I don't like eggs, but I still cook with them regularly...

[S5apiotrowski]

I don't like eggs. I wish I did, but I don't. The smell of eggs cooking makes me nauseous - needless to say, breakfast (at least a hot one) is not my favorite meal.

We got our first 2 hens in April, and I've been doing a pretty good job keeping up with egg production for non-eggy recipes (with an occasional poached or fried egg for my husband here and there).

Now we have a few more chickens, and I suspect egg production will increase rather soon... I've searched the forum and have seen only a couple of threads requesting recipes for non-egg lovers. Because I love to cook and I am anticipating increased eggs, I thought I would start taking pictures of my egg-including recipes and create a thread to share. My goal is to post a recipe, on average, about once a week. The recipe will be of something I like (so chances are, it won't taste eggy). The number of eggs in a recipe may vary from one to ??? - but the quantity of eggs used is not the point. I've made some great things in the past, but I will wait to make them again so I can include pictures (if not of me making it, at least the final product)

I will do my best in sharing the recipes - but I have a hard time making precise measurements and often make substitutions or impromptu additions - a pinch, a tad, a splash are just that...

Please feel free to share your recipes. Advice, pictures, experiences are more than welcome.

 

[enola]

You will be surprised how many of us understand exactly what a tad, a splash and a pinch are. Actually I also cook with dashes, sprinkles and glugs!

Come to think of it I probably don't own a single recipe that I haven't rigged to my specifications

 

[S5apiotrowski]

Recipe 1: Spaghetti

This is a recipe I've based off of the KitchenAid recipe book that comes with the pasta-extruder attachment. I make the pasta a bit differently when I am using a pasta press. Its been awhile since I've used the press - the extruder is just so much fun!

Time commitment - about 1hr

Ingredients -
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups "sifted" flour
Olive oil (or water)
Salt
dried herbs (if desired).

I use my kitchen aid mixer for the entire recipe. The first step is to mix the ingredients. I start with the dry ingredients - about 3 1/2 cups of flour and a splash of salt (about 1 tsp?). I also add dried italian seasoning - about the same amount or a little more than I do of salt. As for the flour, I don't sift my flour - which means I end up using a little less than 3.5 cups - I don't fill my 1 cup measure or my 1/2 cup measure quite completely and the proportions seem to come out okay.

I put the dry ingredients in my bowl, start mixing on speed 2 with the flat blade, and add eggs 1 at a time. I also add a splash or two of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). I mix for 30 seconds. The dough looks like this:


I have, on occasion, put the eggs in first and then the flour -- it will work, but not as well... thus, I encourage putting the dry ingredients in first!


Next I switch to the dough hook for 2 minutes - my end product looks like this

Sometimes I wonder if I should just hand knead it and skip the dough hook - but I think it helps start a solid ball... But - you still need to hand knead it after the dough hook...


After hand kneading, I felt this ball was to dry. I added a tiny bit of olive oil (maybe a capful or 1/2 teaspoon) and then the consistency came out perfect. (See below). I prefer to use olive oil over water - I believe it makes for more moist pasta. If I am having a difficult time getting the right consistency, I will wet my hands and then 1/2 dry them before needing getting just enough moisture from my hands to get the right consistency.



This dough is the right consistency. To use in the KitchenAid Extruder, you must break up into small "walnut" size lumps. The dough should pull apart easily and roll into balls. It will be a little lumpy, but the balls should stick together well with minimal cracking and shedding of dry dough.


The Entire dough making process takes maybe 10 minutes. You don't need to have all of your dough in walnut size pieces to begin the extruding




This is the extruder hooked up and working. The pasta is slow to start - it may take about 5 minutes to get the first strands of pasta. When making Spaghetti (or long noodles), use the fastest speed (Speed 10 on my model). After there is enough dough in the hopper and the device is fully loaded, the pasta comes out rather quickly.


The first strands of pasta are on the left - the first strands are always a bit dry and scraggly looking. But once the process gets rolling, the past is nearly perfect (on the right). Its moist enough that it doesn't immediately break or fall apart, but dry enough that you can easily move each strand on top of the others without them sticking together.



35-40 minutes later, the pasta is complete. The first 5 minutes are very slow, and the last 10 minutes are very slow. I try to get as much pasta as I can and will wait 5 minutes each for the last 2 cuts, but could easily stop the process early to stay more efficient. I typically have enough pasta for 2 meals with one batch. If you have the extruder, you can always change out pasta shapes halfway through. If you want to save pasta, its best to let it dry for about an hour before putting in the fridge to use later that week.


The good news is that you can still do other things while the extruder is making pasta... and fresh pasta only takes a couple minutes to cook - so once your done making it, you can eat rather soon afterwards! It will sink in the pot when you place it in boiling water, then float to the top when its ready.



Unfortunately, there is always some "waste" after the pasta is done. There would be more "waste" if I didn't wait 10 minutes for the last couple cuts of pasta...


The chickens don't seem to be bothered by the waste... if they had their way, I would have stopped the machine 10 minutes earlier...



Bon Appétit!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Thank you for the recipe and photos! I have never seen the pasta extruder attachment. I have the pasta plates that go on the meat grinder, I almost burned the motor out trying to extrude the dough, I think it was not moist enough. I recently restarted my pasta making adventure with the KitchenAid pasta roller. Fun and yummy.
I really appreciate the pictures and description of the dough. I had never even seen fresh pasta before attempting to make my own, so it was quite a quess and by-golly affair to get the dough right. It looks like we may have the same mixer, I love mine!

 

[S5apiotrowski]

Recipe 2: Granola Bars

There are several recipes online for granola bars - they are very easy to adapt to suit your tastes. As for me, I find that adding egg whites to the mixture helps immensely with having the final product stick together - much better than peanut butter or honey...

Time commitment - 10 min prep, 25-40 min bake (depending on temperature and desired crispiness)


Ingredients-
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup golden roasted flax seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup craisens (reduced sugar)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2tsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1/3-1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
3 egg whites (4 oz)



I typically add dry ingredients first. You can use whatever you would like - the ingredients list just includes what I used today. The recipe is very forgiving. I don't normally add sugar (because I add honey) - but I had some coconut sugar and thought I would give it a whirl. This batch is sweeter than previous batches, but not too sweet.


I add wet ingredients second. This time I used a homemade peanut butter than had very low oil content. I used a little more peanut butter than I would if I had used a store bought peanut butter. Some recipes call for added oil or butter (in addition to a peanut butter or honey). I don't add the oil and the bars come out fine. (I do use a cooking spray to coat the pan). I mix with my stand mixer. I think it does a better job than I do - and its definitely faster.


While granola is mixing, I prep a cookie sheet by lining it with foil and spraying the foil with cooking spray. Foil works much better than waxed paper. Then I poor the mix on the tray and flatten it out. I use my bare hands - but I spray my hands with cooking oil to prevent the granola from sticking to them.


Next I bake the bars. Today I went for 40 min at 325 F, I have previously made them at 350 for about 25-30 min (I think the batch may have had thinner bars). They will be a golden brown when done. The edges may be a bit crispy, but they are still soft and chewy.


Lift the foil to remove the bars from the pan - then slide them off - it works great! I've always cut the bars while they are still warm. This batch came our beautifully - there is hardly any crumbling or breakage! I store them in the fridge. They make wonderful snacks between meals and before working out.


I am not sure how long they last. The first recipes I saw online said they stay fresh in the fridge for one week or the freezer for a couple months. We had some that were still good after we returned from a month long vacation (in the fridge, not the freezer). While I make these for human consumption - the chickens enjoy them too!

 

[donrae]

Thanks for the idea of using egg whites to bind the granola bars! My kiddos will eat them all day long, but I'm not crazy about that much honey for them--it's still basically sugar. But I needed something to hold it all together, or it's just granola and not a bar

 

[S5apiotrowski]

You don't need honey. I use a fresh raw honey from a local bee keeper. Although too much sugar is never a good thing, I believe that honey does have some therapeutic properties- The natural sugars from honey tend to be better than added processed sugars. Granted, you don't need any sugar at all - (I think they are better with a little sweetness.) The bars will bind with egg whites and nut butter.

 

[S5apiotrowski]

Recipe 3 - Lasagna

Time commitment - depends on if you are using fresh pasta- When I am working alone, it takes about 1 hr 15 minutes - a helping hand could probably shave 10-15 minutes of prep. I have made many varieties of lasagna using ground beef, turkey, italian sausage, ground bear, veggie crumbles, and vegetables. Just substitute things you like or have in the house and go for it. The ingredients listed below are what I used when I took pictures. As for the cheesy filling - I always use cottage cheese - its a personal preference as I prefer it to Ricotta. If I use a fresh shredded parmesan cheese, I use more than if I use the grated variety. I get better results when I use at least 2 eggs in the cheese sauce.

Ingredients

Pasta
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
1-2 splashes of olive oil
2 large eggs

Cheesy filling
24 oz cottage cheese
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
3 small eggs (2 Large eggs)

Meat or veggie filling
1 package (20 oz) ground turkey
1 can (24 oz) pasta sauce
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 onion
other veggies (if desired)

Additional ingredients
Mozzarella cheese (about 1 pound)
Italian spices & seasonings.
Olive Oil

I start by making the meat sauce filling. Cook the garlic and onions in olive oil then add the meat and brown while breaking it up. Add desired sauce (I often do 1 can tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste), but this time I used a pasta sauce with tomato paste. Add whatever italian seasonings you like (for me its oregano, basil, and an italian seasoning blend). I turn it to low and let it simmer (covered). The sauce is good for 3 layers. (I ended up spreading it to 4, which would have worked better had I slightly decreased the sauce used on the first 2 layers)



I then go to the pasta. I add about 1 1/4 cups of flour into a mixing bowl and add a pinch or two of salt. I create a bit of a dimple in the flour and add 2 eggs and a splash or two of olive oil (maybe 1 to 1.5 tablespoons?). I typically do not use any water. I am lazy and add eggs whole, but its not a bad idea to beat the eggs in a smaller bowl before adding to the flour. I use a fork to start mixing, but then kneed it with my hands. With these ratios, the pasta dough is a bit wet and sticky - but I find it easier to work with the pasta rollers than if it is to dry and stiff. I transfer the dough to a well floured surface.




I use a rolling pin to start flattening out. Be sure to turn it to keep both sides well coated with flour.


Finally, I cut it into manageable size pieces for the kitchen aid pasta roller


I use the kitchen aid pasta roller, and I stop at thickness level 6. This pasta is a bit moist if you wanted to cut it later (into linguine or something else), but it works well for lasagna. You will probably need to add flour to your prepped surface and occasionally lay your working noodle in it to keep the pasta from sticking to the roller. The roller tends to work the flour into the noodle as it flattens it. I added some basil to the pasta dough - thus the dark specs in the pasta...


Here is the pasta - I am not particular about shapes, sizes, and lengths. It is very easy to cut to fit into the pan - I also don't mind playing tetris with tapered edges. There is always enough for at least 3 layers in a standard lasagna pan - this time I had 4 full layers of pasta noodles. It took less than 20 minutes to make the pasta dough and roll the pasta.


For the cheese filling - add the ingredients and mix them together - too easy... add italian seasonings if you desire. You may wish to start pre-heating the oven before you do this. The cheese filling is good for 3 layers.


Now its time to layer... pasta, cheese sauce, meat sauce, mozzarella, pasta... etc. I planned for 3 layers, ended up with 4... My 1 pound bag of mozzarella cheese was opened before I started. I would have had some left if I stopped at 3 layers.


After baking about 40 minutes at 350 - here is the final product. There is no cheese filling on the top layer, but it still turned out well. I may have let it sit 2-3 minutes before digging into it, and it held together well. The extra eggs in the cheese sauce really help it set and stay together. Of note- my pan is taller than a normal 13 x 9 cake/brownie pan. Its 13 1/2" by 9 1/2" and at least 2" deep (underneath the lip).