Mariah Can’t Cook: Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata
25/06/2013 § 3 Comments
I will freely admit that I am not an expert when it comes to cooking, nor is it something I frequently do. In fact, at home, I actually keep my shoes in the kitchen cupboards where my pots and pans should be. My cardinal rule is that if I make something that you can consume, it’s to be considered “cooking” — and this includes cocktails, natch.
That said, I do enjoy eating well and luckily I have a someone to help me hone my (lackluster) culinary skills: my good friend Tara Cole, who is a holistic health and nutrition counselor. She patiently spent a recent morning cooking with me and passed along this super easy recipe for a sweet potato and kale frittata that looks a good deal fancier than it actually is. So whether you’re making an effort to impress the in-laws or to simply step up your home brunch game, I can attest that anyone can make this. Even me.
Frittata ingredients:
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (thinly sliced)
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 1 pepper (any color, diced)
- 5 stalks of kale (de-stemmed and ripped apart)
- 6 eggs
- goat cheese
- fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp almond milk (optional)
- olive oil (for cooking)
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1-2 scallions (sliced for garnish)
- grape tomatoes (sliced for garnish)
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of fresh nutmeg (optional)
- red pepper flake (optional)
Salad and dressing ingredients:
- mixed greens
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ lemon (juice)
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Note: must use an oven-safe pan (no rubber handles).
Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
Saute sliced sweet potatoes in olive oil in a medium-heat pan for 10 minutes, (season with salt and pepper) stirring constantly. Once fork-tender, add in the onions and peppers and season, saute for 5-7 minutes (you may need to add a bit more olive oil). Add in both vinegars, stir, add kale and season, mix for 1-2 minutes. Whisk eggs and milk together, add thyme, nutmeg, and red pepper flake, and pour into pan. Ensure that the egg mixture is evenly distributed in pan, add as much goat cheese as you like. Place pan in preheated oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked. Serve with diced tomatoes and scallions on top, and side salad (recipe below).
Salad: In a bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard,
and salt and pepper, mix together then toss in lettuce.
Voila! Fancy (looking)!
Tara assures me this is a great basic recipe to get creative with. She suggested substituting in things like mushrooms, Gruyere cheese, fennel, and/or spinach. If you have any questions — or would like more recipes — hop over to Tara’s site and she will set you right up. Enjoy!
Resolved: 2012
02/01/2012 § 10 Comments
Photo via George Eastman House
“Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account”
Oscar Wilde
In referring to my often-neglected journal to find my resolutions for 2011 and 2010, I saw a few repeats, a few things I achieved, a few things I failed miserably at, and a few things I completely forgot that I had resolved to do. With this in mind — along with Oscar’s words above — I’ve decided to pare down my list for this year, from its usual ten or eleven item list to six. Thus, here are the six things I can achieve, and will achieve, this year:
- Travel to at least one new country. I’ve managed to keep my streak alive for the last three years, and I’m definitely committed to continuing this year. Currently thinking my new country for 2012 will be somewhere in North Africa, Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe, but this is definitely not nailed down yet. Have any suggestions for me?
- Run two half marathons. I ran the New York Marathon in 2010, and have run plenty of road races of shorter lengths over the past 4 years (view my running posts here). Admittedly, after the marathon, I suffered from a bit of burnout and my training has been uneven ever since. This year I resolve to run two half marathons. I will give myself extra points for sub-2 hour finishes, but I will be more than happy with two uninjured, smiling finishes. I’ve got a former international competitor as a training partner (eesh!), but she assures me she needs just as much training as I do. We’ll see about that. Have any races you’d suggest I look into? Even better, would you like to run with me?
- Cook some things. My friends frequently point out that I blog about plenty of interesting things, cocktails and whatnot, but I almost never mention food. Were you to look into my refrigerator, you might understand why. It currently holds water, condiments, booze and two oranges. And the oranges are for making Old Fashioneds. I also cannot honestly remember the last time I used my oven or stove. So in 2012, I’m resolving to actually buy myself groceries and cook at least once a week. (Sidenote: Please do understand that “cooking” shall be construed quite liberally.) Have any ridiculously easy, yet nutritious and delicious recipes for me?
- I’m on a horse. This was actually a 2011 resolution that I did not achieve, and so it’s getting carried over. For as horse crazy as I am, I really have no excuse for not riding anymore. I grew up taking all different kinds of lessons — even mounted drill team…yes, I am that awesome — and I still feel the need to get on a horse almost daily. Admittedly, it can be a bit difficult doing so, living in New York City, but this just can’t keep being the reason I don’t ride. This year, be it lessons, a trail ride, or perhaps even a dude ranch, I will get myself on a horse. How do you make time for your interests? Do you ride?
- To read twelve books. I’ve always been a rather voracious consumer of all sorts of information, but I have found that in the last year my reading of books has been a record low. Not acceptable. To that end, I resolve to read twelve books — hopefully, one a month — in 2012. Read any great books lately? How is this best accomplished? Do you think I need an e-reader?
- To live with purpose. Rather abstract, I admit, but 2012 will definitely be my year of living with purpose. Making decisions, choosing actions to make sure I achieve my goals, focusing on the immediate as a way to get to the eventual. My life is best lived when I grab it by the horns, summon up the courage and blaze my own trail. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have ever lived in Italy by myself, travelled alone in Europe, moved to New York, or gone to law school — and who knows what else. No sitting on the sidelines this year. No letting life meander on without making affirmative decisions of my own. Live like that, and life will pass you by. How do you put your words into action? How do you live with purpose?
Lastly, I’m excited to see what 2012 will bring for ye olde blog. A big thank you to everyone who takes the time to read, email me, comment, Tumbl, Tweet, Pin and otherwise share the rather random stuff I post about. I’m deeply grateful for your indulgence and I look forward to learning more from you in 2012.
Here’s to having our best year ever. Cheers!
Quite Continental 