Archive for the ‘ Treat ’ Category

Its a noodle, its a pancake, its a tortilla

Egg White Crepe

OMG this was so easy I don’t know why I didn’t try it sooner. A week ago I noticed that Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint Cookbook had a recipe for Enchilada’s using egg white tortillas. I thought, “That looks good but a little labor intensive.” Then I was watching Psych and a short order cook was making egg white omelets on a huge flat cooktop, then I made creme brulee and had a bunch of egg whites sitting in the fridge, then Divine Health posted a link to a recipe for egg white pancakes. So I thought, “Okay universe, I’ll just do it already.”

Your initial thought might be that a substitute is not as good as the real thing. And you might be correct if you don’t normally eat this way. But I’ve had bread and pasta eliminated from my diet for awhile now. Honestly I don’t really even like the taste of it anymore. I can handle a bun on a really greasy cheeseburger though I pick most of it off. I’ve tried pasta and its really the creamy sauce, meat and veggies that I crave. I’ve tried a soft shell taco and I felt like I was eating wadded paper coated with glue. I do not at all miss wheat products-though I might try a sugar cookie if one crosses my path. It is so true that it becomes an addiction and doesn’t really appeal to actual hunger or cravings for a certain flavor.

I’ve made French Toastless and it satisfies  that sweet breakfast tooth. But the idea of being able to wrap some berries or jam with something actually nutritious appealed to my affinity for food presentation. I also thought it might provide the texture you just can’t get with scrambled eggs or coconut flour baked goods. And these egg white pancakes certainly fit the bill.

And its so much easier then I thought it would be.

THE RECIPE

8 egg whites-it turned out to be about 5 large pancakes

a dash of cream-though this can be eliminated

butter or coconut oil for frying

I whisked the ingredients together in my mixer til the eggs were frothy

Heat the skillet and the butter-I used non-stick because I haven’t completely gotten used to frying in cast iron and my other pans were dirty. I do like how easy non-stick is but I worry about the toxins that can be released-you make your own personal decision on the matter.

I scooped up the mixed egg white in a 1/3 cup (though I didn’t fill it full) and poured it in my skillet. The whites ran and made an uneven circular shape-our house isn’t very square-lol. I took my spatula and kind nudged the edge the sides toward the middle. It only took about 30 seconds for the egg whites to harden enough to flip them and even less for the the other side to harden.

I did re-butter the pan every time I made a new one.

There you  have your egg white whatever.

Egg White Tortilla Roll

Now you can use your Egg White Pancake for whatever you can think up. The Primal Blueprint Cookbook has a recipe for enchiladas. My husband suggested cutting them into strips and adding them to warmed chicken soup. This morning I added a little syrup and cut it into small bits for one tot and rolled it around a little raspberry jam and topped it with a little syrup and cinnamon for myself and the other tot. You could also add a little whipped cream cheese in the middle for a really rich crepe.  I used to make flour crepes all the time as a kid and I can honestly say this is so much tastier and filling. The texture is perfect and the taste is not funky at all.

What have/would you use your egg white whatever for?

 

2011
02/04
CATEGORY
Chicken
Egg
Fruit
Soup
Treat
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Pumpkin Creme Brulee

pumpkin creme brulee

This is so easy peasy to make but such an elegant and delectable dessert that it’ll even impress your mother-in-law.

You’ll need 12 small glass or ceramic dishes/ramekins. I use a variety and fit six each into two 9 x 13 glass casserole dishes. Even if you have a small dinner party you’ll want to make it all so you can enjoy the  leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

16 egg  yolks

4 cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

15 oz. can of pumpkin

sprinklings of brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F.

Pour the cream, vanilla, and maple syrup into a pot. Stir often over medium heat until it almost comes to a simmer.

This is when I take the time to separate my egg yolks and white. You can keep the egg whites for other baking or mix into your scrambled eggs at breakfast.

Take the cream off the heat and let it cool a little while you whisk the yolks and honey til frothy. I mix it in an 8 cup glass measuring bowl with a spout so I can pour it into my ramekins when ready.

Make sure the cream is cool to the touch. Pour just a little of the cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk, then slowly pour in the rest-you don’t want to add it too fast without whisking or when its too hot or you could scramble your egg yolks. YUK.

Then add the pumpkin and spice.

Some recipes tell you to pour through a mesh wire but I find that the pumpkin clogs it. So after I’m done mixing everything I skim the top with a spoon if there are any floaties.

Put your ramekins into the casserole dishes. Pour the mixture into ramekins about 3/4 full. I usually have some left over so if I have more small glass ramekins clean I fill them or I use a bigger glass bowl and pour it into that-it can be popped in the oven at the same time and on the second rack but takes longer to cook.

Using a teapot or something with a spout fill the casserole dishes with water til it comes about half way up on the ramekins. Then carefully put them in the oven.

I bake mine for about an hour until the middles are just set-only slightly wiggly. Be super careful taking them out the oven because of the hot water. Then remove ramekins from the casserole dishes. I usually use a canning jar lifter or a hard spatula.

Let them cool and then place them in the fridge for a couple hours or overnight.

Before serving sprinkle the tops with brown sugar and use a kitchen blow torch to melt the sugar. If you don’t have a blow torch use your broiler but watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

Enjoy.

2010
12/05
CATEGORY
Dairy
Treat
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Basic Cheesecake with Almond Crust

It will be so much easier if you have a spring form(8 or 9 inch) pan, a mixer (I love my KitchenAid Artisan-black with sparkles), and of course a rubber spatula. But I suppose you can do without. You can also make it for 12 muffin cups.

Crust

1 1/2 cup almond flour (you can make your own, order on line, or purchase from many health food stores)

6 Tbs melted butter

1/8 cup honey

1 Tbs. cinamon or cocoa powder (optional)

Crushed nuts (any flavor- I like macadamia) (optional)

1/4 tsp of almond vanilla extract (optional)

variation: to mix it up you can us a quirky extract or some coconut

Mix it and press firmly into your pan. You can use parchment paper to line the bottom but I don’t. I”m sure you could also use a regular cake pan but getting it out in neat little slices would be difficult.

Bake it in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Filling

3 8oz packages of cream cheese-softened (I leave it out with my eggs to warm up to room tem)

1/3 cup sugar (most recipes call for two or three times as much)

2/3 coconut milk

1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I usually use sour cream)

3 eggs-room temp

1 Tbs vanilla

variations: for fun (and if you can handle the extra carbs) try adding any of these to the mix: citrus zest or 1/4 cup juice, 1 c shredded toasted coconut, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin spice, crushed berries–swirl one of these in after its in the pan: chocolate melted with 1/2 cup cream, flavored liqueur melted with white chocolate and 1/2 cup cream

Beat the cream cheese and sugar, with the paddle attachment, til smooth. Scrape down sides. Add the sour cream (or yogurt), coconut milk, and vanilla. Scrape down sides. Add eggs one at a time. Scrape down side and add your little extras if your going to add them.

Pour into spring form pan. Bake at 325 degree for 45-60 minutes or until the center is slightly wiggly. Turn off oven and crack door but leave cheesecake in for about an hour. Take out and let cool to room temp. Cover and store in fridge for at least 8 hours before serving.

2010
05/04
CATEGORY
Dairy
Treat
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