Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & grits are a total brunch comfort food, perfect for those chilly autumn mornings.

I've had this dish at a number of brunch spots, but decided to try and make my own at home. It's really easy to make and like the best brunch foods, good at any time of the day!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of corn grits (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 4 cups of water
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 clove raw garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 cup chopped broccoli (including stalk)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or juice of 1/2 small lemon)
• 2 cups of cooked shrimp (I used Trader Joe's frozen cooked shrimp)
• 1 cup of cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or mix of choice)
• butter to taste --about 4-5 nice big pats

Directions

Add salt & pepper to water and bring to a boil. Add in grits, turn heat to low, and stir to prevent lumps.

While the grits are cooking, heat oil and cook garlic & onion until they start to brown. Add in lemon juice & broccoli. Add in shrimp. Cook over a medium heat until broccoli is tender & shrimp is fully heated.

Once grits are cooked, turn off heat and add in the butter and cheese. Stir to combine. Pour grits into 4 bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Serve at once.

Serves: 4

Duck Egg Scramble

Farmers markets are wonderful things. The produce always lasts longer because it hasn't had to travel across the country and sit on a pallet before reaching you. The produce is always in season. Sometimes you run into a neighbor or friend. But my favorite thing about farmers markets is discovering new foods. 

Today I discovered duck eggs. The stand I was planning to buy chicken eggs from had run out, but they still had some duck eggs. A bit unsure of what to expect, I decided to take the plunge and try them! The people from Canter Hill Farm assured me that they were delicious -- richer than chicken eggs and good for baking.

They were right. I just made the most delicious, rich, amazing duck egg scramble. But don't take my word for it, try the recipe for yourself!

Duck Egg Scramble with pomegranate seeds

 

Duck Egg Scramble

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon of oil (I used coconut)
• 1 small bunch (about 1 cup) of raw broccoli, chopped (including the stock) 
• 1/4 cup raw cranberries, chopped
• 3 duck eggs
• ounce or two of cheddar cheese, crumbled (optional)
• lemon pepper 

 

Directions:

Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, and stir until they start to slightly brown. Lower heat a little. Add the broccoli, and continue stirring. Add in cranberries.

Once the broccoli starts to tenderizer, push the veggie mixture to one side of the pan. Crack the 3 duck eggs in the space you created. Stir the eggs until it starts to be cooked. Add lemon pepper to egg mixture. Once eggs are almost cooked, blend with everything else. Once eggs are fully cooked, add the cheese and mix in to melt. Stir everything together over low heat for a few more seconds, and serve immediately with fresh fruit.

Serves: 1

Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup

Caramelized Pear & Carrot Soup

Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup

Before dining at Tapas on Main in Bethlehem, PA, I had never heard of Caramelized Pear and Carrot Soup.  But it was so delicious that I had to try to make it myself!

Well I did, and a brunchmate who "doesn't eat soup" just inquired, "is there any more?"

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 ripe Bartlett pear
4-5 carrots
1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cooked apple-chicken (or faux chicken) sausage, chopped (optional)
ground black pepper & slivered almonds for topping (optional)

Directions

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and cook until they start to caramelize. If using sausage, add it in now. Chop the pear into large chunks and add to pan.  Cook until pear starts to soften & becomes juicy. Break carrots into smaller pieces and add, turning off heat so they do not really cook yet.

In high speed blender (Vitamix is ideal), pour in vegetable broth. Then add in the pears, carrots, and onions. Retain approximately 1 tablespoon of the onions and the sausage.

If your Vitamix has a soup setting, run it on that. If not, then run mixture until smooth & creamy.

Once done, carefully remove lid and add in a dash more of salt to taste, the remaining onions, and the sausage. Pulse on low for about 10 seconds to combine.

If you've used the soup setting on Vitamix, pour into bowls and serve. Otherwise heat over stove and then serve. Top with ground pepper & almonds.

A sweet springtime soup that's sure to please! For a summertime meal it probably would also taste good as a chilled soup topped with Crème fraîche!

Tapas on Main, Bethlehem PA

Recently I had a weekday brunch (okay, it was lunch) at Tapas on Main in Bethlehem, PA. It was a beautiful spring day and my brunchmates and I sat outside. They have a lunch special where you can order two out of three options: soup, salad, sandwich for $9.99.  

Their menu helpfully noted what items are Vegan and Gluten Free, saving both the waitstaff and diners much trouble!

For the first course I tried the Ensalada Verde (normally $8.95), served with fresh green apples, lightly candied pecans, a high quality Valdeon blue cheese, and fig balsamic dressing it was delicious.

