Monday, September 7, 2009

Outta This Strata-Sphere!

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The fall farmer’s market has arrived in town and I am happy ecstatic! Fresh, local, and cheap—what more could a foodie ask for? I quick swung in there before I left for the weekend and got all these goodies for $3 bucks! Acorn squash, Yukon potato, cucumber, and two veggies I have never tried—a fairy eggplant(baby eggplants) and a lemon cucumber. I love how you can ask the farmers about their produce and they’ll give you the 411. I used the fairy eggplant in today’s recipe, and I loved the lemon cuke, a little bit sweeter than your typical one. What are you farmer market favorites? I can’t wait to go back! Find a local Farmer’s Market here!

Today’s recipe is from my cookbook of the month [check it out if you haven’t already!] and of course I did make a few changes to this, but it’s basically the same idea. To say I liked this recipe would be an understatement—I loved it! I’ve made it 3 times this week. It’s perfect for on-the-go lunches and it’s really cheap to whip up.

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Most Egg-cellent Breakfast Strata

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

* 2 1/2 Tbsp low-fat herb croutons

* 1 slice of sandwich bread (white or wheat), cubed

* 4 oz Italian turkey sausage links

* 1/2 c diced zucchini

* 1/4 c minced onions

*1/4 c diced red bell pepper

* 1/2 c shredded light cheddar cheese blend

* 4 egg whites

* 1/2 c milk, I used Almond Breeze, which gave it a nice taste!

* 1/4 tsp each, black pepper and salt

**I also added 1/4 c of fairy eggplant—you could add whatever other veggies you want!**

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^[Products I used above]^

Directions

  • Spray a standard size loaf pan with cooking spray. Spread croutons and cubed bread slice evenly in the bottom of the pan.

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  • Spray a medium non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Slice sausage and add to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add zucchini, onions, eggplant, and red pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for about 3 more minutes, until veggies began to soften.

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  • To assemble strata, spoon sausage mixture evenly over croutons. Top with shredded cheese.

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  • Whisk together egg whites, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour egg mixture evenly over sausage and vegetables. Let strata stand for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • Bake, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until eggs are completely set. Let stand around 5 minutes before serving.

If you make this, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

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8 comments:

Healthy Beach Bum said...

oh wow that looks AMAZING. I love all of the cheesy goodness in there :) great recipe chica!

lex said...

Thanks for the great recipe! Looks and sounds incredible!

Jenny said...

m'mmm my daddy would loveeee this recipe! My mom used to make eggs every sunday but now she's slackin! Maybe I'll take over the roll and make this for my poppa :)

Joy of Food said...

You always come up with the most amazing recipes, Love them.

Taylor

Krista said...

Stratas are great! My Mom used to make them all the time when I was a kid.

Kim said...

I love the farmer's markets too. I haven't been lately because I've been working most Saturday mornings. My favorites are usually the baby vegetables or all the other unique things you can't find at the grocery. Love the strata. It must be good if you made it 3 times- LOL! Looks like a colorful and healthy meal: )

Anonymous said...

Oh, EGG-cellent indeed! I'm excited to try this one.
My fav thing from Farmer's markets is winter squash, and figs!

Erica said...

mmm this looks so good and would work for breakfast, lunch or din din! Nice work chica and great farmers market find (thanks for the website- what a fabulous resource). I love any and all fruit from the farmers market along with pumpkins/squash