It was a rare Sunday morning. I didn’t have to be anywhere in particular, I was on top of my chores, and all of my pots and pans were clean. I decided to get fancy with breakfast.

Eggs Benedict has to be my all-time favorite breakfast dish, and just because I am currently shunning bread I don’t feel I have to miss out. Likewise, I’ve been wanting to attempt a latke/hashbrown alternative made without potatoes or flour. Some might call me crazy, I prefer the term “visionary”.

To say that everything turned out well would be an understatement. When I retire I won’t look forward to sleeping in. I’ll look forward to having an hour every morning to cook a breakfast as fabulous as this.

Eggs Benedict
1 English muffin, split and toasted (or a nice bed of spinach for the paleo/primal eaters)
2 oz ham or back bacon, cooked (or smoked salmon)
2 poached eggs
hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)

On each half of the English muffin arrange half of the ham and one poached egg. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce and serve hot.

Hollandaise Sauce
2/3c butter
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice

From the butter, take away 2 Tbsp and stick in the fridge to keep it cold. Melt the rest and set it aside. In a small metal bowl whisk the egg yolks with water and lemon juice. Bring a pot of water to boil over medium heat. The pot needs to be the right size so that it will hold your metal bowl over the water. When the pot of water is at a steady
boil set the bowl of eggs over the water and whisk briskly. In only a minute or two the egg yolks will get thick and sticky, remove them from the heat. Immediately plunk in the 2Tbsp of cold butter and whisk until it has melted in. Continue to whisk the mixture while you drizzle in the melted butter.

Parsnip Latkes
4 large parsnips, peeled
1/2 cup onion, finely minced
1 egg, beaten
oil for frying (I used coconut oil and it ROCKED)

Grate the parsnips into a large bowl of cold water. When all is grated, strain the grated parsnip and spread it out over a clean kitchen towel with the onion. Roll up the towel and wring it tightly to soak up moisture from the vegetables. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and mix with the egg.

Heat several tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. With a large spoon (I use a 3/4oz cookie scoop), transfer about 2 Tbsp of the mixture to the frypan and pat it down into a patty with the back of a fork. Place several of these around the pan and lower the heat to medium. Fry 3-5 minutes each side until golden brown. Wipe out the pan and repeat with the remaining mixture until gone. The latkes can be kept warm on a plate in the oven at 250 degrees.

Hello visitors from Food Renegade! This is my first submission to “Fight Back Friday” , but I expect it won’t be my last. If you are a regular visitor of my site, why don’t you check out Food Renegade for some delicious inspiration!

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 can coconut milk
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic and ginger. Stir and fry for about one minute, until the onions and garlic are soft. Add the coconut milk and spices to the pot. Continue to stir over medium heat as the coconut milk dissolves and blends with the spices. Bring to a slow boil and remove from the heat a few minutes before serving.

2 lbs fresh asparagus
8 oz fresh white mushrooms or morels
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp dried leaf marjoram
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and peel them so they’ll cook as fast as the tops. Cut the asparagus diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Parboil in lightly salted water for 4 minutes. Drain well, then submerse in ice water to chill and set aside.

Slice the mushrooms into 1/8″ slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the mushrooms. Saute for three minutes, stirring often. Add the marjoram, thyme, and nutmeg and cook for one more minute. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, then mix in. Reduce the heat to low and slowly pour in half of the broth. Stir quickly to combine with the flour and mushroom mixture. Add the remaining broth, salt, and pepper. Cook five minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Raise the heat to moderately low and boil the mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Drain the asparagus well. Quickly whisk the egg yolk into the mushroom mixture, then fold in the asparagus. Stirr often, for two or three minutes, until heated through.

Makes 4-6 servings.

4 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 large onion
14 leaves fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh parsley
pepper
salt

Blanch and peel the tomatoes and squish out the seeds (most of them).

Peel the carrots, chop all the veggies and herbs roughly.

Put everything in a large saucepan, heat to boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Use an immersion blender (or food processor, food mill, or regular blender) to puree the sauce ingredients. Continue to simmer until the sauce is reduced to the thickness you like. Adjust spices to your tastes.

3 cups fresh basil leaves (don’t pack them when measuring, keep them loose-ish)
2-3 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp light miso
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 to 1/3 cup water

Place everything except the water in a food processor and pulse/blend until everything is wel minced. Gradually add the water to the mixture and blend until the desired consistency is reached. Best if used right away.

Blend all in a blender or food processor. Store in the fridge.

4 (8-inch flour) Tortillas (available in all grocery stores but sometimes hidden in the refrigerated or frozen food sections)
1 Ripe mango, peeled, and sliced (If unavailable, replace with papaya or pear)
1 Serrano chile, or 2 jalapeno chiles, minced
2 Scallions, trimmed and diced
1/2 c Lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, stems discarded before measuring
8 oz Brie, sliced into long 1/4-inch slices (Rind removal is optional but I always remove it)
Sour Cream and Lime Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Heat a 10-inch nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Place 1 tortilla in the dry pan for approximately 1 minute per side, or until it just begins to brown. Remove. Repeat with the second tortilla. (If your tortilla expands like a blowfish, poke it with a fork to release the hot air.)
After the second tortilla has browned, leave it in the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Spread half of the mango evenly over the tortilla, then top with half of the peppers, scallions, cilantro, and Brie strips. Top with the first tortilla. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 2 minutes.

Flip the quesadilla with a spatula, re-cover the pan, and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. (Don’t worry if a bit of cheese escapes and begins to sizzle loudly.)

Remove the quesadilla from the pan, let sit for 1 minute, then slice into 8 wedges (like a pizza). Serve immediately with the sour cream dipping sauce.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with Sour Cream and Lime Dipping Sauce.

Sour Cream and Lime Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend sour cream, lime juice and salt with a fork until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a small decorative bowl or teacup and refrigerate

4 T Soy sauce
2 T Chinese dark vinegar
1 t Sesame oil

Mix all and serve with dumplings and onion cake!