Deviled Eggs 9 Ways, from North to South & East to West

I love deviled eggs but lets be honest, a person an only take so many mayo/mustard/vinegar stuffed eggs in the span of the few days following Easter. We usually end up throwing away half of the hard boiled eggs we had fun coloring and decorating for The Egg Hunt, such a waste! So instead of nixing a fun tradition, I took note of a post from Cooking Light and created 3 variations of deviled eggs using some of our favorite ingredients. The result? Eggstrodinary! {work with me, I don't get out much, my 7 year old thought it was funny}.

Three completely different flavors, one from the north seas and two from my beloved South West. I could live quite happily as a Pescatarian with the occasional fillet Mignon and smoked salmon is and always will be my favorite treat. Nova Scotia smoked salmon is not only for breakfast bagels smeared with cream cheese and topped with thinly sliced red onion then garnished with capers (now I'm craving one!) but turns plain deviled eggs into a special occasion worthy hors d' oeuvres.

  Pre-Easter brunch with mimosas anyone?

Guacamole is a staple side dish here in Phoenix and I for one can not get enough of it, despite my mild allergy to them. So why not throw some ripe avocado into the mix?  I used a 1:1 ratio of sour cream and plain, Greek yogurt. Then of course I added bacon, green onion and a squeeze of lime. To kick it up a notch I added a pinch of garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and cayenne. Damn good!

Last but not least, something spicy, tangy and sweet was in order. I like to give all of my taste buds equal opportunity to enjoy themselves. If you will. How about pickled jalapenos and sweet pickles? No Easter is complete with out sweet pickles right? Again, I used a mix of mayo and Greek yogurt to lighten up the calories and keep with the fresh, zinginess of Spring.

The possibilities are endless! Other ingredients and flavors I'm thinking would make 

spectacular deviled eggs are:

• Sirachi + mini Shrimp or Crab meat
• Diced ham + Sharp Cheddar + Dijon Mustard
• Corned Beef + Horseradish Mustard
• Asparagus + Pearl Onion + Whole Grain Brown Mustard
• Pickled Beets + Shaved Asparagus + Shaved Almonds 
• Prosciutto + Petite Peas

What duo or trio would you use for deviled eggs extraordinaire?

What are your families favorite traditional Easter foods to share?

Jalapeño eggs adapted from Cooking Light


TIME    30 MINUTES          YIELDS  36  DEVILED EGGS


Deviled Eggs with Avocado Cream, Bacon and Onions

6 Hard Boiled Eggs
1 tablespoon sour cream

1 tablespoon plain, Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lime juice

handful of green olives with pimentos

3 tablespoons chopped green onion

2 tablespoons *soft bacon bits 

pinch of chili powder

pinch of cayenne powder

dash of garlic powder 

pinch of cumin 

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise.  In a small food processor combine cooked egg yolks, sour cream, yogurt, lime juice and spices. Pulse until smooth.

Add green onions, bacon bits and chopped green olives. Stir to combine. Using a small spoon, scoop filling back into eggs. 

These eggs are best served immediately or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled so they don't brown. The lime juice helps with this.

*Packaged soft bacon bits are found in the condiment aisle at most grocery stores. They are great for deviled eggs and potato salad and have a fraction of the fat as cooked bacon. Not to mention, cut down on prep time.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon real mayo

1-2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1 tablespoon capers

dash of freshly cracked black pepper 

1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

4 oz. Smoked Nova Scotia Salmon, chopped

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise.  In a small food processor combine cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mayo and onion. Pulse till smooth. Add dill, tarragon, capers, pepper and salmon pieces. Stir to combine. Scoop into eggs. Serve chilled

Jalapeño and Gherkins Deviled Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs

1 tablespoon plain, Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon mayo

3 Gherkin pickles (sweet pickles)

2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños 

Shell eggs and cut in half lengthwise. In a small food processor combine cooked egg yolks, yogurt, mayo, pulse till smooth. Add chopped pickles and jalapeños. Stir to combine. Scoop filling back into eggs. 

Roasted Delicata Squash and Apples {12 weeks of Winter Squash}

Are you in charge of bringing a side dish to a Thanksgiving dinner this year? I usually am known as the one who will bring a healthy and "amazing" dish. My sister-in-laws always seem so impressed and amazed at the "unique/interesting/lovely" appetizers I bring to the collection of mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles and Holiday ham.  I'll let you in a little secret though if you promise not to tell………

I usually spend a total of about 30 minutes on most of  the side dishes and appetizers I bring to just about any party but most especially Holiday dinners. 

Shhhhhhh, our little secret!

It doesn't have to look or taste like you threw something together though and it most CERTAINLY doesn't need to come out of a box or a can! Fresh fruits and veggies always have a way of shining all on their own with very little need of help in the way of additives, sauces or a ton of spices.

This side dish is sweetened with a touch of honey, which you can't really tell is in there but compliments the earthy flavors of the squash and apples and will help the kiddos eat their healthy veggies happily. {o.k. I had 1 out of 4 kids who didn't like it but hey, those aren't bad odds!)

I adore squash in all of it's varieties but this is the first time (I made this dish at least twice before posting as usual) that I've had delicate squash. I am now in love. Love at first taste actually. This is hands down the easiest of ALL squash to prepare. Simply cut the ends off, slice in half lengthwise with ease thanks to the very light skin, scoop out the small bit off seeds and roast. 

Bam!

This side dish will go alongside some other fabulous squash dishes my fellow squash loving bloggers have made for week 3 of 12 weeks of winter squash. Only 12?!!! 

