Sandwich Bread - Wheat Belly Friendly!

This is my attempt at "sandwich bread" making, as described on page 20 of Dr. Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or less) Cookbook"!

-Yield 1 loaf - Active Time 20 minutes Total Time 1 1/2 hours-

Ingredients

• 3 cups Wheat Belly All Purpose Baking Mix
• 1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp. buttermilk or coconut milk (canned or carton variety)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8 1/2" X 4 1/2 " loaf pan.

In a food processor, combine the baking mix, baking powder and salt. Pulse until well blended. Add the egg yolks, butter or coconut oil, and buttermilk or coconut milk and pulse until well blended.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Pour into the flour mixture and pulse until egg whites are evenly distributed, but do not run the machine at a constant speed. Spread into the pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Mine either didn't rise enough, or the pan was too large, BUT, it tasted great!

We tried it as an open face sandwich with some "Wheat Belly" friendly egg-salad my wife made.  It was all topped out with two strips of BACON!  Wonderful!

The next night we had "slow-cooker" pinto beans, and this was like eating cornbread!  Try some tonight...you know you're missing CORNBREAD (Wheat Belly style)!

My Typical "Wheat Belly" Breakfast

This is my typical "Wheat Belly" breakfast, although I change the protein often; usually black forest ham or bacon. On the side is a piece of the Herbed Focaccia Flatbread I made a few days ago.

I like the eggs runny; there are two here. Underneath, I sometimes put a piece of cheese.  You don't have to worry about "fat" on this program so much, so bacon fat stays on and I cook the eggs in coconut oil.

The orange spots are hot sauce! 

I find this breakfast can often last me all day; unless I'm digging a ditch!

Bacon, Egg, and Tomato Stacks - Wheat Belly

So what's for breakfast for a "Wheat Belly"? 

Here's one light idea from page 63 of Dr. William Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-minute (or less) Cookbook":

His cookbook suggests this when you're hankering for something a little different for breakfast.  It's a departure from the usual scrambled or fried eggs!

First off, cook a slice of bacon for each "tomato stack" you intend to make.  We cooked three pieces because my wife only wanted one egg.  I, obviously, wanted two!  Cook any way you want, and sit aside until the eggs are ready.

I'm not going to complicate this by listing a lot of ingredients, suffice it to say it's too simple! 

On a slightly greased baking sheet, place a large sliced (the book recommends 1/2" slices) tomato; one for each slice of bacon you intend to have.  Drizzle each slice with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and broil for 3 to 4 minutes (until lightly brown).

Place the slices on a plate, crisscross each with a piece of bacon, and move on to the eggs.

The hard part may be in preparing the poached eggs, but it involves gently putting eggs into 2" of water that contains 3 tablespoons of white vinegar.  You will note that my water was dark in color, but I used apple cider vinegar because that's all I had.  However, it worked fine! 

Cook the eggs until they have the consistency you prefer...mine tend to be runny, but you can judge for yourself.

Place an egg (using a slotted spoon and dry under the spoon before moving over the tomatoes) on each of the slices. 

Season with salt and pepper (use some chives if you want).  Enjoy!

Breakfast Quiche - Mushroom - Bacon - Cheese - Wheat Belly Friendly

Let me say right up front that this "Wheat Belly" friendly breakfast quiche is AWESOME, but time consuming!  So, you may want to prepare the whole thing the night before, or at least get all the mixtures ready.  Or, you could work hungry as I did on this, but the effort, either way is well worth it!

It really helps if you have a helper on this one, there is a lot of mixing and finding ingredients.  However, once you've done it once, you'll be able to do it quicker on those hungry mornings!

This recipe came from Wheat-Free Market Foods, and this is my attempt at preparing.

Divide your activity into preparing the crust and the filling.  The are bought time consuming and are made up of several ingredients.  The ingredients should be on hand, IF, you have been following Dr. Davis' "Wheat Belly" program.  The crust is basically made up of the "Wheat-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix" that I usually keep made up in a canister.  You need his cookbook to get the ingredients of that mixture.  HINT: Breads are made from Almond, coconut, and flaxseed flours/meals. NO WHEAT!

