Jamie Oliver's : Mushroom and Kale Frittata : Low Carb

Jamie Oliver is a British chef and restaurateur who is known for his approachable cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants.

Jamie says, "My frittata makes mushrooms the star of the dish. Not only do they add a whole load of flavour, but they have a deliciously meaty texture. I've buddied them up with a little cheese, garlic and crispy kale for a beautiful, simple dish - happy days!"

Ingredients

Serves Four
400g mixed mushrooms
100g curly kale
1 tbsp olive oil
4 spring onions (scallions)
75g cottage cheese
40g Cheddar
3 garlic cloves
8 large free-range eggs
2 beef tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
15g fresh basil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Slice or tear the mushrooms into a 26cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan and dry-fry on a medium heat for 5 mins or until slightly charred, then remove to a plate – you may need to work in batches.

2. Put the kale in a bowl, drizzle over ½ a tbsp olive oil and add a small pinch of salt. Toss together, then give the leaves a scrunch with your hands.
3. Trim and finely slice the spring onions, then tip into the bowl with the cottage cheese. Finely grate in the Cheddar, season with pepper and mix well.
4. Finely slice the garlic, add to the pan with ½ tbsp olive oil and cook for 2 mins or until golden. Add the mushrooms and season.
5. Lightly beat the eggs, then pour into the pan, moving the egg around with a spatula for 1 min before allowing it to settle. Arrange the kale over the top, pushing it into the egg a little. Dollop over spoons of the cheese mixture, then transfer to the oven for 10 mins or until golden and nicely set.
6. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil, season to taste and pick over the basil leaves.
7. Loosen the edges of the frittata with a spatula, then slide onto a board. Serve in wedges with the fresh tomato salad.

Nutrition Per Serving

Fat 19g Protein 21.8g Carbohydrates 4.7g Fibre 1.5g

From original recipe idea here

Kale is a leafy green vegetable that’s part of the brassica family which includes broccoli and cauliflower. Like all good brassicas it’s packed with vitamins and fibre.

It can be eaten cooked or raw. Although the latter does require some chewing!

There are three main varieties:
1. Curly Green Kale (pictured above)
2. Curly Purple Kale
3. Tuscan Kale.
(It’s also called Cavolo Nero, Lacitano Kale or Dinosaur Kale)

Not everyone enjoys kale, so here are the best kale substitutes:
1. Collard Greens
In terms of flavour and texture collard greens are the closest match to kale and can be used interchangeably.
2. English Spinach
The most common green, English spinach or spinach has a more green ‘spinachy’ flavour than kale. And the leaves are much more soft and delicate. However if you just want to add some cooked greens to a dish, spinach including defrosted frozen spinach is a good kale substitute.
Spinach isn’t great eaten raw though so don’t use it in recipes where the kale is uncooked.
3. Baby Spinach Leaves
If your recipes calls for raw kale or baby kale leaves, baby spinach is your best bet. The thing to note is baby spinach is more delicate so you won’t need to massage and probably won’t need as much dressing.
4. Swiss Chard / Rainbow Chard (Silverbeet)
Similar to English Spinach the chard family is great in cooked kale recipes. The stems of chard are larger and stronger in flavour than kale stems so you may like to compost the stems or use for another dish. Or cook the stems separately – expect them to take longer than kale to soften.
Unless your chard is super young and tender, it will be too bitter to eat raw.
5. Mustard Greens
While these have a strong hot mustardy flavour when raw, once cooked they taste a lot like kale. Texturally similar too. And packed with nutrition!
Young mustard greens can be lovely raw if you like a little heat.
6. Chinese Broccoli
While the stems are much thicker and the leaves are smaller, Chinese broccoli does taste similar to kale. Not a good choice for raw kale dishes due to the thick stems.
7. Broccoli Raab / Sprouting Broccoli
Not as leafy as kale, however a good kale substitute for cooked dishes that include the stems.
8. Turnip / Kohlrabi Tops
Slightly different in flavour to kale, these green tops of fellow members of the brassica family can be used instead of kale. If the leaves are young and tender they can be used raw like kale leaves.

You can read more about 'The Best Simple Kale Substitutes' here

You will find a variety of recipe ideas and articles within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan