How do you like your eggs?

What do you have when you combine eggs with bits of meat, cheese, and vegetables?  Omelet? Quiche?  Frittata? Fancy scrambled eggs? All of these answers could be correct, but the methods of preparation makes the differences.
Omelets are popular and are made by cooking eggs in a shallow pan and folding the extra ingredients into the almost done egg mixture. Quiche is an egg custard with extra ingredients added, usually in a pie crust. It is baked in the oven. Frittatas are a creamy egg custard with the eggs mixed with cream and vegetables, meat and cheese added. It is made in a heavy skillet that cooks both on the stove top and in the oven.
Frittata is a popular egg preparation now and one that friends and I recently enjoyed when quilt-tripping to visit a friend in Denver. Our friend and her neighbor not only entertained us with a beautiful Sunday morning recital of classical duets played on a baby grand piano,  they also prepared a delicious brunch for us featuring a frittata.

Doesn't this look like a delicious brunch? It was! 

You can go shopping for special fresh ingredients of bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, and spinach for your frittata or you can look in the refrigerator and see what you have that needs to be used. Throw in a few chopped vegetables, and brown some meat and a frittata can be on the table in 20 minutes. The recipe I use is a ratio using whatever ingredients you have. For every six eggs, use 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup cheese, and 2 cups total vegetables and meat. You'll need a heavy skillet such as a cast iron skillet or an oven-safe non-stick skillet. If your skillet isn't non-stick, be sure to use extra oil so the eggs don't stick to the pan.

The steps are simple:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven.
2. Mix the eggs and cream with 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
3. Cook and drain the meat (bacon or sausage) leaving some fat in the skillet.
4. Saute the onions, green peppers, and other vegetables, starting with those that take the longest time to soften.
5. Wilt the spinach and add any fresh herbs you want to use. Cook and stir these for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Add the meat back in the pan and stir to distribute.
6. Add cheese and let it just start to melt.
7. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and meat and cook for a minute or two until the edges of the egg start to set.

My frittata at home in a cast iron skillet. 

8. Bake the frittata in the oven until the eggs are set 8 - 10 minutes (or longer for a big pan of frittata). If you'd like to brown and crisp the top, set the frittata under the broiler for a minute or two at the end of the cooking time.
Let set in the pan 5 minutes before slicing into wedges to serve.

Spring Resolutions

One of my spring traditions is Walk Kansas, a fitness challenge by Kanas State University Extension's Family Consumer Sciences program. I've loved this idea since the program started, almost 20 years ago. The first year we had 33 teams of walkers in Greenwood County, I wasn't the only one looking for motivation! Since its beginning, Walk Kansas has been a popular activity with teams of 6 people adding their walk time or distance to try to cover the miles across Kansas during the 6-week period of time.
This year I am on the Stray Cats team, a clever name for a few people scattered across the state who are K-State fans. We don't have to walk together so being in the same location isn't important. The state program is coordinated by a good friend of mine who also does a weekly newsletter to participants. This newsletter contains healthy tips for activity and eating. And good recipes.


This blog's recipe is Southwest Vegetable Frittata. Just 19% of Kansas eat enough fruits and vegetables. Here is a tasty way to add some vegetables to a meal. Each week's newsletter has healthy recipes to encourage us to eat more fruits and vegetables. Check out some of these at: www.walkkansas.org

SOUTHWEST VEGETABLE FRITTATA

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil

½ cup diced red pepper

¼ cup diced yellow onion

½ to 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

6 large eggs

salt and pepper

¼ cup grated reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

¼ avocado, thinly sliced

½ cup chunky salsa or pico de gallo

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1.     In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.

2.     Add red pepper, onion and jalapeno; sauté for 5 minutes. Add black beans and with wooden spoon, stir vegetables and beans until evenly distributed.

3.     Beat eggs in bowl and pour eggs over top. Spread with spoon to evenly distribute across vegetables and beans. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat until eggs are just set, about 2 to 3 minutes.

4.     Remove pan from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and allow cheese to melt for a minutes. Gently slide the frittata onto plate or platter.

5.     Top with avocado slices and salsa. If desired, garnish with fresh cilantro.

Nutrition Information per serving:

200 calories

13 g fat (3 g saturated fat)

9 g carbohydrates

13 g protein

3 g fiber

260 mg sodium