squash blossom pesto potato skillet

Through the miracle of transferring credits - I've managed to find myself with 3 weeks off of school and not much to do. I've been doing my best to find a balance between getting things done and still relaxing.  This is the first week and I wrote myself up a mighty to do list, which I've been a bit neurotic about trying to cross everything off.  But the reward is next week I'm touring around New England and then heading down to visit all my old friends in North Carolina! I'm pretty excited, I'll be able to see all the people I've missed since living on the western coast much sooner than I thought (I thought I was going to have to wait until Christmas!)

But today commences my first day of the relaxation time.  I made myself a breakfast perfectly designed around all of my favorite foods: potatoes, pesto, greens, eggs, garlic - and then I tried out squash blossoms for the first time!  I think they're going to be a new favorite.  They really do just taste like summertime.

S q u a s h   B l o s s o m   P e s t o   P o t a t o   B r e a k f a s t    S k i l l e t

3 medium sized potatoes

3 eggs

2 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of homemade or storebought pesto 

a handful of squash blossoms

1 cup of swiss chard, chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

I.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice your (thoroughly cleaned) potatoes into thin slices.  Pour your olive oil into a skillet.  Crush the two cloves of garlic and throw them into the skillet along with your potatoes.  Toss them in the olive oil, along with some salt and pepper.

II.  Heat your potatoes about 10-15 minutes or until they are cooked and crisp on the edges.  During the last few minutes throw in the chard and allow it to sauté a couple of minutes.

III. Crack your eggs into a pourable container (I used measuring cups, ramekins are also ideal) and set aside.

IV.  Put the potatoes and chard in a casserole dish  (or if you used a cast iron pan, leave them in the pan!) and toss the pesto into your potatoes until it has evenly spread.
V.  Put into the oven for 5 minutes to allow the top to brown.  Place the eggs on top,  top with salt and pepper, and bake about 15 minutes, or until the eggs have just set.

Most people dip their squash blossoms in some sort of batter and fry them, but since this was just an addition to the skillet - I fried plain in some olive oil!  Still tasted incredibly delicious and gave the blossoms a roasted flavor.

 F r i e d   S q u a s h   B l o s s o m s  

I.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and allow the oil to get hot.

II.  Carefully place the squash blossoms onto the pan.

III.  Step back and allow the blossoms to fry for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Then flip them and allow the other side to fry for 30 seconds to a minute.

III.  Use a slotted spoon and place the squash blossoms onto a plate lined with a paper towel.

While I was there I used the same method to fry up some basil leaves!  I highly recommend it.

Place the squash blossoms on top of the skillet dish and enjoy warm!

have a great weekend!    < 3

Sage & Almond Flour Crepes with Wilted Greens, Apple, Leek, & Goat Cheese

Making breakfast a friend who doesn't eat wheat means experimenting with new recipes! It was another occasion where I decided - I'm just going to go all out.  So, here are  Sage & Almond Flour crepes, gluten free in a delicious way, and then filled with swiss chard, sweet potatoes, caramelized apples, leeks, and goat cheese, phew.

S a g e   &   A l m o n d   F l o u r   C r e p e s

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh sage

5 eggs
cocunut oil or butter for greasing the pan

Pour the almonds and sage into a blender and blend up until it's a flour consistency - not for too long though too avoid almond butter!  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Grease and heat a non stick pan on high and then reduce down to medium.  Make sure pan is hot, then add  1/3 a cup of the batter and swirl around to reach the edges of the pan (the first one will always look bad).  Cook for one minute and then flip using spatula.  Cook the other side for one minute.  Remove from pan.

W i l t e d   C h a r d   A p p l e   L e e k    &    S w e e t   P o t a t o

6 cups swiss chard

1 leek, chopped

1/2 sweet potato, boiled

1 large gala apple, chopped

1/4 cup fig balsamic

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat large sauce pan. Add leek and saute until translucent.   Add greens and saute until wilted, then add garlic and cook for another minute.  Remove from pan and set aside in bowl.

In the same pan add the apples and a 1/4 cup of fig balsamic (or just plain balsamic)  Saute until apples are soft and the balsamic has nearly entirely reduced.  Add the sweet potatoes to warm them up.  Add the greens ond leeks mixture and heat back up on the pan.

Then lay the crepe flat, put the filling in the center and roll the edges up - and voila!

    

** this recipe was adapted from the roost blog