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 :)

Roasted Garlic Pesto

So you have dutifully read Sunshine of Your Love Part 1: Safely Getting What You Need and Sunshine of Your Love Part 2: The D Factor AND Sunshine of Your Love Part 3: What is e-D-ible?

And your bonus for being such a good listener?  A recipe!  

Today's treat is a recipe (Finally!  I know, I talk/write way too much, but you should see me in person--I'm quiet, really!).  I made the most awesomely delicious pesto known to man.  I know, you are groaning, "Not another pesto recipe!  Dude, everybody has their own pesto recipe!"  Well, that is what you might think and if you leave now, your loss.  Seriously.  THIS pesto is worth the read and try.  And why is pesto related to our vitamin D post?  Just Because.  No, actually I'll serve it on shrimp and salmon, which if you remember, are good animals sources of vitamin D (although they will NEVER meet your vitamin D needs alone).

Method to the Madness: Roasting

The Garlic:  From America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated, I learned that roasted garlic tastes yummier than raw garlic in pesto.  It just adds a nuttier, richer, and less sharp, strong taste.  Since I have been buying the pre-peeled, packaged garlic (yes, convenience has done me in, just shoot me now!), I used that and roasted it in aluminum foil as I have seen other cooks do.  Don't worry, I'll go over this in the recipe.  If you have unpeeled garlic, try the America's Test Kitchen method of toasting it in a naked skillet over medium or low heat til just browning, not burning, on the outside.  If you have chopped/minced garlic, perhaps you can toast it in a skillet with some olive oil.  Whatever your method, we are after roasted garlic.  That makes all the difference here.

The Nuts:  I roast my nuts ALL the time ;)  So this application is no different.  It makes them more digestible than raw, but if you still have trouble with nuts (not an allergy, just upset digestion), try soaking and then roasting your nuts.  If you have an allergy, well, it sucks to be you.

The Basil:  Okay, this isn't roasted, but it has a method too.  I have read that bruised basil releases more flavorful oils than simply cutting it because more cells are ruptured to release their aromatic oils.  I suspect, but have yet to confirm, that cell processes are at work recruiting more liquid to the areas under duress, so more oil is released than during a quick chop.  Bruising herbs and letting them sit for a few minutes until you use them seems like it would lend itself to more flavor.  So I tried that with success.  Just be sure to use your bruised basil because it will not store this way.

Roasted Garlic Pesto

What can be more versatile than a rich, roasted garlic-infused pesto spreadable on any flat surface, pair-able with any meat, and dip-able by an array of veggies?  This classic pesto is a refrigerator staple!

Cooking Time: zero to pesto in 15 minutes or less

Quantity Achieved: about 1 to 1.5 cups (more is possible if you use more greens or oil)

Storage: air-tight in the refrigerator for about a week or measure out and freeze in muffin tins, then empty frozen pesto hockey pucks into a freezer-safe container and they'll keep for months.  Simply defrost and serve! 

You can make this with different greens and oils.  Here are two divine variations using the same basic recipe.

Classic Basil Roasted Garlic Pesto (pictured above)

Ingredients:

• about 2 cups (4oz before de-stemmed) fresh basil (I used the packaged variety since it isn't in season here yet)
• about 10-12 cloves of garlic (fits in 2T, packed), peeled (if unpeeled or minced/chopped already, read The Garlic section above) (For the peeled, sealed garlic, I used half a garlic packet per batch of pesto)
• 1/2 cup almonds or another nut of your choice (no, not peanuts, silly)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff), more if you desire a creamier consistency, + a little drizzle for the roasted garlic
• 2T freshly squeezed lemon juice (one pithy lemon or half a juicy one--or use more to taste)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

NOTE: No cheese here and you will NOT miss it!

Method:

First, dump your almonds onto one half of a baking sheet and grab a large-ish square of aluminum foil.  Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in the center of the foil, drizzle on a little olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and grind a little pepper on top.  Mix to coat evenly.  Now, take two opposite sides of foil, connect them and bend over the edge.  Continue folding the edge over itself until you have reached the garlic.  Then, take one long side and fold it up and do the same to the other side to form a nice little garlic pouch.  Isn't that cute?  Place the pouch on the other side of the baking sheet from the nuts and place the sheet in a 350 degree oven, preheating doesn't matter.  Set a timer for 5 minutes and check the nuts.

In the meantime, prepare the basil by rinsing, drying, tearing leaves from large stems (some small stems and buds are fine), and squashing the leaves between your fingers.  Nothing too violent, just enough to bruise it.  Yeah, bruise that basil!  Bruise it good!  Isn't that a nice stress reliever?  Okay, now I am feeling mean.  Respectfully bruise that basil and tell it you'll relish every bite of its gracious contribution to your plate.  There.  Better.  

Have you checked your nuts?  If your nuts aren't done after 5 minutes, leave them in for another five or less if you feel they're close.  Done for those almonds means slightly more brown and some looking closer to burn, but not there yet.  It is difficult to tell; they never really look all that different to me (brown to more brown isn't very obvious), but I usually wind up getting anxious about burning and notice a fragrant, nutty smell.  They should be hot and start crackling when you take them out of the oven.  I love the sound effects!  So cute!  I err on the side of perhaps not all the way roasted brown, rather than risking burnage, because I too often become it's prey.

