Smoky Brussels Sprout and Sweet Potato Breakfast Skillet

Published on December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 by Alissa2 Comments

Breakfast is a hallowed time in our home. Not brunch…breakfast. I primarily blame my husband for this tradition. He isn’t one for typical traditions but when it comes to breakfast on the weekend, it is sacred, it has to be from a skillet, and it happens before 9AM. He was the crazy friend in college that would wake up one too many friends knocking on their door at 7 AM saying “it’s BREAKFAST TIME”.

AT SEVEN AM…

in COLLEGE. uuuuuh.

God bless him.

But now that we are in our mid-thirties, 7 AM is not that early to me anymore. My hubby still wakes up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (ugh) on Saturday or Sunday morning and says, “It’s BREAKFAST TIME”. Usually there is a dance that goes with this statement as he pulls out his most prized flea-market find, an old Griswold cast iron skillet that he lugged back from MARFA, TEXAS on a PLANE.

God bless him.

Sunday mornings in our home consist of putting on a record, firing up the cast iron skillet, and brewing a pot of coffee. Currently, I have Sturgill Simpson on repeat and this Brussels Sprout and Sweet Potato Breakfast Skillet heating up. This breakfast skillet is similar to a breakfast hash that I get at my favorite breakfast spot in KC called Urban Table. There is something about getting breakfast served to you in a skillet, am I right?

I love the flavors of this breakfast with the smokey bacon, seared brussels sprouts, caramelized onions, and sweet potatoes. I season the whole shabang with a spicy kick from the chipotle powder and smoked paprika, adding to the smokiness of the bacon.

Oh and a few cook’s notes –

1. Be sure to dice your sweet potatoes rather small so that they cook all the way through quickly.

2. If your brussels sprouts are humongous, just quarter them. Basically you want them to be just a bit larger than the sweet potatoes because the brussels sprouts will cook faster than the sweet potatoes. Cooking pieces that are slightly larger will allow them to be done at about the same time.

3. If you are serving this to tiny tots or people with a spice intolerance, I would hold off on the chipotle powder and use chili powder or nothing. Chipotle powder is quite spicy.

4. To finish the whole thing off, cook the eggs separately to each persons desired consistency. I love my eggs either poached or sunny side up, but the Breakfast Man likes over-easy eggs.

5. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, cry yourself to sleep and hope that santa brings you one. But never fear, you can make this in a regular skillet OR you could even roast your veggies (tossed with olive oil) in a 450F preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.

So throw on some warm socks, brew a pot of coffee, and pull out your skillet. BECAUSE IT IS BREAKFAST TIME!!!!!

Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Breakfast Skillet

Servings: 2 to 4
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
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Ingredients

2 to 3 slices of smoky thick cut bacon, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup of small brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 to 4 large eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the pieces are just crisp (not burned!). Remove the bacon slices using a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
Reduce the heat under the skillet, add the sliced, sweet potato cubes, and halved brussels sprouts and stir to coat with the bacon grease. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the sweet potato has softened. Add bacon and spices to the veggie skillet and stir to coat. Turn off heat.
In a separate skillet, poach or fry eggs to desired consistency. Spoon out portions of the brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes onto separate plates and top with eggs.

Cook’s Notes

1. Adapted from my favorite breakfast at Urban Table and How Sweet Eats’ Brussels Sprouts Breakfast Hash.

2. This dish serves 2 GENEROUSLY or 4 smaller portions. If serving a crowd, serve with a fruit salad.

Grain Free Cranberry Banana Bread Muffins

Published on December 24, 2013 by Alissa2 Comments

Christmas is approaching quickly and I am hosting! Pray for me. I’ve already caught a dishtowel on fire and burned my butcher block. I will soon have a house filled with kids, love, hugs, ham, chocolate, pie, fudge, nuts, cheeselogs, stockings, egg nog, and so much more. Mmmmmm.

I’m trying to bake a few things ahead of time to prepare for the coming family. I whipped up this batch of muffins this week and have placed them in the freezer ready to be pulled out and rewarmed at a moments notice. Gotta love short cuts.

