Keeley's Kale and Potato Frittata

Keeley's Kale and Potato Frittata

A frittata can be described as an Italian omelette. But, there's no folding involved so it's totally easy to make. Take some eggs, some meat and/or veg and some cheese, and you've got the makings for a frittata. Hey, you may have even made one already without knowing what it was. Frittata is a delicious way to start the day, to feature at brunch, or to make a quick supper when you're really busy and really hungry.

This particular frittata is the creation of my daughter Keeley. Basically, she took what we had on hand to make this. You can easily do the same. You can add some cooked meats (ham or spicy sausage are tasty in frittatas), switch out the kale and potato for some spinach or broccoli or peppers or whatever other veggie bits you might have to use in the refrigerator, and use your favourite cheese in place of the cheddar.

Keeley’s Kale and Potato Frittata

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 cup potatoes, cooked and cubed

1 bunch (about 2-3 cups) kale, washed, dried and chopped

8 eggs, lightly beaten

1 to 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Kale pile-up

In a large frying pan on medium heat, add olive oil, garlic and onion. Sauté until onions are softened.

Add potatoes and fry until they are warmed through. If you are using meat, add it now and cook until it also warmed through.

Add kale and sauté, stirring frequently, until it’s wilted.

Adding the eggs

Pour eggs over the vegetable mixture and stir to combine ingredients. Cover pan and let cook until eggs are almost done. You may want to lift the lid and give the eggs a stir once or twice while they are cooking. It’s not a must do, but will get things cooking a little faster and depending on your pan, it may prevent sticking.

When the eggs are almost cooked through, sprinkle on the cheese. Cover again for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Serve at once.

Makes 4 hearty servings.

Printable Recipe for Keeley's Kale and Potato Frittata

Banana Love: Banana Coconut French Toast

Banana-stuffed Coconut-crusted French Toast with Chocolate Sauce

Guilty pleasures … we all have them. One of mine is Steven and Chris: a weekday tv show on CBC. Whenever I get the chance to steal an hour in the afternoon, I like to put my feet up and watch Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman and their guests as they cover the latest in design, health, beauty, relationships, entertaining and, of course, cooking. It’s a light, fun show and I always learn something new. On one show a while back, their guest Chef Voula presented some recipes for weekend cooking and, because of my boundless love of bananas, I had to try making banana-stuffed French toast. It was so good I made it two weekends in a row. 

Here’s my version of Banana-Stuffed Coconut-Crusted French Toast with Chocolate Sauce. FYI - This is not the time to use those ugly, slightly squishy bananas in the freezer. Use them instead for Sweet-topped Banana Muffins or Good Ol' Banana Bread. For this delicious treat, use ripe bananas that are still nice and firm.

MA’s Banana-stuffed Coconut-crusted French Toast

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Lightly oil or butter a baking sheet.

1 loaf French bread, unsliced

3 bananas

1 – 398 ml tin coconut milk, well shaken, separated into ½ cup and 1 ¼ cup

5 eggs

½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups milk

2 cups desiccated, shredded or flaked coconut

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Banana slices stuffed into bread pocket

Cut bread into six slices, each about 1” thick. With a sharp knife, cut a slit into the middle of each slice to make a pocket.

Peel and slice bananas into rounds, each about ½ “ thick. Divide into six portions. Stuff the bananas into the bread pockets. Gently press down on filled bread. Place stuffed slices onto a large baking dish (use two dishes, if you need more room).

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, ½ cup of coconut milk, milk and vanilla. Pour mixture over stuffed slices, covering bread evenly. Let soak for 10 minutes, turn slices over gently and let soak for another 5 minutes.

Cover soaked slices with coconut

Spread coconut onto a large plate. One at a time, gently place slices into coconut, turning to coat each side evenly. 

Ready for the oven

Place each slice on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn each piece over, and bake for another 15 minutes or until nicely golden.

Chocolate and coconut milk for the sauce

Chocolate Sauce: In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl fitted over a sauce pan, put the chocolate chips and the 1¼ cup coconut milk. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts and combines with the milk. The sauce will be smooth and shiny. 

Note: If you don’t use all the sauce on the French toast, put it in the fridge and melt it down to use it later. Keeps about a week.

Serve warm stuffed French toast topped with chocolate sauce. Garnish with more sliced bananas. Enjoy!

Makes six servings.

Printable Recipe for MA's Banana-stuffed Coconut-crusted French Toast