Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Green Eggs No Ham**

Green Eggs No Ham**

A Vegetarian Eggs Benedict with a Spinach-Hollandaise Sauce 

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html

I have frequently shared kitchens with vegetarian roommates and friends.  While I do eat meat, I try to be sensitive to those who do not.  One happy merging of meat-eating and non-meat eating friends was a  weekly Sunday brunch of Eggs Benedict.  The meat eaters would layer ham or sausage--my preference--onto their English muffins.  The non-meat eaters would layer a slab of Monterey Jack cheese instead.  Everyone sat down to eat together.

I woke up the other morning with a hankering for Eggs Benedict, but wondering how it would be to add some of my CSA farm share spinach to the sauce Hollandaise.

I didn't have any sausage handy, having used it up on this pizza.  I also didn't have any Monterey Jack cheese.  However, I did have Icelandic School cheese. (I can hear you now, "Wait, what?  Icelandic School cheese?  Who keeps that in the fridge?"  To you I  ask--where else would you keep it?).  My kids have loved Icelandic School cheese for years, it's very mild, and my folks brought some back from a trip recently.  So I have Icelandic School cheese in my fridge, but you can use Monterey Jack if you aren't planning a trip to Iceland any time soon.
Because it's winter here, my farm share spinach has been frost-kissed, as the farmers so lovingly put it.  That means that even the tiny leaves are tougher than a baby spinach leaf, so I usually cook this spinach unless I am making a smoothie.  I started with 2 very packed cups of washed, torn de-stemmed (stems to the composting pigs, they eat well year 'round) spinach.  After a quick 3 minutes in the microwave, I drained and squeezed dry the spinach and ended up with about 2/3 of a cup.  If you are starting from a box of frozen chopped spinach, I recommend using up to half of the box for this recipe and making a pizza crust with the other half.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html
Score!  English muffins and whole milk marked down.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html
Before immersion blender.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html
After immersion blender.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html













Green Eggs No Ham (Eggs Benedict with Spinach Hollandaise Sauce) 

2/3 cup (somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup) cooked spinach, squeezed dry
1 package Hollandaise sauce mix (I use Knorr) plus ingredients to make it (in my case 1 cup milk plus 1/4 cup butter)

In a tall container, blend spinach and milk.  Using the resulting spinach milk, make Hollandaise sauce according to package directions.  Makes enough for 4 to 8 servings, depending on how saucy you like your Eggs Benedict.

For each serving, you will need:
1 or 2 English muffin halves, toasted
1 or 2 thickish slices of mild cheese, or a sausage patty, or ham (your choice)
1 or 2 eggs (I fried mine because we like them that way, check this post from Kitchen Parade if you want to learn how to Perfectly Poach eggs)

Stack the cheese on the English muffin half.  Top with egg.  Pour sauce over top.  Enjoy!
This post is linked with What's Cookin Wednesday at Buns In My Oven, the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up at Gastronomical Sovereignty, What's In The Box at In Her Chucks, Taste and Tell Thursdays, The Farm Girl Blog Fest at Let This Mind Be In You,  Strange But Good at Sprint2TheTable, Cookin' Canuck's Easter Recipe Link Up, and Food on Friday:  Sauces (twice).

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/02/green-eggs-no-ham.html

28 comments:

  1. Dr. Seuss would love this! And, as a meat eater who does not eat ham, so would I.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lydia,
      My favorite meat in an eggs Benedict is actually a sausage patty. In Virginia's Costco stores I could get a bag of Jones Farm sausage patties that were large yet thin, perfect for an English muffin size, and with an ingredient list I could pronounce. Here in Ohio people prefer links to patties ;(
      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. I love this! I am not a vegetarian, but for health reasons, my husband and I try to eat meat-free 3-4 days per week. And, I just don't usually like ham either. So I would love eggs benedict this way! Though I've always had it with crab cakes, and that was to die for.

    That would be so fun to make something "green eggs" for Dr. Seuss' birthday; alas I'll be traveling and not cooking any that day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,
      Crab cakes sound divine in eggs Benedict.
      Safe travels to you!

      Delete
  3. I am thinking these are probably better than the traditional Hollandaise, sauce. Ans yes, I bet Dr. Suess would be proud of these. Great recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marlene,
      The kids sure liked it--and they are suspicious of most green things. So a win all around here.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. I had eggs benedict yesterday...with ham! :) But I need to take note of your hollandaise sauce...sounds really, really good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kate,
      Lucky you for having eggs Benedict! The sauce is really good--my son was looking over my shoulder, saw the photos, and asked when I was making that again. Yeah, like food bloggers do repeats.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. How creative! And how delicious looking! I loooove Dr. Seuss! Well, who doesn't, I guess!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon,
      I am sure there's someone in the world who doesn't love Dr Seuss, like I am sure there's someone who doesn't like Mr Rogers. But I am not them.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  6. My boyfriend loves hollandaise sauce and spinach, so this seems like a home run! It would also be good for St Patrick's Day - my family has a tradition of making green food (and green beer!).

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa,
      Better green beer than orange juice. We tried that . . . not a good thing to do. I don't recommend.
      Let me know if you try it.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  7. Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite meals! I lightened up a crab version... can't belive I didn't think to green up my sauce. Defintiely strange but good. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura,
      That's two votes for crab with eggs Benedict--I think I'm going to have to try it.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  8. Mmm, this looks really delicious, and I just happened to pick up the most beautiful bundle of spinach from the downtown farmer's market today. I don't know what to make first. Your president's choice orange cherry muffins or these. Decisions, decisions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      Please don't get distracted in the kitchen like I do and throw the spinach in the orange muffins. Though it could be a Strange But Good dish for Laura's link up . . .
      Thanks!

      Delete
  9. Spinach lovers unite!! I LOVE this! I've only had hollandaise once (actually tried it for the first time last month) and wasn't a HUGE fan, but I've decided not to write it off just yet. I'm almost positive I just got a "dud" since it seems to be the foodie holy grail when it comes to sauces!

    Love those manager's specials! I swear those little orange and yellow tags scream out to me as soon as I walk through the door at Kroger! Lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,
      But do you stalk the meat department hoping to score some tail? Or is that just me? Elise at Simply Recipes has the BEST tail recipe (Oxtail Stew) and when I see packages of tail I make note of the sell by date and swing by the day before hoping to see magical mark down stickers on them.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  10. Yum! Made 'em this morning. Made eggs benedict feel healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks lovely. I have no idea how to make eggs benedict and have never thought of making it with spinach. You make me know that things I never thought could go together, can! Wonderful!

    Oh and I'd love it if you passed a slice of your Icelandic School Cheese, please. :)

    Thanks for sharing at the Farm Girl Blog Fest, Kirsten--always a was a pleasure to find your posts in the list!

    ~Kristi@Let This Mind Be in You

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is the perfect breakfast! Eggs benedict is my dish of choice when we go out to eat but I always take the ham off...and making it green...genius! I WILL be making this ASAP :) Thanks for sharing and linking up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,
      I am stuck with ordering pancakes AND meat AND potatoes AND eggs when we go out for breakfast. I love that someone else has to deal with getting everything cooked and ready at the same time.

      Thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  13. True story: I've never wanted to try eggs benny.... until now! This sauce looks AMAZING! The green totally has me hooked!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenn,
      It's amazing how vibrant & appealing veggies can make food look!
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  14. Replies
    1. Dorothy,
      I believe it goes over better than a fluorescent pink Hollandaise from beets!
      Thanks!

      Delete