Heart-Healthy Poached Eggs

I usually eat eggs from local, free-range laying hens, and I'll often separate the whites from the yolks to bake for Don. I'll just use about twice the number of egg whites as eggs called for in the recipe. But Don likes this recipe for poached eggs using a commercial egg substitute such as Egg Beaters. You'll need a microwave egg poacher. Don like the Nordic Ware Two Cavity Egg Poacher, http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Microwave-Cavity-Poacher/dp/B00004W4UR/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1324176555&sr=1-1. This recipe is for a 1250 watt microwave oven, so cooking times will vary depending upon the power of your own.

Put 1 tablespoon of water in each cavity of the egg poacher.

 Fill the rest of the cavity with egg substitute and secure the top half.

Put in the microwave at Power 6 for 4 minutes and 22 seconds. Let it sit for about 2 minutes before removing from the microwave oven.

You can use the poached "eggs" to complete the Kale Pie recipe, posted below.

Heart-Healthy Kale Pie

This savory vegetable pie recipe was adapted from Mark Bittman's cookbook, "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" but I reduced its sodium, fat, and cholesterol content. I used locally-grown kale, but "collards, spinach (squeezed and chopped),  broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and mushrooms" can be substituted, instead. Other variations for fillings are mentioned in his cookbook.

• 2 tablespoons heart-healthy margarine such as Smart Balance, plus more as needed
• About 5 cups shredded kale leaves, stems removed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• Black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs, such as thyme, parsley, chives, and chervil; I used garlic scapes, cilantro, thyme, and finely chopped radishes and radish greens from my garden
• 5 egg whites
• egg substitute equivalent to 4 eggs, poached in the microwave as explained in my previous blog post
• 1 cup non-fat plain yogurt (we like Stonyfield Farm)
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed Vegenaise (Vegan mayonnaise)
• 1 teaspoon Featherweight Baking Powder, a low-sodium baking powder; it is available online if you cannot find it in local grocery- or health-food stores
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

We like King Arthur brand flours or a similar high-quality flour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the kale and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are quite tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the herbs, and season with pepper to taste. Coarsely chop the poached eggs and add them to the kale mixture. Let cool while you make the batter.

Combine the yogurt, Vegenaise, and egg whites. Add the baking powder and flours and mix until smooth. Lightly grease a 9x12 glass baking dish. Spread half the batter over the bottom, then top with the kale filling, then smear the remaining batter over the kale using a rubber spatula to spread the batter so there are no gaps.

Bake for 45 minutes. The top crust will be shiny and brown. Let the pie cool for 15 minutes or more before slicing it into squares or rectangles to serve. Serve warm or at room temperature.