Low carb waffles with zucchini and cheese

• 

Have you ever tried making low carb waffles? After more than two years following a keto (ketogenic, or low carb) diet, I don't miss sweet waffles drenched in syrup. Instead, I have become a huge fan of savory waffles, with almond flour and eggs as the base, shredded vegetables and onions for flavor, and cheese holding the whole thing together in the most delicious way.

I use a mixture of almond flour and a little bit of coconut flour for these savory keto waffles, plus two or three kinds of cheese. Zucchini throws off a lot of liquid, so there's no need to add milk or water - the zucchini provides all the moisture you need.

I serve these low carb zucchini waffles as a side dish with roast chicken or steak, but I can tell you from experience that leftover zucchini and cheese waffles are extremely tasty for breakfast with a fried egg on top. Scroll down for the recipe....

More favorite low carb recipes:
Paleo fried chicken with an almond flour crust
Cheeseburger stuffed mushrooms
Low carb stuffed peppers

print recipe

Low carb waffles with zucchini and cheese

by Erika Kerekes February-11-2018

Serve these savory low carb waffles with shredded zucchini and cheddar cheese as a side dish with roast chicken or steak, or top them with a fried egg for breakfast. Perfect for keto diets!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups raw zucchini, shredded or spiralized
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (or cheddar/jack combination)

Instructions

1. Heat your waffle iron.2. Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, parmesan, salt, pepper and baking powder, and combine well. The mixture will be very thick.3. Add the zucchini and onions to the egg mixture and combine well. Let sit 10 minutes, then stir again. The salt will draw out some of the water from the zucchini, making the mixture looser. Add the cheddar cheese and mix again.4. Spray your waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Use about 1/3 cup mixture for each waffle, or adjust based on the size of your waffle iron. Let the waffles cook until medium-brown, about 5 minutes - these low carb waffles will take a bit longer than traditional waffles, so don't be impatient or they'll fall apart. You need the extra time for the eggs and cheese to do their bonding work.5. As you take the waffles out of the waffle iron, put them in a single layer on a rack set over a baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven until you finish the whole batch. Serve immediately.LEFTOVERS: Reheat in the oven or toaster oven for best results. The microwave will make them mushy.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 12 waffles

Grain-free apple cinnamon muffins with pecans {paleo, gluten free, dairy free}

• 

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post and I didn't get anything for free. I paid for the product mentioned below with my own hard-earned money and am mentioning it because I really like it and love supporting my fellow food entrepreneurs.

I love to bake. Because I now follow a low-carb diet to control my type 2 diabetes, I mostly bake for other people. But my family has gotten so used to keto, sugar-free, low carb meals that they actually prefer baked goods made without grains and with much less sugar. These Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are full of shredded apples and nuts and contain a little bit of coconut sugar, so they're perfect for those of us who prefer less sugar in our lives.

Recently I discovered Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix, which I adore. The primary ingredients are cassava starch, coconut flour and almond flour. It's not completely low carb, but it's much lower than similar baking mixes made with wheat. This mix makes an excellent base for muffins. I've also used it for savory pancakes and savory waffles.

Because of my diabetes, these Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are a "once in a while" treat in my own diet. But I'm happy to feed them to my family anytime!

print recipe

Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins

by Erika Kerekes December-10-2017

Healthy grain-free muffins that aren't too sweet. Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, low in sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 medium apples, peeled
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 12 whole pecans, for decoration

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.Using a hand-held cheese grater, shred the apple into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the eggs, oil, coconut sugar, almond milk and cinnamon. Whisk together until well combined.Add the Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle mix and chopped pecans. With a large spoon, mix gently until all ingredients are combined. Let the batter stand about 5 minutes.Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Lay one whole pecan on top of each muffin.Bake 20 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the muffins are cooked through. Let cool in the muffin tin 3 minutes, then use an offset spatula or knife to remove the muffins to a rack for cooling. Eat and enjoy.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 12 muffins

Creamy microwave scrambled eggs

• 

Perfect scrambled eggs in the microwave: It's all in the timing

Do you eat breakfast at work? I often eat breakfast at the office — I'm just not hungry before leaving the house. My favorite low carb breakfast: eggs. Which is why I've been experimenting with making scrambled eggs in the microwave in my office kitchen.