The CRUST is made up of: (turn on oven to 350)

1 -1/2 Cups Wheat-Free Baking Mix

1/4 teaspoon sea-salt

1 teaspoon Virtue or Truvia sweetener (only Stevia extract, no other ingredients are "wheat belly" legal)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons of "real" butter

The FILLING is made up of:

4 slices of thick bacon (chopped)

1/2 small onion (finely chopped)

4 ounces of mushrooms (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon sea-salt

5 large eggs

3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

4 ounces shredded cheese (provolone or Swiss)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prepare Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine baking mix, sweetener, salt, butter and egg. Blend until dough forms. Place dough on a large piece of parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment paper (or plastic wrap) on top of the dough and roll out until dough is approximately 12 inches in diameter (for a 9 inch pie). Remove top paper and carefully invert crust into pie plate. Remove any excess dough and crimp edges if desired.

Bake crust for 10 minutes then remove from oven.

While crust is baking, prepare filling.

Render fat from bacon in a medium pan. As soon as bacon is crispy, chop bacon and set aside. Leave at least 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings in pan and add onion, mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Turn off heat.

In a large bowl add eggs, whipping cream, cheese, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper, bacon and mushroom mixture. Pour mixture into the pre-baked crust and bake for 35 minutes or until center is set. Check crust around 30 minutes to make sure it is not getting too brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Get ready to "slap yo mamma"!  It's awesome with coffee, and maybe a side of fresh fruit!

My Mexican Omelette

We were out on a road-trip a couple of Sunday's ago, and stopped, again, at the Golden Girls Restaurant,  2211 North Charles G. Sievers Blvd., Clinton, TN.

We have eaten there before, and it has always been a pleasing experience.  It needs a little modernizing, but I guess that's the appeal to us.  The day we were there they had suffered a little wind damage and there was a blue tarp over a section of the roof.

This trip Judy ordered okra, pinto beans, the chicken and dumplings, with fried cornbread!  I chose the "Mexican Omelette" ( or omelet), and it was spectacular!  They put whole jalapenos in theirs, and man was it hot!  But, I love hot!

So, this past Sunday morning I made my version for our granddaughter, and she was wild about it!  Of course, I served it with cheesy grits, which she also loves.

The prep takes a little while, but usually while the coffee is brewing and the biscuits are cooking you can have it done and ready to pour the eggs.

I mixed some chopped honey-ham, some Paul Newman's Salsa, some canned mushrooms (chopped), onions, yellow bell pepper, and diced jalapenos in a small frying pan and sauteed them in a little butter.  

I had already prepared the cheesy grits (Quick Grits with lots of Velveeta cheese and butter!), and coffee was brewing.  I also cooked my bacon, 2 strips per person, in the microwave.  Usually about a minute per slice, but until it's crisp.

I mixed up some eggs in a bowl, usually one egg per person, and added a little salt and pepper.

In a medium hot skillet, pour in enough egg to form a thin layer on the entire bottom of a medium pan.  The mixture should be thoroughly whipped.  If you leave some white unmixed, it will separate when you try and turn it.

When you can tell the mixture is completely cooked on the bottom side, gently squirm your spatula underneath and over to the center.  Then gently raise it up and flip it over.  The opposite side should cook quickly.  

Remove the egg and place it on a plate.  Spread the cooked ingredients in a line across the egg, sprinkle on some mild cheddar cheese, lay on two strips of bacon, and then close the edges of the egg over the mixture.  Spoon some more salsa down the length of the omelet, plop on a biscuit or the grits on the side (not both...too many carbs), and serve the plate.

It will put a smile on your face!

BTW, the jalapenos make coffee taste even better!  Try it!

Bacon Wrapped, Walnut and Spinach Chicken

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray. You know I have to try it, if it involves BACON! 

Well, I'm not a chef, or a Rachael Ray, so I gave it my best shot.  She wasn't clear down toward the end of her recipe that the last few ingredients were part of a fancy salad*, so I mistakenly put some vinegar and onion in the stuff mix!

However, I think it turned out well, but I did have to drizzle honey over the top to dampen the vinegar a bit!  However, the rest inside was fine, but I do not like celery cooked or watercress, so I left that out completely.

That all being said, here are the ingredients for my attempt.  I should point out that Rachael's recipe was for 6 chicken breasts, and I only used 3, but I did attempt to put more stuffing inside each of mine.  Use her ingredients if you want to cook 6, or freeze 3 for later.

Ingredients: 

• 4 ounces walnuts (about 3/4 cup), toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped 
• 1 brick Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese (8 ounces), softened 
• 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted and well-drained 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• Salt and pepper (Don't forget this step before stuffing is added to the fillet.  I did and had to salt and pepper midway through the oven cooking.  Not as good as before!)
• Freshly grated nutmeg 
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, breasts butterflied to open them up like a book 
• 1/3 pound thinly sliced smoky bacon or speck  (Thinly sliced may work better than my thick sliced, but I liked it though it didn't brown the way I wanted it.)
• 1/4 tablespoon olive or canola oil, divided 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 1 crisp apple, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 

Preparation 

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. 

