Fancy Scrambled Eggs

Eggs. If you're keeping starch free, eggs become a very versatile part of your diet. On weekend mornings, we usually stick to some variation of eggs (whether they're scrambled, fried or in omelet form) along with a fresh fruit and maybe some bacon. Almost all berries and melons can be counted on to be starch free, so we eat those breakfast fruits most often.

One of the things that's nice about scrambled eggs (omelets too) is that you can use whatever you have on hand as the extras. I usually throw in some chopped green onions, either fresh cilantro or basil, deli ham if we have it and some cheese at the end. I'm including some different flavor combinations after the recipe for you to try out. (The scrambled eggs pictured were made with green onions, cilantro and white cheddar cheese.)

Ingredients:
4-6 eggs
salt and pepper
cream or whole milk
herbs, cheeses, etc. 


For 2 people, crack 4 (or 6 if you're really hungry!) large eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper, a splash of cream/whole milk and any herbs or extras you're using. I usually don't add my cheese until the end, but you can mix it in the bowl before you cook the eggs, if you like.

Put a small saucepan (don't use stainless steel for eggs, they'll stick) over low heat and add a tablespoon or two of butter. Let it melt until it gets frothy, then pour the eggs into the pan and stir them slowly. I use a silicone spatula to stir the eggs because it lets me scrape everything from the sides of the pan, so none of the eggs stick.

Your eggs are done then they're silky and looking slightly underdone. They still cook themselves after you put them on your plate, so you want to remove them from the pan before they look completely cooked or they'll actually overcook and get leathery. Once on your plate, grate the cheese of your choice on top of the eggs.

Variations:
-- deli ham and cheddar
-- green onions, cilantro and white cheddar
-- basil, 1/2 tomato (chopped & drained) and swiss
-- bacon (previously cooked and crumbled) and your choice of cheese
-- cilantro, monterey jack and home made salsa (These should be added after the eggs are done. And we use home made salsa because store bought salsas usually test starchy.)
-- sauteed onions, basil and swiss

I'm sure there are a million more.  What are your favorites?

Simple + Delicious Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Today's recipe is about as simple as you can get. My favorite fruit dip consists of cream cheese and marshmallow fluff and takes about 5 minutes to make.

Soften 8 oz. of cream cheese (either by zapping it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or by letting it sit out for awhile) and mix it with a 7.5 oz. container of marshmallow fluff until smooth. Dip apple slices into it for a tasty snack!

I used marshmallow fluff brand and tested the dip with iodine after it was mixed. Also, not all types of apples are safe for someone trying to stay away from starch; the best kind we've found are Honeycrisp apples.

The iodine test is a really simple and easy way to check if a food is starchy or not. Just put a tiny bit of the food you're testing onto a piece of plastic (we cut plastic cups into small pieces to use as test strips) and put a few drops of iodine on it. If the food turns black, it's starchy. But if the food stays a brownish-red color, it's okay to eat.

Pork with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This would be a pretty standard dinner for us. Usually I make a main course that's meat or protein and a starch-less vegetable dish on the side. The mushroom sauce is adapted from Bacon and Mushroom Cream from Jamie's Food Revolution. (As a side note, most of my recipes will feed 2 people, with 1-2 servings extra for leftovers. If the recipe makes more, I'll make a note of it.) 

Ingredients:
for the meat: a pound of pork chops (chicken breasts would work fine too)
olive oil 
salt and pepper
white cooking wine
for the mushroom sauce:
1/2 pound portobello or button mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped (I forgot to buy this, and used a few shakes of ground thyme, it was fine!)
salt and pepper
1/3 cup sour cream or heavy cream (I used mostly sour cream with a little bit of heavy cream to top it off)
for the salad (a lot of times, I just use what I have on hand):
2 servings of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2-3 oz of mozzarella cheese, cubed
a handful of toasted, sliced almonds
1/2 a cucumber, halved and sliced
for the basic Greek salad dressing:
5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
a few shakes of oregano
salt and pepper

To prepare the pork, heat a large frying pan on the stove to medium-high heat and add a few lugs of olive oil. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper and add it to the pan, turning after a couple of minutes so that both sides are browned. After browning, add 1/3 cup white wine to the pan, cover and turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pork simmer for about half an hour or so until it's tender. 

To prepare the creamy mushroom sauce, put another frying pan on medium heat and add a lug of olive oil. Throw in the chopped onion and fry until golden and tender. Add the mushrooms and thyme and continue to fry for a couple of minutes. Season carefully to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cream, bring the sauce to a boil, and let it bubble and simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot, on top of your pork or chicken. 

To prepare the salad dressing, add all of your ingredients in a jar (with a lid!) and shake until well-mixed. For the salad, add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss. Eat and enjoy!