The Food Network brought my family together as a child. Together, we would be fascinated by the grill marks Bobby Flay would create on his steaks, the wacky chemistry done by Alton Brown on Good Eats, and the fantastical dishes on Iron Chef (the original, of course). Food Network was the spark that ignited my love of cooking and heightened my desire to travel. Even today, I have noticed that I have inadvertently picked up useful cooking techniques from watching these shows and routinely pretend that I am a professional chef. My most recent inspiration has come from binge-watching Giada in Italy. Giada de Laurentiis’ zest for life and divine Italian ingredients almost has me booking a one-way plane ticket to Italy after each episode. Yet, here I am in Arizona trying to find fresh radicchio and bitter orange Italian apéritif (a liqueur) so I can recreate the amazing luncheon Giada prepares for her girlfriends.
But there is hope! To eat as the Italians eat does not mean that I have to find all of the obscure ingredients Giada uses that are best found in season in Italy. I can, however, use the simple ingredients she uses most: olive oil, tomatoes, lemon, arugula, fennel, and fresh herbs. If I’m being honest with myself, I could definitely just eat pasta with tomato sauce for breakfast—but sometimes, I just need eggs with a little flavor to brighten up my day. Quickly throw this dish together when you want to mangia bene, eat well, in the morning!
Italian-Inspired Breakfast Scramble
Servings: 1
Time: 10 minutes
1/4 cup Baby Tomatoes, pomodorini
1 Marinated Artichoke Heart, cuori di carciofo marinati
2 Fresh Basil Leaves, foglie di basilico
2 Large Eggs, uova
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, olio extra vergine di oliva
1 cup of Arugula, rucula
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder, polvere d’aglio
1/4 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, condimento italiano
1/4 teaspoon Salt, sale
1/4 teaspoon Pepper, pepe
1/4 cup Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, mozzarella vegana
or 1/2 teaspoon Nutritional Yeast, lievito nutrizionale
2 tablespoons of Marinara Sauce, marinara (optional)
*To make this recipe vegan, replace the eggs with a Basic Tofu Scramble!
- Slice the baby tomatoes into halves, dice the marinated artichoke heart, and roughly chop the basil leaves.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until fully blended.
- Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a heated medium-sized pan over low to medium heat and toss in the baby tomatoes, marinated artichoke heart, basil leaves, arugula, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Using a spatula, shift the ingredients in the pan and coat with the olive oil.
- Once the arugula has wilted, pour the eggs into the pan and sprinkle in the vegan mozzarella or nutritional yeast. Stir and fold the scramble until the eggs are firm and fully cooked.
- Transfer the scramble onto a plate and top with marinara sauce, if desired, for extra Italian flavor. Bellissimo!
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