Broccoli, Sausage & Egg Muffins

I stumbled upon this recipe over the weekend and thought I’d give it a try! I just modified a few minor details to ensure a Paleo diet quality.

The main component of our breakfasts are eggs, typically either frittata-style, (which is easy for advanced prep, and a few days’ worth of reheatable breakfasts); or simply scrambling up some eggs with whatever veggies and pre-cooked meats happen to be in the fridge on that morning’s occasion.  I thought these muffins would be a nice change in the rotation on the pre-cooked breakfast front, so I gave them a try! Plus – they’re kind of cute, these little muffins…don’t you think?

So onto packing those tins!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground sausage (pre-seasoned, or self-seasoned: I like to season my own & make spicy! Plus, that way I know exactly what’s going into the sausage on the seasoning-front)
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Crushed red pepper (optional)
• Olive oil for greasing muffin tins

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 F
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the sausage until it is browned, no pink remaining (about 5-7 minutes).
• Remove pan from heat and stir in the broccoli florets. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the coconut milk & baking powder, and continue to whisk to combine.
• Season with a little salt & pepper, and add red pepper flakes to your liking.  Whisk again to combine.
• Lightly spray or coat a 12-cup muffin tin with olive oil.
• Spoon in the sausage & broccoli mix evenly amongst each of the 12 cups.
• Ladle the egg mixture over the sausage & broccoli.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes

* To re-heat, I put 4 muffins in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes.

Since there are only two of us in the household, and because my honest intention is to have ready-to-heat-up muffins at my fingertips for a few days (2 muffins per serving); I would suggest storing them by wrapping them in aluminum foil or putting in a sealed container for the fridge.  At first, I just tossed them into a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag, but it got a little condensation in it (not that it mattered in the least bit after reheating…I simply didn’t like reaching my hand into dampness to retrieve!).

Store to your pleasure and enjoy!

Coconut Flour Paleo Waffles and Pancakes

Well, I have had a bit of a writer’s block lately.  Or perhaps it has more to do with having less time (at least in the evenings) for cooking up new creations.  But nonetheless, I’m still here, whipping up a delicious storm! Believe.

I should add that, over time, I have slowly made the migration over to the Paleo “Lifestyle” from that of the “Four Hour Body.”  Four Hour is very much still the driver behind these recipes – they are similar enough.  Really – I would describe it as with the allowance for a few extra ingredients in the Paleo-food world (i.e., sweet potato; raw honey; a touch of fruit, namely bananas and berries).  I still use beans from time to time (hardy is as chili does!), but as such, I will do my best to classify these recipes as accordingly as possible!

That being said, a new breakfast treat I’ve enjoyed cooking for the hubby and myself on the weekends lately (weekends = when I actually have the time in the morning to cook from scratch!), are Paleo Waffles.  Or Paleo pancakes.  Batter is one in the same, of course.  Waffles are just so much cooler, in my opinion.

I had tried a few different recipes for Paleo pancakes through general internet recipe browsing, and finally found one that actually tasted good enough to bother with making a Paleo-style pancake.  They had the right consistency, fluffiness, and stuck together just right.  You can find the recipe here, or below.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Coconut oil for greasing waffle iron or griddle/pan
• Blueberries (optional)
• Walnuts (optional)

Directions:

• If making waffles, grease the waffle grid and allow the waffle iron to heat up.
• If making pancakes, preheat pan or griddle over medium-low heat.
• Beat eggs in a stand mixer until frothy.  Mix in coconut milk, vanilla, and honey.
• In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon; stir together to combine.
• Combine dry mixture with wet in the stand mixer and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on medium to medium-high for another minute or two, until the dry ingredients are completely mixed into the batter.Once your batter is complete, add desired amount of blueberries and walnuts, and stir into the batter gently to distribute evenly.
• If making waffles, spoon several scoops of batter in the center of the waffle iron and cook to desired completion
• If making pancakes, pour batter into discs that are 3 inches in diameter – cook for about 3 minutes on one side, flip, then cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side.
• Then I strongly encourage you to stack ’em high.