Kale Migas

Migas (pronounced 'miyas') or quite literally "Crumbs" is a very Tex-Mex dish that is very popular across the state of Texas. While I've never made it at home since moving to Ohio, it was one of my favorite dishes during my years in Austin, TX (Kerbey Lane Cafe has the best in the whole city, and they have a vegan  tofu scramble version too!!). After going plant based, I came across the Engine 2 recipe - but just never got around to making it. I don't think I've ever known anyone who liked Tex-Mex cuisine to not like Migas. 

Traditionally, migas were a way of using stale tortillas. It is a breakfast dish consisting of scrambled eggs mixed with strips of corn tortillas; the moisture from the eggs and other condiments softens the stale tortillas and adds the carbs to this breakfast dish. The meatless version includes (along with eggs) diced onions, sliced chile peppers, diced fresh tomatoes, and cheese, plus various spices and condiments (salsa or Pico de gallo). The meaty version often includes a spicy Chorizo along with all the other ingredients. In the restaurant version of migas, the corn tortillas are often deep fried and then cut into strips. My version, of course, is much healthier - I used toasted tortillas, added no butter, and used all plant-based ingredients. 

Kale Migas

I recently came across a plant-based recipe for migas again in Happy Herbivore Abroad - the new cookbook by Lindsay Nixon that was released last month. All day today, and on my drive home from work, I was dreaming of a plate full of migas. When I got home, I was all set to make my dinner when I realized that I didn't have any scallions (because I used them all yesterday) and I had a huge bunch of kale that needed to be used today. Now I'm not one to let a good bunch of greens go to waste, so I compromised ... and oh what a lovely compromise it turned out to be!! 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings): 

1. 1 batch of HH Tofu Scramble
2. 1 medium Tomato, diced
3. 1 Bunch Kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups)
4. 4 Corn Tortillas, cut into 1 cm strips, about 3 inches long
5. 1 tbsp Goya Recaito Cilantro Cooking Base (optional)
6. Salsa, to taste
7. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Line a large stock pot with water, bring to a boil and add rinsed kale to the pan. Cover and let the steam from the water wilt the kale. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until crisp. Transfer to a cold plate and set aside. In a skillet make the HH Tofu scramble recipe according to the recipe directions. Once ready, add the cilantro cooking base and kale and mix well. Allow all the water to evaporate. Then add tomatoes, give it a quick toss and then add the toasted tortillas and give another toss. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with fresh salsa or pico de gallo and serve warm.  

HH Tofu Scramble & Kale Migas

My Assessment: I love to eat, and I love my cooking (LOL!). But seriously, the addition of kale to the basic tofu scramble dish added a crunch to the scramble and the inclusion of tomatoes and salsa added just the right amount of acidity to make the kale yummy. My only disappointment today was that I had only 1 lb of tofu at home, so I could only make a single batch of HH Tofu Scramble. The dish tasted amazing, but my ratio of Kale to Scramble was off just a tad.  I am still so excited for lunch tomorrow ... leftovers :)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 175

Total Fat 3.8 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 23.2 g; Fiber 5.1 g; Sugars 2.8 g; Protein 15.2 g

Quick Kohlrabi Saag

So when Tony got me Kohlrabi and Cebollitas this past weekend, I used the bulbs in a Cebollitas Asadas. Now I'm not one to waste any kind of veggies, especially not greens, so as a side, I made a Quick Saag (wilted greens) with the tops. And made Kohlrabi Greens my New Veggie #65. 

Kohlrabi (Kadam ka) Saag

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients (2 servings):

1. 1-2 cups Kohlrabi Greens, chopped coarsely
2. 8-10 Scallion Stems or 1 medium onion (chopped coarsely, optional)
3. 2 tsp Minced Garlic
4. 1/4 cup Crushed Tomatoes (canned)
5. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Line a skillet with water and add garlic. Once the garlic begins to caramelize, add crushed tomatoes and mix well. Then add greens, sprinkle salt and mix everything together. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Then uncover and mix well. Allow all the water to evaporate. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and serve warm on freshly toasted multi-grain bread. Umm Umm Good!! 

Quick Kohlrabi Saag

My Assessment: The green were sweet and crunchy and the tomatoes added just the right touch of sweet and acidic flavors. This is my favorite way of eating greens of all types - lightly wilted, with lots of garlic :)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 75
Total Fat 0.1 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 15.7 g; Fiber 7.3 g; Sugars 6.2 g; Protein 3.6 g

Veggie Fact of the Day

New Veggie #65 - Kohlrabi Greens

I've previously done a post on Kohlrabi and its nutritional benefits (see New Veggie #17). Kohlrabi Greens and stems are a rich source of Vitamin C (>100% RDA), similar to the bulbs themselves. Also, the greens have only 27 calories/100g, negligible fat and zero cholesterol. The green stems are loaded with phytochemicals (asisothiocyanates, sulforaphane, and indole-3-carbinol) that are supposed to protect against various cancers and are also rich in various B vitamins - thiamin (B1), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) and pyridoxine (B6). In addition, the leaves and stems are rich in a variety of minerals - copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, iron, and phosphorus are especially available in the stem. Kohlrabi leaves or tops, like turnip greens, are also very nutritious greens abundant in the carotenes, Vitamin A and Vitamin K.