Egg and Veggie Scramble with Avocado

Amounts below match 1 serving. Each serving is still about 26g protein and 7g fiber. Salt amounts assume kosher salt — if you use table salt, use half.

• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup plain cottage cheese
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ medium ripe tomato
• ½ avocado
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ lemon
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Protein and fiber are estimates for teaching, not a medical plan.

How to cut and prepare

Open a card before you start chopping. The picture shows the shape you are aiming for.

Wash and chop spinachHide

1. 1

   Fill a bowl with cool water and swish the leaves. Grit sinks. Lift the leaves out instead of pouring the grit back over them. Repeat if the water was sandy.

2. 2

   Tear off long thick stems if they feel tough. Baby spinach stems are tender — leave them.

3. 3

   Stack the leaves and cut them into ribbons, then across into bite-size pieces. Wet spinach shrinks a lot. A heaping handful cooks down to a spoonful.

Common mistakes

• Adding a huge volume of wet leaves to eggs all at once. Squeeze a handful lightly so you are not pouring water into the pan.
• Cooking spinach for many minutes. It only needs until it wilts, about a minute.

Dice a tomatoShow

Slice an avocado safelyShow

Juice a lemonShow

Cook it

You will need: A nonstick or well-seasoned skillet, A spatula, A knife and board.

1. 1

   Beat the eggs with the cottage cheese

   Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add the cottage cheese, a pinch of salt, and the pepper. Beat with a fork until the yolks are broken and the cheese is in small curds. The cheese keeps the eggs tender and adds protein.

2. 2

   Wilt the spinach

   Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt. Stir until it collapses, about a minute. If a puddle of water appears, pour it off. Squeeze is better than boiling the eggs later.

3. 3

   Scramble low and slow

   Turn the heat to medium-low. Pour in the eggs. Let them sit 10 seconds, then push them gently from the edge toward the center with a spatula. Keep doing that. When they look mostly set but still glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes, take the pan off the heat. They finish cooking with leftover heat. Dry, browned eggs were left on too long.

4. 4

   Tomato, avocado, lemon

   Fold in the tomato off the heat so it warms but does not flood the eggs. Slice the avocado with a spoon for the pit — do not stab it — and set it beside the eggs. A squeeze of lemon on the avocado keeps the color and brightens the plate.