I read somewhere that root vegetables are the kale of 2015. This news excites me greatly as I am the kumara's biggest fan.
Speaking of kale and all things healthy, I have been trying to nourish my body with more than just scrambled eggs three times a day. I love eggs, they are so cheap and such a great source of protein. The only problem is that while I love a good salad, my budget and enthusiasm gets in the way. I feel like the lack of colour may be a contributing factor so my dwindling afternoon energy levels (that or the 5 hours sleep I get might not help either).
I do a lot of gym work so I still needed a lunch option high in protein to keep me going. The answer to my monotonous meal crisis came to me in the form of a frittata.
Every time I whip out my frittata at lunch time, my colleagues ooh and aah over how difficult it must have been to make. When they ask for the recipe I say there isn't one. My fritattas are basically a bunch of roasted seasonal vegetables, a handful of baby spinach, half a block of feta and as many eggs as it takes to cover it all. Recently I have been topping it off with a handful of sunflower seeds to give it a extra nutrient boost but to give the top an awesome crunchy texture.
Scout your local vege shop for the season's most affordable produce. Aubergines and courgettes are super cheap right now. Kumara and carrots are always a good option. Chop everything into roughly the same size but make the denser, slower cooking veges slightly smaller so they are all cooked at the same time.
I also sometimes make these in muffin tins lined with muffin cases to save cooking time. Each muffin sized portion makes a great snack in between meals too. These take only 15 minutes in the oven.
Roast Vegetable Fritatta
Makes 12 portions
1 large kumara, chopped into 1.5cm cubes
2 small beetroot, chopped into 1 cm cubes
3 carrots, sliced into discs
1 aubergine, sliced into 2cm pieces
Splash of olive oil
100g feta, crumbled
Half a bag of baby spinach leaves
18-20 large eggs
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 handful of grated tasty cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a large oven tray with baking paper. Toss the cubed vegetables in a the splash of oil then spread over the tray. Season with salt and pepper then roast for 25 or so minutes until they are soft and the edges start to caramelise.
Line a 25cm x 25cm or 20x30cm slice tin with baking paper. Scatter the cooked vegetables onto the base then toss through the baby spinach leaves. Sprinkle over the feta.
Whisk together all the eggs and another seasoning of salt and pepper then pour this over the vegetables. Top with the grated cheese then the sunflower seeds.
Reduce the oven temp to 180 degrees.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the centre is only just firm to the touch and the top has browned slightly. Remove and cool for ten minutes on the bench before slicing. This will keep in the fridge for around 5 or so days so makes it great to make on a Sunday for the week ahead.
Serve with a fresh salad.
Enjoy!
