Phase 1: Day 7

Brunch:

Yup, this was brunch.  I was wanting spinach, so whipped up Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and Pine Nuts, had some left over Salmon Salad, and a Deviled Egg (left  from the weekends festivities).

Deviled Eggs for a Crowd

8 Eggs*, hard-boiled**, peeled, cut in 1/2, yolks separated and reserved
1/2 cup Homemade Mayonnaise
2T Olive Oil
1t Cumin
1t Ginger
Sea Salt to Taste

Also Needed:  Quart Sized Baggie


Place the 8 yolks in a medium bowl with the mayonnaise, and spices. Whisk, adding the O.O. as needed to smooth the mixture.  Salt to taste.
Once smooth, place the mixture into a quart sized baggie.  Cut 1 lower corner to create a pastry bag.  Squeeze some of the mixture into each egg white 1/2.  Serve immediately, or store, covered in the refrigerator.

* The Deviled Egg Plate I was using held 15 deviled eggs.  I made extras and chose the ones that peeled most beautifully.  I then made egg salad with the others.

**Here are some tips for perfect hard-boiled eggs from Martha Stewart and the Kitchn, or easier yet, purchase Peeled Hard-Boiled Eggs from Trader Joe's!

Egg Salad

2 Hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 Celery center (the soft part with leaves), Chopped

2 Green Onions, Sliced

1 t. Celery Seed

1/2 t. Ground Mustard

2 T. Homemade Mayonnaise

Sea Salt

Your Favorite Lettuce (Optional)

Add ingredients to a medium bowl.  Gently toss, and salt to taste.  Serve over lettuce.

Afternoon/ Evening Sustenance in 100+ Degree Heat:  

When it's too hot to cook!

Almond-Vanilla Baltimore Snow Balls

Alright, these might not pass muster for hardcore snowball enthusiasts, but here in DC, no one will be the wiser!!!  And they fit the bill for my ice milk & cookie craving. 

2 cups ice 

2 cups almond milk

1 1/2 t almond extract

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

1 t raw honey (after phase 1, regular honey is fine)

Add ingredients to blender and "liquify" until the mixture resembles a thick slushie.

When growing up in Baltimore we didn't do snow-cones or smoothies or slushies:  We did snowballs.  Every neighborhood had a snowball stand!

Not familiar with this iconic Baltimore summer tradition?  Check out these articles:

What We're Missing, The DCist

Cold Comfort: On the Cultural Significance of the Snowball in Baltimore, City Paper

Triple Nut N' Honey No-Bake Cookies

1 handful walnut, chopped

2 T almond butter

1 T raw honey

1/4 cup almond meal

3 T shredded coconut

Thoroughly mix first 4 ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes.  Form into 1 inch balls and roll in unsweetened coconut.  

Serve with Almond-Vanilla Baltimore Snowballs!  

I was hot and not really up to making a big meal, so I made 2 Snowballs today, and ate 1/2 of the cookies with each.  So Delish!

Cheers!  With a Twist of Lyme, 

Yvie

  

Phase 1: Days 4, 5 & 6

The weekend was both trying and wonderful!  After swim team practice and carpooling, I took an adventure to Target. (Every trip to Target is an adventure!)  I went to get a jar of my favorite almond butter, as I had finished off the last jar for breakfast.   Since it has no ingredients other than almonds, it's perfect for phase 1, and best of all, I didn't have to make it !  As it turns out, Target carries lots of great Archer Farms items that just a few year ago were only available at high-end organic foods markets.  Score!

Friday's Menu

Breakfast:

Celery sticks and almond butter.  

Lunch:

Salmon Salad, Rice Salad & Raspberries.

Snack

Granny Smith Apple & Almond Butter

Dinner:

Shitake Soup with Wild Rice, Spinach and Leeks

Ingredients:

1-2  T EVOO

4-5 shitake mushrooms

1    leek

1    bag baby spinach, chopped

1    package pre-cooked wild rice

2    quarts vegetable broth

sea salt to taste.

If you use my homemade stock, the following spices are not needed.  If you use a store-bought stock, add:

2 t cumin

2 t ginger

2 t celery seed

Heat the EVOO.  Add the mushrooms, leek, and spinach.  Stir until the spinach just begins to wilt (not too much, as the hot broth will cook it more).  Place these ingredients into a large soup taurean. Heat the broth and spices to a simmer.  Add the rice and simmer just a minute or 2 more.  Pour the hot broth and rice into the taurean over the veggies.  Add salt to taste.

This made a very hearty & satisfying soup.  A meal in itself.

Homemade Broth

4 T EVOO

2 leeks, chopped

4 celery stalks with leaves, chopped

1/2 bag shredded cabbage

3  sprigs parsley, chopped

3 t cumin

3 t ginger

3 t celery seed

5-10 twists of the sea salt grinder

4 quarts water

Heat the EVOO, add the veggies, and cook, stirring, until tender.  Add the water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer 1-2 hours, until the broth is reduce to 1/2 ...  2 quarts.  Strain broth into a heat resistant bowl, and set aside to use for the soup.                                                                                                            

Note:  As inspired by Mireille Guiliano's Magical Leek Soup Detox, I reserved the cooked veggies, and ate them as a side dish, topped with a pinch of sea salt.  They were actually VERY yummy!!!  So glad I wasn't put off by how they looked.  Throwing them away would have been such a waste.

Storm Hits

Friday night the power went out in a storm with unpredicted hurricane-force winds.  The electric company was predicting 5-7 days to get everyone's power restored!  We had already planned to see fire works out of town, and fortunately Grandma still had power & an empty fridge-freezer, so we packed up the almost entire contents of our fridge & freezer and went to Grandma's.  This is also just one reason why I do not keep a second freezer.  It seems we average extended outages about once every other year.

Weekend Food

I took the leftover soup, and a fruit salad with me.  I also made Deviled Eggs, Egg Salad & Homemade Guacamole while there.  I will be featuring these recipes in future blogs.  The company, fireworks and food were all fantastic, but left me quite exhausted. I need to remember to go slow.  We made it back home with power restored, and all the food saved, but 1 gallon of milk.  We are very lucky, as we still have major intersections out.  The last 2 days have been lazy days for sure!

Cheers!  With a Twist of Lyme,
Yvie