Green Omelet

Spinach is a common omelet filling. Last night I used lacinato kale instead for an exceptionally healthy dinner. I served the omelet with stovetop beets and carrots, and stewed green beans and tomatoes from our garden.

I'm a fan of the complete food that is an egg. All that guff about them raising cholesterol was debunked years ago. Very little dietary cholesterol gets passed into the blood. Stress, sugar and trans fats are worse for your blood fat numbers than eggs.

Eggs are a good source of nutrients. One egg contains 6 grams of protein and some healthful unsaturated fats. Eggs are also a good source of choline (which has been linked with preserving memory) and lutein and zeaxanthin (good for the eyes).Eggs are also a good source of Vitamin D.

Surprisingly, there's only been one large study that looked at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease, and it found no connection between the two.

I'm lucky enough to be able to buy eggs laid by true free-range chickens - they live in an orchard eating bugs. I'm sure their eggs are healthier than those of factory-farmed, corn-fed chickens. Or worse, chickens being fed ground-up chicken feathers in their diet.

But if you can get good eggs, enjoy them.

I cooked the kale especially for the omelets, but I could have used leftover cooked greens instead. One bunch made enough for four omelets, so I stored the extra in the fridge to stir into cooked rice later this week.

I'm not an omelet expert, so if you have a way that works for you, use it. Or follow my instructions and remember that the worst thing that can happen is you'll wind up with scrambled eggs with the filling stirred in. How bad is that?

Omelet with a Filling of Lacinato Kale
1 bunch lacinato (dinosaur) kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 inch sprig fresh rosemary
dried chile flakes
1 small clove garlic, thinly sliced
salt to taste

Remove the stems from the kale and discard. Blanch the leaves in boiling salted water for 3 minutes until bright green. Drain and chop coarsely.

Heat oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion, rosemary and a sprinkling of chile flakes. Cook 2 minutes then add garlic and a sprinkling of salt. When the onion is translucent and starting to color, add the kale. Cook over medium-low heat, covered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring often. The kale will turn a deep almost black color, become soft, and then almost a little crisp. If it starts to brown, add a little hot water from the kettle and scrape the browned bits off the bottom. They'll add to the flavor. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

Omelet
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter
cooked greens
1 tbsp diced mild cheese
1 tbsp diced tomato
salt and pepper to taste

Warm butter in an 8- or 9-inch omelet pan over medium heat. Lightly beat eggs with 1 tbsp water and a little salt and pepper. When the butter stops sizzling in the pan, pour in the eggs. Let the eggs sit until the bottom dries a little, then lift up an edge with a thin metal spatula and let the runny egg flow underneath. Keep going for a couple of minutes until the top is almost dry. Place the filling ingredients on one half: 1/4 of the greens, 1 tbsp diced cheese, 1 tbsp diced tomato. Fold the other half over the filling, and carefully slide the omelet onto a plate. Serves 1