frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil, the sausage meat and the onions to the pan and cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until it’s cooked through and the onions are golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the sausage and onions to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan, then add the potatoes. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, paprika and a pinch of black pepper. Cover and cook the potatoes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the kale, cover, and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the cooked sausage and onions to the pan and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the edges are set, 6 to 8 minutes.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the frittata is completely set and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, place a plate over the pan, and turn the frittata out onto the plate. Cut into 6 wedges and serve.
† If you can't find Italian chicken sausages, another kind of chicken sausage or reduced-fat pork sausages will work well.
skinnyscoop
Any dark leafy green can be swapped for the kale – try spinach or Swiss chard. You can freeze leftovers to reheat for another day. To freeze, cut the cooked, cooled frittata in wedges, wrap each wedge in clingfilm, wrap in foil and freeze until hard. To reheat, unwrap frozen frittata and microwave it, or bake at 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4 until heated through, about 35 minutes.
Breakfast Excuse Buster
Research shows that skipping meals – breakfast in particular – can lead to weight gain. The fact is breakfast should be a morning must! But it doesn’t have to be time-consuming – it could be something as simple as a slice of wholemeal toast with nut butter and bananas (five minutes, tops!), yoghurt or some hard-boiled eggs with fruit.
For an egg-streamly easy breakfast, I boil a dozen eggs in advance and keep them in the refrigerator for a handy, hunger-busting breakfast. A piece of fruit plus one large egg are only 200 calories, and the mix of protein, fat and fibre will keep you satisfied until lunch. For a more substantial start to the day, you can whip up my favourite Egg, Tomato and Spring Onion Sandwich in minutes, because the eggs are already cooked. (Bonus: no sticky frying pan to clean!)
Cali Avocado Egg Sandwich
Serves 4
I’m always impressed with how health-conscious people in California are, and it excites me to see that they put avocados on everything. (If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a bit avocado-obsessed myself. I always have three or four avocados in my kitchen at any given time.) You can find healthy food options everywhere in the Golden State – even the airport, which is where I actually got the inspiration for this sandwich.
8 large egg whites
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray or oil mister
¼ cup (30g) chopped spring onions
¼ cup (50g) seeded and chopped tomatoes
¼ cup (45g) chopped red pepper
8 slices wholemeal bread, toasted
1 medium (110g) avocado, thinly sliced
In a medium bowl, beat together the egg whites, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste.
Heat a 23cm nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, lightly spray the pan with oil. Add 1 tablespoon each of the spring onions, tomatoes and pepper, and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in a quarter of the egg whites and rotate the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the eggs are set, 1 to 1½ minutes. Fold the eggs in half so they look like a half moon and cook for 30 more seconds. Fold the eggs in half again.
Transfer the eggs to a piece of toasted bread. Top each with one-quarter of the avocado, a pinch more of salt and black pepper and a second slice of bread. Cut in half and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 3 more sandwiches.
skinnyscoop
After I get back from shopping, I leave one avocado out on the counter to ripen, and put the rest in the refrigerator so they last longer. If I don’t use a whole avocado, I keep the stone in the remaining avocado, cover it tightly with clingfilm and refrigerate it.
Open-Face Bagels with Spring Onion-Lox Cream Cheese
Serves 4
Bagels and lox is a New York City classic. The dish – which is perfect for breakfast, lunch or brunch – takes just minutes to whip up and is delicious, especially when topped with a few slices of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. The bagels they sell here in New York are pretty large, so I find half a bagel, which is roughly 60 grams, to be the perfect size. My favourite bagel is wholemeal, but any whole-grain type is a great option.
110g light cream cheese, at room temperature
50g smoked salmon or lox, finely chopped
¼ cup (30g) finely chopped spring onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
2 large wholemeal bagels, sliced in half, or 4 small bagels
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
½ medium cucumber, thinly sliced
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, salmon, spring onions and dill. Spread 3 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto each bagel half. Top each half with tomatoes and cucumber slices, and finish with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
skinnyscoop
Although smoked salmon and lox can be refrigerated for about a week (make sure they’re tightly wrapped), they’re best eaten as soon as possible because the intensity of flavour and firmness of texture will diminish as the days go by.
‘Que Rico’ Breakfast Tostada
Serves 4
Scrambled egg whites with spring onions piled high on a crispy tostada with refried beans, melted cheese, salsa, jalapeño and diced avocado – can I get an ‘Olé!’ Whenever I’m craving a bit of spice to start my day, I love making these Mexican-inspired breakfast tostadas. (No worries if you don’t care for spicy food – you can easily leave out the jalapeño.)
8 large egg whites
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped spring onions
Cooking spray or oil mister