Kale, Leek, and Cheese Frittata

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By Dixya

It’s taken me almost a month to put my thoughts together and write a decent post about “Kale, Leek, and Cheese Frittata” because this is one of many meals my brother and I shared together before he moved back to Nepal for good (or at least he says so). My little brother who graduated in May has found his calling in Nepal to help grow my dad’s business further and spend time with my parents. It’s a weird feeling that we no longer live in the same country and I can’t text him randomly in the middle of day – the huge time difference kind of sucks…But again, I am pretty proud of his bold decision to move back and start up a new life. This whole process has brought about so many positive transformations I am almost shocked but in a good way shocked. For a dietitian/food blogger sister, a proud moment is when your picky absolutely vegetables hating, junk food and energy drinks loving brother turns into someone who shares a cup of green tea and happily chows down whatever you make without a single question. He loved neat products, carob walnut energy balls, garlic sriracha salmon, and this Kale, Leek, and Cheese Frittata with a side of beet salad. I mean really, who is this person?

I love slow paced weekends fueled with endless hot tea, easy, filling breakfast, and agenda-free days. Since those moments are pretty hard to come by, I took every opportunity possible when my brother was around a few weeks ago, cooked a lot, and cherished our times together before his big move. Frittata, an egg-based crustless quiche may not be the most creative thing but it is definitely a dish I should revisit every so often. This time I made frittata utilizing veggies (baby kale, carrots, leeks) that needed some love and cheese that was graciously sent by Cabot for this contest. Besides being filling and delicious, I love the convenience (hello one skillet dish), flexibility (add whatever veggies/meat you desire), and a dish that can be practically served at any meal during the day.

I used a cast iron skillet over a hot stove to first saute the leeks, then I poured in the rest of the ingredients and cooked it until the eggs were partly set at the bottom. Finally, I finished it off in the oven by allowing the top to slightly brown. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or an oven safe skillet, you can make them into squares using a baking dish.

Any cheese is fair game here but I used pepper jack and sharp cheddar cheese. I kept the frittata simple with only a few veggies and subtle cheesy taste however, if you’d like you may throw in cooked meat of your choice as well. The recipe makes quite a bit for just two people but since it reheats really well, I highly suggest you go ahead and make a batch and enjoy it the next day too!

Kale, Leek, and Cheese Frittata

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 leeks, sliced (use only the white parts)
8 eggs, cracked
1 small carrot, peeled
2 generous handfuls of baby kale (or use your favorite greens)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used 1/2 c pepper jack + 1/2 c sharp cheddar)
salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a 12″ cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat and saute leeks until golden brown. Remove leeks from heat and set it aside. Lower the heat to medium-low.
In the meantime, lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl and add in leeks, carrots, kale, 1/2 c cheese, salt, pepper.
Pour it back in the skillet and let it cook for 10-12 minutes until it is half set.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place it in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Slice it and serve it immediately or store it covered for later use.

A big shout out to all the siblings out there! You all are awesome..

Do you guys have siblings? How often do you see them?