Butternut McMuffins

Rich and gooey, but not heavy - this is a perfect start to your day.

Now this is the way to eat vegetables in the morning.  And it only takes 1 pan and 15 minutes.

You know what I’ve never understood…? Why certain foods are “breakfast approved” and others are unthinkable.  Sometimes a big bowl of soup for breakfast sounds good.  In the end, if you break down the ingredients, most meals are similar to breakfast items anyways.  Take grilled cheese and tomato soup for instance.  Is that not the same bread you would have made toast out of?  Same cheese you would have melted over eggs?  Same tomato based sauce that appears in huevos rancheros and eggs in purgatory?  Just because there’s no egg doesn’t make that meal banned from breakfast!

Vegetables seem to be the number one ostracized breakfast food.  Recently some food writers and bloggers have invented some great ways to incorporate the green guys into our morning routines, in the form of smoothies mostly. This sandwich is a savory way to introduce your tender-morning-belly to veggies.  It’s the same gooey, buttery, rich breakfast sandwich you’ve always loved, just a little more healthful.

But go ahead and eat that leftover sushi tomorrow morning, no one here is judging you.

---

Butternut McMuffins

Serves 4

Rich and gooey, but not heavy - this is a perfect start to your day.

Ingredients

1 medium to small Butternut Squash

1 1/2 teaspoon Butter, divided

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

2 cups chopped Kale, stems removed

4 humanely raised Eggs

4 English Muffins of Choice (regular, whole wheat, gluten-free), toasted

4 slices of Cheese

Instructions

Peel and cut butternut squash into eight 1/4 inch rounds. Save the rest for a different recipe.

Saute 1 teaspoon butter and squash slices in a large non-stick pan for 6-8 minutes over medium-high heat, covered, until softened. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a sprinkle of pepper. Remove squash from the pan and set aside.

Add the kale to the still-hot pan and saute on same heat for 3-4 minutes, until wilted. Remove kale from the pan and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the still-hot pan and crack eggs carefully onto the surface, cook 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining salt and another sprinkle of pepper. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Assemble the sandwiches. From bottom to top: bottom English muffin slice, kale, cheese slice, egg, butternut slices, top slice.

Place the assembled sandwich into the hot pan and cover to melt the ingredients together, 2-3 minutes.