I've found the secret to making fluffy, moist scrambled eggs that aren't dry or rubbery. It's all in the timing. The trick is to undercook them, then stir briskly to break up the curds and use the residual heat to finish cooking the eggs. The result: creamy, dreamy scrambled eggs you'd think were made on the stove.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial with visuals:

I keep eggs, shredded cheese and butter in the office refrigerator

1. Keep a dozen eggs, a bag of shredded cheese, and a stick of butter in your office refrigerator. My office has salt and pepper, but if yours doesn't, bring that too.

Crack the eggs in a bowl

2. Crack two eggs into a bowl. We have real utensils and dishes in our office kitchen, but paper bowls work fine too. Add salt and pepper.

Add shredded cheese and butter

3. Add shredded cheese (optional) and a few bits of cold butter. Whisk it all together with a fork.

After one minute in my office microwave

4. Microwave on high for 30-60 seconds. I'm giving a range here because microwaves vary. Start checking after 30 seconds. The eggs should look liquid, with just the first solid curds forming around the edge. Stir vigorously with a fork, blending the curds into the uncooked eggs.

After a total of two minutes in my office microwave

5. Return the bowl to the microwave and cook another 30-45 seconds. It is very important not to let the eggs cook too long in this step. They should look like the photo above when you take them out: Cooked around the outsides, but liquid and raw in the center.

Stir again, breaking up the curds with your fork

6. Stir again, very vigorously, breaking up the curds with your fork and mixing the uncooked egg into the curds. The residual heat will cook the remaining raw egg without turning it dry and rubbery. You'll end up with a creamy bowl of perfect scrambled eggs.

Perfect microwave scrambled eggs

7. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese if you like and eat immediately.

Warning: Your coworkers may start asking you to make their breakfasts, too.

California Sunshine breakfast sandwich with pesto and peppers

• 

For many years I made my boys a hot breakfast every single day.

But as they've gotten older and I've gotten busier, I've left them to their own devices in the mornings more and more.

They're pretty self-sufficient on school days. Neither kid loves cereal, but between leftovers, toast, smoked salmon (the elder), Nutella (the younger), and the Keurig, they do pretty well.

One morning not long ago, I saw my older son rummaging dejectedly through the refrigerator and took pity on him. While he got his stuff together, I threw together a quick open-faced breakfast sandwich: a Stonefire Mediterranean Pocket Pita with pesto, a fried egg, and a quick saute of colored bell peppers. It tasted great and looked even better.

Every time I see this photo it reminds me of mornings in our Santa Monica kitchen: sunny, bright, warm, and cheerful, with a pure golden light that slants in through the southeast windows. Thus the name: California Sunshine Breakfast Sandwich. May it bring sunlight and warmth to all of your kitchens too.

Disclosure: Stonefire sent me their flatbreads to try. I have to tell you - they're fantastic. The pita bread is soft, pillowy, with just the right amount of chew, and it's not dry at all. We also enjoyed the naan and pizza crust, but the pita was the hands-down winner. Other than the free bread, for which my family was very grateful, I got no compensation for this post. We ate the samples faster than I could photograph them. Luckily, Stonefire pita is now available at my local Costco, and possibly at yours too. 

print recipe

California Sunshine Breakfast Sandwich

by Erika Kerekes April-9-2014

Pesto, a fried egg, and sauteed tri-color bell peppers top a soft pita bread for this delicious breakfast sandwich that looks like California sunshine.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup mixed color bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 pita bread round
• 1 Tablespoon basil pesto sauce
• 1 egg
• chives, for garnish
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers; cook until wilted and starting to brown around the edges, 3-4 minutes. Put the pepper mixture on a plate.While the peppers are cooking, put the pita in the toaster. Toast until warm and soft. Spread the pita with the pesto sauce.In the same skillet in which you cooked the peppers, crack the egg. Fry the egg until it is done to your liking.To assemble the sandwich, slide the fried egg onto the pita and top with the pepper mixture. Garnish with the chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 1 sandwich

Feeding the sick: Green juice for Hot Dog Boy

• 

Let's just get this straight: Hot Dog Boy is the last kid on earth you'd expect to drink green juice willingly.

But when he came down with a cold straight after a week that included few vegetables but lots of milkshakes, burgers, pizza, candy, and cookies, I went straight for the blender.

