While they are not new, there are certain things that we take for granted because we are familiar with them. I believe (at least for me), that that was the case with spinach (callaloo/poi bhaji) and eggs, as a combination, cooked and eaten together. Most of the times that I have cooked spinach and eggs was in the form of a folded omelette. If you’ve never had the combo before, I suggest you give it a try. Here’s why.
It’s healthy and packed with a variety of nutrients. Eggs are a good source of vitamin B12 (essential for the formation of red blood cells) and B2 which plays a vital role in maintaining the body’s energy supply. Eggs also contain high amounts of selenium, which is an antioxidant that teams up with vitamin E and other antioxidants to fight off diseases. On the other hand, spinach is a very good source of vitamin C, among other things.
It’s good for people who are pursuing a low carb diet.
It is quick and easy to put together. They are ingredients that cook up quickly.
It’s good at any meal of the day – breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
Eggs and spinach offer up different ways in which they can be prepared.
They can be cooked separately and eaten together as I have done in the photo shown – scrambled eggs and sauteed (fried) spinach.
They can be cooked together by chopping the spinach and adding it to beaten eggs then cooking.
The eggs can be made into a thin crepe-like pancake and topped with sauteed spinach.
As suggested in #2, when mixed they can be baked as muffins, and you can add milk to the mixture for added lightness.
Of course, they can be made into a folded omelette.
The combination, fried, can be sandwiched between slices of bread or stuffed into any kind of bread roll – tennis roll, salt bread, coco bread, hops bread etc. It can fill up float bakes making for some good hearty eating.
When cooking spinach this way (with eggs) I like to use the young leaves and not necessarily the mature large ones. I find the younger leaves to be more suited to this sort of quick cooking. Adding cheese to the eggs and spinach – whether grated and mixed/folded in, or sliced or grated on top to simply melt from the residual heat from cooking – takes this combination to another level of goodness.
Consider the ways suggested that eggs and spinach can be cooked together and tell me that you don’t think that you might be able to get a picky eater to eat spinach and eggs. Sometimes it is how we cook and present something that encourages others to try it. You may find that they like it one way and not the other. Using myself as an example: You would be hard pressed to get me to eat carrots cooked in soups, stews, roasted or in a stir fry. Raw is how I can eat carrots. The only time I can eat it cooked is in fried rice. I cook carrots in chow mein, but I don’t like it. I usually put more bora in the chow mein so that I can pretend the cooked carrots are not there. On the occasions that I have eaten it cooked, I have closed my eyes pretending that it’s not there.
The other day I came home from work famished. I did not want to eat any of the cooked food I had in the refrigerator. Earlier that day, the eggs I had ordered from a farmer were delivered, and a colleague-friend had brought me spinach from his family’s garden. It was no brainer cooking the spinach and eggs. I wanted them cooked separately to be eaten together; it was about going with the flow. In terms of seasoning, all I used was salt, freshly ground black pepper, onions and some sliced hot peppers. It was yet another reminder of less is more. I know some people would call me out for this, but I think that sometimes we have too many and too much seasonings in things. As the saying goes, ‘we does overdo it’, or ‘we does over do dee do’.
The next time you are looking for something quick and easy to make, regardless of the meal, think of one of the ways mentioned above that you can put together spinach and eggs.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
