Breakfast: Cinnamon, Smoked Salmon Kale and Eggs

Cinnamon, Smoked Salmon Kale and Eggs

Breakfast worth licking the plate over.  Have you had that in awhile?  Well, here is my answer to the "You can eat eggs every day?" question: Yes.  Yes, I can.  Because they are that damned good.  And I can change them up in an infinite number of ways if I grow bored.  But I haven't yet.

Today's recipe comes from the advice of my acupuncturist to eat more dark, leafy greens to "build my blood." Whether that makes sense or not, dark, leafy greens are unquestionably good for you and nourishing, so I take that advice and run with it.  I'm on a low-carb, paleo-style diet, so it's mostly meat and veggies for me.  This breakfast fits perfectly into my life and I love it.

Why Breakfast? 

Why am I focusing on breakfast with the Holiday Season so plastered on every available venue online and abound? Because it is the simplest way to start your day right and set up your body, especially your  blood sugar, for a day that might not be as "on the diet" as you hope.  Tis the season for indulgence and this breakfast will taste like an indulgence without actually being one, which leaves more room for real indulgences worth the cheat later on.

Some others who follow a similar diet might point to intermittent fasting as a great way to start a day, indulgence later or not, and that's also valid for some.  But for me, personally, my blood sugar is temperamental and I hit low, lows if I skip breakfast.  It's so much so that I can't help but overeat for at least the rest of that day, if not a few days.  Therefore, breakfast is key, at least for me.  My advice is if you are going to eat breakfast: start your day on the right foot with nourishment as your fuel!

Why Cinnamon?

I'm addicted to cinnamon, that's why ;)  Truth be told, Ceylon Cinnamon is a more subtle, fruitier cinnamon that doesn't pose the same over-dose warnings as Cassia based cinnamon (the most common cinnamon you can find, regretfully).  Read my last treatise on the topic here: Apple of My Eye.  I found my Ceylon Cinnamon through mail order from The Spice House and just love it.  

It's hard to say if  Ceylon Cinnamon has the same benefits as Cassia-based cinnamon, but here is the World's Healthiest Food's rundown on cinnamon.  I specifically like the anti-microbial properties and blood sugar moderation.  

For this recipe, Ceylon Cinnamon just adds a great flavor that catches the sweetness of the salmon and butter.  It delights the senses and adds an earthy, wintry spark. 

A delicious Christmas gift from Aunt Kathy--thank you!

Why Smoked Salmon?

Wild-caught Alaskan salmon is a national treasure and still on the Best Choice list for salmon by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch List.  Salmon is chock full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B vitamins, and protein.  It's notable for promoting heart health, being anti-inflammatory, protecting against cancer, benefiting cognitive function, and more.  For more on it's incredible benefits, check out the World's Healthiest Foods: Salmon page--it's a long one!  


Try to find wild-caught, Alaskan smoked salmon without the sugars and nitrates if possible.  NOTE: you might want to reduce your high dosage omega-3 fish oil when you eat a lot of fish or else you run into the upper limit digestive tract nasties.  If you have been there, you know it isn't pretty! :)

Why Kale?

Kale is delicious and nutritious. Packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, CALCIUM, and over-rated fiber, this veggie is a superfood.  It is known for fighting and preventing cancer and detoxifying your body. As for blood building, it has iron, B vitamins, and folate, plus that detoxifying effect.  For more information on kale's benefits, check out this resource: World's Healthiest Foods: Kale.

And check out my previous recipes:

• Kale Chippies

• Kale Salad

Why Eggs?

OMG, do you have to ask?  They are perfect little packages of everything you need from an animal food, including protein (ALL the essential aminos), fat (yes, the healthy kind), and some other beneficial stuff like vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol (Yes, that's a good thing.  If you don't know that, read this short list of cholesterol facts from the author of The Cholesterol Myths).

