brine. It’s important to make sure the eggs are fully submerged using a weight. Cover tightly and let set for about a day. Transfer to the fridge and let marinate for few days to a week before serving. The longer they set, the more the color will leach in to the middle of the egg. I suggest using these within a month (if they last that long).
I call this recipe a Pseudo-Omelet because there is two layers of eggs with bacon, cheese and spinach in the middle, but it does not require flipping and is served like a casserole.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Render the bacon on low heat until most of the fat has come out. Remove the bacon from the pan. Pour the bacon grease through a coffee filter in a metal sieve into a 12″ cast iron skillet.
Make a lattice of tortilla strips on the bottom of the skillet while you bring it up to medium heat.
Beat 1 tablespoon of cream and a pinch of salt, garlic powder and chili powder into 4 eggs. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the tortilla strips.
Once the eggs start to firm up, put a layer of raw cheddar cheese, spinach and bacon over the eggs.
Beat the second tablespoon of cream and a pinch of salt, garlic powder and chili powder into the other 6 eggs. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
Finally put a thin layer of Parmesan cheese.
Put it in the oven and bake it until it is done, about 10 or 12 minutes.
Slice it up into squares and serve it like you would a casserole.
There is no need to use chemicals to dye your Easter Eggs. Dying your eggs with homemade vegetable dyes is an interesting, healthy, and fun way to enjoy this tradition with your family!
Hard boil your eggs, and allow them to cool completely. Make sure they are well dried before placing them into the dye baths.
Immerse the eggs in the coloring liquid to which you have added 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar (per quart of liquid) and put them into the refrigerator.
Go back from time to time and check on the color. When it is as you wish, then remove the eggs and discard the dye liquid. The longer they soak, the deeper the color.
After coloring, be sure to store your eggs in the refrigerator!
Onion Skin Dye Yellow to Gold
To make dye from yellow onion skins, place several skins in your pot of water. Boil them for a little while and allow the mixture to cool with the skins in the water. Then drain off the water to use for the actually dyeing. Add the vinegar. Put the skins in your compost. Soak your hard-boiled eggs in this dye bath and depending on how many eggs you use and how concentrated the dye bath is, you can get warm tones that range from gold to a lovely terra cotta.
Cranberry Dye Light Blue
To use fresh cranberries, boil 4 cups cranberries in 2 cups cold water until the berries burst. Let them cool. Drain and save the liquid. Add the vinegar. For a light blue, soak only a short time. If the eggs stay in very long, they will become dark gray in color.
Turmeric Yellow Dye
In a quart of water, simmer 1/4 cup of ground turmeric. Cool. Strain, add the vinegar and proceed.
Red Cabbage Blue
About 3/4 of a head of red cabbage chopped up will make a lovely blue. Again, cook for a while, cool in liquid, strain, add the vinegar and then dye your eggs.
Eggs pickled using lactofermentation! Not only do they look cool, they taste great too. Use juice from lactofermented beets to add color.
Stuff eggs in a 2 pint jar. Dissolve salt in the beet juice (add a little water if needed to dissolve salt). Add to jar. Add filtered water to cover eggs completely, leaving at least 1/2″ head space. Make sure eggs remain submerged and leave at room temperature for a day. Move to the fridge and let marinate for a few more days.
Some mornings call for something special. Not necessarily because it’s a weekend, usually because we just need a lil extra love to start our day on a happy note. This is our favorite omelet. It’s hardy, packed full of flavor, protein, and iron, and perfect for an early spring morning before you head out into the cold to plant trees, prune, start an early garden, or just run around town like a crazy person. This is a great dish to bring to a brunch. It can be assembled the night before so you can throw it in the oven as soon as you wake up. Also? The leftovers heat up beautifully.
Heat oven to 350º. Place butter in a 9×13 pan and stick in the oven to melt. Meanwhile, beat eggs, creme fraiche, milk, cheese, onions, and salt. Add bacon and mix briefly.
Once the butter is melted in the pan, take it out of the oven and tilt it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Place spinach in pan evenly. Pour egg mixture over spinach. Don’t be alarmed if all the eggs go to the bottom; they’ll puff up around the spinach as it bakes. Return to oven and bake 50 minutes, or until slightly browned on the top. Serve warm and grind some black pepper on top (optional).
Surprisingly easy, impressive and ready in under 15 minutes. You can’t beat that! These are a great way to prepare a lot of eggs at once for company or for a large family breakfast or brunch. There is no standing over the stove flipping eggs or stirring. Instead, simply prepare and then pop in the oven and walk away.
You may use any fresh herbs you like, thyme, chives, oregano, basil and parsley are all good choices. My favorites are thyme and chives.
Position rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 425 degrees. Butter individual ramekins using the butter called for.**
Crack an egg into each ramekin. Season each with a pinch of unrefined sea salt and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle each with some of the fresh herbs. Drizzle a tablespoon of cream over each egg. Start drizzling over the yolk until covered and then the rest of the egg.
Bake until bubbly, about 5-7 minutes. Eggs may not brown and will not yet be set in the center.
Turn the oven to Broil. Keep eggs on center rack in oven. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until center of eggs are set. Remove immediately. Eggs will continue to cook and set after being removed.
**NOTE: If you’d rather, you can make these in a casserole dish. I’ve done this when I didn’t want to mess with ramekins. Simply butter an appropriate sized casserole dish (6-8 eggs in a 9×9 etc.), crack eggs in, season, sprinkle with herbs, drizzle 1 tablespoon of cream over for each egg. Bake at same temperature, but may require a couple minutes longer. Watch them. To serve, allow to cool slightly for a minute or two and use a spatula to cut out one or two eggs to serve to each person.