Avocado & Bacon Eggs Benedict on Polenta with Lime Hollandaise Sauce

by Myles Katherine

Oh… my gosh. I don’t think I’ve ever made a more delicious breakfast. All of my favorite things combined into one recipe. My sister and I are both obsessed with Eggs Benedict in any form so I decided to create my own version with bacon and avocado, while using some ingredients from my latest Portugal Try the World box. I was getting ready to leave town the following day so I was trying to use up some of the food in my house. I didn’t have lemon, so I used lime for the hollandaise sauce. What a good decision, because the lime complimented the flavors of the dish so perfectly. I’m 100% sure I’ll be making this one again. SO GOOD.

Avocado & Bacon Eggs Benedict on Polenta with Lime Hollandaise
(recipe serves 2 )

Ingredients for Eggs Benedict:
4 slices of polenta (1/2 inch thick – I used sun-dried tomato polenta)
4 eggs (poached)
4 slices of tomato
4 slices of bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced

Special Ingredients
(these items are optional, but make ALL the difference)
Sea Salt & Lemon
Caramelized Onions with Port Wine
Piri Piri Hot Sauce

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

  1. Cook the bacon to your liking and set aside.
  2. If desired, grill the polenta and sliced tomato in the leftover bacon grease on medium high until slightly crispy, flipping once.
  3. Poach 4 eggs. I have a special poached egg dish that makes it super easy so I’d recommend getting one, or follow this recipe.
  4. Make the hollandaise sauce, using the recipe below.
  5. Stack your eggs bennie with polenta on the bottom, followed by your grilled tomato, poached egg, bacon slices and avocado.
  6. Top with hollandaise sauce, caramelized onions, a sprinkle of sea salt & lemon, and a few dashes of Piri Piri hot sauce.
  7. Voila! Easy.

Ingredients for Lime Hollandaise Sauce:
(adapted from here)
2 egg yolks
1/4 lime, juiced
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup salted butter

  1. Beat egg yolks, lime juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. Slowly stream melted butter into the egg yolk mixture while whisking to incorporate.
  2. Heat in microwave for 15 to 20 seconds; whisk.
  3. Drizzle on top of the eggs benedict.
  4. ENJOY!

Healthy & Easy Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies Using the Cutest Squirrel Cookie Cutter

by Myles Katherine

(As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

lemon lavender shortbread cookies

I picked up some culinary lavender from the farmer’s market on Saturday and couldn’t wait to use it in a recipe. I’ve actually never cooked with lavender since my husband thinks it’s too “flowery”. But I did catch him sneaking a few bites of the dough so he must not hate it that much!

These cookies were perfect for a breezy Sunday. I’ve also recently gotten into drinking matcha tea instead of coffee, and the cookies were a perfect treat to have on the side. The only downside is that I couldn’t stop eating them! But I made myself feel better by reminding myself that lavender is supposed to lessen anxiety and help calm the nervous system.

I was also looking for a recipe that didn’t include granulated sugar, and the maple syrup adds a lovely flavor to the cookies. You can pick up an adorable squirrel cookie cutter here!

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature OR coconut oil, softened
  • ½ cup maple syrup {or liquid sweetener of your choice}
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • dash of salt – I used a Sea Salt and Lemon blend
  • 2¼ cups flour (I used a combination of millet flour – for a more powdery texture – and unbleached all purpose flour)
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 to 1 tbsp culinary lavender (depending on how flowery you’d like your cookies – I used a whole tbsp!) – I got mine from Dancing Light Ranch

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your cookie cutter(s) handy.
  2. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and whip it with a mixer until it’s creamy. Add sweetener, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt and mix once again to combine. Add in flour, lemon zest, and lavender (I used a mortar and pestle to grind the lavender first to bring out the flavor), and use a wooden spoon to mix. Then get in there with your hands and mix everything together by working the dough until you can shape it into a ball {note: as depending on the flour mix you use there may be a slight variance, know that the consistency of the dough should not be sticky but should press together when pinched — be sure to knead it really well first for some time — if it’s a little sticky, add a little more flour (try 1-2 tbsp); if it’s a little dry add a little more sweetener (try 1 tbsp)}. Shape the dough into 2 balls and then flatten each into a disk.
  3. Roll out one of the dough balls between two sheets of parchment paper to ⅓” – ½” thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Carefully transfer to a prepared cookie sheets, spacing them ½” apart {they won’t spread as they bake}. Gather up any dough scraps and repeat until all dough is used up. Repeat the process with the second dough ball. Sprinkle the uncooked cookies with a sea salt and lemon blend.
  4. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes, until the edges just begin to become golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. {Note: cookies will harden a little within minutes of cooling, so don’t overbake}. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Unconventional Baker

You can find this cute matcha bowl here and the fun Kate Spade cake plates here!