Tag Archives: Eggs

Fettucine Carbonara with Crispy Roasted Shitakes

Fettucine Carbonara with crisp roasted shitakes and chives
Fettucine carbonara, sounds so rich and decadent and tastes just the same, but it’s much lighter than you would think from the taste of it.  The no cook sauce is super simple and super delicious, with just egg yolks, nutmeg, fresh herbs and cheese, yum! If you want to make it extra special and a little more decadent, you can add in just a little cream, half & half or even mascarpone cheese, but even without the extra creaminess the finished dish is delicious and elegant enough for company.  
egg yolks for carbonara

 

egg yolks with optional cream for carbonara
carbonara sauce
Most carbonara recipes you will find have the addition of pancetta, but since I don’t eat meat, I replace the pancetta with crispy oven roasted shitake mushrooms and chives, which I think is even better!
Shitakes and chives, ready to roast
Shitakes and chives, ready to roast
Fettucine Carbonara with Crispy Roasted Shitakes
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Ingredients:
1 pound fettucine pasta (make it gluten free with your favorite GF pasta)
3 egg yolks
About ½ cup or a little more grated Romano cheese
Grated nutmeg – just a little
Olive oil
Salt
Chopped parsley and chives plus about 10 whole chives
6-10 shitake mushrooms – cleaned & sliced
Optional: about 2 Tablespoons cream or half & half or mascarpone – if you’re feeling decadent!
 

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Farmer’s Market Frittata with crisp shitake mushrooms, spring onions & goat cheese

Farmer's Market Frittata
I love this time of year, when our local farmers markets are in full bloom.  I find the offerings of fresh and beautiful veggies so inspiring, I often get carried away and buy way too much!   Leaving with my bags loaded with more than we can usually eat in the week, happily planning meals in my head as I drive home. 
Farmer's Market Bounty

Farmer’s Market Bounty

This week I brought home spring onions with long green tops, more than a foot in length from Taliaferro Farms, shitake mushrooms from Madura Farms and herbed goat cheese from Acorn Hill, plus gorgeous eggs in shades of browns and blue from Wrights Farm which even inspired my five year old Evan to try “oval eggs” (hard boiled) for the first time ever!   WP_20140622_037
I cooked up this delicious and quick version of frittata, starting on the stove top and then finishing it under the broiler to get a nice golden brown top.  I used the spring onion tops, which I think are even more flavorful than the onions themselves and cook up quicker too.WP_20140622_014
I sprinkled bits of herbed goat cheese along with crisp cooked shitakes, all over the top just before placing under the broiler, but any goat cheese you like; flavored with herbs, garlic or just plain, would be delicious here.  Crispy Shitakes and Herbed Goat Cheese
If you can’t find young onions with the greens attached, scallions or leeks would work just as well.  In fact frittatas are so versatile you could really add most any combination of veges and cheese you like and come out with great results!  
Farmer’s Market Frittata
with Crisp Shitake Mushrooms, Spring Onions and Goat Cheese
 Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Serves about 4 as a light main dish with a salad or other veggies on the side, also perfect for brunch with a warm crusty roll.
Ingredients:
5 or 6 Shitake Mushrooms
Spring Onion Greens (that’s the onion tops) from about 3-4 onions
Or sub with 2 bunches Scallions OR 2-3 Leeks
6- 8 Eggs (depending upon size)
Grated Asiago Cheese – about ¼ cup or more to taste
2 ounces creamy Goat Cheese
Butter and Olive Oil
Salt (flaked sea salt if you have)
Ground Black Pepper
 