I try not to police what my kids eat. When you're 11, sometimes a week of Mom's-out-of-town-and-then-too-busy-to-cook pizza runs straight into a sleepover and then two evening concerts with treat-laden intermission snack tables. I understand this.

But at some point we all have to get back on track.

I make green smoothies for my husband; there's a bottle in the refrigerator most of the time. But I've had my personal ups and downs with green smoothies. Michael likes the texture. I prefer them strained, closer to juice.

This is our standard green smoothie. If Hot Dog Boy will drink it with a smile on his face, your kids will too.

P.S. This recipe is designed for a large, high-powered blender like my Vitamix. If you have a smaller blender, cut the recipe in half or you'll end up with Green Counters instead of Green Juice.

P.P.S. Hot Dog Boy really does eat a lot of fruits and vegetables these days. He might need a new nickname.

print recipe

Green juice for Hot Dog Boy

by Erika Kerekes October-22-2013

A refreshing green smoothie with spinach or kale, cucumbers, apples, grapes, lime, and honey. Strain it for green juice or leave as is for a green smoothie. This recipe is designed for a large blender like my Vitamix; halve it if you have a smaller blender.

Ingredients

• 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach (substitute equal amount of baby kale)
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 1/2 large English cucumber, unpeeled, cut into chunks
• 1 lime, peel cut away (use entire flesh)
• 3 cups green grapes
• 2 Tablespoons honey, or to taste
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the container of a high-powered blender. (If your blender is small, blend in batches.) Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute in my Vitamix. Serve chilled, either as is or strained through a fine-mesh strainer.

Details

Prep time: 6 mins Cook time: 1 mins Total time: 6 mins Yield: approximately 2 liters

Blueberry zucchini muffins

• 

Sometimes I bake to help me think.

The other day I was working down in my home office (also known as The Garage, Former Repository Of Crap). I was going around and around in my head on a tricky bit of copywriting for an important project.

I was getting nowhere.

So I came up to the kitchen and baked blueberry zucchini muffins.

Somehow, between grating the zucchini, beating the eggs, scooping the flour, and folding the batter together gently, I worked out the thorny copywriting problem.

And I got dessert.

Note: These muffins aren't overly sweet. That's a good thing in my book.

print recipe

Blueberry zucchini muffins

by Erika Kerekes September-10-2013

These muffins aren't overly sweet and they contain both a vegetable and a fruit. Score.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup grapeseed or canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups zucchini, grated or shredded
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 24-cup muffin tin (or 2 12-cup muffin tins) with paper liners.In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and sugar until they are well combined. Add the vanilla extract and zucchini and whisk again. In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps of baking powder or baking soda remaining. Add the blueberries to the flour mixture and toss gently to coat the berries. (This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.)Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold together gently just until the mixture is combined. Do not overmix. It's okay if you still see a few streaks of flour.Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about halfway. If you have extra batter after filling all 24 cups, go back and add more to each cup until you have used all the batter.Bake about 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove the muffins from the muffin pan and cool the rest of the way on a rack. Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: approximately 24 muffins

Zucchini scrambled eggs with feta cheese

• 

A few years ago I realized that if I eat vegetables for breakfast, I'm more likely to satisfy my daily vegetable requirement.

My personal goal is "5 by 5" - that is, five servings of fruits or vegetables by 5pm.

Why 5pm? Because I'm often so tired by the end of the day that all I want is a bowl of cereal.

To that end, I have come up with a million ways to include veggies in my morning meal. This simple scramble uses up a lot of zucchini - a note for those of you with enthusiastic gardens.

Click here for more about "5 by 5"

print recipe

Zucchini scrambled eggs with feta

by Erika Kerekes June-25-2013

This vegetarian scramble gets your day off to a healthy start. My version goes heavy on the zucchini and light on the cheese, but feel free to add more cheese if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fresh zucchini, grated
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, zucchini, and green onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until the zucchini is soft, has released its water, and is starting to brown. If there is still excess liquid in the zucchini, pour it off before the next step.Add the garlic to the zucchini mixture and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in the eggs and cook, scrambling the mixture in the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon. When the eggs are almost set, add the feta cheese and cook until the cheese is melting and the eggs are cooked to your liking. Remember that the moisture in the zucchini will keep the eggs looking somewhat wet even after they're actually done.Tip the scramble onto a plate and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 1 serving

How to make good scones: Whole wheat scones from King Arthur Flour

• 

Whole wheat scones with the mix-ins I happened to have on hand: dried figs, pistachios, chocolate chips

Thanks to King Arthur Flour, I can now make scones I'm actually willing to eat.