AAAAnd, you gotta love bursts of cranberries in these muffins. Well, everyone except my husband…dat’s weeeahd. But’s he’s weird anyways people. I mean, who puts their shoes in the freezer? Anyone? ya…him.

And who’s favorite christmas movie is Die Hard? Him! Well…and likely most dudes.

Ok ok ok…I love Die Hard too, but what about Jingle All the Way? Most people’s fave holiday movies are Home Alone and Christmas Story. But Sinbad and Arnold give the fabulous gift of I-haven’t-bought-anything-for-anyone-yet-so-I-will-buy-a-not-so-meaningful-but-expensive-Christmas-gift-on-Christmas-Eve-style Christmas spirit. Check it out. And don’t you dare go buy Christmas gifts ON Christmas Eve! Learn a lesson from Arnold, people. Or else you will end up driving around town, being robbed by washed up Santa’s, threatening a radio show host, and trying to steal presents from under other people’s trees. But then you end up dressed like a superhero at the end, so I guess it’s all worth it. But I digress….

If you haven’t gotten gifts at this point in the game, don’t do it. It’s a fart in the wind, friends. Make these muffins instead. Put them in a pretty box, tie some kitchen twine around them, and write a thoughtful note. When you present these to others, they’ll eat them and say “wow, that was so thoughtful and so delicious” in the voice of Ma Brady.

Now, isn’t this so much better than fighting the crowds and buying a crappy import mug with two year old hot cocoa mix and crouton-like marshmallows?

Back to these awesome muffins that you are making for “the ones that you love”, remember?!?

These muffins come together just using the food processor! It’s easy! No need to dirty multiple bowls. I adapted a recipe from Danielle Walker’s Against All Grains cookbook (best grain-free cookbook around, folks), swapping out the almond flour for tapioca flour for a nut free muffin version. I also added fresh cranberries for a fleck of holiday red and a punch of perfect tartness.

Oh Oh OH…AAAAND, even thought these muffins contain NO oil, they are uber moist. So there…you just made tasty AND healthy holiday treats for people and didn’t have to punch someone in the face at the store on Christmas Eve. You are a good person. Pat yourself on the back and enjoy a muffin. Because, of course you made a double batch so that you could keep some for yourself. We aren’t heathens around here. Sheesh.

I hope you have a happy Christmas and a merry New Year. Muah!

Paleo Cranberry Banana Bread Muffins

Adapted from Against All Grains

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
4 eggs
3 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sifted coconut flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (such as coconut milk or almond milk)
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 cup fresh cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners and set aside.
Add the cider vinegar to the coconut milk and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
In a food processor or blender, add bananas, eggs, honey and vanilla extract. Process for 1 to 2 minutes until eggs are frothy. Add coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of the food processor with the frothy egg mixture. Blend/process until well combined. Add the vinegar/coconut milk mixture to the batter and process for an additional 30 seconds until well mixed.
Add the washed fresh cranberries and whole walnuts. Pulse the mixture a few times (do not over process or the cranberries will be too chopped) to distribute the cranberries and walnuts throughout the batter.
Spoon 1/4 cup of muffin batter into prepared muffin liners. This recipe makes 12 muffins.
Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven. Bake the muffins at 325 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top of the muffins are light golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and allow to cool further on a wire rack. If freezing, allow to cool completely before placing in a ziplock freeze bag or container. Microwave or reheat in oven to thaw. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in refrigerator and/or freezer.

Grain Free Pumpkin Apple Coffee Cake

Published on October 16, 2013October 16, 2013 by Alissa4 Comments

It’s fall and we all know what that means. It is comfy time.

It is sweater time!

It is jeans time!

It is WOOL SOCKS time!!!!!

It is pumpkin time!

But first, before I roll into pumpkin flavored everything….I have to tell you about my big accomplishment. This weekend I went on a fall cleaning and organizing mission. This is monumental, people. I peeled everything out of all of our closets and was ready for a massive PURGE. Usually when I do a “purge” I just sit around staring at old memorabilia and becoming even more attached to the T-shirts that I bought 15 years ago but haven’t worn in 10 years. But seriously, folks…how can you get rid of a shirt that says “Not everything is flat in Kansas“!!?!?! I know! Precious. My point exactly.

