Recipe: Cheater’s Lazy Sunday Veggie Eggs Florentine

I love Sundays.  Sundays are when I take it easy, maybe read a while or go for a long walk in the park, do some cooking, potter in my garden in the sky or just goof off.

In fact, the last thing I want to do on my Sundays is spend ages over the stove cooking the indulgent breakfast that I’ve been dreaming of ever since the cats woke me up (way too early in the morning).

There are three items I nearly always come home from the market with: butternut squash, spinach and eggs.  I love the flexibility, the sheer budget friendliness and powerhouse nutrition these offer.  And since I’ve received my new spiralizer, I’m finding I can do even more than before with squashes.

This morning’s recipe was inspired by the fact that I had a packet of Hollandaise Sauce mix in the pantry that was due to expire in the next couple of weeks.  I hate to use packet mixes, but I hate waste even more, and in fairness it DOES make a good sauce even if it feels like cheating.  For a lazy Sunday breakfast though, I’ll cheat!

We’re not big bread eaters around here, despite my love of it, so I had to think a little bit outside of the box when the inspiration to make Eggs Florentine hit.

Aren’t they just beautiful?

Lazy Sunday Veggie Eggs Florentine

Serves 2, approximately 288 calories per serving

Cooking time: 35 minutes including preparation and waiting times

You will need:

• half a butternut squash, spiralized with the smallest cut blade (or hand cut into thin strands/shave with a vegetable peeler)
• double handful of spinach
• 2 free range, organic eggs
• packet of Hollandaise Sauce mix (I used McCormacks)
• milk and butter as per the directions on the sauce packet

Preheat your oven to 180*c (360*F).

Gather a handful of the butternut squash spirals and form them into a round.  Place them between two weighted plates and leave them for ten minutes.  This step isn’t necessary, but I like the result and find my squash “muffins” are firmer and easier to work with if they’ve been smooshed.

Smooshy smooshy! Don’t put too much weight on them or you’ll destroy your noodles. These hand weights are 1.2k each.

Carefully remove the top plate and place the squash rounds on a tray lined with cooking parchment. Dust the rounds with cumin, cayenne and dill.

Bake the rounds for 20 minutes, though keep an eye on them for the last five or so.  You don’t want them burning.  If they start to go too dark, turn the heat down or off and let them finish baking in the residual heat.  If they do go too dark around the edges, it isn’t a disaster, the flavour wont be overly impaired unless the burning is extensive.

When the squash is about halfway through the baking time, start your sauce following the directions on the packet.  Since this recipe comes to less than 300 calories per serving, I indulged a bit and used real butter with the sauce mix.

With about five minutes left in the squash cooking time, wilt your spinach and cook your eggs.  I say “cook” because whilst “real” Eggs Florentine requires poached eggs, I couldn’t be bothered with all of that on a Sunday!  I fried mine gently in a dry, non-stick pan with a lid.  The lid is key as it allows the top of the egg to cook without the yolk over-cooking.  After all, a runny yolk is the heart of this dish.

When the squash has finished baking, use a spatula to carefully slide it on to a warmed plate, top with the wilted spinach, egg and a tablespoon (or two!) of the Hollandaise Sauce.

My fiance had his plate licked clean about 30 seconds after I handed it to him, so I can promise this will go down a treat!

ALL the delicious. All of it.