Bacon, Parmesan and Leek Deviled Eggs

Happy Tuesdeeeee friends!  I hope you are all having a good start to your weeks.  I’m in the midst of transitioning back to school for the spring semester.  We have clinic this week and work, next week classes start back up.  This break has been the longest school break I think I’ve ever had.  I’ve absolutely loved it and enjoyed having time to do things like go to the dog park, try hot yoga for the first time and clean our bathroom.  I have missed my school friends though and I’m looking forward to seeing them all again.

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Another thing we’ve done over break is visited a new favorite restaurant, like 4 times in 2 months…  It’s good!  We were introduced to The Clinton Street Social Club by some friends right before finals.  It’s a really fun place that has live jazz music, a fun bar menu and amazing food.  I haven’t had anything there that I’ve been disappointed with yet.

One of the specials at the club is their Deviled Eggs.  Every day the chef comes up with a new special egg flavor.  We’ve had them twice now and both kinds were awesome!  Apparently they are all the rage in fancy schmancy restaurants these days.  I wouldn’t know as we don’t have too many fancy restaurants here in Iowa.

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I don’t even remember the last time I had a deviled egg before we ate here.  I do know that the egg filling was pretty standard – mayo, mustard, onion???, paprika.  They’re fine for Easter brunch, but not something that I really crave and need to make for myself all the time, or something that I think to make for parties.

Let me tell you friends, after the Club’s deviled eggs, I knew I had to create my own.  These eggs are not your grandma’s deviled eggs.  I promise!

The ingredients in this recipe are nothing too outrageous because I just wanted to see how they would turn out.  Bacon and eggs – check. Add some cheese – check check.  We served ours with a squirt of sriacha sauce and they were incredible.  I can’t wait to create more flavors!

Who knows, maybe deviled eggs will make their party comeback this year?!?!?

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First, I cooked the eggs in a way that I know I consistently get hard boiled eggs cooked all the way through, but not rubbery or with a green yolk.  Add the eggs to cold water, bring the water to a boil, and simmer for 18 minutes.

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Time it guys.  Trust me on this one.  18.

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In those 18 minutes you can start your filling.  Cook the bacon.  Drain it and cook the leeks in the bacon grease.  It’s all about flavor here, and bacon adds flavor.

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Now, take the eggs off the heat and immediately start running cold water over them.  I just put the pot right in the sink and turn the faucet on so it’s barely streaming.  Then walk away and continue to cook your filling if it’s not done yet.  Or go chase your dog around the living room.  Whatever floats your boat.

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Once the eggs are cool (about 5 minutes) go ahead and peel them.  I find the easiest way to do this is to crack the egg all over on the counter, and peel it under the water that was in the pot.  The water helps the shell peel off without completely mutilating the egg.

Once your eggs are peeled slice them in half lengthwise.  Go ahead and gently pop the yolks out into a small bowl.

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Add the bacon, leeks, mayo, mustard, and parmesan to the yolks.  Mash the heck out of them until you have a nice smooth mixture.  Then you can either spoon or pipe the filling back into the egg whites.  I piped mine with a decorating bag and tip to make them look nice, but this is completely not necessary.

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And voila!  Deviled eggs.

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Eat with sriacha for a little extra devil.

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Bacon Parmesan and Leek Deviled Eggs

by Annie S

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: appetizer snack side eggs

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Ingredients (8 servings)

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 slice bacon
  • 1 leek
  • 2 t dijon mustard
  • 1/2 T mayonaise
  • 2 T grated parmesan cheese
  • sriacha for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Put eggs in a pot of cold water

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer

Simmer 18 minutes

In the meantime, start the filling

Chop bacon into small pieces

Cook in a small pan over medium heat until crispy

Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel

Add sliced leeks to bacon grease

Cook 1-2 minutes

Remove pan from heat

By now, your eggs should be done

Remove eggs from heat and place the pot in the sink

Slowly rinse them with cold tap water by running the water directly into the pot

Rinse until eggs are cooled (about 5 minutes) – alternatively you could put the pot in an ice bath

Peel eggs, slice them in half, pop out the yolks into a small bowl

Add bacon, leeks, mayo, mustard and cheese to the yolks

Mash the mixture together with a fork until smooth and creamy

Spoon or pipe the filling back into the egg whites

Garnish with sriacha if desired

Enjoy!