There are a couple potential downsides to eggs.  One is the antinutrients in the egg white.  No, not it's heart disease risk, silly.  That's an old dietician's tale.  Read this from Eat Wild:

Eating eggs does not appear to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke

Cutting back on egg consumption has been widely recommended as a way to lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent coronary heart disease. Is this valid advice? Recently, researchers took a close look at the egg-eating habits and heart health of 118,000 men and women. The scientists reported that "we found no evidence of an overall significant association between egg consumption and risk of CHD [coronary heart disease] in either men or women." In fact, they found that people who ate from 5 to 6 eggs per week had a lower risk of heart disease than those who ate less than one egg per week.

One wonders what the scientists would find if they looked at the heart health of those lucky people who eat eggs from pastured hens?

(Hu, F. B., M. J. Stampfer, et al. (1999). "A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women." JAMA 281(15): 1387-94.)

So back to the egg white.  Read The Incredible, Edible Egg for more on why eggs whites are INFERIOR to egg yolks.  So people who say they are having egg white omelets for their health are grossly misinformed to put it lightly.

And here is a counterpoint to the arachadonic acid (AA) being a "benefit." This is what Whole Health Source had to say about omega-3 eggs:

Eggs are an exceptionally nutritious food, as are all foods destined to nourish a growing animal. However, one concern lies in eggs' high concentration of arachidonic acid (AA), a long-chain omega-6 fat that is the precursor to many eicosanoids. Omega-6 derived eicosanoids are essential molecules that are involved in healing, development and defense. Some of them are inflammatory mediators that can contribute to disease when present in excess. Eggs are one of the main sources of AA in the modern diet.

and 

Not everyone has access to pastured eggs. "Omega-3 eggs" come from hens fed an omega-3 enriched diet*. Not only do they have a much higher omega-3 content than conventional eggs, they also contain less AA [. One study found that omega-3 eggs contain 39% less AA than conventional and organic eggs. Omega-3 eggs were also rich in short- and long-chain omega-3 fats. Omega-3 eggs are certainly not nutritionally equivalent to pastured eggs, but they're a step in the right direction. 

I don't really know if the AA content of eggs is a concern. Eicosanoid biology is complex and it doesn't like to fit into simple models. I'll look forward to seeing more research on the matter. In the meantime, I'll be eating pastured eggs, and when they're not available I'll eat omega-3 eggs.

*Typically from flax seeds, but some operations also use seaweed. The hens in the paper I cited were fed flax. The hens managed to convert a substantial portion of the alpha-linolenic acid into the important animal fat DHA, and presumably EPA although it was not measured.

Ah, but the controversy isn't over!  There is also the issue of the omega-3 'enrichedness' of eggs.  Robb Wolf and other esteemed sources like the omega-3 enriched because the chickens are fed flax, algae, and/or fish oil, so their eggs are chock full of omega-3s.  The ratio of EPA, DHA, and ALA might vary by source, but you probably should be getting your omega-3s by fish and fish oil anyhow.  

However, just when I thought omega-3 enriched eggs were second only to naturally pastured, Dr. Mercola burst my bubble.  He says that omega-3 enriched eggs result from chickens fed RANCID flax, so they are LESS healthy than regular pastured eggs.  According to Dr. Mercola we should avoid omega-3 eggs because they oxidize faster and don't last as long as other eggs.  ARGH!  

So the oxidation concerns may be legit, but I couldn't find other vocal sources demonizing omega-3 eggs.  Have you? 

So, I'll take eating the whole egg of pastured chickens when I can get them, or omega-3 enriched organic, pastured, free-range, cage-free, hippie-dippie store brand when I can't.  But then, whether oxidized or not when I get them, I am no egg saint because I cook them scrambled or fried.  I KNOW, KNOW--the overcooked egg is creating free radicals that are going to kill me, but damn it, I don't like runny, wet eggs.  I'm sorry.  I'll find the best quality eggs I can and I'll take a hit on the cooking method.  Sorry.  If you want to be a better human being, don't overcook them like me :)

And looks like I am not alone.  How to cook eggs, according to Robb Wolf:

..over medium or soft boiled is likely best. Love scrambled however. Keep the flame kinda low, use plenty of olive oil (antioxidants in there) and enjoy IMO. I may be wrong but I doubt this poses a significant risk with regards to oxidized fats.

