Shamrock Eggs

 

Here's a healthy St. Patrick’s Day surprise for the kids. These eggs are the perfect quick way to get both veggies and protein at the beginning of the day.

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper

4 eggs 

2-3 tablespoons oil

cheese slices, optional

Directions: 

1.  Slice bell pepper into 1/4-inch thick circles.  Heat cooking oil over medium-low heat in a skillet.  Place 2-3 slices in the skillet and cook about 30 seconds per side.  

2.  Crack an egg into each bell pepper in the skillet. Allow eggs to cook inside pepper rings.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to skillet and cover to steam the eggs - no need to flip them. Once eggs are cooked through, you can cover with a slice of cheese, if preferred. To melt the cheese, turn off heat and let eggs sit in pan with lid on. 

Serves 2-3. 

Easy Meringues

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too. Makes about 80 cookies.

Ingredients

3 large Organic egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup Organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Separate one egg at a time into a small bowl, letting the white fall into the bowl and discarding the yolk. If there’s any trace of yolk in the white, discard the white and start over. If it’s yolk-free, transfer to a clean medium mixing bowl. Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs.

 Add cream of tartar to the whites and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar has been added. Continue beating until the whites are stiff and glossy. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds more.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 200°F. 

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a small amount of the meringue under each corner of the paper to secure it to the pan. 

Fill a 1-quart sealable plastic bag with the meringue. Seal the bag almost completely, leaving a small opening for air to escape from the top as you squeeze. Snip off one corner of the bag with scissors, making a 3/4-inch-wide opening. Fold the top of the bag over a few times, then gently push the meringue down to the snipped corner. Working with the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, pipe the meringue into 1 1/2-inch-diameter cookies, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. 

Bake the cookies until dry and crisp throughout, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.