When your refrigerator is stocked with beautiful local greens and farm fresh eggs and you know you’ve got another load coming in a few days, you need to get creative with your meals. I’m eating kale, spinach, collard greens and lettuce in some form at almost every meal. Ah, but I’m not complaining.
I’m a fan of a hearty breakfast for a variety of reasons. If you start your day with a nourishing mix of healthy carbs, good fats and quality protein, your energy levels stay balanced and you don’t crash an hour after eating (you know, the high-impact donut-dive). When you start your day with real food, you think better, feel better and have more energy. And without that creamed-filled donut and mega-grande latte, you probably look better, too. You’re also less likely to gain weight if you eat a nourishing breakfast. All good reasons. If you’re a CSA member and are being bombarded with greens, a hearty breakfast is a good way to chip away at the volume.
Poached eggs on kale
what you need
2 cups organic kale
your choice of whole grain (gluten-free) toast *
pastured, organic eggs *
what you do
Wash kale well and separate stems from leaves. I use both as I like the crunchy ribs as well as the hearty leaves. Cut stems in 1 inch chunks and chop leaves into sections. Place one tablespoon coconut oil (or your oil of choice) in medium-sized skillet over low heat. Add the kale stems and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until slightly tender. Add leaves, stir gently for another 3 or 4 minutes. If the pan is too dry, add a splash of broth.*
While greens are cooking, poach two eggs in a small pan of water and toast your bread. Layer greens on toast, top with poached eggs. Finish off with fresh ground pepper and salt.
* I don’t eat bread very often, but there is nothing better than a poached egg on toast so I keep a loaf of gluten-free teff bread in the freezer. Teff is a powerful little grain; for more information, check here.
* I have a year-round egg share from Grant Farms and can’t imagine eating store-bought eggs. Seriously, there’s a HUGE difference in taste and quality. Plus, I like knowing my eggs come from hens living in style at the bird spa. Check here for detailed information.
* I always have a good-quality home-made or store bought broth in my fridge for sautéing veggies. It’s a healthy way to cook greens and great for making rice.
Here’s a nutrition profile for kale, courtesy of Nutrition Data. It’s good stuff.
Go forth and eat a hearty green breakfast!
Melissa
Tags: community supported agriculture, eggs, farm fresh, gluten-free, Grant Family Farms, kale
Well, I didn’t get any collards this time but I did get two kinds of kale. I made a soup with the Tuscan kale, white beans and andouille his morning and I’ve got some other plans for my other kale. I’ll let you know if any of them are worth passing on.
Megan
Katherine now likes radishes, just upped the veggie repertoire for her by 20%!
Looks yummy. I’ll make this, but skip the bread. However, I do have a question. Do you make your own teff bread periodically, or is there a ready-made teff bread? While I really don’t miss bread, I’d still like to try it.
I’ve been enjoying spinach frequently in my scrambled egg. I just throw in some raw spinach while the egg is cooking. Another easy way to add more greens.
The nutritional “labels” for real food always intrigue me. First, no surprise that there’s no fat, but I’m always surprised when greens like kale hardly have any fiber. But, I’m stocked up with kale for smoothies and will try that other recipe of yours I planned to make ages ago.
Thank you, Melissa!
Shirley
Megan,
The soup sounds wonderful. I love white beens with greens. I do that a lot. Hmmm, interesting about Katherine and the radishes. They aren’t my favorite, but I like them enough to put them in salads. Good for Katherine!
Shirley,
That’s just the basics on kale. It’s also loaded with vitamin K, contains some Omega 3s, and has an assortment of other nutrients. I’m guessing the fiber content on the Nutritional Data website is a low value. If you factor in the stems, which I always eat, I bet it’s twice that. I agree, that sounds low.
Bread — I hardly ever eat baked goods, but we have a great bakery in Colorado Springs (I’m in Golden, west of Denver) that makes a nice teff bread, so I buy that periodically, keep it in the freezer and only eat it occasionally. I’ve made my own teff bread before, but it’s easier and cheaper to get it from “Outside The Breadbox.”
Melissa,
A great post, I love kale and never mess about with it, I only ever use olive oil, cumin amd lemon. It’s perfect with fish.
Miles
I love poached eggs. This sounds really good, but I’d have to just fix it for myself. The only other ones in my family who will eat kale are the dogs!
I too, was surprised about the low fiber in kale. Hmm.. Thanks for the geeky shout out
I love teff… never had teff bread before- I just may have to try it for a treat. Like you and Shirley I don’t really miss bread or baked things. Although I do love my almond flour cookies! I blend kale into my breakfast cereal of choice often, kale-buckwheat is actually quite a tasty combo! Or broccoli-quinoa…. yummm! (told you I was geeky)
Miles,
Thanks for another great seasoning comment. Cumin — hmmm? I’m writing that down on my “Miles” page on the inside of my spice cupboard!
Linda,
My daughter doesn’t like the thick stems of kale, so she freezes them and gives them to her dog to munch on. You two are on the same page with this!
Coco,
Yes, you do have your geeky tendencies. You’re so dang cute that it makes you all the more interesting!
Hmmm, kale and buckwheat? Broccoli and quinoa? And I thought I had some strange breakfast cereal combos!
Melissa,
Damn, I’m simply slavering with the idea of warm egg yolks running onto sautéd kale. And hey, I’ve learned a new term today too. Is a pullet the same thing as a squab or are they different ages? (or different species?) Plus, I can see the NutritionData site keeping me entertained for hours. Thanks Melissa!
GDave
GDave,
Yes, I love poached eggs with kale. Hey, you have a tasty looking breakfast dish on your blog right now as well! We must be on the same wave-length with this. I seriously think breakfast is my favorite meal.
P.S. A pullet is a young chicken, a squab is a young domestic pigeon.