Of course, I have read contrary advice on olive oil--that it should only be used to flavor food upon serving, never used for cooking.  So the moral of the story is: you are probably going to find someone out there that disagrees with everything you do.  Suck it up and make your choices based upon as much information as you can, plus a little faith that eating a real food diet MOST of the time with meat and veggies, nuts and seeds and healthy fat, some fruit and dairy if you want it, a little starch, and no sugar will do you infinitely more good than the stress involved in splitting hairs over every detail. :)

Why Butter?

Why not?  You don't actually still believe the saturated fat myth, do you?  Mark's Daily Apple has a great summary of that argument.  

I went with Kerrygold butter today because my local source of Organic Pastures Raw Grassfed Butter just can't keep up with the demand and the stores are always out of stock (or maybe it's another reason--but I can't reliably find it anymore).  Kerrygold is pasteurized, boo, but the cows are pastured, yay.  Here is more info from The Nourishing Gourmet.  You should have seen my beaming smile when I read in Robb Wolf's book: The Paleo Solution that I could partake in butter without being a paleo rebel.  He says: 

So, what's the story with butter? It's dairy, right? Therefore on the Paleo "no fly" list? Well, butter is dairy; it can present some problems for folks with autoimmunity because of the milk protein content and lectins that are still a part of the butter. Sorry hippies, even clarified butter (ghee) is a problem. I would, however, put grass-fed butter on the "occasional" list. The fatty acid profile is better (lower in palmitic, much higher in CLA) and the antioxidant content is nothing short of impressive. Butter is mainly fat, so if we clean up the lectin problem, and push the fatty acid profile toward that of healthful grass-fed varieties, it's tough to build much of a case against grass-fed butter unless you have autoimmunity. See, I'm not a zealot after all.

The Weston Price Foundation LOVES butter too.  Read more about it here: 

Why Butter is Better. 

Whole Health Source got me on the butter kick with its article on vitamin K2 from butter. 

So without further ado, here is the recipe!

Cinnamon, Smoked Salmon Kale and Eggs 
Butter makes this breakfast lip-smacking delicious, but the players: kale, eggs, cinnamon, and smoked salmon make this nourishing fuel.  Way to start your day!


Cooking Time: 15min start to finish including preparation


Quantity: play around with the quantities to get the desired serving size for each diner.  I usually have a couple of eggs and ounce or two or salmon.  That'll satisfy me well into the afternoon. 

Ingredients:

• Pastured Butter (grass-fed, raw if possible), salted or just add a pinch of salt to taste 

• Kale to cover the bottom of the skillet for each diner such as 2-3 stalks each of curly kale and purple kale, use any variety of kale/chard as you like--as much or as little as you want, remember: it cooks down

• Pastured eggs (or omega-3 enriched, organic, free-range, cage-free, etc.)

• Ceylon Cinnamon (note: if you aren't a cinnamon lover, just omit this, I won't be offended ;) )

Method:

Start the skillet over medium heat and melt a pat of butter till the bubbles subside and it starts to darken.  Meanwhile, tear the kale greens into bite-sized hunks from the woodier parts of the stems and rinse in warm to hot water to start the cooking process.  Squeeze them dry and add them to the melted butter in the skillet.  Stand back and watch out for popping if your greens were wet!

Give the kale some time to wilt and then turn them.  Once you feel they are pretty tender (5min give or take), remove them from the pan.  Alternatively, you can try to spread them out to the sides of the skillet and create a well in the middle for the eggs to cook.  Start a little earlier so the greens don't overcook, if so.

Add more butter to the skillet, wait till the bubbling stops and add eggs.  Cook your eggs as you desire them and sprinkle cinnamon on them if desired.  Remove the eggs (and kale if you had it in there) and add a bit more butter, melt it, and add the salmon.  Stir until you warm the salmon.  I don't normally cook the salmon before the eggs and scramble them together because it dries out the salmon too much.  I rather just a warming in hot butter :)

Once the salmon is done, pour it on top of the eggs, making sure you get ALL of the remaining butter from the pan.  Sprinkle some more cinnamon on top if desired.  Serve 'um up--one delicious, heart-heathy, brain-healthy, fuel-for-your-body meal that'll keep you satisfied for many hours to come!

