Another Strata ... but Wait!

That's not all!

This is a good one. One you can't pass up.

Like, good enough to make for your mother.

First step: Check your DSLR, smart phone, and point+shoot cameras. Are their batteries all dead? Ok. Then you're just like me!! (Congratulations!) Go borrow your mother's cell phone to take the photos for this blog post. Cause you're real professional and stuff.

Seriously, how do all devices go dead simultaneously like this? I honestly considered using my laptop's webcam for this blog post. Should have just made a video. But then you would see what a damn mess I make in the kitchen when I cook, and it's all about illusion up in here. Side note, did you know Adele wore four FOUR pairs of Spanx to the Grammy's? Ouchies. 


This one was Pioneer Woman's idea. But I made it healthier. Cause that's what good daughters do.

Mushroom and Kale Strata
serves 8 


cooking spray
6 slices whole wheat sourdough bread
1 bag sliced mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp EVOO
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 cups kale
1 1/2 c. fancy pants gouda cheese (I used a Goat Gouda)
2 16 oz. cartons egg substitute
1/2 c. plain nonfat greek yogurt
2 dashes Tabasco
S & P

Note: This recipe starts either the night before, or several hours before (like if you're doing breakfast for dinner). 

Preheat oven to 425F. Spread mushrooms on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp EVOO, S & P.  Bake for 15 minutes.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tsp of EVOO.

Toss in kale and saute for 3 minutes, or until lightly wilted. Remove from pan, then saute onion in the same pan for 5 minutes, or until softened.

Grate cheese. Pick out a good stinky cheese with lots of flavor and meltability. Gouda is really good-a for this. Yeah, I said it.  

Cube bread.

Layer bread in a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Spread kale and onions evenly.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top.

In a blender, whip up the egg whites/substitute with greek yogurt, tabasco, and S&P.

Pour over casserole. Cover with plastic wrap. Leave a nice note for whoever gets up first in the AM.

Remove plastic wrap and set out on counter (to come to room temp).
Preheat oven to 350F
Cover dish with foil
Bake for 60 minutes
Remove foil
Bake for additional 30, or until golden

When I exported the images for this blog, I named the files "Kala_Strata" instead of Kale Strata.  Kala is a dog. For the record, I don't eat dog. Very often.

www.kameronahler.com

Savory Strata for Breakfast

Happy Cinco de Mayo, drunk Americans!

Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal of the day. We've talked about this before. This works well for me, because there are just a ton of statistics about the benefits of breakfast.

• Improved mental performance
• More success in dieting for women (if mid-morning snacks are averted)
• People who eat breakfast have lower rates of Type 2 Diabetes and/or heart failure
• Lower cholesterol, insulin levels, and smaller waist circumferences
• Blah blah blah (Source for all bullets)

I'm sure you could find a bunch of statistics about why breakfast is bad for you too, but this is my blog and I am biased towards breakfast. So....

Usually I'm an egg white omelette person, but occasionally enjoy some oats or some cereal. But when I've got a leisurely morning on my hands, I'm all about making something extra special. 

Also, you are definitely going to be hungover tomorrow, so you're going to need some solid AM nutrition to pull you out of that tequila headache. Plan ahead. 

Savory Breakfast Strata
4 hearty servings
adapted from Cabot Cheese

Cooking spray
3 large slices whole wheat bread
1 tsp EVOO
1 small white onion, sliced
1 cooked chicken sausage, sliced (TJ's has the best selection!) 
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and halved
1/2 c. grated parmesan
4 eggs
1 c. 100% egg whites
1/4 c. nonfat plain greek yogurt
healthy grind of pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a square baking dish with cooking spray and line the bottom with one layer of whole wheat bread. Get creative.

In a frying pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Saute onions until soft, then toss in sliced sausage and saute until lightly crispy.

Layer onions and sausage over the bread.

Drain artichokes, slice in half, and press out any extra liquid. Layer those over the onions and sausage.

