Vegetable hash with poached eggs lightens heavy dish for spring
When you see a recipe for hash, you probably think of a sturdy, comforting dish made primarily from meat and potatoes. It’s the kind of meal you want on a cold, drizzly January night when you’ve had a rough day. We need a meal like that to restore us when we want to crawl under the covers and wait until the world looks a little better.
But it’s not winter, and aside from a few chilly nights and mornings, we are full on into spring and soon will turn the corner toward summer. Heavy, comforting meals weigh us down too much when it’s brighter outside.
Today’s recipe is a twist on traditional hash, still including the requisite potatoes and onions, but filling the bowl with a variety of other vegetables as well. Instead of corned beef or roast beef, this vegetable hash relies on a poached egg on top to amp up the protein. Eggs and vegetables seem like natural complements. Think vegetable omelets, spanakopita, huevos rancheros. All of these egg and vegetable combinations are tasty as well as nutritious, and this dish is no exception.
Overall, eggs are a pretty amazing food. The white is almost all high-quality protein, which is necessary to build and repair muscle and maintain a healthy immune system. The yolk does contain some saturated fat, but not an excessive amount. Egg yolks are also an excellent source of choline, which is needed to produce phosphatidylcholine, a part of every cell. Without this important component, cells would be less flexible and fluid. Choline is also part of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter necessary for muscles to contract. Interestingly, choline is not classified as a vitamin, at least not yet. We make choline in our bodies, so it is not certain whether it is essential to get choline in our food, which is one of the criteria for a nutrient to be called a vitamin. However, as research about choline evolves, there may be enough data in the future showing us that it is necessary to obtain it in the diet to go along with what we make in our bodies.
The word “hash” comes from the French word hacher, which means “to chop.” You will notice that all the vegetables in this vegetable hash mixture are chopped, or cut into small pieces. While you will have some chopping to do while you prepare the dish, you will just need a fork to eat it.
Enjoy this lighter version of hash, and get a pile of healthful vegetables with quality protein, all in one bowl.
Megan Murphy is a Tennesseelicensed registered dietitian and associate professor of nutrition at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Call 901-277-3062, fax 901-5292787, or e-mail Meganmyrd@aol.com.