Lotsa-Ingredient Egg Bake - Gluten Free

Well, this was fun!

Lots of slicing and chopping, so it took a bit longer than most egg bakes I've made, but I think really worth the extra. . .The texture and flavors are really good. I made it without onion or garlic, so this bake is good for humans and dogs.

First preheat your oven to 375° Scrub the vegetables, spray or oil a 9"x13" glass pan. Slice-chop all the vegetables into the pan, in layers or mix. They will be mixed after baking.

Take into consideration any differences in cooking times and cut them up so the entire mix will be done the way you like it - baked all together, rather than in stages. For instance, celery and carrot take longer so I cut them smaller than the rest.

3 carrots

4 ribs of celery

1 med. zucchini

3 colorful mini peppers

5 big meaty mushrooms
a good amount of broccoli

Drizzle several tablespoons of Moroccan EVOO over the top of the vegetables then bake for 20-30 minutes until they seem about half way done. The liquid pulled out of them should be bubbling a little. 

Just before the end of the vegetable baking time, mix the rest of the ingredients together in your blender jar and blend well for a minute or so to incorporate everything into the eggs.

7 extra large pasture raised eggs

4oz. good quality bone broth
2/3c full fat cottage cheese

2T buckwheat flour

1T baking powder

~ 1t - 1T each:
~ black+cayenne pepper, Italian Seasoning
~ Himalayan pink salt, dry dill

Pour this evenly to cover the vegetables. I also had 2oz. of bacon I previously cooked and crumbled over this followed by a couple handfuls of grated cheese. 

Return to the oven and bake another 30 minutes or so, until the top is lightly brown and the egg mixture is baked all the way through. Test with a toothpick. Cool a bit then cut into squares and serve. I'll make variations of this one again. It turned out well and will make a lot of meals for me and my dog, Oliver. . .Lin

Duck Bone Broth - For Dogs and Humans

Yesterday I took out what I thought was a big package of chicken leg quarters from the freezer. Once the frost melted away, I saw eyeballs staring up at me! 😯 Not chicken! It was a whole duck I bought on a trip to the cities, several months ago, with my daughter. We go there once or twice a year to shop at Trader Joe's and Asian markets we don't have here in Duluth.

Alrighty then. . .Duck it is!

And before roasting - - off with its head 🥺

After roasting an hour and a half or so, with temps varying between 350° then up to 400° to melt the fat and crisp up the skin, I let it cool awhile. Then pulled off, and refrigerated the meat, returning the skin and bones and mystery parts back to the pan. Then I was done for the day. I sealed up the roasting pan, put it on my deck to chill at 29° and decided to finish it this morning.

As I've mentioned before, bone broth containing onion and/or garlic is NOT safe for animals. Neither are bones for the most part, especially those that have been cooked! So, although they may lack a bit in flavor, mine are now all made safe for me and my furry pets. This one is just duck, water, my black + cayenne pepper mix, turmeric and bay leaves. Once this comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a low bubble, cook covered 2-3 hours.

What was in the roasting pan was then strained, discarding the bones, skin and solids. Then strained through progressively smaller mesh strainers, then chilled overnight.

This morning the broth was gelled and the fat was firm enough to sort of roll into clumps with a big spoon. This made it really easy to separate the fat from the broth. The gelling is an indicator of broth that has a lot of natural collagen which makes it a very good broth!

The odd color of the fat is from the turmeric + oregano. In spite of its strange appearance, I'm saving it to try as a cooking fat. I know chefs rave about it. A little can also be added to your dog's food, but only a very small amount just to enhance the flavor of their food.

This broth doesn't have much flavor, even with the seasonings I use, it never tastes like much of anything. Yet I know when using it in a recipe, I'm making something really healthy. Collagen is an excellent source of nutrients for skin and bones in humans and animals.

Bring the gelled broth to a low simmer, then pour into clean jars with sealing lids. Screw those on tight then leave on your counter until they seal with a >ping<

After you hear that, let the jars continue to cool a bit longer on the counter before refrigerating. Remember, this is NOT a shelf-stable method of 'preserving' bone broth. Sealing the jars in this way - without using a pressure canner - only takes the air out of the jar. The jars should be refrigerated, where they will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. Use a little each day to enhance your dog's food. That's what the open jar will be used for the next day or so.

Bone broth is always a great base for gravies, soups or stews. You can also heat a cup and drink it as a healing drink if you're fighting a virus . . . Lin