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.