Okra

Decided I needed to use up some of the okra I got last weekend at the farmers market.  So, as I was digging through recipes (I only wanted to use a bit of them because I still plan to make okra and tomatoes), I ran across an idea for mini crustless frittatas.  Well, I made them this morning and they were actually quite nice!  Might have to think about changing my quiches into mini quiches for grab-and-go ease.

Mini Okra Frittatas
Adapted from: http://arentedkitchen.com/2012/09/24/mini-okra-frittata-cups/

• 1 cup sliced okra*
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 slices cooked bacon, diced
• 6 large eggs**
• 1/2 cup 1/2% milk
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 2 mini-muffin pans.  

Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add okra and saute for about 5 minutes until browned and crispy.  Add minced garlic and continue cooking until fragrant.  Remove from heat. 

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk, panko and seasonings until smooth.  Add the okra, bacon and cheese.  Fill muffin cups to top and bake, about 12 minutes, until the frittatas are puffed and cooked through.

*farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Eggs With Bacon and Greens

This morning I was packing up Renee's part of the share and decided the young greens we got looked really nice. I had also picked up some thick-cut bacon, so, I thought maybe scrambled eggs with bacon and greens would make a good breakfast.

Eggs with Bacon and Greens

3 slices thick-cut bacon*
1 small handful baby greens*
2 farm-fresh eggs*
1/4 cup skim milk*
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 ounces cheddar-jack

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Place the slices of bacon in the skillet and cook, turning once until the edges start to brown. Remo e from pan and drain on paper towels. When cooled, cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Wash greens and dry on paper towels (or a salad spinner if you have one), cut into bite-size pieces. Drain bacon grease from pan, reserving 1 tbsp. Heat pan again, add greens and cook until wilted. Add bacon back to pan. Whip eggs with milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over greens and bacon. Sprinkle with cheese and cook, stirring, until just cooked.

*CSA ingredients

Squash and Egg Casserole

This morning, we are having a goodbye breakfast for our lab tech, Matt.  He has decided to leave us and head to the Big Apple to work at Sloan-Kettering while waiting for an answer on his medical school applications.  I decided that maybe it was time to do something a little different in saying goodbye to Matt.  So I asked him if he liked breakfast.  He responded with a resounding yes.  Instead of asking the boss to pay for lunch (and be limited to 3 restaurants because of the lab's allergies), I invited our colleague's lab to join us and asked everyone to bring a dish to pass.  My dish, because I am still trying to use up everything I got during the 2 weeks Renee was in Italy, is an egg casserole.  I decided on this because I knew I had turkey bacon and a summer squash in my refrigerator.  This morning, when I went to get ingredients together, I discovered a second summer squash.  So instead of making a strata type casserole (which is a bit of a problem for me and for my boss who is celiac), I decided to just use the squash and bacon.

Squash and Bacon Egg Casserole
Note: I used turkey bacon in this recipe because I had it in my refrigerator and it's easy because it's precooked.  If you prefer, you can use regular bacon (which we often get from the CSA), but you would need to cook it before adding it to the casserole.  And if you are cooking bacon, you might as well cook up some onions as well ;).  I didn't put onion in this casserole because it was sort of a dump and bake recipe today.  I would do it differently given the time and availability of ingredients.

•  1 lb smoked turkey bacon
• 2 medium yellow crookneck squash*, halved and sliced thin
• 4 cups cheese (I used sharp cheddar and Italian blend)
• 12 eggs*
• 2 1/4 cups milk* (I used skim)
• salt, pepper and dried basil, to taste

Dice the bacon; place bacon and squash into baking dish and mix well.  Sprinkle with cheese.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk and seasonings; beat until smooth.  Pour egg mixture over squash and bacon.  Bake 10 minutes at 400F and then reduce heat to 350F.  Bake and additional 15-20 minutes or until a knife, inserted into the center of the casserole, comes out clean.

*CSA ingredients.