Breakfast of Champions

I had a craving for kale and eggs for breakfast today, as I sometimes do. I knew I had some kale in the fridge that needed to be used. Then I realized that today was the day to put the garbage out so I started digging through the refrigerator. I decided to use up a rice mix that I'd be given: light brown rice with quinoa and other grains. I find that both brown rice and quinoa do not have a long shelf life and usually keep both these grains in the fridge or freezer.

Digging through my produce drawers I found not only the aforementioned kale but also some old leek ends, half an onion and a shallot, carrots that were looking tired as well as fresher ones, some white mushrooms and a beautiful head of broccoli crowns that I just bought. There was also the remnants of an aging bunch of parsley.

The older, tireder produce went into a pot for vegetable stock along with some celery tops and bay leaf. Then I started chopping veggies for my stir fry. The onion skins and ends went into the stock pot along with the mushroom stems. I used a clove of garlic in my stir fry so the skin of that went into the stockpot, too.

For the stir fry I started with a nice, heavy non-stick skillet. I keep a blend of grapeseed and olive oil for cooking near the stove so I put a couple tablespoons of that and heated the skillet to med high. My produce was washed and ready and my aromatics sliced and diced. The onion and shallot went into the skillet, then the crushed garlic. (I add ingredients and then chop the next batch while the first round is getting started cooking.) The chopped carrots went in next, then the mushrooms, broccoli and finally the kale, adding ingredients according to how quickly they cook or how tender I want them done. Then a little salt and pepper...

I try to always keep some organic sundried tomatoes around. They add great depth and richness to many dishes. I also had some chipotles in adobo sauce in the fridge, so I diced up a couple of the tomatoes and one chipotle and added that into my skillet. 

At this point my vegetable broth (and rice) were pretty much done so I added a scoop of the broth to my skillet to braise the vegetables. When they were done I cleared a spot in the center of the pan and cracked an egg* into the center, added a little more broth, lowered the heat and covered the pan. 

When the egg was done I plated my dish: rice, then egg then veggies. I can't even tell you how yummy this was, the chipotle added just the right touch of smoky heat to this hearty dish. It really hit the spot on this overcast and chilly day.

Plus, my fridge is cleaned out and I utilized a lot of groceries that would have ended up in the garbage. And I have a pot of vegetable stock to cook with the rest of the week. :)

*I like to use antibiotic/hormone free eggs and meat. Preferably cage free, too.