Man, you guys just get me.

So this weekend’s purge was different. I properly purged. (No, don’t worry I didn’t get rid of that awesome T-shirt.) But I DID manage to organize everything in our closets (a.k.a shove-crap-wherever-it-would-fit space) and get rid of:

Other not-so-cool shirts,
Expired medicine (goodbye Benedryl from 1990),
Stained things (note to self – QUIT buying white things…ketchup loves it too much),
Single socks that have permanently lost their partner (let’s have a moment of silence for all of the poor sock widows), and
A metric boat load of half-marathon race packets with sample bottles of weird things, etc.

As I stuffed and crammed these unwanted and unnecessary items into either goodwill sacks or the trash, I wondered why have I held on to this crap for so long? Holding onto stuff is an interesting thing. I put a big importance on odd things, but seriously not EVERYTHING has to be a gem, does it? At this rate I will need to get a separate storage unit just to store my “awe remember when…” items.

But now I feel fabulous and comfy. I’m wearing my comfy old T-shirt and a pair of wool socks that I lost. My closet is clean, stacked, organized, and comfy. Everything is just…comfy.

Comfy like the fall weather blowing around the leaves outside.

Comfy like old love letters from my husband that I found in a shoe box at the back of my closet.

Comfy like my favorite broken-in sweatshirt that I found crammed underneath a suitcase (okay, so I didn’t purge EVERYTHING…baby steps, people).

Comfy like nearly anything pumpkin flavored!

We all get bitten by the pumpkin bug every year! I have held off for quite a bit, but now it is on like a pumpkin thong. Hrmmm….wait. Bad idea. A pumpkin thong would NOT be comfy. Scratch that…

Just make this pumpkin apple coffee cake instead. I promise that the scent of it will make you swoon. You will want to wrap up with a comfy blanket, have a warm cup of coffee, and grab a big square of this warm coffee cake.

This coffee cake recipe is adapted from my Pumpkin and Apple Almond Flour Muffins and the Peach Streusel Topped Coffee Cake recipe featured in the fabulous Against All Grain Cookbook. It is moist and light with warm spices to fill your belly. I whipped this up for a football brunch watch party last weekend. My house smelled SO good while it baked and for days afterwards. I definitely think I will make this again for the holidays (or tomorrow).

Note – To make this recipe, I used Honeyville blanched almond flour. I prefer this brand because it makes baked goods lighter and flufflier than almond meal. I have not tried this recipe with other brands or with almond meal. If you try it with another brand or almond meal, please let me know how it turned out. This coffee cake takes nearly an hour to bake. If you need something that cooks in less time, try my delicious Pumpkin and Apple Almond Flour muffin recipe.

Pumpkin Apple Coffee Cake (Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo-Friendly)

Coffee Cake Ingredients

2 cups blanched almond flour (I use Honeyville)
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
3 eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 Tablespoon coconut oil (or grass-fed butter), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium apples (dice one and thinly slice the other)
Streusel topping (recipe below)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9X9 inch square pan or 9-inch round springform cake pan with coconut oil. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking soda, and spices) with a whisk. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor, mix the eggs and the maple syrup on medium speed until eggs become frothy (about 2 minutes). Add remaining wet ingredients (pumpkin, applesauce, oil, vanilla). Mix until all ingredients are combined. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in diced apples (about 1 cup). Spread mixture into the prepared pan. Place thin apple sliced on top. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the top.
Place pan on middle rack of the preheated oven. Cook at 325 F for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Streusel Topping (adapted from Against All Grain Cookbook)

1/3 cup pecans or walnuts
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Combine all of the streusel ingredients into the bowl of a small food processor. Pulse a few times until the nuts are chopped finely and the streusel comes together.
Sprinkle ingredients onto the coffee cake or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Rosemary Almond Flour Tart Crust

Published on August 11, 2013August 13, 2013 by Alissa5 Comments

I’m on a mission to take life slower. Sometimes things move so quickly that I get caught up in trying to get everything done perfectly and on time and I miss the important things that are going on around me. I forget to breathe. I forget the basics. I focus on the wrong things.

