Eggs

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata
Serves 4

12 ounce bag of frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 tablespoons onions, diced
8 egg whites
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.   Turn on your oven broiler to high.
2.   Separate the 8 eggs into a large bowl.  Throw away the yolks (or use an equivalent amount of egg white or egg substitute.)
4.   Add the two whole eggs to the bowl of whites and whisk until fully mixed.
5.   Place olive oil in an oven-safe non-stick skillet. When hot, add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes.
6.   Add the broccoli and saute for 5-8 minutes over med-high heat.
7.   Pour the egg mixture over the broccoli. Allow to set for 1 minute.
8.   Using the edge of a rubber scraper, carefully lift one edge of the eggs and tilt the skillet so that raw eggs run into that pocket. Repeat all around the edge until most of the surface is wet, but setting.
9.   Sprinkle the cheese on the eggs and place under the broiler for 5 minutes.
10. Cut into fourths and serve immediately.

Nutritional data:
Calories:        203
Fat:              12.3g
Sat fat:           4.9g
Chol:             226mg
Sodium:         289mg
Carbs:            5.6g
Fiber:             1.8g
Protein:        18.9g

This is very similar to my earlier recipe, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche, but without the crust, which greatly reduces the carbs, fats and calories.

Alternative:
Use more whole eggs (1 whole egg will replace 2 egg whites)
Experiment with different cheeses
Use different vegetables
Add meats

Wild Rice, Cheddar and Spinach Pie

 Wild Rice, Cheddar and Spinach Pie

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
3 whole eggs, whisked together
Cooking spray

1.  Preheat oven to 425F.
2.  Heat a non-stick skillet, add the oil. Saute the onions until beginning to brown (about 4-5 minutes.)
3.  Add garlic and spinach. Stir together for 1-2 minutes.
4.  Remove from heat, and put onion/spinach in a large bowl.
5.  Add 3 cups cooked wild rice and cheese.  Stir to mix.
6.  Add eggs, stir until evenly mixed.
7.  Spray a pie pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture into pan, smooth and place in oven for 25 minutes.  When baked, remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

My suggestions for improving/adding flavor:
Replace the cheddar with an equal amount of feta or bleu cheese.
Add Kalamata olive (especially if using feta cheese.)
Add green Spanish olive (especially if using bleu cheese.)
Add bacon or diced smoked ham.
Add jalapenos (especially if keeping the cheddar cheese.)
Increasing the cheese to a full cup.

Nutritional data for the pie as I made it:
Calories:         295
Fat:                  8.7g
Sat fat:             3.1g
Chol:              115mg
Sodium:          114mg
Carbs:            41.7g
Fiber:               3.4g
Protein:          13.2g

Veggie Hash with Eggs

Veggie Hash
Makes 2-4 serving, depending on how hungry you are.  The picture shows two servings, on a 10″ plate.

8 ounces shredded potatoes
1 bunch (approxmately 1 pound) fresh asparagus, cut into  1/2 inch pieces
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Black pepper to taste
Seasoning of your choice (I used Penzey’s Sunny Paris.)

1.  Heat a large non-stick skillet. Add 1 tsp olive oil, the asparagus, mushrooms.  Saute over medium-high heat until the mushrooms begin to brown.
2.  Remove veggies from heat, set aside, cover to keep warm.
3.  Add the remaining olive oil, and over medium-high heat, add the onions.  Saute for 2-3 minutes, and add the garlic, saute for an additional minute.
4.  Add the shredded potatoes.  Gently toss (to prevent mashing the potatoes) until the onions begin to brown (another 3-4 minutes.)
5.  Return all veggies to skillet, toss to mix.
6.  Serve with eggs prepared as you like them.