Sprinkle an even layer of parmesan cheese.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, yogurt, salt, and pepper.

Pour evenly over the dish, making sure all is level in the end.

Bake for 40 minutes, then turn off the heat but leave strata in the oven for 30 more minutes. Weird method, but trust me, it makes those eggs perfect.

By using whole wheat bread, lean chicken sausage, egg whites, and less cheese that packs more flavor, I've adapted the original recipe into something that won't leave you feeling guilty or gluttonous. You could easily make this recipe vegetarian by omitting sausage or using a meat substitute like morningstar farms "sausage", a boca burger, tempeh, or tofu. Extra protein is good for you. Also, you could add more veggies. This would be excellent with spinach, broccoli, asparagus, or bell peppers.

Here's the best part:

               Cals, Carbs, Fat, Prot., Fiber, Sugar

ps, I used myfitnesspal.com to do this

For the ingredients I used (200 calorie sausage, 80 calorie bread), my heaping serving was less than 300 calories and 25 grams of protein! It could def use more fiber, but that's what a side of fruit is for!

I think this qualifies as a breakfast of champions!

B-B-B-Benny

For as long as I can remember, I've been a breakfast person.
In middle school it was peanut butter, toast, and banana or those Carnation Instant Breakfast smoothies.

In high school it was cinnamon "sugar" (sweet n low) on toast and a Yoplait light (strawberry was my favorite flavor).

I ate a lot of fake sugar as a kid...

In college, even on early early mornings, I would still make time for breakfast. I discovered egg substitute and ate that stuff like it was going out of style. Ps I ate the bright yellow stuff, which icks me out now. I swear stores didn't stock the whites back then... I had eggs nearly every morning. Usually with a trader joe's mango blueberry bran muffin.

Since college, I've gotten into oats and greek yogurt (not together), but still, I have a serious addiction to eggs. And with new research that the cholesterol in eggs isn't as bad for you as previously thought, I have a new lease on breakfast life!

My family once cruised on Norwiegan Cruise Lines to the hawaiian islands. This ship had an eggs benedict selection at the breakfast buffet. I. was. in. heaven. Benedict three different ways at least, and all delectable. Perfectly poached eggs, salty protein, creamy hollandaise, crispy bread. Can you go wrong?

So this morning I was craving a delicious benedict, without the guilt. Here you have it: healthier eggs benedict in five minutes with a microwave sauce. No matter what anybody tells you, hollandaise is not healthy. ever. 

Note: modifications welcome! this is the recipe for what I had on hand, but you what you have! use whatever cheese, whatever protein, whatever bread. Get creative!

Benedict with Easy Spicy Cheese Sauce

for two or one hungry hippo

Ingredients

• 2 pieces whole wheat toast
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1 chicken artichoke sausage, split
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Sauce
• 1 laughing cow cheese wedge (or cream cheese)
• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Bring 3 inches of water, vinegar, and salt to boil in a small pot
• Break eggs in their own little cups and set aside
• Using a stick (like the end of a wooden spoon), swirl water to create a mini cyclone
• Quickly drop an egg in! (Obvi, no pictures of this step because I am not an octopus with 8 arms)
• The egg will swirl around itself. If you just drop an egg into boiling water, it will go ALL over the place. Not pretty!
• Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, split sausage and fry it in EVOO until crispy
• Remove sausage and cook spinach in the same pan
• Dust with nutmeg. Classic combo.
• In a tea cup or small cup, combine all cheese sauce ingredients
• Melt in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and nuke for 15 second increments until perfect.
• Toast bread in toaster
• Layer spinach on top of dry toast

• Top with sausage

• Place an egg on each piece

• And ladle over spicy cheese sauce

Poaching the eggs create a texture that you can't get by frying the eggs in a pan, but if you are nervous poaching, or don't want to mess up a pot (not judging you), then just fry the egg in a pan. The egg gets more chewy this way, whereas when you poach the egg it is super soft and wonderful. If you like the chewy, crispy, fried egg texture, then go for it!