So once your nuts are done, put the foil pouch back in on the rack by itself, it shouldn't fall through unless you were really crazy with your folding.  Let it roast for at least 20 minutes total (don't forget the time it took the nuts to roast or the oven to preheat).  One time I let it go for 45min to an hour,  and that was an utter disaster.  So, now I err on the side of caution and say just roast until soft (you can mash them with a fork).  That varies depending upon your oven, how many times you checked your nuts, and other such unseen variables, so check the pouch (carefully unfold to look inside) after about 20 minutes and see if they are squashable.  If not, seal it back up and continue roasting another five minutes.  Watch the bottoms for browning or burning.  They are tricksy.

Okay, now we have roasted nuts and roasted garlic.  Awesome.  Your basil is bruised and bleeding, ready to get pulverized.  Let's get this party started!  Add basil, nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and 1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil to the food processor and pulse to chop a few times, then let 'er whirl.  Scrape down the sides periodically and see how it's going in there.  The sides will probably be a green blur.  Once it is pretty well incorporated, add the remaining 1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil, process for a good few minutes uninterrupted, then add more oil if desired to make your ideal consistency--for me, I like a thicker, paste-like pesto I can spread, more like hummus.  Others like theirs like soup.  Your choice!

When you are finished, add salt and pepper to taste.  Go easy with the salt--just a 1/8t to start.  One time I added a whole teaspoon and regretted it instantly.  If you don't use salt all that much, you grow much more sensitive to it!  If you do add too much salt, don't cry.  Just make another batch and now you have enough seasoning for both, or starting adding to the batch you already have.  Try some sun dried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, more leafy greens, or if you want to be decadent, make Alton Brown's skillet mushrooms and add that.  Never heard of them?  Oh, that is a treat for another day, then!

Variation:  Arugula Roasted Garlic Pesto (pictured on the salmon below)
The peppery bite of the arugula pairs really well with the sweet roasted garlic, rich walnut oil, and lemon juice kick.  Delicious!

Ingredients and Method:
Same as above except use walnut oil instead of olive oil and 2 cups, packed, fresh baby arugula instead of basil (or in combination).

Pesto Serving Suggestions:

Damn near impossible to serve pesto wrong--it goes well on any meat I can think of (pesto bacon would be a neat one to try) and any veggie delivery device like celery or romaine.  Additionally, here are some great ways to make pesto a part of your main dish:

Classic Basil Roasted Garlic Pesto coated Shrimp

Pesto Shrimp

Want to get some vitamin D in the process?  Make a pound of shrimp and add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pesto to them  (right after cooking so it is easier to coat them).  Serve warm or cold.  OMG delicious!

If you don't know how to cook shrimp, here is a little primer for basic shrimp prep.  You can also grill them or saute in garlic, oil, and ginger (fan-freakin'-tastic, but perhaps not best for mixing with this pesto).

1. Keep the tails on for more flavor, but devein them before cooking.  Rinse them and try to pat dry so they're not sopping wet.
2. Get a skillet hot, add oil of your choice (for the pesto shrimp, I used olive oil, but I don't cook with it that often--avocado or coconut oil are better for high heat).  Then, add the shrimp.
3. Here is the tricky part: You have to move FAST.  Get turning those little shrimps as soon as they start to turn pink and curl, which is nearly immediately.  Seriously, move FAST!  Use tongs or a fast-flipping spatula that you don't have to fuss with.  I love to cook shrimp because they are the cook's dream--they have a color changing doneness indicator! They're like little reverse Freezy Freakies (remember those? We'd store ours in the freezer).  Nice to have a clear signal for doneness visible across the room.  But you shouldn't be across the room, should you?  Get flipping!
4. Once both sides have turned pink, immediately evacuate to a bowl or plate.  Don't wait for them to curl up into a nice little ball--just get them the hell out!  They'll continue cooking out of the pan.  I just make sure I don't see any obvious blue, see-through parts that show they're underdone.  The tails should be pink to red.  Err on underdone; they'll cook more on the plate. 
5. Once they are out, now's your time to add the pesto.  Mix well to incorporate.
6. Feast!

Pesto Salmon with Arugula Roasted Garlic Pesto

Pesto Salmon

Want more vitamin D for your buck, how about salmon?  There are a couple ways to do this: 1) broil with pesto on top (might make the pesto a little crunchy on top--could be good or bad), 2) broil halfway, then add pesto for the remainder, or 3) add pesto after the fish is done (you might not want to use cold pesto though).  Either way, broil until just done (it turns opaque from translucent, here is a good description--flaking is too long), then let it rest before serving.  I usually use the toaster oven and it's done in less than 10 minutes.  Great lunch!  If you want to get fancy, you can cook your salmon in a parchment or aluminum foil pouch with pesto on top, like this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen that should be DELICIOUS with my pesto.  Give it a try!

Classic Basil Roasted Garlic Pesto smothered Roasted Turkey Breast

Pesto Roasted Turkey Breast
Yeah, I know, not really a great vitamin D-giver, but roasted turkey is a staple in this household.  It's super easy to prepare and gives us lunchmeat for a week when I make two at a time.  I buy the split breasts with bone in and skin on and prepare them using pesto rubbed under the skin, over the skin, inside the cavity along the tenderloin, even in slits cut into thick parts.  Basically, I want this turkey to be a pesto delivery system :)  Roast at 425, uncovered for 35-45 minutes (less if small), then check the temperature for 150 degrees (big double batches take up to an hour) and let it rest before diving in.  Makes a great meal or can be refrigerated for a week and served as lunchmeat alone or in salads.  Yum!  Here's my original Roasted Turkey Breast recipe.

Inspired?  I hope so!  Tell me about your pesto adventures!