While searching for something new to make with a bag of frozen kale I came across this blog: 365 Days of Kale. Who would have thought there was a blog devoted entirely to kale! Scrolling through the site and it’s recipes I found this one for kale that included eggs. I had just about everything on hand. To reduce the number of carbs I only used 1 large potato that had been peeled, diced and boiled until tender.

Kale and Eggs

8 ounces of frozen chopped kale, thawed

1 large potato, peeled, diced and boiled until tender

1 small onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

roasted red peppers, several pieces diced

4 eggs

chives

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil, butter or coconut oil

salt and pepper

In a large skillet add the oil of your choice and turn the stove on to medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and saute. While these are cooking squeeze the kale gently to remove any excess water. Add the kale to the pan. Cook until the kale has softened a bit then add the red peppers and potatoes. Cook for several minutes until all the vegetables are warm. Make 4 small depressions in the vegetables. Crack an egg into each depression. Cover the pan and allow the steam to cook the eggs. Remove the cover, turn off the heat. Sprinkle some of the chives over the eggs and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste before eating.

If you like kale then you will enjoy this recipe. I’ve already made it a second time and added frozen zucchini that had been thawed when I added the kale to the pan. This would probably taste delicious with some linguica (Portuguese sausage) or even some bacon.

This post is being linked back to Real Food Wednesdays.

Here’s a delicious meal that takes next to no time to make. Frittatas are basically scrambled eggs baked in the oven. They are made with protein rich eggs and just about any type of vegetable or cheese you have on hand. Once you’ve got the basic skill down you can play around with the filling and seasonings. Frittatas are a great low carb meal if you don’t add potatoes or rice. Those who aren’t watching their carb intake can add precooked potatoes or even left over rice. For this particular frittata I used what I already had in my refrigerator…..linguica, onions, zucchini and some Asiago cheese I got at the farmers market.

For those who have never heard of linguica it is a Portuguese pork sausage available in a mild or slightly spicier form. You may have heard of Emril Lagasse talk about it on his show. If your not one of the lucky ones and can’t purchase it locally it can be bought online. You can also use other types of pork sausage in it’s place but you will sadly be missing out on the delicious flavor of this sausage.

Ingredients:

• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 6 to 8 ounces of linguica (or other type of sausage), diced
• 1 zucchini, cut into slices
• cheese
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper

Start by setting your oven temperature to 400 F

You will cook the filling ingredients in a large pan or skillet and then transfer it to the oven for the last 10 minutes or so. In order to do this your pan will need to have an oven safe handle. I only say this because I’ve seen people pop their skillet in the oven only to discover the resin handle melting.

Start by adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil to your pan or skillet. If you’ve already diced and frozen some onions add in about 1/2 cup. If your using a fresh onion add 1 small diced onion to the pan. Sautee the onion for about 2 minutes.

Add in the linguica or other type of pork sausage. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. I decided to search my refrigerator to see what other veggies I had on hand that could be added in. I found some grilled zucchini and added that to the pan.

Frittatas are a great way to use leftovers even if you have just a small amount available. Toss in your other veggies. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Just long enough to allow the flavors to blend a bit. While everything is cooking break the eggs into a large bowl and scramble them. Originally I was going to use 12 eggs but the younger two kids had looks of horror on their faces when they saw zucchini in the pan. In the end I used only 8 and the other 4 were made into plain, old, boring scrambled eggs for them. So this recipe can easily be made with 8 to 12 eggs without any problems. Add in the basil, salt, peppers and cheese. Blend well and pour the mixture over the filling ingredients in the pan.

Gently stir the filling items around to even distribute them. Cook the eggs until they begin to set around the edge like this:

See how the edge can be lifted away from the side of the pan yet the center is still liquid? It should take about 1 to 2 minutes for that to happen. Once it does transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the eggs are set and slightly puffed up. It should take about 10 to 12 minutes depending upon the depth of your pan. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. You can invert the pan over a large plate before cutting the frittata into wedges. Or, you can do like I did and carefully use the soft edge of my spatula to slice it into wedges right in the pan. Just becareful that you don’t scratch the nonstick coating of the pan when doing it this way.

Once you can make a frittata it’s easy to swap out ingredients. Try Italian sausage, spinch and feta. Broccoli, ham and cheddar cheese is another great combination. Tomatoes, basil and feta is a favorite too. If you have left over baked potatoes you can dice them and add it along with ham and cheddar to the frittata. All equally delicious. 

What type of fillings have you used in a frittata? Any unusual combinations that you weren’t sure about but turned out great?