Eggs

Have you ever had a "farm fresh" egg?  Before today I wold have answered "yes," because the organic, free-range eggs I purchase clearly state: FARM FRESH right on the package.  Yes, I am a sucker for what's printed on a package of food I consume, because it's in the great hope that what I find inside will indeed be a myriad of things pertinent to my survival that the package promises.  Silly little words like gluten-free, pesticide-free, and organic are all on the roster.  I really thought I was eating the "best" I could.

Enter Rico Locals, locally grown Utah food brought to a convenient, downtown center.  Shug brought home some "farm-fresh" eggs a few days ago and, thinking they were like allllll the other "farm-fresh" eggs we've consumed in the past, they sat in my fridge for a few days.

This morning, with a very welcome unexpected day off, I indulged myself in an omelette.  After the first egg was cracked I knew something was up.  The bright, vibrant hue of the yolk practically blinded me!  I have always thought egg yolks were yellow...that's how they're depicted in cartoons, pictures, and in my mixing bowl.  These yolks were ORANGE.  Glaring, healthy, sunny, ORANGE.  The first rational thought that popped into my head was, "They must have gone bad. Egg yolks are never this color."

I cracked egg number two.  SAME THING!  I decided to crack a third and if all three were this alien-orange color, I'd give it the good ol' college try and eat them.  Sure enough, the third egg was just as loud of an orange hue as the previous two.  Into the pan they went.

As the eggs cooked, instead of opaquing into a soft buttery yellow, they morphed into a rich golden saffron color.  I was really getting freaked out.  What if I poisoned myself?!?  What if they had already gone bad?!?  What if all of the eggs I've consumed in my life were just "blah" and these eggs were "bang"!?!?!  EXISTENTIAL CRISIS.

The eggs sizzled sweetly in their pan as the sun through the window caught the wafts of steam curling up from the stovetop.  I plated the eggs, gave them the holy trinity of egg dressing: freshly cracked black pepper, ketchup, and Cholula.  I readied myself for the worst.

Words cannot describe how lovely and perfect these eggs were.  They were rich, flavorful, and delicious and I am sad to say I have NEVER tasted an egg like this.  In 27 seconds my newly found love was gone.  I hadn't the strength to savor them.

But, I'm planning on omelettes for lunch and dinner.

Recipe of the Week: Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes

This is a quick-to-whip-up stew that is filling as it is healthy! The acidity of the lemon juice really brightens up an otherwise heavy dish. If you are a vegetarian, tempeh or seitan (mind you the seitan is SO not gluten-free) could easily replace the chicken in this recipe. You could also replace the brown rice or quinoa with traditional couscous (plus it's 20x faster to prepare than the good ol' brown rice, but not gluten-free, either!)

P.S. Pay no attention to the Christmasy wrapping paper! I pinky swear I took down the decorations!

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips (or 8 oz. tempeh or seitan)
Salt and pepper
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 2-inch long piece of peeled ginger
1 cinnamon stick OR 1 t. ground cinnamon
1 can reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Pinch of saffron
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 cup of brown rice OR couscous OR quinoa
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot heat the olive oil and add the salt and peppered chicken. Brown on both sides for 4-6 minutes and then transfer to a plate. Add the onion, ginger and cinnamon to the pot and stir until the onions are translucent. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the broth, sweet potatoes, and saffron. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife.

While the stew is simmering, prepare your brown rice, quinoa, or couscous. If using brown rice you should start it well before you begin the stew...it takes a long time!

Remove the cinnamon stick and ginger piece from the pot and add the lemon juice and cilantro. Dump a big ladle of stew over the starch of your choice and don't burn your tongue, it'll be hot!