Now you have NO excuse to not eat a healthy and delicious breakfast.

Green Eggs and ... Salsa ...

I recently inherited a big bunch of cilantro and if you know me, you know I don't like to waste food. It was money, then it was food, so don't throw it out, or you are throwing away money. I'm stingy. 


Cilantro is cheap, I know, but someone went through the effort to grow it and cultivate it and throwing it away is just insulting to that kind farmer. So how do we use cilantro? Top tacos. Top a pizza. Top a salad. Top Top Top. But what if I want to use it another way?

Like... in eggs?

Okay!

So how about some cilantro eggs with cumin spiced tortilla crisps and a fresh salsa this morning?


Green Eggs and Salsa with Cumin Crisps
 for two, or one very hungry writer of this blog


Ingredients

• Crisps
• 1 corn tortilla
• 1 tsp EVOO
• pinch of sea salt
• sprinkle of cumin
• Green Eggs
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 3/4 c. egg whites (in a carton) or 6 egg whites
• 1/4 c. shredded cheddar
• cooked chicken, ham, turkey, bacon, ground meat, or any other meaty filling you may like... or none if you like, whatevs.
• Salsa
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 c. roughly chopped red onion
• 1/2 c. heirloom cherry tomatoes
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp cilantro

Instructions

• In a medium non-stick skillet, heat EVOO over med-high heat
• Cut the corn tortilla into 1/8's
• Spread tortilla triangles in pan evenly and let cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until brown and crispy

• Remove from pan and immediately sprinkle with sea salt and cumin

• Set aside, but leave pan on the stove and reduce heat to medium
• In a blender, whip up egg whites, black pepper, and cilantro

• Pour into hot pan
• Cover and let the eggs cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through and bottom of eggs are brown and crispy

• Top with meat and cheddar, replace lid, and remove from heat

• In a clean blender or food processor, mince the garlic

• Then add cilantro and red onion and pulse until finely chopped
• Add cherry tomatoes and lime juice and pulse until chopped and incorporated
• Top your omelette with greek yogurt (like sour cream!) and the fresh salsa
• Serve the chips on the side  

Amazzzziinnnggggg!!! That fresh salsa is sweet and garlic-y and delicious and works perfectly with the herby eggs and melty cheese. And those cumin chips? Awesome. Great for any meal. You could leave them in the frying pan and pour the eggs over the chips for a migas-like dish. I like having something crunchy to scoop up my eggs with, so I put them on the side. Do as you wish.

So what's the scoop on cilantro? Why do we like it?

Well, apparently cilantro has a slew of health benefits.

• antioxidant 
• helps reduce ldl and increase hdl cholesterol
• tummy soother
• digestive aid
• vit's A, K, and C
• anti-inflammatory 
• iron, magnesium

So eat up!

Break! Fast!

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. I don't know if it's because you're not obligated to eat salad at it or what, but it's always been my favorite. I've never been a milk and cereal person either. It's always eggs! I prefer egg whites. There has been a lot of recent press about how whole eggs don't actually contribute to cholesterol levels, but I still want to avoid whole eggs because I don't need the added fat and resulting calories. I'd rather have a slice of avocado or cheese on top of my eggs! Egg whites are an awesome source of protein and are super cheap.

You can scramble them, microwave them in a mug, make them into an omelette, or do what I did this morning and make a little makeshift frittata thingy.

Here's the deets!

