Veggies for Breakfast

Vegetable Frittata 
I just learned the word 'frittata' this year.  When I first heard it, I thought it meant something Spanish and definitely something fancy.  As it turns out, it's actually pretty simple (and definitely really versatile).  And I was wrong about the Spanish part too - 'frittata' is an Italian word.  I should've known; everything the Italians do is delicious.  Basically a frittata is an open-faced omelette and it makes for a hearty breakfast.

Couple of tbsp of olive oil
1/2 cup of chopped onion
4-6 cups of any vegetable chopped (greens like kale, arugula, chard can be sliced thin and included raw; root vegetables like potatoes and turnips should be added to pan first and cooked a little longer than other veggies - other great additions are broccoli, tomatoes and squash)
Handful of fresh herbs, chopped
2 - 3 eggs
1/2 cup cheese (parmesan, goat cheese, cheddar - they're all good)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet set to medium.  Add onion and cook until soft.  Add the vegetables and heat until soft.  (If using root vegetables, add first and let cook down for about 10 minutes before adding greens, etc. If using tomatoes, you may want to squeeze them dry before adding to pan.)  Turn the heat down and add herbs.  Cook until pan is pretty dry.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs and salt and pepper and cheese.  Spread veggies evenly in the pan and pour your egg mixture over it.  Let everything cook undisturbed for about 10 minutes until the eggs are just set. (If you do disturb it, then just strip it of the 'frittata' fanciness and call it a scramble.  It'll still be good!)  Serve it up alone, or top with a little Greek yogurt.

This recipe is great for leftover vegetables too.  Just toss in after the onions and add your egg mixture right away.

Breakfast Smoothie
The trick is to incorporating vegetables into smoothies is balancing the earthiness of the vegetables with fruit and herbs.  Also, this recipe involves juicing.


For the juice:
Bunch of beet greens, kale, spinach or chard
Half handful of mint
(Juice & set aside - Great to make ahead to have on hand for last minute morning smoothies)
For the smoothie:
1 1/2 cups frozen fruit (peaches, mangos and strawberries are good choices - berry mixtures can be a little intense)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup of your green juice

When you make smoothies, always make sure to add your liquid first so that the blender's blades are never running dry.  Ginger is also a great balancer to 'green' juice.  Sometimes I throw some chai tea concentrate in the mix for a little flair.

**None of my pictures turned out well so I borrowed the images in this post from the web - cannot claim them!