Mornings

I am definitely a morning person. Everything seems so much better when you have the whole day in front of you, especially if it is accompanied by a hot cup of coffee or tea. I also love mornings because of breakfast, the greatest meal of the day! Filled with fruit, grains, nuts, and of course one of my favorite foods in the whole world muffins, there is nothing like a sweet wholesome breakfast to get your day going.

As much as I love my sweet breakfasts, I am sometimes in the mood for something more savory. I have never been a huge egg person but the recipe below (which I made up one morning) is really good...and contains whole grains, vegetables and protein.

An Unusual Breakfast Sandwich
1 bunch of collard greens (or turnip greens, chard, mustard greens, or kale*)
2 cloves of freshly pressed garlic
fresh grated ginger** (as much as you want, I think I use about 1/2 T)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
small green bell pepper (optional)
sun dried tomatoes

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add ginger, garlic, pepper, and greens and cook for a couple of minutes on medium high until they start to wilt. Add some water and continue to cook the greens until they turn a bright green and start to soften (you can cook longer if you want them to wilt more, I prefer them less wilted). Add balsamic vinegar (I use about two T. but I like a lot of vinegar) and sun dried tomatoes (4-5) and a little more olive oil (1 t) and cook for a bit longer. Remove from heat when they seem to be dark green but not yet completely wilted. Put greens on a plate.
2. In the same pan melt one pat of butter. Crack an egg into the pan and fry the egg.
3. Meanwhile toast some rye bread (whole wheat works too but rye is really good). Drizzle toast lightly with balsamic vinegar.
4. Assemble sandwich: Toast, egg, and greens.

Using a bunch of greens will give you enough for two-three sandwich's depending on your consumption of the greens so fry as many eggs as necessary. I eat this breakfast as an open-faced sandwich but you could definitely add another piece of toast if you like.
*Kale- needs longer to cook and is a little tougher, I prefer collard greens or chard with this sandwich

**If you buy a fresh ginger root (so good!) you should store it in the freezer. It will last a lot longer and then you can have fresh ginger whenever. Just thaw a little before you use!

One final comment- if this does not sound like an appetizing breakfast try it as a fun (but super easy and cheap) dinner. Broil some french bread drizzled with olive oil and then drizzle on the balsamic vinegar and add the egg and greens.