And go on, lick the plate.  I won't tell :)

Chips are back on the menu!

Yes, I have been a bit too into putting the old reliables back into my diet in a paleo way.  In one day I made three paleo pumpkin pies and muffins and don't even like pumpkin pie!  I tried to make a pecan fig tart over and over without success and have some good bar cookies and freezer bars (they don't stay together at room temperature) for our munching, but nothing really shines yet as THE recipe to submit to the world.  Still working, tinkering...  Since I have a husband trying to stay on the zone and am trying to preserve my own sanity, my baking is going to be more limited in the future.  Baking within paleo and fruit sugar source restrictions is difficult to say the least.  There have been many delicious failures...

Today, I would like to promote veggies.  Plain and simple.  I have made two awesomely delicious veggie chips that I have to share.

Being a skeptic with any recipe that says it can replicate chips (yes, I have tried baked apple chips and they DID NOT warrant the name of chips; they were more like chewy apple jerky), you can imagine how thrilled I was to find I can make crispy chips out of my own oven!  Using nutritious non-tuber veggies!  Without frying!  And I can make them easily all by myself!  How awesome is that?!  Now you can too!


Kale Creations


I already spouted about how nutritious kale is in Kale Salad.  For example, it is labeled as a superfood for being so nutritious, so check it out.  One caveat: cooking veggies leads to some nutrient loss, so keep that in mind.  On the other hand, heat breaks cell walls making many nutrients more bioavailable to us during digestion.  So the take away message: eat your veggies both raw and cooked!

Kale Chippies (yes, you have to say it in your squeaky, high-pitched GIR voice)
Basically, I tried this recipe I found at Girl Gone Primal and just converted the oven temperature to Fahrenheit and added my go-to spice: garlic powder!  Never underestimate the power of garlic to take something good to the next level of deliciousness!


Cooking Time: Start to finish, less than a half an hour!

ingredients:
1 bunch of kale per diner (I used dinosaur kale because it has such great texture--like dinosaur skin!)
olive oil
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
any other spices your heart desires

Preheat your oven to 355.  Meanwhile, wash the crap out of your kale (unfortunately, farmers market kale is often teaming with life, so wash thoroughly!).  Tear the kale leaves off the thick part of the stalk in big chunks.  There is some shrinkage in the oven, so don't make them too small or they'll shrivel up and burn.  Discard the thick stalks (I have to find a recipe using them, I feel bad throwing them away!).  Dry your kale in a salad spinner or with paper towels.  Dinosaur kale is pretty awesome in that it repels water, so there isn't much water to wick away after washing.  Now, put your kale on a sheet pan or pans (preferably lined with Silpat, parchment, or foil) so that they aren't overly crowded (ideally one layer).  I was living on the edge and neglected to line my sheet pan or use two pans for two bunches of kale--such a rebel!--but since the other recipes mention these preventative measures, I should too even though mine was successful and without excessive cleanup.  Next, drizzle on the olive oil (don't glug, but try to get enough on there to coat once you toss it--remember fat is GOOD) and then sprinkle on the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other spices you desire.  Toss the leaves around with your hands to coat everybody equally.  Now, whack 'er in the oven for 10 minutes and check.  Remove to a plate any browned ones or firm ones that are chips.  Yes, they are actually chips!  Leave in any floppy, moist ones for another 5 minutes in the oven.  Repeat until all of your kale has magically transformed into CHIPS!

Crunch away on one of the most awesome and nutritious chips out there!

Eggplant?  Seriously?

Alton Brown from the epicly nerdlicious Food Network show Good Eats helped inspire this eggplant application.  His brilliant pressing strategy lets the eggplant soak in taste rather than become a mushy mess.  Eggplant is delicious and nutritious, so don't shy away from this purple peculiarity.