Nutritional Data (for one serving of hash only, without the eggs):
Calories:  102
Fat:            3.8g
Sat fat:       0.6g
Chol:            0mg
Sodium:    163mg
Carbs:     14.7g
Fiber:        3.3g
Protein:     4.2g

Scrambled Eggs with Sauteed Leek

Scrambled Egg with Sauteed Leek

3 large eggs
2 small leeks, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salsa (I used an artichoke-garlic salsa)
Preferred seasoning (I used Penzey’s Sunny Paris salt-free blend)
1/2 avocado, mashed

1.  Slice the leeks the long way.  Separate the leaves and rinse under running water to make sure all dirt is removed.  Slice across the grain in 1/4 inch slices.
2.  Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add leek.  Saute the leeks until they begin to brown.
3.  Reduce heat to medium.
4.  Scramble the eggs, pour over the leeks.  Let the eggs cook until beginning to set, then scramble them until cooked to your desired level of hardness.
5.  Top with 4 tablespoons salsa, and 1/2 mash avocado.

Nutritional Data:
Calories:           475
Fat:                   39.4g
Sat fat:                8.1g
Chol:                 635mg
Sodium:             432mg
Carbs:               12.7g
Fiber:                  6.8g
Protein:             20.4g

This is a fairly big breakfast. You can certainly make it smaller by using only two eggs, or just three egg whites. You can reduce the sodium load by using less salsa (or no salsa).  But this is a meal that will keep me going all morning. 

And it was delicious!

French Toast

French Toast

(The picture is actually two servings.)

2 slices of bread, your preferred type (I used Healthy Life 100% Whole Wheat)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix egg, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.

Dip bread into egg mixture and flip to let both sides soak in the egg.

Lay on heated griddle.  Turn when brown on the edges (2-3 minutes.)  I served mine with just a dusting of powder sugar.

Nutritional data (for two slices):
Calories:     172
Fat:              6.1g
Sat fat:         2.9g
Chol:         214mg
Sodium:     295mg
Carbs:         1.4g
Fiber:          5.7g
Protein:     11.3g

My son preferred his served like this:

He added whipped cream and maple syrup.  Yeah.  It looks better than mine!

Pancakes and Frittata

The pancakes are my basic protein pancakes, topped with blueberry Greek yogurt and additional fresh blueberries.
Leek Frittata
Makes 2 servings.
1 leek, cleaned carefully, and slice thinly across the grain
4 whole eggs, large
2 Tablespoons shredded cheese (your choice)
Pepper as needed
Cooking spray
Diced tomato for a dressing
1.  Slice the leek the long way, fan it apart and rinse it under cool running water.  Slice it thinly across the grain.
2.  Turn your broiler on high.
3.  Heat a non-stick, oven-safe pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add leeks.  Saute until beginning to soften, 3-5 minutes.
4.  Crack four eggs into a bowl, whisk lightly.
5.  Pour over leeks. Let the eggs cook until beginning to set.  The surface will still be runny. Top with cheese. Place under broiler until the cheese browns and eggs finish cooking (2-3 minutes).
6.  Cut in half, serve immediately.
Nutritional data:
Calories:    219
Fat:           14.7g
Sat fat:        6.1g
Chol:         438mg
Sodium:    234mg
Carbs:        5.7g
Fiber:         0.6g
Protein:    16.6g

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

1 prepared pie crust (or your preferred pie crust recipe)

1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp olive oil

1 cup cottage cheese
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
12 ounce bag of frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and drained.

Preheat oven to 350F

1.  Grease 9 inch pie tin, place pie crust in tin
2.  Sautee onions, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in olive oil until soft (5-6 minutes)
3.  While onions and mushrooms cook, separate eggs.  Add egg whites and the whole egg to the cottage cheese.  Add mustard.  Mix until smooth. 
4.  Stir in cheddar cheese and broccoli.
5.  Stir in onions and mushrooms.
6.  Pour mixture into pie crust.
7.  Cook 35-40 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
8.  Let rest 5 minutes.  Serves 4

Nutrition:  
Calories:     382
Fat:              21.8g
Sat Fat:          6.4g
Chol:              66mg
Sodium:       534mg
Carb:           29.2g
Fiber:            2.6g
Protein:         16.2g