Until last week I never understood why people like scones. Scones are tough. Crumbly. So dry they're hard to get down, even when they're slathered with butter or jam.

Aren't they?

Turns out I'd never had a good scone.

Well, now I have. Thanks to the wonderful baking instructors at the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont, I even know how to make good scones. And I'm going to do my best to teach you.

There are a few secrets to making light, moist scones:

1. Use the right amount of flour. If you weigh your ingredients for baking, you're okay here. But those of us who measure flour by volume usually end up adding too much flour (guilty!). A cup of flour should weigh 4.25 ounces. If you don't have a scale, use the fluff-sprinkle-level method demonstrated in the video below.



2. Keep the butter cold. I like rubbing in the butter with my fingers, but I have hot hands (all the time). You want the butter to stay cold when you cut it into the dry ingredients so it creates little pockets of steam as it bakes, keeping the scones light. Use a pastry blender, two knives, or quick bursts in a food processor. If you like flaky scones, stop when the biggest pieces of butter are the size of large peas. If you prefer cake-like scones, keep cutting in the butter until the dry ingredients look like wet sand.

3. Don't work the dough too much. Add your liquid, mix briefly, turn the dough out onto your work surface when it's shaggy and rough, then pat it quickly into a round with your hands. It will not look smooth. That's fine.

With these tips, I've now produced three batches of light, flaky, whole wheat scones, all made with King Arthur's white whole wheat flour. A whole-grain flour made from hard white spring wheat, it's lighter in color and more finely milled than traditional whole wheat flour, and it's my favorite flour for whole-grain baking.

The add-ins are up to you. At King Arthur I added dried apricots, crystallized ginger and chocolate chips. The batch pictured above has dried Calimyrna figs (rehydrated with a little Meyer lemon juice and zest), pistachios, and dark chocolate chips, because that's what I had in the pantry. You can use fresh fruit, but you'll want to cut down on the buttermilk a little to account for the extra moisture.

With these tips and the recipe below, you'll be able to make great scones too. What do you like in your scones? Leave a comment and share your favorite scone add-ins!

Note: I attended the 2013 King Arthur Flour Blog & Bake™ at the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center as a very grateful guest of King Arthur Flour.

print recipe

Whole wheat scones from King Arthur Flour

by Erika Kerekes April-29-2013

Measure your flour carefully and use a light touch to turn out perfectly flaky scones every time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (8 ounces) King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour
• 2 Tablespoons (7/8 ounce) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (cut to 1/8 teaspoon if using salted butter)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) butter, chilled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped dried fruits, nuts, chips (use any combination you like)
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) buttermilk
• 1 egg, separated
• approximately 2 teaspoons coarse sugar (raw or white)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (if using) in a large bowl.Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, then stir in the dried fruit and/or other additions.Whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolk and stir into the dry mixture until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for just a few turns. Pat the dough into a flat disk about 7 inches across and cut it into wedges.Transfer the disk to a parchment-lined baking sheet. For crispier scones, separate the wedges; for softer, higher-rising scones, leave them in the circle.Brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg white and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the scones for 18-25 minutes, until they're light golden brown. Do not overbake.Cool the scones on the baking sheet on a rack. Eat within one day for best results (scones go stale fast).

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 8 large scones

Cheesy hash brown muffins with bacon

• 

Have you ever woken up in the morning with a powerful urge to make one very specific thing for breakfast?

That's how I ended up making these hash brown muffins.

I woke up last weekend and all I could think about were crispy hash browns mixed with eggs, gooey melted cheese and crisp bits of smoky bacon.

Why? No idea.

Most of the recipes I found for hash brown muffins call for frozen hash browns, which, as my friend Don Odiorne at the Idaho Potato Commission informed me, are par-cooked and therefore drier than grated fresh potatoes. I only had fresh potatoes in the house. Don advised me to grate them and then squeeze the moisture out by wringing them in a clean towel.