Directions:
Heat a large non stick (oven safe) skillet (either a 10 or 12 inch pan will work) over a medium flame.
Wash, dry and slice the Shitake mushrooms.  Melt a bit of butter (about a teaspoon or two) into the skillet and then add in the mushrooms.  Sauté the mushrooms for several minutes until they get nice and crispy.  Once they’re crispy, sprinkle a little flaked salt and stir around and then remove from the pan.
While the mushrooms are cooking, clean and slice the green onion tops.
Into the same pan you’ve just removed the mushrooms from, add a little swirl of olive oil and then the onion greens.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Sauté until softened and beginning to brown just a bit.
While the onion greens are cooking, whisk together the eggs in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and add about 2 tablespoons of the grated Asiago cheese.
Once the greens are cooked, spread them flat over the inside of the pan so they cover the entire surface, sprinkle with about a tablespoon of grated Asiago, then pour in the eggs and immediately lower the temperature to the lowest setting.  Do not stir.  Once the eggs just begin to set a bit, gently stir them around the pan.
Drop the goat cheese all over the eggs in small bits and then top with the crispy mushrooms and any remaining Asiago.  Remove the pan from the flame and place it in the oven about 4 – 6 inches from the broiler, turn on the broiler, watch carefully and allow to broil about 1 – 2 minutes until the top of the frittata sets and the cheese begins to brown.
Remove from the oven, cut into 4-6 portions, serve and Enjoy! 
Click here for printable versionFarmer's Market Frittata with Shitakes, Spring Onions and Goat Cheese

 

Crispy Quinoa Fritters

IMG_3704

It’s Meatless Monday! Truth be told it’s Meatless Monday every day of the week around here, but whether you embrace a Vegetarian lifestyle all of the time or you just try to eat a little less meat here and there, this recipe is perfect.  Quinoa is the only plant based complete protein and with the addition of eggs and cheese, this makes a delicious protein packed Vegetarian main dish, which also wouldn’t be bad as a side dish when you’re not embracing the meat free world.  Bonus, they’re even gluten free. If you have leftover quinoa or cook it the day or two before, these fritters come together quickly, with a cheesy, crispy exterior, complete the meal with a salad and/or roasted veggies, yum.IMG_3689

        

Crispy Quinoa Fritters

Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones

Adapted from one of my favorite recipe books, Heidi Swanson’s “Super Natural Every Day”, Little Quinoa Patties.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked Quinoa (from 1 cup uncooked)

4 extra large Eggs (I use Organic)

Chopped Red Onion – 1 small or ½ of one large OR about 4 Shallots

3 cloves Garlic – minced

¼ cup chopped Parsley

½ teaspoon Sea Salt, or more to taste

¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, or more to taste

½ cup Chick Pea (Garbanzo) Flour OR ½ cup dried Bread Crumbs

½ cup grated Asiago Cheese (Gruyere would also be good)

1 cup (divided) grated Pecorino Romano OR Parmesan

About 1 – 2 Tablespoons Butter or Olive Oil or a combo

Optional:

Zest of one Lemon

Juice of ½ Lemon

Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes

Fresh Herbs – about 1 teaspoon Thyme or Oregano

 

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine the Quinoa, Eggs, Onion, Garlic, Parsley, Salt & Red Pepper, Chick Pea Flour or Bread Crumbs, Asiago Cheese, ½ cup of the Romano cheese and any of the optional ingredients you like.  Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or longer (sometimes I mix it up in the morning and then it’s ready to go when I get home at night).IMG_3686 Quinoa Fritter mix

After 15 minutes, heat the butter and/or olive oil (I like a combo of both) in a large non stick skillet.  Scoop out about ¼ cup of the quinoa mixture (I use a spring loaded ice cream scoop, pressing it against the inside of the bowl to help it hold together a little more) and drop it into the heated skillet.  About 6 – 7 fritters should fit in the pan.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 7 – 10 minutes until the bottoms are browned.  Adjust the flame if not browning quickly enough.

IMG_2465 Quinoa Fritters in the panIMG_2466 Qunioa Fritters flipped

Sprinkle some of the remaining ½ cup of Romano cheese on top of each fritter and then flip over in the pan and flatten out a bit with the spatula.  Cover the pan and cook for another 7 minutes or so until browned on the other side.

Remove from the skillet and place on a serving platter and then continue to cook the rest.  Adding a little more butter or olive oil to the pan as needed

Makes about 12-15 fritters, serve 2-3 per person. 

Leftovers keep great in the fridge for a few days, they’re good cold or heated up.  Enjoy them over a salad or in a wrap, if you like with a little hummus and hot sauce as Colin does.     

Note: we’ve tried these with all types of different sauces and finally came to the conclusion they’re perfect all on their own.

 

Click here for printable version