Category: Egg Dishes

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Kale Frittata for Two

Sarah

So, we left town for vacation on a Thursday. Since Wednesday is our CSA Day, not only did I have the task of packing and cleaning out the fridge that evening before we left, [because nothing is worse than coming home to half a rotten, mushy cucumber…ask me how I know] but I also had to figure out what to do with a pound of potatoes, three bell peppers, a bag of kale, two heads of garlic, and three sweet onions from that day’s CSA pick-up. Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it again. But it was necessary… I already gave up a week of my CSA while we were gone [a friend got to enjoy it]; I didn’t want to miss out on another week, too. I am happy to report that I was able to deliver on this very important task. Read on to see how.

In order to guarantee success, I did what any good blogger/blog reader would do–take to the interwebs! After perusing posts I had saved in my Google Reader, I came across a lovely little recipe that was sure to satisfy our packing-induced hunger and our abundant amount of produce.

Introducing… Kale Frittata for Two! This little gem can be prepared in about twenty minutes and is packed full of veggie goodness, but a healthy dose of cheese makes everyone happy–even those who aren’t the biggest bell pepper fans, like a certain husband ‘o mine. We loved that each bite contained a variety of textures and tastes–from cheese and eggs to veggies and herbs, each bite was flavorful and simply delicious to behold! And a bonus–since it’s sized “for two,” you won’t even have any leftovers! Well, on second thought–that’s not exactly a bonus if you want leftovers, so adjust comment in your mind accordingly. 🙂

In my book, the no-leftovers was a great thing and was a huge help in finishing all the produce. For the record, here’s what I did with everything:

  • pound of potatoes–roasted about half in the oven for dinner, saved the rest in the pantry
  • three bell peppers–used one in the frittata, flash froze the rest for future meals
  • bag of kale–used 1/3 in the frittata and made a marinated kale salad with the rest
  • two heads of garlic–used some in the frittata and refrigerated the rest
  • three sweet onions–refrigerated

I’d call that a victory, especially when you look at all the pretty colors on our plate… since color = nutrients, I’d say we passed the test for our last homecooked pre-vacation meal with flying colors!

And in case you’re worried about making a frittata, like I was… you’ve have no reason to be nervous. They really aren’t as complicated as you think. This was my first time making a frittata and so I wasn’t exactly sure to what to expect, but Megan’s directions were super clear and concise to guide me through the process. This is definitely a recipe that I’ll be making again and again, perhaps next time with different variations–spinach, tomato, and feta, anyone? Enjoy!

What’s the most creative pre-vacation-use-up-the-fridge meal you’ve made? Creative does NOT have to equal artsy-fabulous like mine. I must say, I was quite impressed with this meal… usually our finish-the-fridge meals are crazy random concoctions like yogurt with soup and the odd carrot or two.

Kale Frittata for Two [adapted from What Megan’s Making]
printable version

Ingredients:
  • olive oil
  • about 1 cup chopped kale leaves, washed and stems removed
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4-1 cup shredded cheese [I used a combination of cheddar and colby jack]
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a small oven safe skillet on medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and garlic to skillet and saute until just softened. Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt [it may be helpful to cover the pan to help the process].
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir in pepper and tarragon. Mix in water and 2/3 cup cheese. Add eggs to the pan, using a spatula to evenly distribute the vegetables. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the frittata starts to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer to the below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with remaining cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.
Breakfast, Egg Dishes, One Tablespoon Testosterone, Recipes

OTT: Sausage Egg Apple Strata

Sarah
ben
grrr!

This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!

———-

Hello again.  I’m here to share another recipe with you, man-style.  For this edition, we’ll go the route of “breakfast for dinner.”  This is a concept that my wife really enjoys.  She could eat breakfast every meal of the day and this is not an exaggeration.  We had breakfast food at our wedding reception.  But even before I knew Sarah, I knew about breakfast for dinner.  In college, one of my roommates (one Patrick Hinker) and I used to occasionally splurge and make

good eats, good man

breakfast feasts for dinner.  This occasionally involved making 14 links of sausage, a dozen eggs, and a batch of pancakes…and consuming it entirely ourselves.  Ah yes, those were the days.  Now I have to think of something a bit more…mmm…refined to satisfy my roommate.  [Sarah here… Ben just got kicked for that and said, “but I love you!” All was forgiven. :)] And so this recipe may not have been a hit four or five years ago, but now it’s a hit with my wife.  The other reason I decided to make this recipe is because we’ve had a pound of ground sausage in our freezer for God only knows how long, and I wanted to do something about it.

Sausage Egg Apple Strata [from $5 Dinners]

Ingredients:

  • 6 slices bread (this can be of your choosing; you can pick what type of bread [we used Italian bread] and you can adjust the amounts depending on how bready you want yours [I probably would have cut back just a bit if I made it again]
  • 1 lb sausage (mild or spicy, your preference)
  • 1 chopped apple (I used Jazz)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 c milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 c cheese (guess what? you can choose the type of cheese too! I used cheddar.)

Directions:

Spray or grease a 9×13 cooking pan.  Vent your frustrations on the bread by tearing into pieces, but don’t get too carried away.  Keep those pieces of bread a halfway decent size.  Put the pieces of bread in the pan.  Brown the sausage on the stove and drain the excess grease.  Put the sausage in the pan with the bread.  Chop the apple and add that to the pan.  Mix the ingredient around in there a little bit.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.  Refrigerate overnight.  The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the casserole for 45-55 minutes.  With about 5 minutes to go in the cooking, remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Put back in the oven to finish cooking.  When it’s done, enjoy thoroughly.

Click here for the printable version: Sausage Egg Apple Strata

Question of the Day:  So if you could only eat five foods for the rest of your life what, what would they be?

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche

Sarah

Quiche is one of those dishes that I love but find difficult to make well at home. I don’t know what it is, but it always seems like my quiches burn, don’t cook through all the way, or are bland. Not this time though. I improvised off a recipe from a fun blog that I read regularly, The Runner’s Plate, and was oh-so-satisfied after this baby popped out of the oven on Monday evening for dinner.

The combination of spinach, tomatoes, and asiago cheese paired with eggs and cottage cheese and seasonings on a light tortilla shell crust was just right. Sometimes savory pie-type dishes with thick crusts are a little too much heavy, so I loved using whole wheat tortillas as the crust, and will definitely be replicating that technique again. The addition of asiago cheese was purely spontaneous, and a little goes a long way in making this dish utterly rich and decadent without being overwhelming. This Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche was a filling dinner, but I could also see it being perfect for a special breakfast or holiday brunch. Yum!

Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche [based from a recipe by The Runner’s Plate]

Ingredients:

  • 3 whole wheat tortillas
  • 1 cup Egg beaters [or 4 large eggs… I used Egg beaters because I had a free coupon]
  • 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 – 14.5 ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, drained
  • heaping 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
  • 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • generous amount of freshly ground black pepper [maybe 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon?]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9″ deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. Line with tortillas. In a large bowl, stir together eggs, spinach, tomatoes, asiago cheese, cottage cheese, and paprika. Season with pepper as desired. Pour into tortilla “crust” and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. [If necessary: Cover with foil, increase heat to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.] Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Click here for the printable version: Asiago Spinach Tomato Quiche