By Karen Schulz

One day, my tremendously healthy, mindful co-worker, Ali, asked me if I would like her extra tray of microgreens. For someone who loves to cook as much as I do, I had to confess, I had no clue what to do with a tray of microgreens. I didn’t even know exactly what they were and, if I am being honest, just chalked them up as a trendy element reserved for fancy restaurants and serious vegans. However, since I am always up for an adventure and eager to try new ingredients I graciously accepted her generous gift and quickly became a big fan of this tiny green heart shaped ingredient.

Micro-greens are the shoots of salad vegetables such as arugula, Swiss chard, mustard, beetroot, etc., picked just after the first leaves have developed. Not only do these tiny green hearts add beauty and color sprinkled on top of everything, but they also add a nutty flavor and have higher levels of nutrients than their mature counterparts. Sounds like a win-win-win situation to me.

A whole tray of microgreens is a little bigger than a large rimmed baking sheet. I felt some pressure to not let this beautiful tray of seedlings go to waste, so I became the queen of microgreens. I kept my kitchen sheers handy and snipped handfuls into smoothies, onto salads, on top of buttered toast with slices of radish, over broiled fish. Really, I put them on everything. One of my all-time favorite outcomes was when I sprinkled them on top of crispy Ezekiel toast, with Havarti cheese, and an over-easy fried egg. I am not kidding when I tell you, it elevated my ho-hum regular breakfast to a whole other level.

I do not have a lot of extra space to keep a whole tray of microgreens handy, but some day I would like to figure out a way to have them growing in my kitchen — maybe one of those “live” walls. Until then, I will continue to find them in the produce sections of my favorite markets and will always have them on hand to add a little beauty, flavor, and nutrition to any meal.

<<Open-Faced Egg Havarti and Microgreen Sandwich>>

Serves 2

<Ingredients>

2 slices Ezekiel bread (found in the freezer section of most supermarkets)

1 t. olive oil

2 large eggs

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

2 slices Havarti cheese (my preference is organic Applegate Farms)

Microgreens, enough to sprinkle on top

<Directions>

Toast Ezekiel bread.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan warm olive oil on medium heat. When warm, crack egg and wait until white is set but still slightly clear on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip the egg and cook for about 30 seconds, until white is cooked.

When bread is done, put one slice of Havarti on top and it will start to melt. When egg is done, slide it on top of cheese.

Sprinkle with microgreens.