Sound advice, I'm sure. Which I ignored. Because it was Sunday morning and I was just plain lazy. Guess what? Didn't matter. They turned out just right.

print recipe

Hash brown muffins with bacon

by Erika Kerekes January-14-2013

Crispy shredded potatoes, gooey melted cheese and crispy bits of bacon, all bound together with beaten eggs - that's my idea of a good breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 large large Russet potatoes, skin on, scrubbed and grated
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated, divided (substitute mozzarella, Monterey jack, or pepper jack)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, eggs, 1 cup of the cheese, bacon and green onions. Add salt and a healthy dose of ground pepper.Divide the potato mixture evenly among the 12 muffins cups. Bake 25 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and divide the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the tops of the muffins. Return the pan to the oven and bake another 10 minutes.Cool the hash brown muffins in the pan 5 minutes. To unmold, use an offset spatula or butter knife to loosen each muffin and gently lift it out of the pan.Serve hot or warm. Can be reheated in the oven or microwave (although the muffins will get a little soggy in the microwave - don't overdo it).

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 12 muffins

Meyer lemon muffins from the Los Angeles Times

• 

Meyer lemons are just coming into season in southern California.

I have two Meyer lemon trees in my backyard, but they are completely out of sync with the rest of the Meyer lemon world.

Everyone else's lemons start to ripen around Christmas.

Mine start to ripen after Easter.

Fortunately, I've discovered that I can let the Meyer lemons hang on the tree for months without ill effect. In fact, they get bigger and juicier. Some of my Meyer lemons are more like big oranges.

I've still got some ripe ones hanging from last season. Which means that, effectively, I have Meyer lemons all year long.

And that's nothing to complain about.

These Meyer lemon muffins are tart and wildly aromatic because the recipe, which was created by the Los Angeles Times, uses the whole lemon - peel, flesh and all.

One note: The slice of lemon on top looks pretty but I was the only one willing to eat it. My kids picked it off. The muffins taste just as good without the decoration, so go your own way.

A bunch of other bloggers have reprinted this recipe on their blogs, but I'm not going to do that. It's not right. The LA Times paid someone to develop the recipe and the paper owns that content. I hate it when people reprint my recipes without asking - do unto others, etc. So click here to get the LA Times's Meyer lemon muffin recipe.

Chinese cabbage and onion omelet

• 

I am on a mission to eat more vegetables for breakfast.

The fact is, I don't always feel like eating vegetables at dinnertime. By then I'm tired and crabby and often a nice bowl of Cheerios will do me just fine. I have more discipline in the morning. And more energy.

Plus, the earlier in the day I start eating vegetables, the more likely I am to meet my "five servings a day" requirement. I strive for 5 by 5 - that is, five servings of fruits and vegetables by 5pm. That way, even if I end up eating cereal for dinner, I know I've gotten the healthy stuff in.

I took this simple breakfast omelet with cabbage and onions a little Asian by adding soy sauce. Bean sprouts would be a nice addition, although I never seem to have them when I want them.

print recipe

Chinese omelet with cabbage and onion

by Erika Kerekes October-19-2012

Get your veggies at breakfast with this Asian-inspired omelet. Use green or Napa cabbage, and don't skip the soy sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 cups green or Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce

Instructions

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, cabbage and onion. Saute the vegetables about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they are wilted but still crunchy and you see brown around the edges. Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds.While the vegetables are cooking, crack the eggs into a bowl, add the soy sauce, and whisk with a fork.Flatten the vegetable mixture and spread it around the skillet so it is evenly distributed. Pour the eggs over the vegetable mixture, then tilt the pan to make sure the eggs go all the way around the vegetables. Cook about 3 minutes, until the eggs are mostly set and the bottom of the omelet is brown. Use a spatula to cut the omelet into quarters right in the pan, then carefully flip each wedge. (As you can see from the photo above, my cutting and flipping did not go exactly as planned.) Cook another 1 minute on the second side. Slide the omelet wedges onto a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 2 servings

Apple pie oatmeal, and Oatmeal Wars

• 

We have Oatmeal Wars in our family.

My husband eats a lot of oatmeal. He likes rolled Irish oats and cooks them with lots of water so the finished product is decidedly soupy. He eats it cold, often at midnight, with jam stirred in.

I eat oatmeal occasionally. I am not picky about my oats - generic brands are fine - and I like my oatmeal thick, closer to solid than liquid. I always add a pinch of salt and a slosh of pure maple syrup.

Emery, my older son, will not touch oatmeal of any consistency. He has never liked spoon foods. He eschewed all baby food and was happily eating steak when he was seven months old and had only one tooth.

