Good-Egg Salad Sandwich

Eggs are way, way, way unappreciated by people who eat ; ) They get a bad review from most every mainstream diet. The egg yolk is where all the amazing antioxidants, healthy fats and delectable flavor are found. Yet, low carb-ers and body builders use only whites for their high protein content. Low fat dieters are afraid the fat in the yolk means fat on their thighs. Worst of all medical doctors encourage less yoke-age because of cholesterol. Unbeknownst to most is that the conclusive studies on cholesterol were done on powdered eggs. Powdering anything with cholesterol begets oxidized cholesterol, which no doubt is entirely unhealthy! All of this has led to a low nutrient dense product that is held in high regard by the health savvy consumer--an eggs substitute made with egg whites, lovely.

I am highly bugged when people think they can make food healthier than our creator. There is a new-ish food system that was created to "help" consumers make healthier choices. Rating products points from 1 to 100, the higher the number the heathier the product. NuVal rates an egg subsitute 67 and real eggs only 33. No wonder consumers are confused, there are a contant stream of organizations conspiring against us.

Eggs are one of the only animal products that have not been completely adulterated by mass commercial farming techniques. Though a properly cared for chicken yields a far superior egg, a super food in fact, the average grocery store egg benefits your health more than anything in a box. Do something good for yourself, eat whole eggs.

A favorite, simple (that is if I have mayo made, bread baked and eggs boiled and cooled) lunch of mine is egg salad sandwiches. They bring me back to childhood; loved them then on my Wonder Bread with Miracle Whip and Frenches Yellow Mustard, love them now on my whole grain bread, olive oil mayo and stone ground mustard. Here is my formula for making a simple egg salad sandwich per person.

2 slices of bread

2 hard cooked eggs

1 tablespoon mayo

1 teaspoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Multiply ingredients for number of people. Peel and mash eggs with a fork, combine with mayo, mustard, salt and pepper. Sandwich mixture in bread slices.

Feel-Good Granola

I have had a hard time finding the right granola. The bars of coarse have all the icky vegetable oils and high fructose corn syrup, tasty, conveniently packaged, deceptive health food. There are tons of “natural granolas” that use less refined oils and sweeteners, but still contain lower quality ingredients for a sky high price. Besides, I always feel yucky after eating any more than a handful. Come to find out, oats are SUPER high in this new common term “phytic acid.” Along with nuts that are heavy in enzyme inhibitors—this stuff is just plain hard to digest.

Granola is great to have on hand for a filling, shelf stable snack and a quick breakfast cereal. Commercial boxed breakfast cereals are dangerously toxic. It is so sad that so many people are eating these every day, sometimes twice a day, most of the time doubling or tripling the serving size. The media and FDA have pushed these boxes as health food. Sadly, even the low sugar, color-free, natural and organic brands are making us sick. The problem is with the way that the grain is processed; high temperature, high pressure. This process of extrusion destroys nutrients and fatty acids and renders the amino acids toxic.

This has been such a wonderful replacement for us. Same great sweetness, crunch and shelf life of the boxed variety with none of the awful effects. When I have this for breakfast I am so satisfied, for a long time. The food is easy to digest and the nutrients are easily absorbed because proper care is taken in the preparation. I love that I can keep this raw by dehydrating instead of baking. Do yourself a big favor and master the art of nourishing granola making.

4 cups rolled grains (I use oats, barley and rye) THE MUSH

1/2 cup whole flax seeds
1/2 cup whole millet
1/2 cup kefir (vinegar or lemon juice)
5 cups water
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup sucanat
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup raisins
1 cup previously soaked and dehydrated walnuts
1/2 cup sprouted kamut flour

In a large bowl, place rolled grains, flax seed and millet. Add kefir and water, mix, cover and let soak on counter for 12 to 24 hours. The mixture will become a bowl of mush. Place mixture in a mesh strainer and rinse well. In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, syrup, cinnamon and salt. Fold in rinsed mush, coconut, raisins, nuts and flour. Spread out in a thin layer on 3 lined baking sheets. Bake on lowest oven setting until dry, turning as needed. I used my oven’s dehydrating setting at 115 degrees to preserve the enzymes and turned about every 6 -8 hours for 24 hours. The higher the heat, the more you turn and the less time it takes to dry.

Nourishing Pizza Dough

I have edited my favorite pizza dough recipe to include the soaking method for a more nourishing whole grain meal. No more work really, just some forethought to get it going the day before. The flavor is slightly more sour and the flavors have more depth.

To learn more about soaking, Lindsay has a great post on Passionate Homemaking of the how's and why's.