Collard Greens Cherry Tomato Frittata w/ Parsnip Hashbrowns

Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Low Carb

Ingredients:
5 eggs
3 bunches collard greens
1 small zucchini (diced)
1/2 onion (diced)
handful of cherry tomatoes
3 parsnips
Olive oil
Ginger (grated or finely chopped)
Turmeric
Salt
Pepper

Parsnip Hash:
A great alternative to regular potato hash browns!

• Rinse, then grate parsnips with a grater.
• Pan fry grated parsnips in pan with olive oil on medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat and stir regularly until crispy. Set aside (on low heat to keep warm).

Collard Green Cherry Tomato Frittata

• In large pan, heat olive oil.
• Add diced onions, ginger, and turmeric over medium heat.  Stir for 2 minutes, making sure the turmeric gets absorbed in the oil.
• Add diced zucchini and collard greens. Heat for 4-5 minutes until vegetables are medium firm (don’t overcook). To prepare and chop collards, rinse well, then fold from one side of the leaf to the other until you make a tight roll. Cut in thin slices from top of leaf towards the bottom stem. Once you start to get to the bottom, simply cut off leaves and discard the tough stem. 
• Scramble eggs in bowl. Add salt, pepper and a tablespoon of water to make fluffy.
• Pour eggs over vegetables in pan.  Cover with lid and heat for 5-7 minutes, or until egg is cooked.  Run a spatula around the edges to make sure bottom doesn’t get too stuck on the pan.
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half and garnish.  Serve warm and enjoy!  😀

**Can be refrigerated and re-heated in oven at 350 degrees as leftovers.

Benefits of Cooking with Ginger and Turmeric

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Ginger and turmeric are in the same family.  Its no wonder that they produce similar and many beneficial health properties.  Ginger has been traditionally used in Asian style cooking, while turmeric is a key ingredient in Indian inspired dishes.

Ginger tea and ginger ales have been used to settle and soothe the tummy and aid in digestion.  Dried crystallized ginger candy can be used as an all natural cough drop.  Adding ginger to your recipes also helps to strengthen your immune system and fight off the common cold.  Turmeric is also fantastic for the immune system, and studies have shown that cooking with this ingredient regularly can help prevent cancer and fight infections.

Perhaps the most powerful benefit of ginger and turmeric are their anti-inflammatory properties.  I can speak to this personally.  In my previous job, where I was required to use the computer for many hours during the day, sometimes my wrists, fingers and forearms would tense up and become inflamed.  I would then cook a dinner and incorporate turmeric and ginger into my dishes for several days, and I noticed obvious relief!  It was amazing how adding 2 simple ingredients to my meals would reduce the inflammation.

Even now sometimes if I am doing an activity that requires much hand, finger, and arm movement, sometimes I feel the the same tense, inflammatory symptoms starting to appear, however, every time I cook with turmeric and ginger, I notice that the discomfort starts to go away.  Due to this, I now incorporate ginger and turmeric in much of my cooking.  They have automatically become staples in my kitchen (along with garlic and olive oil).

Try it out. You get the best of both worlds, because not only does it taste good, but its good for you. 🙂

**Stay posted for more recipes that incorporate these health enhancing ingredients

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by Kristin Bach
Copyright 2012