Heart-Healthy Kale Tortilla Recipe

Recipe From Pete Evans

Eggs, whether soft-boiled or poached, are a popular breakfast food, but if you’re getting tired of them or if you want to add variety and flavor, there’s one way to kick it up a notch: turn them into a tortilla. You can use whatever healthy ingredients you have on hand, turning it into a delicious and nutritious dish. Your imagination is the only limit.

This recipe from Pete Evans is all-organic and healthy, starting with the most important ingredient: organic pastured chicken eggs. It also incorporates various vegetables, such as kale, garlic and pumpkin, to make the whole meal burst with flavor. It’s a great way to make your breakfast more enjoyable.

Kale Tortilla

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 oz. of organic kale leaves
  • 6 organic pastured eggs
  • 3 1/2 oz. of organic pumpkin, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 2 Tbsp. of Dr. Mercola's coconut oil or another high-quality fat of your choice (e.g. raw, grass-fed butter)
  • 1 garlic glove, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 oz. of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  • Fresh lemon to serve
  • Tbsp. of cultured vegetables or fermented krauts of your choice, to serve

Procedure

  1. Wash the kale leaves thoroughly, then drain them well and pat dry. Roughly chop the kale leaves, discard the inner stems and set aside.
  2. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and season them with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
  3. Heat the coconut oil or fat of your choice in a 9 1/2-inch non-stick pan over medium heat.
  4. Add the pumpkin and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Decrease the heat; add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until softened.
  6. Increase the heat to medium, add the kale and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  7. Spread the kale and pumpkin into a single layer and pour the beaten eggs into the pan, swirling the egg mixture around the pan evenly.
  8. Reduce the heat to low and cook without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes or until almost cooked through.
  9. Remove the pan from the heat, then cover it with a lid and leave it for 3 minutes to allow the residual heat in the pan to finish cooking the eggs.
  10. Cut the tortilla in half, and gently slide each half off the pan onto two warm plates. Sprinkle with toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds and a light squeeze of lemon. Serve with a tablespoon of cultured vegetables of your choice on each plate.

Organic Pastured Eggs: The Foundation of the Kale Tortilla

To make a delicious kale tortilla, you need to use organic pastured eggs because they are simply superior to commercially harvested eggs. These eggs come from hens that freely roam in clean pastures where they can hunt for their natural diet such as worms, insects, seeds and plants. Compared to eggs from conventionally raised chickens, organic pastured eggs have the following advantages:1

One-third less cholesterol One-fourth less saturated fat
Two-thirds more vitamin A Two times more omega-3 fats
Three times more vitamin E Seven times more beta-carotene

The best place to purchase organic pastured eggs is directly from a local farmer or a farmers market near you. It’s also a great way to meet the people who produce your food and get an idea how it is grown and harvested. If you live in an urban area, you can visit your local health food store, which typically carries these eggs.

Remember that there’s one caveat about eggs: Scrambling oxidizes the cholesterol in the yolk. If you have high cholesterol levels, this may damage your body. However, the other ingredients in this recipe may help counteract this negative effect through their antioxidants and other nutrients.

Kale Provides Plenty of Nutrients and All the Protein You Need

Kale is a form of cabbage that is now becoming widely popular simply because it’s a nutrient powerhouse. In fact, one cup of raw kale possesses all nine essential amino acids to form the proteins in your body. Plus, it has an additional nine non-essential amino acids. The table below can help shed more light on this regard:

Kale Protein Amino

Kale is also abundant in carotenoids, a type of antioxidant. Again, in just 1 cup of kale, you can get 200 percent of the daily recommended value for vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. It also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help maintain healthy eyesight. But that’s not all — just take a look at the numerous vitamins and minerals this superfood provides:

Kale Vitamins

Add Some Pumpkin for More Nutrients and Flavor

The humble pumpkin is more than just a Halloween decoration — it’s actually healthy for you. Almost all parts of the plant are edible, including the leaves and flowers.

Pumpkin is loaded with various vitamins, most notably vitamin A, which is about 245 percent of the daily recommended value. It also contains 19 percent of the daily value for vitamin C and 16 percent for potassium. Here are additional nutrients that pumpkin contains:

Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) Folate
Vitamin B6 Magnesium
Thiamin Phosphorus
Iron Niacin

Several studies done on pumpkin have shown that it may be helpful for:

  • Protecting cardiovascular health: Pumpkin seeds contain generous amounts of oleic and linoleic acids, which may help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.2
  • Boosting post-workout energy: One cup of cooked pumpkin contains 564 milligrams of potassium, which can help refuel your energy levels after a workout.3
  • Lowering the risk of cancer: According to a study published in The British Journal of Nutrition, the antioxidant activity in pumpkins has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.4

About the Author

Pete Evans is an internationally renowned chef who has not only cooked for the general public, but also cooked a royal banquet for the Prince and Princess of Denmark, a private dinner for Martha Stewart and even represented his hometown at the gala GʼDay U.S.A. dinner for 600 in NYC.

Pete’s career has moved from the kitchen into the lounge room with many TV appearances, including Lifestyle Channel’s Home show, Postcards from Home, FISH, My Kitchen Rules and Moveable Feast. 

Pete’s latest endeavor, The Paleo Way, is a vibrant health, weight management and fitness program, tailored to a Paleo lifestyle. Its 10-week activation program teaches you the synergy between eating good food, moving your body every day and looking at the positive sides and secrets to a healthier and happier life.

+ Sources and References