Eggplant is a nightshade (NOTE: I will discuss at more length in a future post), which means it isn't the best if you are avoiding inflammation and is not quite tasty if you are a cat indulging upon human dinner left out on the counter momentarily unattended (yes, she threw up--but no, it didn't deter her from another counter scavenger hunt later that night, damn cat).  Nutrition wise, eggplant has a good amount of fiber, potassium, manganese, and B vitamins.  It is filled with antioxidants that provide a protective role in our bodies from damaging oxidative reactions.  One such phytonutrient antioxidant in eggplant protects the lipids in our brain cell membranes.  Another one in high quantity is chlorogenic acid which has been found to have anti-cancer, antiviral, anti-microbial, and anti-LDL cholesterol functions.  Bottom line: surprise, surprise, veggies are good for you!

Here is a great method of preparation which serves as a stepping stone to other inventive culinary creations!

Eggplant Chippies
Eggplant takes a little more preparation than kale, but there is a delicious reward for your diligence.  


Time Required: at least 2 hours of pressing, then it is fast and done in 15 minutes.  You can also prepare the eggplant ahead of time and use them for dinner that night--especially if you can give those babies a flip and change their towels half way through the day.  

ingredients:
one regular-sized eggplant per diner
salt
olive oil

Slice the eggplant into half inch thick...slices (I hate repeating myself) and lay one layer on sheet pans lined with pet hair-free tea towels or doubled paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt (don't coat).  Then, top with a tea towel or another doubled paper towel sheet.  Place another sheet pan on top and weigh it down using whatever you have handy that is heavy (i.e. cast iron pans, cans, your cat).  Let them press for 1 hour.  Afterwards, come back and replace the now damp towels, flip the eggplant, sprinkle with salt, and replace the heavies for more pressing.  Repeat as many times as desired/you have the patience for.  Once ready to cook, rinse the eggplant to get off the salt (don't worry, there is still some inside, but not too much, hence the "don't coat" warning above--believe me, I have been there).  Dry with paper towels/pet hair-free tea towels and lay in one layer on the bare sheet pan (use two pans if you can't fit them all).  Don't line the sheet pan this time because we are headed for the broiler and lining can't take the heat, baby.  Drizzle olive oil on your eggplant and you're going to have to be a little liberal since those suckers are sponges.  Turn your broiler on to Low and place the sheet pan on the highest rack.  Prop the door open at its broiler location (why is that again? perhaps for morons like me who like to close the door and forgetaboutit to the point of burnage?).  Check in five minutes for browning, and if you have it, flip.  If not, wait til you do.  Once both sides are browned, you are done!  Salt or spice to taste.

Serving Suggestions:

Neapolitan with Meat Sauce: One incredibly tasty way to serve these is as little Neapolitans with Basic Meat Sauce.  Just assemble your little Leaning Tower and create a tasty moat surrounding with the excess (mine was not suitable for pictures--even the sauce in my pic looks more bloody than tomatoey, unfortunately).   NOTE: this serving style will lose the crispiness of the eggplant, but their roasted sweetness really hits the meat sauce out of the park!

Dunkin' Style: You can avoid the mushiness of the first application if you serve the chips on the side of the meat sauce and use them to dip, as my husband did during our feast.  Yes, my husband is brilliant, but mine was more architecturally pleasing ;)

Neapolitan with Roasted Portobellos, Roasted Red Peppers, Pesto, Fresh Basil, and Fresh Mozzarella (sorry, I am off the cheese for awhile, so no pics of this one): When I used to indulge more on cheese, I replicated a layered deli item from Whole Foods.  After paying over $10 for this tasty dish, I decided to make it myself instead.  Just broil the eggplant using my recipe, broil portobellos the same way (no need to salt and press them first, just follow the broiling method after drizzling in olive oil and sprinkling with salt), then create a tasty stack of layered mushroom slathered in pesto, topped with roasted red pepper (roast yourself or buy in the jar, but check to make sure it is paleo--no citric acid, soy, wheat, or grain products allowed!), topped with fresh basil, topped with eggplant, and finally topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.  Broil or microwave the Neapolitan to melt the cheese before serving/gorging upon.  Um, yum!

