Wednesday and Thursday Breakfasts

No Rice Fried Rice

As I posted a while ago, breakfast is a great meal and shouldn't be overlooked if it can be helped. I especially enjoy a hot breakfast, and a healthy breakfast is very important too. I've often wondered how to get more vegetables into the morning breakfast, and I've been able to do that this week. With the leftover zucchini I simply reheated it and topped it with an egg. The same type of breakfast occurred yesterday with an egg on top of kale sauteed with spinach. And, this morning it was a no rice fried rice. I wanted to make fried rice to use up more of the vegetables before I go to the farm stand today, so I thought that this was a great idea. Unfortunately I didn't have any leftover rice in the refrigerator. That's sacrilege living here in Hawaii and dining on a great deal of Asian style foods. I also think that having pre-made rice around is a good idea for those on a gluten-free diet. Some people stop getting enough grains, especially whole grains, in their diet when they go gluten free; but, if they kept a container of brown rice in the refrigerator they could warm some up in the microwave to have as a side dish or part of a main dish anytime.

So, no rice fried rice was born. Instead of using rice or noodles I used washed and drained mung beans as the base.

Thursday's Breakfast:

No Rice Fried Rice

(see above picture)

• 2 cups of rinsed mung beans
• 1 cup of of sugar snap peas, ends cut off and then cut in half
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 green onion, white part sliced and dark green part sliced
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Braggs, or gluten-free soy sauce to taste
• Crushed Red Pepper to taste
• Medium-heat Oil (optional)

1. Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add a little bit of oil if needed to keep the vegetables from sticking.
2. Add in the diced carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add in the whites of the onions and cook for another 1 minute.
4. Toss in the snap peas and cook until they start to get slightly blackened on the edges.
5. Incorporate the mung beans and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
6. Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet and add in the eggs. Start scrambling them, and mixing them with the vegetables. Cook until the eggs are cooked through, and the eggs sticking to the vegetables are cooked completely.
7. Spritz in some Braggs, or pour on a little gluten-free soy sauce and sprinkle in the red pepper.
8. Stir well, and serve hot.

Wednesday's Breakfast:

Sauteed Kale and Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts

Topped with a Fried Egg

Sauteed Kale and Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts

adapted from vegweb.com

• Greens and nuts:
• 1 bunch of kale, leafy part only, torn into bite size pieces
• 1 bunch of spinach (about 2 cups of leaves, compacted)
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 1/2 a medium onion, julienned and diced
• 1Tbsp Grapeseed of other medium to high heat oil

• Dressing:
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat and add in the pine nuts. Let them cook, but watch them carefully. Do not let them burn. They should be a golden color when they are done.
2. In, or over, another medium pot steam the kale and spinach for 3-5 minutes (depending on level of squishiness desired). Remove from the heat.
3. When the pine nuts are done place the kale, spinach, and pine nuts in a medium bowl. Top with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to your desired level of coating. This is where you really get to experiment and learn your palate.
4. Top with a fried, or poached egg, or serve as a side for any other dish like fish, chicken, tofu, etc. It's very versatile.