I haven’t posted a recipe on a Friday in a long time, but this week has just been so crazy I really don’t have time for anything more “in-depth” today. But that’s okay, because as recipes go this one is pretty good – especially if you’re a fan of garlic.

I have a co-worker who is diabetic and no longer eats things like cereal and pancakes for breakfast, but complains that he is tired of eggs. I can certainly understand that – most cultures have very strong ideas about what constitutes “breakfast food” and many Americans have trouble viewing last night’s leftovers as a viable option for their first meal of the day, even though it’s a good one.

I’m certainly guilty of this myself, so I’ve become rather adept at doing more or less creative things with eggs. And when you make a dish like a frittata or a quiche or a soufflé, where eggs are merely the vehicle for the starring ingredients – in this case, the collard greens and garlic – you can really forget you’re eating what is basically an egg dish.

At any rate, I love going into my fridge on a Sunday morning and rummaging around to see what I can come up with. I really like frittatas and quiches (and this is sort of a cross between the two) because you can add anything to them – and they’re a great way to make sure you and your family eat lots of leafy greens. I used collard greens here, since that’s what I had on hand, but kale or mustard greens would work really well too. And because I had some beautiful heads of garlic from the farmer’s market (and because Beloved and I love it), I decided to use quite a bit of that, as well; collards are a fairly hearty leafy green and stood up well to the aggressive flavors in the dish.

I was really pleased with this, and apparently so was Beloved; he’s been eating the leftovers all week.

This would not only make a great brunch (I served it with bacon and fresh grapefruit), but a nice light supper, as well, paired with a good salad.

Serves: 8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or lard

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups collards or other hearty greens, rinsed and chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

2 ounces pecorino romano or other hard Italian cheese, shredded

10 large eggs

3/4 cup coconut milk plus 1/2 cup water or 1 1/4 cups half and half

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano Instructions Preheat the oven to 375 F. Generously grease a 10″ deep-dish pie plate with butter or non-hydrogenated palm oil shortening. Melt the ghee in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft and almost translucent, about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for another minute more. Add the collard greens and cook, stirring frequently, until they are wilted. Season with the salt and pepper and remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs with the water, coconut milk, garlic powder, thyme and oregano until well blended. Spread the collard/onion mixture over the bottom of the greased pie plate; sprinkle the cheese evenly over the greens. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the cheese and greens. Bake the pie for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with a chunky salsa or warm marinara sauce. Nutrition (per serving): 203 calories, 15.5g total fat, 247.5mg cholesterol, 534.7mg sodium, 210.4mg potassium, 5.2g carbohydrates, 1.1g fiber, <1g sugar, 11.3g protein. 2.2.1

Posted in participation of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday