Saturday, March 1, 2014

Heavenly Purgatory

Okay. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Where have I been? It's been a hot minute since I sat down and opened up my laptop. 

The big news? I left my job at KSU. I'm not sure what's next, but what I do know is that some of the sweet people I worked with gave me a proper send-off. It was a parade of treats and lunches and cakes, and I ate it all. While I totally believe in eating clean, I think the occasional...rumspringa...can help put things back in perspective. Sometimes it takes eating some less-than-paleo choices to make me realize how crappy all that processed food makes me feel. And let me tell you, by yesterday (my last say at KSU), I was ready to get back onto the clean eating tracks. 

I have slowly been cooking my way through Michelle Tam's Nom Nom Paleo Food For Humans, and so far it's safe to say I'm in love. I've always loved Italian food, and I always love an excuse to bust out my cute little ramekins. I also love any excuse I can get to pair a main dish with a side of spicy kale salad. Let's do this!


Start with a large heavy pan, and add in half a finely chopped onions with 1/4 pound of chopped mushrooms to a tablespoon of melted coconut oil.


Add in a pound of ground Italian sausage, and cook until there's no more pink!


Add in 2 cups of marinara sauce - you could make your own, or find a good quality store-bought sauce!


Look at those precious little ramekins - I just love how they look all stacked up like that.


Let all the ingredients simmer, and add in a teaspoon of tarragon (I love the flavor that tarragon adds to Italian food - just a hint of mild sweet herb flavor).


Now load up that delicious saucy sausage into those ramekins, leaving some room on top with a little divet in the middle. That's where our eggs are going to go! Crack one fresh egg into the top of each ramekin. Top with some cracked pepper, put the ramekins on a cookie sheet, and pop them into a 400 degree oven on the top rack. Set the timer for about 10-15 minutes (depending on your love or aversion for runny egg yolks!)


While those cook, let's make a salad! Take 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, and mix in 1 tbsp lemon juice, a bit of garlic, some fresh cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy).


Next, I like to add in just a little bit of fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheese - dairy isn't paleo, but I don't find that I'm very sensitive to a little bit of cheese on my salad once in a while. 


Ooh...soooo good! Mix that dressing together, and toss it with 2-3 cups of shredded kale. Set it aside for the flavors to meld while the eggs are in the oven cooking. 


Look at those beauties! I transferred them to the bottom rack and put them under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to really get the sauce bubbling. Try it, you won't regret it!


Obligatory shot of my hot pink DIY gel manicure...


They're ready! Look how beautiful they look! I like to make sure the whites are cooked, but the yolks are still nice and runny. Mixing in the egg with the sausage, mushroom, and marinara mixture imparts a heavenly creaminess to the whole dish. 


Hello cuties....


That salad looks lonely...


That's better! Top off the uova in purgatorio with a twist of cracked black pepper and a few red pepper flakes. Mix in the egg, and devour!

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