SERVES    6           TIME    30 MINUTES        

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 
2. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3. 1 tablespoon honey
4. 3 garlic cloves, sliced
5. 2 small delicata squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
6. 2 fugi (or similar) apples cut in half lengthwise, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, any seeds removed
7. 1 small red onion, cut into 12 wedges
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10. 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and onion; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Carefully remove preheated pan from oven; coat pan with cooking spray. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on baking sheet. Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until tender, turning once. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

If not serving immediately, cover with foil. 

Other Thanks Giving Day Sides and Appetizers from Simply Healthy Family

Stuffed Acorn Squash with fresh Cranberries and Pecans

Spiced Cranberry Chutney with Apricots, Cherries and Pecans

Pepita Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Do you share my love for winter squash? Join the party and link up and share a yummy squash recipe you made this week! Don't got squash? No bigs. Just link up next week!

Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade and The World's Best Ever Steak Marinade

This weekend as you well know is Father's Day weekend. Instead of hanging out around the house and  grilling some steaks and swimming in the pool we decided it would be a good idea to take all of the kids and meet the fam up at Big Lake for some camping chaos fun. If you didn't read my post from last year you may not fully appreciate how difficult interesting it can be when camping with 3 young children and a cranky teenager. If your up for a good laugh read about our adventure here.  I remain very optimistic that things will go much better this year.......

For one thing, I'm going to make things a LOT easier on myself and stick with the basics. Simple, yet good food and packing just what's necessary instead of trying to plan for every inconceivable disaster. Quite frankly I'm just too pooped to plan.


Last weekend we grilled up some steaks which turned out to be hands down best ever and all around awesome. I'm not a huge red meat so when I'm craving a nice steak or burger It better be good. I like my meat very tender and super flavorful. These steaks were both and the tangy, sweet flavor can be attributed to this marinade which worked wonders on the meat. Man, it was so good!

I also attempted to make a red pepper, cilantro pesto from Dara at Cookin' Canuck  but ended up tweaking the ingredients and process a bit to end up with more of a tapenade. I love tapenades in every variety, they are so versatile and satisfying in a grown up sort of way. They can be paired with steak, on top of smoked or grilled fish (my favorite) or as a stand alone hor d'oeuvres with crackers, a baguette and of course a good aperitif.

Basically, for this to be a tapenade instead of a pesto, you need to use a bit more almonds and less red pepper. Preferably use a small hand food processor or pulse just a few times in your regular one. I love my little manual one for chopping garlic, finely mincing onion, herbs and making salsa and guacamole. It's just a tiny little thing and so easy to clean. I use it daily.

Almond and Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade

1 small red bell pepper, roasted

3 cloves garlic

1 cup blanched almonds (2 handfuls)

small handful cilantro

squeeze lime juice

2-3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil

Pulse all ingredients except lime juice and oil in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Drizzle in oil and lime juice. Pulse until desired consistency.

Happy Father's Day to my dad who is the coolest and most gerous guy I know and to my sweet and as perfect as they get husband who keeps me grounded, happy and calm. 

and to all you other dad's, I hope you have a wonderful day!

(camping or not)

Smokey Baba Ganoush {roasted eggplant dip}

Teenagers. sighhhh.  Why didn't anyone ever warn me about how exhausting, annoying and all around taxing teenagers are? I'm pretty sure that had someone warned me I would have planned better. Prepared myself in some way, maybe gone to  pre-conditioning therapy, meditated more or sent him to boarding school at age 13. That would have been smart, best for everyone. Had someone only warned me.








I'm trying really hard to look on the bright side of the situation, see the positive. There are a couple I think. He never did drugs, drank (that I know of anyway) is a well mannered and mostly happy go lucky kid. He is healthy (well until I get through with him after this latest shenanigan anyway) and has potential..... I hope.

Hope. Pray. Wait. That's really all a mother can do when your teenager goes off to college for his freshman year, all expenses paid for by dear old mom and dad and comes home with a big, FAT 1.0 GPA. Yup.

My son. The boy we raised and taught to be responsible, trustworthy and work hard in life. The boy who was in Honors, AP and IB courses throughout high school. The boy who may or may not be cut out of our WIll. Not that we have any money left after throwing it away on what turned out to basically be a one year, $12,000 all expenses paid vacation in Eastern Arizona, middle of nowhere USA.


Hope. Pray. Wait.


Time for the boy to take responsibility for his own actions. Self accountability. Figure out things for himself. Hopefully not crash and burn and when he inevitably does, I pray he will man up and make things right. Finish school and be a strong, smart independent young man who comes groveling back to his poor defeated mom and dad and begs for our forgiveness and tells us how incredibly smart we really were.

What? O.K. so maybe that last part is a bit of a stretch.



Which brings me to baba ganoush. Of course.

BRAIN FOOD, Cardiovascular Health and Free Radical Protection

In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals like fiber, magnesium and potassium, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity. 

Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. 

photo source

For more information on how to choose and store eggplant visit World's Healthiest Foods

Smokey Baba Ganoush {Roasted Eggplant Dip}


recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma's Small Plates by Joanne Wier, published 1998


TIME    45 MINUTES      SERVES    4

Ingredients 

• 1 large eggplant

• 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed

• 3-5 garlic cloves, roasted

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin  

• salt, to taste

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

Directions 

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill. 

Preheat an oven to 400°F. 

Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill 4 to 5 inches from the fire. 

Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.  

Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin. 

Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl. 

Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste. 

Add the 1/4 cup tahini, roasted garlic,1/4 cup lemon juice, paprika and cumin and mix well. 

Season with salt, then taste and add more lemon juice, if needed. 

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well. 

Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley. Place the olives around the sides.

Bon Apetite!