Greens for Breakfast?

Would you eat this for breakfast?

I just lost half of you, didn't I.   (Brittney, you were gone when you saw the picture!)

I didn't mean raw.

If these greens look like the weeds in your front yard, you're on to something.  They definitely resemble dandelion weeds, but they are not true dandelions.  They are Italian Dandelion Greens. 

So, would you eat them for breakfast?

I do not like green eggs and ham,
I do not like them Sam I Am.

 But, seriously, what if they turned out like this?

This year, we've received so many greens from our CSA that were new to us, and my challenge has been to figure what to do with them while they were still fresh. 

Of course, my default is to throw them in the Vita-Mix and make a green smoothie.  But I'm trying to be a little more creative.

And I think we're all just a little bit healthier as a result.

Today I made an Italian Frittata, and I was inspired by two things:

1.  The Italian Dandelion greens in the picture above.

2.  The amazing looking muffin from Aunt April's Bakery that definitely needed a protein counterpart.

The frittata was quite easy to make.  Here's my simple little recipe:

Italian Frittata

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of green onions sliced
1 bunch of Italian Dandelion Greens
2 tsps grapeseed oil
1/8 cup of shredded parmesan, asiago, and romano cheese blend
1 medium tomato sliced
fresh oregano leaves

1.  Heat an 8-10 inch pan on medium and cook minced garlic and sliced green onions in grapeseed oil.  After 1-2 minutes add chopped Italian Dandelion Greens and saute until they are soft.

2.  Whisk together the egg white and whole eggs and pour them over the greens. 

3.  Sprinkle the cheese over the egg mixture and place tomato slices over the top in a circular pattern.  Why?  Because it's pretty.

4.  Sprinkle fresh oregano on top.

5.  As the edges cook, tilt the pan and gently lift the egg away from the side of the pan with a spatula allowing the liquid to run underneath the cooked egg.  After about five minutes, if you're lucky enough to have a mom who got you a great frittata pan for Christmas, place the second pan with interlocking handles over the top and flip the frittata.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 3-5 minutes.  (If you're working with a single cast-iron pan, put it in the oven at 400 until the frittata is firm.) 

6.  When you lift the lid it may just look something like this:

Slice into wedges and serve.

Green Eggs and Ham?  Definitely not.  I couldn't even taste the dandelion greens.  Cooked with all of the other ingredients everything just tasted delicious.

Now for that blueberry muffin...or the part that I didn't inhale.

Yesterday, I introduced you to my new friend, April, owner of Aunt April's Bakery, the only 100% gluten-free bakery in Nashville.  Besides being gluten-free, most of April's creations are dairy and soy free as well.  She uses as much local produce as possible and strives to use ingredients without any major allergens.  And if you have a special dietary need, April is willing to work with you to find something that you will enjoy.  "If it can bring a little normalcy to someone's life, that brings satisfaction to me," she explained.

Those of us who have food allergies pass up muffins at brunches, in restaurants, over coffee.  So we go a little crazy when we find a muffin that we can actually eat.  Sometimes the gluten-free muffin isn't even great, but at least we've had a muffin.  But then to taste a muffin as light and fluffy as April's is quite a treat.  It would make April so happy to know that I floated around the kitchen in muffin reverie after my first bite. 

Marcy didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about.

Thanks, Bountiful Blessings CSA and Aunt April's Bakery for inspiring a great breakfast.  Thanks, Dr. Seuss for teaching us that eating greens for breakfast is a good thing.

Epic Fail? What Do You Think?

So, tomorrow is the Volunteers' Breakfast at school. All year, they've read with children, organized PTO events, assembled bulletin boards, shown up when teachers were at their wits end, provided Teacher Appreciation Days, and what do we award them with? A pen wrapped in cellophane and a breakfast that will last as little as 15 minutes, as several teachers will have to run to car duty, bus duty, babysitting duty... or maybe as long as 30 whole minutes, as we all need to pick up our children promptly at 8:20 in order to teach the 6 hours of lessons planned within the 3 1/2 hours of actual instructional time allotted to teachers in the 7 hour day the children spend in school. Hmmmmm...

So, tonight (after grading papers), I wanted to do our volunteers right by baking a delicious gluten-free cinnamon pecan bread for the Volunteers' Breakfast. I used the Namaste Gluten-Free Bread Mix and added cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and pecans. Great idea, but then I got preoccupied with...blogging. A little less time on the computer, and it would have turned out perfectly. But the computer desk is a whole floor above the kitchen, and once I smelled the cinnamon, it was a little too late.

A little crispy for a celebratory breakfast, but not too crispy to be sliced, frozen, and made into french toast a few weeks from now.

So who do I turn to when all else fails? I wish I had more of a spiritual answer, but it's Bob.

Bob from Bob's Red Mill, that is. Bob and I are tight. He's been supplying me with gluten-free mixes and flours for five years now. And we are especially close since I met him at the actual mill outside of Portland that bears his name.

Bob's Red Mill is a whole grain store in Milwaukie, Oregon that produces more than 400 products, including a full line of certified gluten free products and an extensive line of certified organic products. Thankfully, I can find Bob's products at my local Whole Foods and Kroger stores.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/

But when I met Bob and thanked him for his dedication to the gluten intolerant community, he sincerely just wanted to know what I was doing at his mill. He loved I was there because of a college roommate reunion.

So, tonight, it was Bob to the rescue. I had a package of gluten-free Bob's Red Mill cornbread mix in the cupboard. I whipped up a batch, spooned the batter into muffin tins, and dotted each muffin with fresh blueberries.

Twenty minutes later, I learned a valuable baking lesson. Always fold the blueberries into the batter, otherwise your muffins look like they're sprouting blueberries.
They aren't pretty, they are definitely cornbread muffins with blueberries floating on top, but nevertheless, they are delicious.

Thanks, Bob.

And if no one else selects them out of the vast array of dishes at our Volunteers' Breakfast, I know at least three people that will enjoy them at the Whiskers' Household over the next few days.

Thank you, Volunteers, for all you do for your children, for your teachers, and for the future of our country. Thank you, Bob, for your vision, for your sweet grandfather spirit, and for your dedication to quality gluten-free products. Thank you, Karen, for showing me that Bob's is more than just a package on my grocery store shelf. (And for being an amazing friend.)

Epic fail tonight? Not a chance.