BFMH: Breakfast for Dinner - Low Carb Carbonara (a la HTFASA)

So this weekend we were away having a grand old time with some friends we made on our honeymoon, but this caused me NOT to get to make my breakfast for Husband. So I figured I would make a breakfast for dinner.

I ran a few ideas by husband from the wonder that is Pinterest and, while the dish I ended up making isn't traditional made for breakfast, Husband requested Deconstructed Paleo Carbonara as "Breakfast for Dinner" this week.

If you are thinking "Wait! Why would you deconstructed before I even know what this dish is?!!?" there here is a recipe of a typical Pasta Carbonara.

TYPICAL PASTA CARBONARA

thin spaghetti, one serving
salted boiling water
3 strips bacon, cooked well done in microwave; crumble (leave out for Vegetarian)
1/2 clove elephant garlic
1 tbsp. good quality olive oil
1 egg
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Here is a reduce calorie version of this classic.

Serves one.

Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, place 3 strips bacon on paper towels and microwave until crisp cooked. Set aside. Mince garlic. Place in large microwavable bowl. Add oil. Microwave garlic and oil mixture until translucent--about 3 minutes on 30% power. When water has come to a boil, add thin spaghetti. Crack egg into garlic mixture and add ample amount fresh ground black pepper (the 'carbonara'). Add 1-2 tablespoons freshly ground Parmesan (or Romano or Asiago or combination) cheese. Beat together with a fork.

As soon as pasta is cooked al denté, drain rapidly. DO NOT RINSE; DO NOT ALLOW TO COOL. Rapidly toss pasta with garlic mixture. The heat of the just-cooked pasta will cook the egg. Crumble bacon over the top.

Now on to making it diet appropriate for myself with the help of my uber great friend, Kris!

LOW CARB NO PASTA CARBONARA (as lifted from How To Feed a Starving Artist)

Ingredients

1 large zucchini, peeled into zoodles

1 garlic clove, minced (use as much or as little garlic as you like)

1 slice of bacon, chopped

salt and pepper

1 egg

Bring a pot of water up to a boil. I salt my water to help make peeling my egg easier. Some people throw in vinegar, baking soda; do whatever trick you like.

Once the water is boiling, lower to a steady simmer and gently place your egg in the water. Simmer for 5 1/2 minutes.

While the egg cooks, cook your bacon in a nonstick pan. Once most of the fat has rendered, toss in your garlic. When the garlic and bacon are super fragrant, add those zoodles! Cook up the zoodles in your bacon and fat and let all those flavors get happy together. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. I usually don’t use any salt, I find the bacon salty enough and really enjoy the natural sweetness of the zucchini. To each their own.

When your timer goes off, turn off the heat on your zoodles, and remove your egg. Rinse under cold water for 1 minute.

GENTLY peel the shell off of the egg. Holy hell, Batman, was this tricky! Since the yolk isn’t set, you can’t just smash it like you do when it’s  a hard boiled egg. Once you’ve got that bad boy peeled, place it onto of your zoodles, cut into it, and enjoy!

Cooking it up!

The yolk makes the sauce!

I did end up changing the dish a LITTLE bit to work with my cooking strengths. I poached the egg instead of boiling it in the shell because I knew that I would be able to peel it calmly and without frustration. I added extra garlic, cus I loves it, as well as some roasted sweet peppers I had roasted last week. I used the "ends and pieces" of bacon you can get at Trader Joe's simply because I haven't been using bacon strips lately. Also, I can use the small pieces, which are cheaper that a pound of fatty strips, in veggies or salad this week.

Husband thought it was a very delightful and was thoroughly impressed with the zoodles! Hooray! Those will for sure be happening again.