A snow day on Friday, followed by a blissfully not-over-scheduled weekend, allowed for three days in a row of being able to do a little better than cold cereal for breakfast.  Homemade whole grain waffles on Friday, scrambled eggs topped with chili and arugula on Saturday, slowly cooked oatmeal with cinnamon, vanilla, a touch of honey, and a dollop of low-fat vanilla ice cream and fruit garnish on Sunday.  I love the luxury of morning cooking time!

But the whole breakfast thing can be a little confusing, health-wise.  Are eggs “good for you” or “bad for you?”  My ancestors in New Jersey and Philadelphia grew up on eggs.  They’re full of protein.  Good for you.  At some point, the health effects of cholesterol were noted.  Eggs contain cholesterol.  Bad for you.  Researchers later figured out that dietary cholesterol itself didn’t necessarily affect your blood cholesterol level as much as saturated fat.  Eggs only have a gram or two of saturated fat each.  Not really bad for you in moderation.  More research that eggs help raise “good” cholesterol.  Good for you.  Recent study out of Canada that says eggs are second only to smoking in association with heart disease.  Bad for you.

The studies conflict.  But none of the studies are “prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled” studies (the gold standard of science).  There are laboratory studies, and there are correlational observation studies.  The results of lab studies might not hold out in real life.  The correlations observed in real-life observational studies (such as the Canadian study showing higher consumption of egg yolks in people with higher levels of cardiovascular disease) might not be cause-and-effect, but might actually both be effects of a third factor (i.e. an entirely different cause).

So what, pray tell, are we supposed to do?  This type of situation rears its head frequently.  If I took every study to be ultimate truth, I’d end up starving to death in a sea of confusion and fear.  So here’s how I decided to deal with eggs:

I buy a lot of eggs.  My family eats a lot of egg whites, and a few yolks.  There are lots of nutrients in the yolks.  There is cholesterol and saturated fat in the yolks.  The yolks lend a richness to the flavor of egg dishes and baked goods.  The whites are full of protein, have some other nutrients, and are a good binding agent in baked goods.  If I’m making a banana cake that’s going to feed 15 people and the recipe calls for 3 eggs, I go ahead and use whole eggs.  If I’m making scrambled eggs for my family of 5, I’ll use 4 or 5 whole eggs and an additional 12 to 15 whites.  When I make egg salad, I use a similar ratio to what I use in a scramble.  And we’ll have that type of egg meal maybe once or twice a week, and maybe a whole grain waffle or pancake meal (which will use a total of 2 or 3 eggs in the whole batch) once a week.

So we get protein from the whites, some of the nutrients and rich flavor from the yolks, and not a lot of the fat or cholesterol.  If enough research is done to show overwhelming evidence of either the danger or the benefits of consuming egg yolks, I won’t have to feel guilty for either having poisoned my family or having completely deprived them of essential nutrition.  Eggcellent!

As promised, here is my cornbread recipe.  I’m writing it this morning so you’ll have time before the big game to pick up a few ingredients you might not have on hand.  It’s made with whole grains, and has way less saturated fat than standard recipes.  It does have sugar, but not a ton.

First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Next, line a 9×13 (or 9×11) inch baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.  (*Note – using parchment paper makes for ridiculously easy clean-up, and it saves you from using any unnecessary grease/oil/butter/etc. to keep stuff from sticking.  It really is a marvelous invention.)

Then in a large mixing bowl, stir together:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill (local folks – it’s cheap at Hiller’s) and Aarowhead Mills are two good brands) – whole wheat pastry flour is ground really fine, and works very well in cakey things, cookies, etc., but it has more fiber and protein than white flour, and is a bit more flavorful.

1 cup whole grain corn flour (Bob’s Red Mill makes it) – you can substitute whole grain corn meal if you can’t find the corn flour (but locally they carry it at Hiller’s and at Natural Food Patch, and sometimes at Westborn).  The corn flour gives it a really rich, cakey taste and texture, but if you prefer a sandier, crunchier texture then use a medium grind whole grain cornmeal instead.

3 teaspoons aluminum-free, double acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Then add in:

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup or agave syrup

1-and-1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (the stuff from Trader Joe’s is really good) (*Note – If you substitute something else for the buttermilk, reduce the amount to one cup, skip the baking soda, which is only there to work with the acidity of the buttermilk, and add an extra full teaspoon of baking powder instead.  If you want to make it dairy-free, you can substitute a can of creamed corn, but that adds some extra sugar, so you can reduce the honey/maple syrup/agave syrup.  Or use soy milk or whatever substitute you usually do.)

Optional – some thawed frozen corn  (make sure they’re thoroughly thawed or warmed, otherwise they’ll affect the baking and you’ll end up with little raw spots)

Stir together just until smooth, put into the parchment-lined baking pan, and bake in the 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!   And enjoy the game, commercials, and (hopefully) chili!

As promised, here is my cornbread recipe.  I’m writing it this morning so you’ll have time before the big game to pick up a few ingredients you might not have on hand.  It’s made with whole grains, and has way less saturated fat than standard recipes.  It does have sugar, but not a ton.