Weston, my younger son, will only eat the oatmeal my mother-in-law brings with her when she and my father-in-law visit. I believe that consists of steel-cut oats with flax seed added in. She adds milk, raisins and brown sugar. I have tried to make my mother-in-law's oatmeal and thus far have not gotten close enough that Weston has been willing to eat it.

And my mother likes oatmeal but only with salt and pepper. She eats all her hot cereal that way. No one else seems to have inherited that preference.

In an attempt to convince myself to eat more oatmeal, and to kick off my October Unprocessed pledge, I made a big pot of oatmeal with grated apples and cinnamon. I liked it. My husband ate it but went back to his oatmeal soup. Emery wouldn't touch it. Weston tried one bite and declared it not as good as Grandma Vera's. The Oatmeal Wars rage on.

You'll like this oatmeal, though. I added some maple syrup before serving and thought it tasted just like apple pie. I soak the oats overnight to make the final product a little creamier and cut down on morning cooking time.

print recipe

Apple pie oatmeal

by Erika Kerekes October-13-2012

This dressed-up oatmeal tastes just like apple pie. Serve with a sprinkle of brown sugar or pure maple syrup.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups water
• 2 large apples (any variety), peeled, seeded and grated
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Combine the oats, water, apples, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan. Let soak at least 1 hour and up to overnight. (I mix this up before bedtime and let it soak while I sleep to cut down on cooking time in the morning.)Bring to a simmer, then cook over medium-low heat about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with brown sugar or pure maple syrup, and sprinkle with additional ground cinnamon if you like.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Breakfast quesadilla with smoked salt guacamole

• 

Every summer I spend a few days in Vermont while my older son is at music camp. Sometimes I stay with friends, but this year I stayed at the very historic Rowell's Inn in the very tiny town of Simonsville.

Rowell's was a safe house on the Underground Railroad in the 19th century, and one of the third-floor guest rooms opens onto the attic where the owners hid runaway slaves. The inn was also featured on the Ideal Tour, a three-week trip around scenic New England, early in the 20th century. Hanging in each room are century-old pages from the inn's guest books, complete with the number of horses and servants guests brought with them.

Inns like Rowell's take you back in time. You can't mind a little dust - there's just no way to get a historic, relic-filled place like Rowell's really clean. But the overwhelming presence of the past makes up for the dust bunnies and cobwebs.

Sadly, Mike, the owner of Rowell's, told me he's just about ready to hang it up. The recession slowed Vermont tourism for a few years, and then Hurricane Irene took it out completely in 2011. I hope whoever ends up with Rowell's finds a way to keep its history alive.

Mike hails from San Francisco and turns out solid Cal-Mex food, an uncommon treat in the Green Mountains. He served me a breakfast quesadilla like this in the Rowell's Inn dining room, the same room where elegant ladies in bustles and big hats no doubt took their tea and crumpets a century ago.

About smoked salt: Buy some and put it on everything.

print recipe

Breakfast quesadilla with smoked salt guacamole

by Erika Kerekes October-8-2012

A thin omelet studded with cooked bacon and sandwiched between flour tortillas with melted cheese. The smoked salt adds an unusual note to simple guacamole.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• a large pinch of smoked salt
• 3 eggs
• 4 slices bacon, chopped and cooked
• 4 medium flour tortillas (soft taco size)
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, or a mixture

Instructions

Make the smoked salt guacamole: Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a small bowl. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves over the avocado. Mash with the tines of a fork until you get the consistency you want. Season with the smoked salt. Set aside.Make the omelettes: Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip them with a fork. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and pour in half the beaten eggs, then sprinkle over half the bacon (you're making very thin omelets, which will go inside the quesadillas). When the eggs are set, flip the omelet with a spatula. Slide it onto a plate when it's cooked, then repeat with the other half of the beaten eggs and bacon. Keep the skillet on the heat.Assemble the quesadillas: Lay two tortillas on the counter or a cutting board. Sprinkle each with 1/8 cup grated cheese, then lay an omelet on top. Sprinkle each with the rest of the grated cheese, then put the remaining tortillas on top. Lift one quesadilla into the skillet and grill it until both sides are golden brown and the cheese inside is melted and gooey. Repeat with the second quesadilla. Cut the quesadillas into quarters and serve with the smoked salt guacamole.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 2 quesadillas