Avocado Egg Salad

I first discovered avocado egg salad in the Hamptons of all places. Sounds goofy right? Well it was a combo I never had thought of before I popped into a little local juice bar in Amagansett to grab a juice and a snack, and picked up a container of their avo-egg salad to try. Well, let me tell you, I INHALED that entire container on the train ride back to NYC, it was that good! Makes sense I would like it though... It's a combination of my favorite foods: eggs and avocado. I actually can't believe I never thought of this on my own.

Luckily, the little container had all the ingredients listed (as it was homemade) so it was quite easy to recreate on my own, which I did - immediately of course. Now it's a staple in my kitchen, as it's the perfect snack full of healthy fats and protein that you can grab and go anytime. As most of my recipes are, this is only a few ingredients, most of which a lot of you will have in your kitchen already, except maybe for the paleo mayo. Read on for this delicious recipe - and be sure to let me know how yours turns out!

So unfortunately, this recipe is a guesstimate, because as usual, I threw things into a bowl and added or adjusted until it tasted just right. I need to stop doing that for the blog's sake, so I can actually give you guys exact recipes to try! Below should be pretty darn close though.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 eggs, hard boiled
• 1 full avocado, ripe/decently soft and pit removed
• 1 bunch/2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp paleo mayonnaise (you could use regular, but I highly recommend going paleo for this option - much healthier for you)
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• Drizzle of olive oil (as needed)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. As mentioned above, make sure you hard boil the eggs prior to making this recipe of course. In a mixing bowl, chop or mash the eggs (with a potato masher), until the pieces are very small. 
2. In a separate bowl, mash up the avocado and add the dijon mustard, lemon juice, and mayo olive oil, and mix well. 
3. Add the chopped eggs and spinach to the avocado mixture and mix. Season with salt to taste.
4. Spread on bread, use as a side dish, or just eat it alone like I do!

The Secret to my Famous Avocado Toast!

This is my all time favorite meal, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner. I'll happily make breakfast for dinner too, which we do frequently in our household. Avocado toast is nothing new, nor is it complicated, but there are some small tweaks that I do to mine to make it exceptionally good. 

The most important part is the egg on top. The way you cook the egg is what makes the toast! My favorite way is the crispy fried egg, or soft boiled, neither of which are shown here unfortunately. The crispy fried egg gives it a little extra crunch that is oh so satisfying.

To do so, heat oil (I use coconut oil or olive oil) in a pan over medium heat until almost smoking. Crack the egg in the pan and turn the heat down to low immediately. The egg will sizzle and cook pretty quickly because of how hot the pan was when you first dropped the egg in. Cook until the yolk is cooked to your liking - do not flip. 

For the soft boiled egg, bring a small pot of water to a boil (the water level should be just enough to cover the egg or eggs). Drop the whole egg in (inside shell - do not crack open) while the water is boiling, and cook for exactly 7 minutes on high. Remove the egg promptly, and rinse with cold water. Peel and cut in half or in pieces and put on top of avocado toast!

The toast and avocado mash is the easiest part! I always go for gluten free bread, because Nick can't have gluten, and it usually tastes just as good if you buy the right kind. A couple of my favorite brands are this and this. I toast the bread in a toaster or in the oven for extra crispiness, and then slather it with coconut oil. Next, you add the avocado and mash it with a fork (or you can mash it before you add it to the toast, depending on how soft your avocado is). Top with whichever egg you chose to cook!

As for additives, I love sprinkling some hemp seeds on top, as you can see from the photos. Gives the toast a little extra superfood kick as well as extra protein. I always season with Himalayan salt and pepper too. 

So that's it! That's how I make my favorite meal. The coconut oil on the bread, hemp seeds, Himalayan salt, and way you cook the egg is what takes the toast up a notch. Let me know how yours turned out - Tag me on Instagram or comment on this post!

Kale Pesto Quinoa with Spinach & Eggs

Three of my favorite things combined right here: pesto, quinoa, and eggs. This is one of my absolute favorite weeknight dinner choices, It's super simple and quick to make, and it's absolutely delicious and satisfying. It's full of protein and fiber and tons of other good for you yummy things. I've always been a fan of quinoa bowls because you can literally have them for any meal of the day and top them with anything you wish, but I really do have to say, this is my favorite quinoa bowl recipe so far. 

I almost always throw an egg on the top of my quinoa bowls, but this is totally optional. I like that it adds a bit of extra protein, plus, I just love eggs! You could also add some shrimp or chicken to the top, which would be delicious too! One other thing to note is that you do need a food processor if you are going to make homemade pesto. I make my own for this recipe, but can always buy pre-made pesto to use too. As for making this vegan, just omit the parmesan cheese (nutritional yeast is a great substitute).

i'm telling you guys... everyone you cook this for will love it. Even your boyfriends, husbands, etc. etc. will - I promise. Nick eats everything I cook for him (although this is really the only way I can seem to sneak kale into his diet). So... even the non-kale fans will enjoy this. You can also just tell them it's normal pesto. It'll be our little secret! Read on below for recipe details and directions!

Recipe:

• Pesto:
  • 2 cups kale (stems removed)
  • 1 cup basil
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • juice from 1/2 lemon 
  • 1 tsp himalayan salt
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup parmesan (or nutritional yeast if vegan)
• Quinoa bowl:
  • 2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 6 cups (or 1 bag) baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup homemade pesto (or more depending on how you want it to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for topping (for vegan, omit completely or add some nutritional yeast)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
  • 2 organic eggs (optional)
  • Organic chicken broth (to cook quinoa)

Directions:

1. To make the pesto, all you need to do is throw all the ingredients into a food processor and mix well. Voila!! 
2. Cook the quinoa + chicken broth according to the instructions on the quinoa package. Again, if you're making this vegan, you can just use water.
3. When the quinoa is done cooking, turn the heat to medium, add the turmeric (this is optional - I add it as a little anti-inflammatory health boost), spinach, pesto, parmesan/nutritional yeast, and salt. Stir until the mixture is well mixed and the spinach is wilted.
4. Cook the eggs in a separate pan. You can cook however many you want depending on how many people you're serving. I usually do one egg per bowl.
5. Scoop the quinoa mixture into bowls and top with the fried egg. Serve immediately and top with parmesan cheese!