One brunchmate ordered the Ensalada de Remolacha (normally $8.95), a beet salad with Serrano ham, arugula, and a delicate blood orange vinaigrette. At first he thought the wrong salad was delivered because the beets were hidden underneath everything else, but once discovered he was quite happy.

Another brunchmate left not a single drop of her  Tomato Soup with Manchego Croutons (no longer on the current menu).

For my second course I had the Caramelized Pear & Carrot Soup. A sweet soup with a delicate flavor, it reminded me of a lighter version of the ever popular butternut squash soup. It was so delicious that I inspired to create my own version of this soup. I will write out the recipe in an upcoming post because it was so incredibly good!

My brunchmates both ordered the Carne Burger (normally $9.95). A juicy beef burger with tetilla cheese, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato and chipotle ketchup. Both had completely clean plates and were seriously debating ordered another burger to go....

All in all, a perfect excuse to go visit the very cute downtown of Bethlehem, PA. I know that I'm looking forward to my next visit.

If you go:

• 500 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018
• Phone: (610) 868-8903
• They accept credit cards.
• Tapas on Main

Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

A recent visit to Lancaster County, PA reminded me of a dish that's quiet popular in this part of the world: baked oatmeal. For some reason I haven't found this treat on brunch menus....well, anywhere else that I can recall. I decided to try my own twist on the classic:

Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups of oatmeal (GF brand--such as Bob's Red Mill--as needed)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/3 cup of maple syrup or 1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of coconut milk
*3 eggs 
3 tablespoons of coconut oil (or butter)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/3 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
fresh cream (optional)

Directions

Preheat over to 350 F.

Coat an 8x8 pan with coconut oil and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients.

Melt the coconut oil (or butter) and whisk together with the remaining wet ingredients (except for the cream).


Combine wet & dry ingredients, adding in the raspberries & chocolate. Pour into pan and bake for aproximately 40minutes. 

Serve warm with fresh cream.

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish or dessert.

*(for vegan version, skip the eggs & add 1 extra cup of coconut milk & 1 tablespoon of chia gel) 

Whole 30 - Day 9 - Thanksgiving Cups

Today marks day 9 for my Whole30 eating.  

I adapted a twist on the "Egg muffin" recipe that I've kind of fallen in love with. The only thing that could possibly make these any better may be adding a bit of coconut milk to the batter, I'll have to experiment and let you know the results!

Thanksgiving Cups

Ingredients 

12 eggs
1 tablspoon of chopped onion
1 cup of ground turkey meat
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/4 cup cranberries (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
dash of salt
cupcake wrappers or extra oil to grease the pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
Caramelize the onions in coconut oil. Remove from pan and set aside. Add a little bit more oil and cook the turkey meat.

In a large bowl, whisk 12 eggs. Add in the onions, turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie spice & salt.  Pour into muffin tin (I used cupcake wrappers to make cleanup easier and better for eating on the go). 

Bake for approximately 20-30minutes. Allow to cool in the oven, or else your muffins will fall flat like mine did...

Enjoy these little bites of Thanksgiving on the spot, or store in air-tight container in the fridge. 

Whole 30 - Day 7

Scrambled Eggs with Onions and Avocado

 Day 7 of Whole30 eating. 

 For breakfast I cooked red onions and garlic powder up with some coconut oil. Once they had started to caramelize (about 3 minutes over medium heat), I added 4 eggs and stirred until almost mostly cooked.  In the last minute I added 1/2 of a ripe avocado.
Served with 1/3 can of pineapple chunks. Drained the pineapple juice and squeezed some fresh lime into it.  Delicious and filling! 

Kiwi, carrot, nuts

Lunch today was a bit skimpy. I had planned to make something else, but forgot to cook it and got hungry first. Really more of a snack, but it filled me enough until dinner. 1 carrot, 1 kiwi, and about 1 cup mix of almonds, pistachios, and macadamia nuts.





 

For dinner, I cooked swordfish for the first time ever using this recipe: Swordfish with Avocado Salsa. The avocado that I had was starting to go bad, and I did not have much avocado to add so I also threw in the rest of the canned pineapple, really good!

I also made the most delicious creamed cauliflower ever.





CREAMY CAULIFLOWER

Take 1 head of cauliflower, broken into flourets and steam it until tender. Remove and throw into vitamix or blender. Add water or canned coconut milk as needed to blend. Blend with salt, pepper, and garlic power until creamy and smooth.