Egg Whites Florentine with Quinoa
for 1 
5 WW P+


Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1/4 c. cooked quinoa
• 1/2 c. egg whites 
• 1 oz. fat free feta
• 1/4 c. cherry tomatoes
• Salt and Peper

Instructions

• In a good nonstick pan, heat oil
• Saute spinach until wilted

• Add quinoa, stir, and distribute in pan evenly

• Reduce heat to medium
• Add egg whites - DO NOT STIR - just let the egg whites settle in around the quinoa and spinach 

• Top with feta and cherry tomatoes

• Cover for 3-5 minutes until eggs are all set!
• Season with S & P

 This meal is super filling and a delicious and nutritious way to start your day. You can use this recipe as a template for other combos, too. For example, brown rice, kale, and parmesan or broccoli, brown rice, and cheddar. Use whatever you have in the fridge! The trick is a good nonstick pan and the patience to not fuss with your eggs. If you fuss, you get in the way of the nice crispy browned layer that keeps the eggs and the pan from sticking together.

Eat with a piece of fruit and a gallon of coffee and you should be good and energized all morning long!

Vegetarian Breakfast Hash Brown Muffins

Breakfast is my very favorite meal of the day. I never miss it! This christmas, in addition to Brother Bjorn's delicious rice pudding, I threw together some somewhat healthy Vegetarian Hash Brown Muffins. Basically, they are everything you like about breakfast within one muffin tin. Built in portion control!

Vegetarian Hash Brown Muffins
Makes 12 at 3 WW P+ each


Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 c. frozen hash brown style potatoes
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 4 links Morningstar farms veggie sausage links, crumbled <---tastes like real sausage, but is actually TVP!
• 2 cups egg substitute (read: no cholesterol)
• 1/2 c. bisquick or other baking mix of your choice
• Dash of cayenne, salt, pepper to season
• 1 cup shredded light cheese of your choice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• Generously spray 12 muffin tin with cooking spray
• Distribute potatoes across all muffins

•  Then spinach

• Stick in oven for 10 minutes to heat spinach and potatoes
• Remove from oven and compress spinach and potatoes
• Season with S & P
• Replace in oven for 10 more minutes to lightly brown

• Distribute crumbled sausage evenly
• In a bowl, combine egg sub, baking mix, cayenne, and salt and p to taste

• Pour egg mixture in tins to about 1/4" below the edge
• Sprinkle with cheese

•  Bake for 20 minutes

These aren't going to pop out of the tins perfectly - you will need to scoop them out. That does not detract from their yumminess. A bit messy, yes. You could try to use muffin papers if you're super scared of scrubbing a pan.

These also make great breakfast burrito fillers. Just wrap 2 inside a tortilla, add salsa, and you're set!

Enjoy!

Rat-tat-tat-touille

This recipe combines two of my favorite things: vegetables and eggs. Scratch that: three.... there is cheese.
I will be honest, I ate this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Not all on the same day).

I once heard on the Food Network, via Melissa D'Arabian, via the Next Food Network Star, aka crappy television, that an easy way to remember the ingredients and order of operations for ratatouille is "EZ Pot"... sounds like "Easy Pot". It stands for Eggplant, Zucchini, Peppers, Onions, Tomato. EZPOT. Got it? Now you won't forget it. Anywho, I tossed in mushrooms to make it EZPMOT, which is not as easy to remember, but it IS more delicious. SO just bookmark this recipe and move on.

Ratatouille and Egg Casserole


Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, any color(s), chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups chopped white mushrooms
• 4 roma tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• S&P to taste
• 1 sprig each thyme and rosemary, de-sprigged and chopped
• 4 eggs plus 2 egg whites
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1.5 c. shredded parm

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a large deep pan, heat EVOO over medium high heat
• Don't add the eggplant until the oil is screaming hot or your eggplant will just be a healthy sponge and drink up all the oil
• Add vegetables in order, waiting 1-2 minutes between addition
• Season with herbs, S&P
• Meanwhile, beat milk and eggs and whites in a large bowl. The more air the better for light and fluffy eggs.
• Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray
• Layer 1/2 ratatouille mixture, 1/2 cheese, 1/2 egg mixture, then repeat
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until eggs are set through and cheese on top is brown and bubbly
• Great with pizza dough breadsticks!

Cheesy and eggy and veggie-y! I think that basically covers all the food groups, right?