root vegitable pancakes and garden fritata

so...not the most amazing pictures but some wonderful dishes none the less.

I LOVE fritatas. The are a wonderful way to make a hearty breakfast and use lots of random ingredients from the fridge. This also seems to use fewer eggs per person than say scrambled eggs. I start by sauteing garlic and onions in the iron skillet (or any skillet that can go into the oven). Add green chilis, squash, zuchinni (any vegis you have on hand). Saute for 5-7 min until everything is soft. Spice with salt pepper, cumin, red pepper.

Beat approx 6-7 eggs depending on the size of the eggs and the size of your skillet with a little water and milk. Spread the sauted vegis evenly over the bottom of the pan. Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet. You want the eggs to cover the skillet and and vegis--I have had to beat a couple more eggs and add them to fill. Dont touch anything and let the eggs cook on the range for 7-10 min with a lid on the skillet until you can see that they are just about cooked through. Top with cheese and fresh tomatoes and place under the broiler for 6 min or until the top is puffed and the cheese is melted. Let rest a couple of minutes before slicing and serving.

Root vegetable pancakes--from "The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook".

It seems i have to have potatoes at every meal--its the Irish in me, or the lack of eating bread. These "pancakes" are a fantastic way to mix it up and increase your vegetable intake.

You will want a food processor with a shredder plate for this one. Although I have made this dish many times with a box grater--it just takes a while and tests your patience.

1 small onion

1 small yam peeled

2 med yellow or red potatoes

1 carrot

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown rice flour

1 t dried thyme

1/2 t herbamare or sea salt

1 T dulse flakes

extra virgin olive oil for cooking

mince the onion and place in a large bowl. Using the food processor or box grater grate the yam, potatoes and carrot. Place in bowl with onion. Add brown rice flour, dried thyme, sea salt, dulse flakes and mix well. I like to add cayenne pepper and black pepper too as a contrast to the sweetness of the yams.

Heat a med sized skillet over medium heat. Form the mixture into thin patties with your hands. They will fall apart when raw but when cooked the starches will be released and they will hod together. Add some olive oil and one or two patties to the heated skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for approx 5 minutes, then flip cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Place onto a serving platter. Add a little more olive oil to the pan for each batch you cook. You may need to adjust the temperature to prevent burning.

These are a little cumbersome to cook and I often have 3 skillets going at once and warm oven to transfer them to. The nice part is once you cook these up they are super easy to keep and reheat. I will make a full batch and then we will eat them for a couple of days with breakfast.