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Parmesan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Confession time.  I used to hate mushrooms.  And by “used to” I mean until for the first 23 years of my life.  I thought they tasted like mold, and feet.  They were slimy and nasty.  And I couldn’t imagine why anyone would possibly want to put them in their mouths and pretend to like them.

Things all changed one day when I tried a grilled portobello on a restaurant menu.  To die for!  I think my taste buds probably changed.  My palate was becoming more “refined” ;)  (Not so sure about that)  The grilled mushrooms was just so juicy and rich.  I suddenly understood the hype.  I jumped on the mushroom train and haven’t gotten off since.

the cooked mushroom train, raw mushrooms still are kinda nasty

These stuffed mushrooms are pure perfection.  They are simple to make and super tasty.  I think they would make a perfect appetizer for a party.  Just be sure to make a lot of them because they will go fast!  If you can’t find mini portos (mine were from Costco) regular button mushrooms would work great too.

We ate these as a side for some ravioli and they stole the show.  I need to get back to Costco and buy more mushrooms stat.

PS: Sorry mom for being so stubborn about not liking mushrooms for so long!

 

Parmesan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

by Annie S

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake saute appetizer side vegetarian

Ingredients (12 mushrooms)

  • 12 mini portobello mushrooms
  • 2 t olive oil
  • 1/4 small yellow onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 c red pepper, minced
  • 3/4 t sea salt
  • 1/4 t cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 t dried basil
  • 3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 T panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Use a wet paper towel to clean the dirt off the mushrooms

Remove stems from the mushrooms

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat (use a skillet that can go in a 400 degree oven for this if possible)

Saute onions until translucent

Add minced garlic, saute 1 minute until garlic is fragrant

Mince the mushroom stems

Add mushroom stems, salt, pepper, and basil to skillet, saute 3-4 minutes until cooked though

Add red pepper, cook 1-2 minutes

Remove from heat, pour mixture into a bowl

Stir in parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs, season with additional salt if necessary

Spoon filling mixture into mushroom caps

Place in skillet

Bake 25-30 minutes, until cooked through

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Summer Rolls

Happy Monday!  Every Monday as I write that to you, I think to myself that I really hope it does turn out to be a happy day.  I feel like Mondays have a way of being especially hard in the summers when we pack weekends full of fun activities and are able to get outside and enjoy the weather.  I try to make sure that I give myself some sunshine breaks during these summer days so I don’t wish the weeks away so much.  It’s not too hard to do that since it stays light outside until close to 9:30.  A few of my favorite things to do include: going for a walk or run, eating dinner outside, going to the pool, playing golf, and going for bike rides.

Another one of my favorite things to do in the summer is to make light and fresh meals that fill you up without feeling weighed down or bloated.  These rolls do the trick.  They take less than 15 minutes to make and the filling possibilities are endless.  We love to fill ours with fresh carrots, cucumbers, red peppers cilantro, and green onions.  I also had a little bit of salmon still leftover so I flaked that up and threw it in the mix.  You could use whatever you have in your fridge though.  The trick is to make sure that your veggies are cut into matchsticks so you can wrap them up nice and tightly.

The other things you will need to make these are these lovely little spring roll wrappers.

They look like hard plastic, but all you need to do is take one and rinse it in a little water (just run tap water over it, front and back) and it will soften right up.  Ours had some small cracks in them so we actually used two wraps for each roll and it worked perfectly.

And you’ll need bean threads.

These little guys give you the traditional spring roll texture.  I picked mine up in the asian section of the regular supermarket.  They didn’t have any directions (in English) on them, so I did a little research.  Just soak them in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes.  Simple.

Then it’s time to assemble.  Rinse your rice paper, lay it in on a plate.  Pile some of the bean threads in the middle, then top it with your matchstick veggies.  Then fold one side over the other, fold the top and bottom in, and roll it up.

It takes a little skill to make them neatly, but they will taste good no matter what.  Using 2 pieces of the rice paper will help as well.

We dipped ours in a yummy spicy peanut sauce that the hubby made up.

Super simple, delicious and healthy!  We both ate 2 1/2 for dinner, but you could use these as an appetizer as well.  Yummmmmm!

Question of the day:

What do you do to help you get back in the groove on Mondays?

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

What’s your fave summer dinner?

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

by Annie S

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: raw appetizer entree Chinese Thai

Ingredients

For the rolls

  • Rice paper
  • Bean threads
  • Carrots (cut into matchsticks)
  • Cucumbers (cut into matchsticks)
  • Red peppers (cut into matchsticks)
  • Green onions
  • Cilantro

For the sauce

  • 1/3 c low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 T hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 T sweet and sour sauce
  • 2 t sriacha sauce
  • 2 t sweet chili garlic sauce
  • 3 T crunchy peanut butter

Instructions

For the rolls

Put bean threads in a large bowl of hot water, let soak 10-15 minutes

Rinse rice paper under running water

Place on a plate

Put a pile of the softened bean threads in the middle

Top with matchstick veggies

Roll it up

Enjoy!

For the sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl

Use for dipping

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Peanut Butter Cup Energy Balls

I’ve been waiting to share this with you guys for a while, and the time is finally here.  I’ve added a work out page to my blog!  I realize that we’ve really been doing around here is cooking lately, and it wouldn’t be fair to you (or me) to leave something that’s so important to me off of this blog.

I think that being active every day is part of a healthy lifestyle.  Working out does not need to be hard; it doesn’t need to leave you dripping in sweat every time (though I often am ;) ).  You just need to find something that you enjoy doing that will keep you moving.  Personally, I feel like being active keeps me sane.  Being a grad student, I’m sitting in classrooms and libraries for the majority of my day.  After a while, I just need to get up and moving – get my blood flowing.  I’ve learned to make a point to take little study breaks to get up and do something – go for a walk or run, lift some weights, play lawn games, go golfing… I find that when I come back I am much more focused and can keep studying for longer.

I absolutely love reading healthy living blogs, fitness magazines and stalking fitness pinterest boards to get workout inspiration.  It’s very easy to go to the gym and either not know where to even begin, or get bored doing the same workout over and over again.  Now I am not a certified personal trainer, I cannot tell you how to work out.  Though I hope that I can give you some new ideas and possibly a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned.

I’m still working out how I want this page to run, if you have suggestions I am an open book.  But for right now I’ve posted my past few days of workouts here.

Today after I got home from the gym I came up with these little gems with a few ingredients I had on hand.  I love Clif bars, Lara bars, and pretty much any energy bar out there, but they can be pretty expensive.  I wanted to come up with something tasty that would give me a little boost before or after a workout, that wouldn’t break the bank.  These little balls do the trick.  They are super portable too!

And in case you’re curious, this workout (plus a 3 mile run) are the reason I was so sore today.  Kicked my booty!!!

 

 

Peanut Butter Cup Energy Balls

by Annie S

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: raw blender snack gluten-free vegan oats

Ingredients (20 balls)

  • 1 1/2 c rolled oats
  • 1/2 c raw walnuts
  • 1/2 c raw peanuts
  • 4 T peanut butter
  • 2 T honey
  • 3 1/2 T brown rice syrup
  • 20-25 pitted dates (depending on size)
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 c chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

Put oats, walnuts and peanuts into food processor

Process until you have a rough sand texture

Add dates, peanut butter, honey and brown rice syrup

Process 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky

Stir in chopped chocolate

Roll into balls

Store in fridge

Enjoy!

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