Egg

  • Dinner, Food

    Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    A different take on Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    Do you ever feel like you have one dish, and not only do you know how to make it but you make it really well? That is how I feel about this crusted chicken dish, and while over the years I have omitted some of the ingredients and have changed the way I cook this, I think this recipe is not only delicious but is also now the best it can be.

    Today I’m going to tell you how you can make this recipe in a number of different ways, from the standard way I make it with chicken, with the option of making it with Quorn fillets to add a vegetarian Twist, maybe you need a gluten-free option or maybe you need to follow a dairy free diet. Whichever way works for you you will find the recipe on this post or find a link to another post.

    The great thing about this recipe is how easy is to make, how tasty it is and because of this it is an easy recipe to cook when entertaining. When we have guests I am always stuck in the kitchen panicking about timings, whether everything will be ready at the right time and particularly worry about how it is going to taste, and I’m sure I am not alone in that. I have made this dish time and time again over the years and I always come back to it because it is just that good.

    If you are here and you’re a vegetarian then I suggest you check out this post where I am going to tell you all about how to make a vegetarian friendly version of this dish. If you are a meat eater then read on to find out what ingredients you need and how you can make this fantastic dish today.

    Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    Parmesan Crusted Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 2 chicken breast.
    • 4-6 crackers (use gluten-free crackers* if needed).
    • Grated cheese (You can use whichever cheese suits you, this recipe traditionally called for parmesan but over the years I have used crumbly cheese cheese such as Wensleydale, as well as a traditional Cheddar - all these cheeses seemingly work perfect with this recipe).
    • Lemon juice.
    • Egg, beaten.

    Instructions

    1. Whisk egg and pour onto a plate.
    2. On the second plate add some lemon juice.
    3. Add your crackers into a ziplock bag and using a wooden spoon crush the crackers until breadcrumbs.
    4. Add the cheese to the breadcrumbs and mix together.
    5. Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper.
    6. Take your chicken breast and roll it in the lemon juice.
    7. Do the same with the egg.
    8. Place your chicken breast on the baking tray.
    9. Cover the chicken breast with the breadcrumb and cheese mix.
    10. Place in the oven and cook for 40 minutes on 200 degrees C.
    11. Serve with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce.

    Ingredients

    • 1 chicken breast.
    • 2 – 3 crackers (use gluten-free crackers* if needed).
    • Grated cheese (I use a lactose free cheese but you can use whichever cheese suits you, this recipe traditionally called for parmesan but over the years I have used crumbly cheese cheese such as Wensleydale, as well as a traditional Cheddar – all these cheeses seemingly work perfect with this recipe).
    • Lemon juice.
    • Egg, beaten.

    Over the years I have tried a number of different ways to cook this recipe and I have found baking it in the oven is the most effective. I love to serve this with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce as well as buttered new potatoes and a fresh salad. This also goes perfect with Mediterranean vegetables or any other dish that you would enjoy with chicken.

  • Dinner, Food

    Crusted Quorn Fillets

    A Quorn Vegetarian Alternative?

    If I had a signature dish it would definitely be parmesan crusted chicken, over the years it is definitely something I have tried in a number of different ways. Given that my husband is a vegetarian and this is my signature dish, I had to find ways in which I could adapt this recipe to suit his dietary needs too, all it took was a few minor adjustments and this typically meat dish can be adapted for vegetarians.

    Now I should note here that to complete this dish I did have to use quorn replacement products as this is the best way to create a like for like dish. If you are vegetarian and you have a suggestion for this dish which doesn’t include replacement products then I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment and if you have a link to your recipe please leave that two. Right, let’s get on with the recipe.

     

     

    Ingredients

    • Two quorn fillets.
    • Lemon juice.
    • Egg, beaten.
    • Crackers.
    • Cheddar cheese (we use lactose free cheese but you can use any type of medium cheese. Hard cheeses are more difficult to come by as many are not vegetarian friendly, but if you know of a vegetarian friendly hard cheese it would work very well in this dish).

     

    Method

    1. Add lemon juice to a plate.
    2. Whisk egg and add to another plate.
    3. Add your crackers to a ziplock bag until they form breadcrumbs.
    4. Grate you’re cheese and add this into a ziplock bag as well, insuring the bread crumbs and cheese mixed together.
    5. Take your quorn fillet and role in the lemon juice.
    6. Then do the same and the egg.
    7. Cover a baking tray with foil or parchment paper.
    8. Place your Quorn fillet on the baking tray.
    9. Cover the fillets with the breadcrumb cheese mix.
    10. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 200 degrees C.
    11. Serve with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce.

    This recipe is a fantastic take on the original parmesan chicken recipe. Baking the Quorn fillets in the oven for a short time keep them moist and locks in all the flavour from the crust. You can serve these fillets with sour cream and sweet chilli dipping sauce, and it also tastes great with buttered new potatoes and either vegetables or a fresh salad.