Other suggestions:
The sky is the limit.  You have a great base for many flavors and applications.  For instance, try them as Eggplant Parmesan if you eat cheese or want to indulge.  I bet they would be damn tasty sprinkled with parmesan before broiling!  You can also just snack on them as chips.  I know I have, and I didn't feel once ounce of guilt!

Kale Chips
Easy and Addictive Eggplant "Chips"

Sick of lettuce? Try Kale Salad!

This salad packs well and is an easy meal prep on a weekend for salads during the week.  Make a bigger batch for more leftovers.


Why kale?

Kale is a delicious, hearty green with loads of nutrients.  Notably, it is chocked full of Vitamin A (important in vision and bone growth), Vitamin K (important in blood clotting and bone metabolism), and Vitamin C (a powerful antioxidant, important component for chemical reactions in your body, and vital part of maintenance and synthesis within the body).  It has a glycemic load of 3, therefore it doesn't spike your blood sugar.  It is a strong anti-inflammatory based upon its fatty acids, glycemic load, and antioxidant content.

What makes Kale Salad special?

Raw kale is nutrient dense.  Vitamins like Vitamin C degrade through cooking and the application of heat.  Raw kale has more available Vitamin C.  Studies looking at the nutrient properties of plants in the same genus as kale (Brassica vegetables or cabbages) also has more of the anti-inflammatory molecule called sulforaphane when raw.  Sulforaphane is important for reducing inflammation, such as in the respiratory system to alleviate asthma and other respiratory ailments, and has been found to inhibit cancer cell growth.  When raw, the absorption of this important molecule is faster than when cooked.

Vitamin K and Vitamin A are fat soluble, meaning if you have fat along with a food source rich with these vitamins, you get more of that vitamin out of the food.   Kale Salad incorporates olive oil which frees up these vitamins.

Olive oil itself is beneficial in many ways.  As a monounsaturated fat it can reduce the total and low-density (LDL) cholesterol levels in your blood.  Extra virgin olive oils are less processed and have the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant.  There is also evidence that olive oil plays a role in blood sugar and blood pressure reduction, omega fat balance, and protection against heart attack and stroke.

Nuts are fat and nutrient powerhouses.  As a food storage system for a growing plant embryo, nuts are nutrient dense.  As omega 3 sources, they help balance your fatty acids and can lower LDL concentration.  They have a low glycemic index and possess vitamins E, F, and G as well as many important minerals.  However, they aren't a viable protein source, but we'll get into that in another post.

So let's put it all together.

Kale Salad
(inspired by Caveman Food's Relaxed Kale)
Makes enough for 2 with some leftovers (depending upon gluttony)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes, then let sit to meld flavors

1 bunch of kale, greens cut from the stem and torn into pieces
1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Dressing:
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard

After preparing and washing the kale, add the olive oil and salt and massage the kale for 5-7 minutes (yes, with your hands, yes the salt hurts cuts, and yes, it takes a little time) until it reduces in size and feels more pliable.  In another bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together to incorporate.  Add dressing and toss to coat the kale.  At this point, you can place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for a week (actually improves over time).

To serve:
(NOTE: don't add these items until you are ready to eat because they will deteriorate with time)

Add a handful of chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds, preferably roasted (place on a baking sheet while you preheat the oven for another meal and toss every once and a while to brown or place in a skillet and roast stovetop until brown--just be careful not to burn them!).

Add a meat choice.  Ours is usually seared steak (see recipe to follow), but you can add any type of meat.  Bite-sized is the most easily eaten.

Add a tart apple for the sweet-sour approach that works well with the strong flavors of the kale, vinegar, and mustard.

To make this Zone, you will probably need more carbohydrate choices since kale is 3.2 cups raw per block of carbohydrate.  The honey adds 2 blocks for the whole salad.  An apple also adds 2 blocks of carbohydrate.  The olive oil and nuts make this a fat heavy meal, but delicious and healthy nonetheless.  Cooking your meat on the grill or seared without fat on the stove will allow you more fat leeway for this portion of your meal.

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