First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Next, line a 9×13 (or 9×11) inch baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.  (*Note – using parchment paper makes for ridiculously easy clean-up, and it saves you from using any unnecessary grease/oil/butter/etc. to keep stuff from sticking.  It really is a marvelous invention.)

Then in a large mixing bowl, stir together:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill (local folks – it’s cheap at Hiller’s) and Aarowhead Mills are two good brands) – whole wheat pastry flour is ground really fine, and works very well in cakey things, cookies, etc., but it has more fiber and protein than white flour, and is a bit more flavorful.

1 cup whole grain corn flour (Bob’s Red Mill makes it) – you can substitute whole grain corn meal if you can’t find the corn flour (but locally they carry it at Hiller’s and at Natural Food Patch, and sometimes at Westborn).  The corn flour gives it a really rich, cakey taste and texture, but if you prefer a sandier, crunchier texture then use a medium grind whole grain cornmeal instead.

3 teaspoons aluminum-free, double acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Then add in:

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup or agave syrup

1-and-1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (the stuff from Trader Joe’s is really good) (*Note – If you substitute something else for the buttermilk, reduce the amount to one cup, skip the baking soda, which is only there to work with the acidity of the buttermilk, and add an extra full teaspoon of baking powder instead.  If you want to make it dairy-free, you can substitute a can of creamed corn, but that adds some extra sugar, so you can reduce the honey/maple syrup/agave syrup.  Or use soy milk or whatever substitute you usually do.)

Optional – some thawed frozen corn  (make sure they’re thoroughly thawed or warmed, otherwise they’ll affect the baking and you’ll end up with little raw spots)

Stir together just until smooth, put into the parchment-lined baking pan, and bake in the 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Enjoy!   And enjoy tomorrow’s game, commercials, and (hopefully) chili!

I’m excited for this Sunday’s game.  Well, not really for the game itself, but for the menu.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy football.  I just don’t feel any particular allegiance to either of the teams playing in this year’s big game, so while I know I’ll appreciate watching the skill of the players, I won’t have that much interest in the final outcome, which kind of makes for somewhat dull watching.  Therefore, my plan is to focus primarily on the commercials and the food.

We’re having a few friends over, and I’ll be serving chili and cornbread, along with various other munchies.  Chili is a huge hit in my house – my husband and boys get really excited when they see that I’m purchasing ingredients for it.  And they specifically really love my chili, which totally does good things for my ego.

I don’t think I had ever made chili until I had a super-yummy version at a friend’s house.  There was cinnamon in it.  I had never thought to put that type of spice into a tomato-based dish.  I was intrigued, and it prompted me to experiment boldly with the flavors and spices that simmered in the pot when I made it myself.

I cook a lot.  My whole family cooks.  We love food.  We love how it tastes, how it smells, the textures, the colors, the thrill of experimenting and creating, how it makes us feel to feed people, pretty much everything about it.  And (surprise, surprise) I personally get a great deal of satisfaction out of making yummy stuff that’s healthy.  I really love being able to feed people without guilt.

Which brings me back to my chili.  First of all, it’s very low fat.  I either make it with super-lean beef, ground turkey breast, or no meat at all.  I always use tons of beans (mainly kidney beans, some black beans, and when going vegetarian I will sometimes add lentils), so it’s super high in fiber and protein.  I use several cartons of chopped tomatoes, and a lot of onions and garlic, so it’s got plenty of vegetables.  The next part is where I don’t want you to roll your eyes and walk away:  I don’t add any salt, and I use low sodium broth.

Americans in general consume way too much sodium.  We’re used to the taste of salt in certain things, and chili is one of them.  But in the years since I’ve developed my chili recipe, I’ve never had anyone complain, ask for a salt shaker, or not have seconds (or thirds).  Here’s the trick:  Give the taste buds so much to think about that they don’t even remember to look for salt.

The original recipe that I got from my friend called for a bunch of cumin.  I like cumin, but it’s one of those spices that asks to be accompanied by salt.  And I don’t like an overpowering cumin flavor.  So I cut that down a bit.  I went much bigger on the cinnamon, and ran with the theme of spices you would normally think of when baking Thanksgiving desserts.  I upped the chili powder, played with the oregano proportions, and generously added some other goodies from my baking/spice cabinet that brought an exquisite depth and complexity to the dish.  Some of my culinary creations are decidedly mediocre, but I put all modesty aside when talking about my chili.  It rocks.

I have very few secrets, but at this point in time I still don’t share my recipe.  I think the main reason is that by keeping it to myself, if someone is in the mood for it they have to see me and spend time with me – it keeps me needed (but don’t worry – my family knows where it’s written down, so if I die the chili will live on).  So if you’re feeding people this Sunday, try making a pot of “liquid gold,” as my husband and kids call it.  Open your spice jars, hold different jars next to one another, smell the combinations, see what speaks to you, and go for it.  Don’t be timid when you add the flavors – chili is not a subtle dish.  And next post, I’ll give you my cornbread recipe – it goes great with the chili.