(Family Features) Chef Nate Appleman knows how important it is to serve healthy meals to your family – ones they actually want to eat. Before having his first child, he transformed his eating and exercise habits and lost 85 pounds to get on a healthier path.
Now, he’s cooking meals for his family, including 14-year-old Oliver who was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease as a toddler – an inflammation of the blood vessels that can cause damage to coronary arteries – as a healthy lifestyle is important to help manage the disease. Since Oliver’s diagnosis, Appleman made it his personal mission to create awareness of Kawasaki Disease and for the critical need for plasma donations that many people with the disease rely on for treatment, which is why he partnered with Abbott to bring attention to the need for plasma donations.
Plasma is a powerful part of your blood that supports essential bodily functions. It’s a lifeline for thousands of people who are immune-compromised and live with a variety of chronic and complex diseases. In fact, more than 125,000 Americans rely on medication made from plasma every day, according to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA).
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a serious shortage of plasma donors – average donations per center in the United States were down approximately 11% during the first few months of 2021 compared to the previous year, further deepening the nearly 20% decline in donations in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the PPTA.
Donating plasma is a safe and relatively easy process. Since plasma is replaced in the body within about 24 hours, it can be donated up to twice per week. With a donation that typically takes between 1-3 hours, you can make a lasting impact by providing lifesaving medicine for patients like Oliver.
It’s a good idea to fuel up with iron-rich foods before and after donating, so Appleman created fresh, nutritious recipes he loves to serve his family, like Cheesy Frittata with Veggies.
Learn where you can donate at bethe1donor.abbott.
Cheesy Frittata with Veggies
Recipe courtesy of chef Nate Appleman on behalf of Abbott
Roasted garlic:
2 heads garlic
olive oil
salt
Frittata:
oil
2 medium leeks, sliced
8 ounces blanched, chopped broccoli
salt, to taste
9 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 ounces grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tablespoons heavy cream
To make roasted garlic: Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice 1/4 inch off entire heads of garlic and place cut sides down in a 1-liter casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt; cover with lid.
Bake 35-45 minutes until the heads of garlic are soft and light brown. Let cool then use the back of a knife to squeeze garlic from pods.
To make the frittata: Lower oven to 375 F.
In saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook leeks until soft; add broccoli then season with salt, to taste, and remove from heat.
In a mixing bowl, mix roasted garlic, sauteed leeks and broccoli, eggs, parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano, and cream; place in a 9-inch pie dish and bake approximately 20 minutes until the top of the frittata is brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Source: Abbott
