Sunshine Turkey Scramble

After my recent run-in with a decidedly delicious Turkey and Cranberry Meatloaf, I had some ground (minced) turkey left over.  Since it was 7:16 am  – while rummaging in the ‘fridge – when I made this discovery, I decided I would see what hearty weekend breakfast I could conjure up with it.  I think my body was still trying to get back to normal after 3 days on nothing but an IV.  My desire to eat a large quantity of protein was rampant.  Much as I love my green, protein-packed smoothies, one of those just wasn’t going to cut it.  I was done with the whole liquid food thing, at least for a day or two.

When it comes to the weekends, I’ve always been a cooked-breakfast-girl.  Growing up, Sunday breakfast was probably my favorite meal of the week.  Typically a full English breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausage, fried bread, tomatoes and mushrooms – although sometimes there were Baked Eggs on the menu.  Sunday breakfast was at 8 am.  Sharp.  And you were there.  On time.  No matter how late you got home the night before, no matter how ill you might feel.  When Mum yelled, “Breakfast!”, you were out of bed and down those stairs in a flash.  No. Matter. What.   You were not late to breakfast.  These days I revel in having Sunday breakfast at whatever time I feel like it, but I still to this day equate Sunday mornings with an ample cooked feast; and when it came to eggs, scrambled was always my favorite, so while everyone else was eating fried eggs, my mother scrambled mine.  Bless her.

I suppose this would be considered more of a brunch than a breakfast, what with the turkey and the copious amount of spinach involved.  Whatever meal label you choose to give it, it’s hearty for sure.  I ate the whole lot, but I can see how for many of you, this would be a dish for two.  There’s that Carrie Brown appetite again. 

Before you get on with rustling this up, we should probably talk a little bit about oranges, because you might well be thinking that it’s a rather strange addition to eggs; and I admit, I’ve never put oranges – or any other fruit for that matter – in a scramble before.  I remember when I was very young, my father put raisins in the scrambled eggs once or twice while my mother was in the hospital and he had child-feeding obligations.  Although my brother and I dutifully ate it all up, I do not remember thinking that it was a particularly successful meal.

The orange idea came to me when I was recalling with great fondness a fabulous breakfast that I enjoyed with Jeanne one Saturday at a new café in Madison Park, Seattle.  Jeanne had the Ham e Formaggio Frittata – Rosemary ham, cheese, spinach with Rosemary, orange & hazelnut dressing.  Essentially an omelette with ham, cheese, and spinach – but with a hazelnut and orange dressing that had a whole pile of orange segments in.  And I thought, ‘Well.  If you can put orange segments in a dressing and slather it all over your omelet, it stands to reason that oranges and eggs go, and therefore orange IN your scramble must be awesome.”  And so it was.

This is pretty much a perfect *SANE meal – as long as you eat it with the spinach.

What a brilliant way to start a weekend!