In Australia, they call the beginning of summer the silly season.
As a general rule, I enjoy silly things. So a whole season of it? Sure, sounds cool to me.
It makes sense – the build up to Christmas and the New Year is filled with parties, long lunches, Christmas hams, champagne and sausage rolls. And to make matters more exciting/distracting, the weather is just starting to get good. I mean, it’s the beginning of summer combined with Christmas. Totes silly, right?
Despite the silliness, the holidays are hard too. There’s a lot going on in addition to my regular to-do list, so it’s important to fuel up and get some of the good stuff in where I can – it’s what’ll keep me going until the next round of cookies and passed hors d’oeuvres.
Let’s make a breakfast hash with some leftover roasted butternut pumpkin, dark leafy greens and a hint of Mexican seasoning. And let’s put an egg on it. Obviously.
I like to think that a warm and simple hash with a gooey egg can really turn my day around, so it’s a useful thing to have in my arsenal not just for brekkie, but for an easy lunch or dinner too.
You can toss in or swap out any ingredients you’d like – any type of pumpkin or squash would work, and kale and spinach are great subs for the chard.
And I don’t care if you scramble, fry, boil or poach it – just don’t forget that egg!
We’ve totally got this silly season under control.
Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard Hash
serves 2
- olive oil
- 1/2 a large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes and roasted
- 1 cup shredded swiss chard, kale or spinach
- salt & pepper
- 2 eggs poached, fried or soft-boiled. Runny yolk recommended.
To roast butternut squash: Heat oven to 400 F/205 C and place cubes on an oiled baking tray. Bake for 20-30 minutes until tender and slightly golden.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over a medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until soft. Add jalapeño, yellow pepper, cumin and paprika and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Add roasted squash and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
Season with salt and pepper and serve warm with a poached egg on top.
