Sunday wasn’t my favorite day for many years. The end of the weekend gave me the blues from childhood onward, in general — until brunch became the joy we know it as today. Brunch mitigates the difficulty of saying good-bye to a day or two of rest, if you’re doing it right. And once I married Marshall a few years back, brunch became a celebration I enjoy more than ever. His buttermilk biscuits, omelets, cinnamon rolls, and exquisite waffles (we have a 1960s-era Sunbeam waffle iron that cranks out perfect specimens) are works of art — hardly surprising, given that he’s an accomplished artist. But these days, we’re trying to eat more healthfully more often. We’ll still have a Sunday brunch splurge of the most indulgent variety now and then, of course. On the Sundays when we need to behave, however, this frittata recipe comes to the rescue. It can be made with any vegetables on hand, and just a little bit of feta or Parmesan goes a long way. This version includes broccoli, rainbow chard, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, yellow bell pepper and green onion, because that’s what was in our crisper. You can use asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, potatoes, green peas, black beans, jalapeno — whatever strikes your fancy. I love its ease of moving from stovetop to oven, giving me a minute to toast some bread and cut up fruit to go alongside. Leftovers are easily reheated for breakfast during the week, too. Sundays are still fun, thankfully, even when we’re eating right.
Serves 4
6 to 8 large eggs
½ cup whole milk, low-fat milk, or plain almond milk
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 cups loosely packed, roughly chopped chard
1 cup sliced cremini or white button mushrooms
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
½ cup chopped green onion, green and white parts
¾ cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 to 3 teaspoons garlic granules, to taste
1 tablespoon dried herbs de provence
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk eggs with milks and set aside.
Heat about half the olive or avocado oil over medium heat in cast iron skillet and saute broccoli, chard, mushrooms and bell pepper for 3 to 4 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add green onion, tomatoes, garlic granules, dried herbs, salt and pepper, stirring for another minute or two. If vegetables stick, add a little more oil, and stirring. Pour egg mixture evenly over vegetables. Scatter feta cheese on top and transfer skillet to oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, just until egg is set at center. Serve hot.
