What I'm calling "Eggs Italiano"

Every Sunday morning I make a big breakfast. A big breakfast that consists of eggs of some sort. Omlettes, huevos rancheros, scrambles, over-easy, hard boiled, baked, you name a way to make eggs and I've done it. Why? Because eggs are an excellent source of protein. Because eggs are so versatile. Because, even with the whole cholesterol thing eggs are still good for you. Because, I love eggs. No, seriously, almost as much as cheese and that's saying something.

My love of all things egg leaves me sometimes baffled on how to fix them. I don't like to make them the same way in the same month. Call me fickle or ADD but fried over-easy with toast every single Sunday gets old.

One of my favorite ways to eat eggs is Eggs Benedict but since I don't eat meat the Benedict part is a little difficult. So I do my own version with veggies but it did start me thinking. What is the essentials of Eggs Benedict? What makes the quintessential Eggs Benedict? Bread, meat, poached eggs and sauce. Swapping out the meat with veggies makes for a veggie version.

Poaching eggs is a bitch so I don't always do it. Instead I steam them more than poach them. This recipe calls for them to be steamed. I'm just trying to make them easier for ya'll. I truly want you to believe that I steam them to make it easier on all of you. I deeply want you to believe this because if I had to admit how lazy I am it would be embarrassing.

Enough of this tomfoolery. Let's just get to the how-to portion of the post. There isn't really a strict recipe for this meal. It is more of a clean out the icebox and add a theme.

Here is our cast of characters.
It is mostly a batch of stuff I had hanging out contentedly in my icebox.
Little did they know that I would be making them into our breakfast.
I mean, this group had to know that they were to become something for us to eat.
They just may not have thought they'd be an egg dish.
If they had any kind of conscience thought that is.

Chop up the onion, mushrooms, and garlic.
I used about a 1/4 of a medium onion, a half a cup of sliced mushrooms and 1 clove of garlic.

Over medium heat warm up some olive oil.
When the oil is hot toss in the onion and mushroom.
When they are cooked soft toss in the chopped garlic.
I'm using my all time favorite pan.
My 10 inch cast iron fry pan.
Nothing ever sticks to it.
A well seasoned cast iron pan is a thing of beauty.
I buy mine from Goodwill or re-sale junk shops.
People are always screwing them up by washing them with soap and water. *horror!!!*
A piece of steel wool, a little vegetable shortening, a couple of hours in the oven and the pans are better than new.
Sorry, that's another how-to for another time.

Next comes the spinach.
Or you can use a mixture of spinach and basil or arugula.
I had about a cup of spinach that was one step away from turning into a slime fest.
Wilt it down just a little bit.
Pop a couple of slices of bread into the toaster.

Pour about 3/4 of the can of diced tomatoes into the spinach mixture.
Or the whole can if you have more to feed than just two.
I had just bought a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with oregano, basil and garlic at Kroger for .45 cents. Score!
When the juice is hot make wells into the mixture to crack the eggs into.

Like this.
Push the mixture around to make as many wells as you need.

Crack the eggs into each well.
2 for JR and 1 for me.
Put a lid on the pan.
Turn the heat down to medium low.

Butter up the toast with some pesto if you have it.
Butter with a sprinkle of dried basil or Italian seasoning will work also.
Toss a slice or two of mozzarella cheese on top of the pesto.

Steam the eggs to your preferred done-ness.
I like mine a bit runy.
JR...not so much.
So his go into the pan first and come out last.

Plate it up.
Put a little more pesto on top.
Maybe another slice of mozzarella or two.
You can never go wrong with cheese.
Serve with a bit of cafe au lait, perfection!
And, Sunday breakfast becomes an event.

This would make a great meatless Monday dinner also.

Love,
M