For a hearty breakfast, swap out riced cauliflower for fat- and starch-filled hashed browns.(Melissa d’Arabian via AP)Breakfast menus at truck stops and diners have incredible appeal to closeted lumberjacks, with phrases like “Grand Slam” and “Breakfast Skillet” promising a meal that will fill you up for most of the day.
But eating like a lumberjack when you have a desk job makes no sense, unless you are on vacation. For a more quotidian option, try the Country-Style Skillet Breakfast.
Just a few strips of real pork bacon keep things feeling authentically diner-ish. Onions, sweet yellow peppers, spinach and garlic all add a ton of flavor (and nutrients) but hardly any calories. The real nutrient and calorie-saving workhorse of this recipe, though, is cauliflower.
Swap out the breakfast-skillet staple hash browns with riced cauliflower. It works beautifully and, not only do you save the calories of the potatoes, but also all the extra fat you need to make those hash browns crispy and tasty.
You can find riced cauliflower in most neighborhood grocery stores these days. Or simply pulse up a bunch of cauliflower florets in a food processor.
Country-Style Cauliflower Breakfast Skillet
3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
1/2 yellow or sweet onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried herbes de provence (or dried oregano or thyme)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 cups cauliflower rice (raw)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess moisture gently squeezed out
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, for garnish
4 eggs, cracked into 4 small ramekins or bowls
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large oven-safe skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic, herbs and smoked paprika, and stir.
Add the cauliflower, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lemon juice, stir, and then add the spinach, and stir until well-combined. Remove from heat and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the mixture.
Gently make four wells in the mixture with a wooden spoon. Spray each well with nonstick spray. Pour one egg into each well. Bake until eggs are done, 7-8 minutes for runny yolk, longer for firmer yolk. Sprinkle with black pepper, more salt if needed, parsley and serve. Servings: 4.