  • Breakfast, Food

    Mini Breakfast Omelettes

    Eggs eggs eggs

    I don’t know about you but I find an omelette the perfect way to start my day, gearing up for a day of work or a relaxing brunch, an omelette helps keep me filled up until lunchtime. Eggs are incredible source of high-quality protein as well as heart healthy omega-3 acids. It is right up there with butter as another one of those food items that received a bad rap over the years and now back firmly in our diets again. The health food industry demonised eggs by saying the were the cause of high cholesterol levels which then made everybody just consume everything with egg whites only. Egg whites are perfectly healthy a great source of protein, but we should definitely be making room for whole eggs our diets, unless of course you have been advised otherwise by your doctor.
     
    Eggs are not a threat to your cholesterol, the real threat comes in the form of trans fats and sugars not through dietary cholesterol. There have been studies, one in particular from the University of Connecticut, which found that the fat in eggs actually helps to reduce your LDL, a.k.a your bad cholesterol. Eggs also contain a number of proteins and vitamins including vitamin B2, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 as well as minerals such as copper, iron and zinc. So with that said let’s get on to the recipe.
     
     
    omelettes
     
     

    Mini breakfast omelettes

    Ingredients

    • 3 eggs
    • Roasted vegetables of your choice
    • And a dash of non dairy milk
    • Coconut oil (for frying)
    Mini Omelettes

    Mini Omelettes

    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 3 eggs
    • Roasted vegetables of your choice
    • And a dash of milk
    • Coconut oil (for frying)

    Instructions

    1. Mix 3 eggs in a bowl and beat
    2. Add a dash of milk
    3. Add coconut oil to the pan
    4. Then add your pre roasted vegetables to the pan
    5. Pull your egg mixture around your vegetables, covering the pan
    6. Cook until cooked on both sides
     
    You can make these omelettes full sized, or make a mini ones like I did. I cooked mine on a small pancake maker hot plate, which worked perfectly for these omelettes. You can batch cook these, keep them refrigerated and grab one (or two) every morning to start your day.
  • Dinner, Food

    How to Bake Eggs

    Can you bake eggs?

    Yes you can, and baked eggs taste so good! Baked eggs essentially come with the flavour a lot like a boiled egg, without any of the messing around (although let’s be fair, boiled eggs are hardly the hardest thing in the world to do), but I love how they taste and turn out. When I was making a keto inspired version of eggs benedict I decided that I would give it a try with baked eggs given that I was changing everything else too, and I must say, I was convinced! So good! You’ll be able to find my full run down of keto inspired Eggs Benedict coming to the blog soon. For today however, I am going to show you, step by step, how you can try baked eggs.

    You won’t believe how easy it is!

    Yes, I promise! Whether you’re a novice or a pro when it comes to eggs, baked eggs are nothing to fear, but they are something that many of us don’t try often. You need relatively little apparatus and just one ingredient – the eggs of course!

    What you will need?

    Baked Eggs

    Baked Eggs

    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes

    Ingredients

    • Baking Tray.
    • Silicone Cupcake cases.
    • 2 Eggs (or 1, it really is up to you).

    Instructions

    Heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
    Crack your egg/s into the Silicone cupcake case and place on a baking tray.
    Bake in oven for around 20 minutes (this will give a hard boiled consistency, you might want to play around with timings a little bit if you prefer your eggs runnier).

    Told you it was simple didn’t I?

    I hope you will take this simple information and start trying baked eggs today because they really are yummy, easy to make and they go with all your favourite meals that would usually involve eggs.

  • Food

    Keto & Low Carb Bread

    But Bread is off limits, isn’t it?

    Yes, you would be right, standard bread is too high in carbohydrates if you are following a Ketogenic diet and it might be something you are choosing to avoid or having in moderation if you are following a low carb diet, but that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on things like sandwiches, English Muffins or toast, because guess what? Help is here!

    keto bread

    Do I need many ingredients and is it hard?

    You do need a few specialised ingredients in and if you’re new to low carb or keto then they might not be something you have in your cupboards, but the good news is once you get them in stock it’s something you will always have, which makes this recipe super easy to whip up in just a few minutes. All you need is the ingredients and a microwave and it is that simple! Now, onto the ingredients and the recipe!

    keto bread

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tbsp of Almond Flour (but finely ground almonds works a treat, is are much cheaper too).
    • 1/2 tbsp of Coconut Flour.
    • 1 tbsp of Grass fed butter (We use Kerrygold unsalted).
    • 1 Egg (You can use the whole egg or just the egg white – with the yolk you’ll end up with bread more yellow in colour).
    • A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.
    • ย 1/2 tsp of gluten free baking powder (sometimes hard to find but this is always a good option).

     

    Method:

    1. Melt butter in microwaveable mug for 30 seconds.
    2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
    3. Let sit for a moment in the mug, to thicken.
    4. Microwave for 2 minutes.
    5. Turn out onto a plate.

    I then always like to slice my bread into small rounds and toast on a low heat setting or pop it under the grill.

     

    This has the taste and texture of normal bread and is very low carb too, so it works with both a ketogenic and low carb diet.