Combine the walnuts with the soft cheese, spinach, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and divide the cheese mixture among the breasts. 

Close the chicken breasts over the filling. Wrap the chicken with bacon or speck, slightly overlapping the slices. 

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil and lightly brown the chicken on all sides. 

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 (This depends on how thin your breasts are.  Watch and adjust.) minutes to cook through. 

*Here is where I messed up!  The following directions are for a salad.  I served mine with potato salad instead. 

While the chicken is in the oven, whisk up the lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon, honey (I'll put the honey inside next time.) and the remaining olive oil. Combine the apple, celery, onion and greens with dressing and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve the stuffed chicken with the salad (or potato salad) alongside. 

Despite a couple of mistakes, it was delicious!

BREAKFAST PIZZA

Judy and I discovered a long time ago that we love to drink coffee with the heat of jalapeños in our mouth. This means that we must occasionally have a spicy omelet or breakfast pizza, loaded with diced onions and jalapeños, in order to give us that special taste in our mouths.

We had the omelet earlier this week, but when we discussed what to fix this morning, we both remembered the crescent rolls in the refrigerator – naturally, we both said “breakfast pizza” at the same time!

The first step to preparing bacon, or anything fried, in our house is prefaced by the "lighting of the candles". Judy loves her candles, so there are always at least half a dozen to light! Notice the Christmas flower arrangement she made…lovely huh!?

Jeff asked, “Who died” when I shared the photo with him earlier in the week! Judy may never speak to him again!

While Judy cooked a couple of strips of bacon, and sautéed the diced onions and jalapeños, along with a couple of strips of sandwich ham, I sprayed the Pampered Chef pizza dish with EVOO, and spread out the triangles of Pillsbury® crescents with the Baker's Roller® Judy had hidden in a drawer of implements we rarely use.

The triangles want to separate, but if you work hard at kneading them together, they will eventually cooperate and flatten out together.

Once it was all spread out as far as I dared to push it, I poured three beaten eggs over the top. The eggs were seasoned with salt, pepper, and Tennessee Sunshine hot sauce. The mixture will run off the edges unless your put the dough into a smaller pan with sides, but as it turned out, on the pizza stone, the egg cooked up just right in the oven. We simply cut it from the edges of dough and laid the cooked strips on top of the pizza.

After pouring on the eggs, I layered on the bacon, and sautéed onions, jalapeños, and ham! Yum!

This was all popped into a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 13 to 14 minutes.

The taste was wonderful and the jalapeños and coffee bit at our taste buds!

HORSESHOE BREAKFAST SANDWICH

So, I was sitting there in my living room watching the Food Network, and, as usual, I was sucked into Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives”! He and Paula Deen grab my “grease buds” every time I pass either show!

However, this particular “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” show was about crazy breakfast dishes, and especially one about the “horseshoe breakfast” sandwich. Man, this baby is a grease lover’s dream concoction, and I had to have one!

Mine was a little less loaded than the ones Guy featured, but the basics are the same:

1. One or two pieces of toast laying flat on a plate
2. Topped with two crumbled pieces of bacon
3. Topped with a slice of American cheese
4. Topped with fried cubed potatoes and onions (salted and peppered)
5. Topped off with a very runny, over easy, egg (or two)!

My tongue almost slapped my brain out before I could cut off a bite and get it into my mouth! To quote “Fat Bastard”, “Now get in my belly!”

Put one in yours today…so easy, so tasty!

CORNBREAD AND GRAVY

Yeah baby! I know you are looking for a way to slap on another 2 or 3 pounds before Labor Day, so this breakfast post and tomorrow’s “supper” post will help you out!

Before “getting serious” again Monday, there were things I wanted to eat. The first was a good old country breakfast of cornbread, white-milk gravy, eggs, and bacon! My gosh, it even had the dog dancing around the kitchen wanting some of the action!

While Judy was busy wiping up the gravy, using the grease from thick sliced bacon, I watched the cornbread in the oven, and whipped up some scrambled eggs. I know what you are thinking, but I got my blood test results back from the doctor today and everything was “PERFECT,” to quote the doc’s comment!

So, it was so delicious there was little left to share with Baylee!

Now, the other things I wanted I will get at my mom’s Sunday afternoon – EVERYTHING FRIED! Fried squash, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and creamed yellow corn! Is life grand, or what?