This weekend I decided to slow down, to be present, to breathe.

Hang my clothes out on the line.

Read a book.

Spend meaningful time with dear friends.

Eat butter pecan ice cream and remember my father.

Remember the basics.

Hold my husband’s hand.

Eat simply. And simply eat.

Bake something wholesome…. like a savory tart, which is where this basic tart crust came into my life this weekend. Everyone should have a basic pie crust and tart crust recipe up their sleeves. And bonus for the gluten and grain free gang, almond flour makes a wonderful flaky and light crust.

This basic tart crust is based on a fabulous recipe from the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam. (Which is a great book for those who are breaking into the world of almond flour baking.) This basic tart crust recipes is easily adaptable to go to the savory side or the sweet side. Currently my fave way to serve this tart crust is by adding fresh herbs from the garden and filling it with eggs and heirloom tomatoes. Simple. Done. And leftovers will be breakfast for the upcoming week! Man, I’m liking this simple life.

For other savory fillings, you could use this crust for a quiche crust or as an open pot pie crust! However, if going sweet, eliminate the black pepper and rosemary and add a tablespoon of honey. This would be simply great filled with lemon curd. Mmmm.

Rosemary Almond Flour Tart Crust (Adapted from Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook)

Makes 1 9-inch tart crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond flour (I use Honeyville)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
1/3 cup coconut oil (or butter), softened
1 to 2 Tablespoons cold water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter or oil a 9-inch tart pan and set aside.
Place the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and combine with a wire whisk. Add softened coconut oil and mix with a spoon until combined. Add in the ice water, starting with just 1 tablespoon. Combine with your hands until the mixture begins to hold together. If the dough is not holding together, add a second tablespoon of cold water. Press into a ball. If making ahead, you can cover the ball of dough in plastic wrap at this stage and place in the fridge for a few hours until you are ready to bake it.
Place the dough ball into the prepared tart pan. Starting from the center of the dough, press into the tart pan evenly working your way out to the sides. Press the dough up the sides evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times.
If making a tart crust that will be cooked after it is filled, then you will want to partially bake the crust. However, if you are filling the tart with something that will not bake after it is filled, then you will need to fully bake this crust. Place the tart crust in a preheated 350 F oven and either partially bake for 15 minutes or fully bake for 30 minutes or until the tart is lightly golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before filling.

Almond Butter Banana Muffins

Published on June 3, 2013 by Alissa24 Comments

I am a bit of a hoarder. I’m definitely a food hoarder, but also a hoarder of things. My husband thinks it is junk. Which it isn’t! But seriously, I keep things in boxes that I have never looked at for the past four years that we have lived here. I find myself holding on to things because… “don’t you dare get rid of it because I am saving that chair just in case some day I want to paint it red and have a tea party”. Yes…that really came out of my mouth.

He recently decided to have a garage sale…or an “Alissa’s Things Sale” as I refer to it. He doesn’t hold on to anything. When we got married, he moved into my house with a single box. I had a U-Haul trailer that could have fit a plane. So needless to say, purging is a hard thing for me. I remember every gift someone gave to me. I can’t seem to part with it even if that person totally does not remember giving it to me. They probably just picked it up randomly and thought “crap, it’s her birthday…uhm…ya, here’s a chicken tea pot…she eats chicken…she drinks tea…CHICKEN TEA POT!”. And here I am 15 years later with the ugliest tea pot and refusing to get rid of it. Until one day I wake up and the love of my life is selling all of my precious belongings (crap) and other people are walking away with my chicken tea pot! *sob*

It was a similar feeling for me when I made the switch a year ago to give up gluten. Making the switch to being gluten free can be tough sometimes. It’s hard to not feel like an outsider when everyone is laughing and enjoying cake and big plates of lasagna. Family gatherings and cookouts and office parties offer a plethora of pasta salads and cupcakes and brownies and bread and crackers. I would end up being the person in the corner snacking on carrots and a bag of nuts that I had stashed away in my purse like a squirrel. BECAUSE I AM A HOARDER.

