With organic and free range eggs readily available to purchase these days, my love of anything eggs is catered for.  The taste and colour of the eggs are very enticing and well worth the effort of finding a good supply.  Check out your local farmers market or vege shops.  You may be lucky enough to have your own backyard supply if you have chooks.

There are so many ways of cooking with eggs so I decided to look at how many ways there were of using your vegetable crops with eggs.  The options are endless but here are a few favourites to tempt you.  Most quantities are up to the cook and how many you are cooking for.
This is one of my favourite go-to dishes and I have made it so many times I can remember the recipe.  Sometimes referred to as a crustless quiche, it is great for using up leftovers in the fridge.  It is also a perfect way of getting the kids to eat some veges.  Grate what you can and then add extra veges as desired. 

Vegetables that I have used are zucchini, carrot, parsnip, kumara, potato (all best grated).  These are good cut into small pieces; capsicum, asparagus, broccoli, gai lan, cauliflower, eggplant, celery, corn, pumpkin.  Leafy vegetables are good too; spinach, kale, silverbeet, pak choi.

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, mix the following:

• 6 eggs
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup grated cheese (tasty works well)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

2.  Add 2-3 cups of vegetables, herbs and seasoning and mix to combine.
3.  Pour mixture into flan/pie dish and cook at 180C for approx 35mins until golden on top.

Serves 4 - 6

 

Hearty greens with vinaigrette, poached egg & Parmesan

Feeling like a good intake of greens.  Try cooking this simple and tasty dish using just one or a combination of kale, silverbeet, spinach, broccoli and zucchini.

Directions:

1.  Lightly cook your greens in a little water or stock - 2 minutes is sufficient if you like your greens a little crunchy.
2.  Cook poached egg.
3.  Grate some parmesan cheese.
4.  Place greens in a bowl and dress with your favourite vinegarette.
5.  Sprinkle with parmesan.
6. Top with poached egg and season.

Enjoy.

   
Make your scrambled eggs as per normal.  Mix a handful of watercress through at the end, just before serving.  Delicious peppery eggs!

You can also stir through microgreens, rocket or baby spinach.

 
This is a quick and easy brunch dish.

1.  Chop up your vegetables into small cubes and mix with a little oil and a chopped onion in your pan.
2.  Cook hash in your pan and when nearly cooked, break as many eggs as you require into the hash to cook.

Some popular combinations are;

• Kumara & beetroot
• Asparagus & potato
• Brussel sprouts & leek

Another option is to use muffin tins to make individual hash with an egg on top.  Just make sure you grease the muffin pan really well or line with baking paper.


 
Make an omelette with the simplest of ingredients.  Fill with fresh tomato, basil, capsicum and red onion.
 
A lovely way to use your spaghetti squash.  Cook it as a hash with onions and herbs and add poached eggs.
Look at these impressive stuffed capsicum.  Make a bean casserole or savoury rice, spoon some of the mixture into the hollowed out capsicum and top with an egg.
   

• 1 x 425g can whole medium beets, with juice
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 1 medium onion, sliced into rings
• 1 cup white vinegar
• ¹⁄₂ cup white sugar
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. In saucepan, boil vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt and garlic powder until sugar is melted.
2. Let cool In large container, combine beets, eggs, and onions.
3. Pour vinegar mixture over all and mix to combine.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (the longer this sits, the better it gets).

Savoury meringue

When writing this blog I wondered if this was a possibility.  All indications are that you have to move away from using natural ingredients to create a meringue that is not sweet.  Just adding a savoury element such as a savoury powder is not enough and any wet ingredients negate the lightness you are trying to create when beating the egg whites.  If you have any experience with making savoury meringue with natural ingredients, we would love to hear about it.