One day I decided to PURGE! I threw away everything that contained wheat or even traces of wheat. It felt awesome. I began researching and arming myself with easy recipes to bring to gatherings. So now I always offer to bring something that I know that I can eat and that will blow the socks off of others that have no idea how great gluten free food can be.

This recipe uses nut butter in place of flour! No flour, no oil, no butter. Basically it is just almond butter and bananas and honey and eggs. Those purged cabinets probably have these simple ingredients in them. These muffins are rediculously good and rediculously easy! I have made them with almond butter and also with peanut butter. Both are fabulous. You can also add cocoa powder to the batter for chocolate cupcakes!

Almond Butter Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter* (see note below)
2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the banana, eggs, and almond butter until well mixed. Add the remaining ingredients except the cocoa powder. With half of the batter, fill 6 muffin liners 3/4 full. I use a 1/4 cup to measure for each. With the remaining muffin batter, add the cocoa powder. Fill the remaining 6 muffin cups to 3/4 full with the chocolate batter.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. Muffins will be firm a slightly golden, but fluffy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove from the muffin pan to a wire rack.

*Notes

I have also made these with peanut butter and they were great. I assume other nut butters would work too. If you have a nut allergy, sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) would be a good substitute.
I recommend all natural and unsweetened nut butters. However, if you aren’t using all natural nut butters (that is, if they have added sweeteners) then lower the overall amount of added honey in the recipe.
These are also delicious as cupcakes!

Dijon Ham Steaks with Apples

Published on February 21, 2013 by AlissaLeave a comment

Snow snow snow snow!!!! Winter is not giving up in Kansas City with predictions of 10 to 15 inches of snow and zero visibility. Plus, we are not just getting metric boat loads of snow, but….(cue deep booming echoing voice) THUNDER SNOW. It sounds more like an X Men character or superhero name or maybe they should add this as the next movie in the Mad Max movie serious….Return of Thunder Snow….anyone? come on!

It’s really strange to see the light snow falling and hear booming thunder outside. They have canceled and closed everything around here including schools, work, gyms, ceremonies. The grocery stores have been like war zones the last few days with people stocking up for Snowmeggedon. So now there is nothing left to do but hunker down, cook up a hearty breakfast, put a fire in the fireplace, add a roast in the oven to cook low and slow, and cuddle with my favorite boys…Guinness and Kiley.

Even if you aren’t getting (booming voice) THUNDER SNOOOOOW…. you can still make a heart-warming breakfast that deserves being stranded in a snowy mountain cabin with a warm fire in the fireplace. My local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) meat supplier provides us with 12 to 16 oz bone-in ham steaks. We like to brown these in a cast iron skillet for breakfast. In the summer, I like to cook these steaks on the grill. When cooking indoors in a skillet, I cut the ham steak into four equal portions to cook evenly and quicker. A simple Dijon sauce and butter-sauted apples pair well with the ham. This is even good as a quick dinner.

Dijon Ham Steaks with Apples (Adapted from Gourmet, 1999)

Serves 4

Ingredients

12 to 16 oz uncooked ham steak (1/4-inch thick), trimmed of fat and cut into 4 portions
1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons butter
2 small apples (or 1 large), cored and sliced in 1/4-inch slices

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°F.
In a small bowl, mix whole grain mustard and Dijon mustard. Spread mustard mixture on top of ham steak.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over moderately high heat. Add ham steaks to skillet and sauté until browned (about 5 to 6 minutes). If your ham steak is thicker than 1/4-inch, cook a little longer. Transfer browned ham to a heat-proof dish, loosely covered with foil, and place in preheated oven to keep warm while apples cook.
Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet and sauté apple slices, turning once, until golden and tender, about 4 minutes total. Remove ham from oven. Top each piece of ham with apple slices. Serve with fried eggs for a fabulous fancy country breakfast.