Spinach-Feta Omelet with Pine Nuts

I’ve given up buying cereal.  Whenever I do, we each have a bowl and then watch it sit on the shelf thereafter, slowing going stale.  Suffice it to say none of us are big fans of the stuff, in spite of the occasional craving.  I feel better and less hungry throughout the day when I have a bit of protein in the morning instead.

This delicious omelet makes a perfect breakfast or lunch.  The pine nuts add a nutty touch that works beautifully with the spinach.  Add them near the end of sauteing the veggies, since they burn easily.

Spinach-Feta Omelet with Pine Nuts

Spinach-Feta Omelet with Pine Nuts

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tsp pine nuts
2-3 tbsp. feta cheese
2-3 eggs
Salt & pepper

Beat eggs with a pinch of salt & pepper and set aside.

Heat a medium skillet (I prefer a 10″ skillet for omelets) over medium heat.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and rub around skillet to coat entirely.  Add onion and sauté 2-3 minutes, until tender.  Add spinach and pine nuts.  Cook, stirring frequently another minute or two, until spinach is slightly wilted.  Remove veggies to a plate.

Keep an eye on the veggies so your pine nuts don’t burn!

Add eggs to the skillet.  Swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan.  Using a spatula, push or lift the edges of the egg, tilting the pan so the runny egg fills the empty spot.  Keep doing this until there is no runny egg.  You will end up with a bumpy, moon crater surface of an omelet, with the egg mostly cooked but still glossy on top.

Scatter cheese all over the surface, and then put the veggies just on one half.

Yum!

Cook a minute until cheese starts to melt, fold omelet over, slide out of the pan and serve immediately.

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Asparagus and Shiitake Omelet

With farmer’s markets up and running for the season, as well as my favorite local fruit and veggie supplier, I have more produce than I usually know what to do with.  Everything looks so beautiful that I buy with my eyes instead of following my shopping list.  The wonderful bounty can turn into a trash can full of waste if I’m not careful.  So what I usually do to avoid this is lay everything out when I get home from shopping and plan meals around what I bought.  Large fruits like pineapples and melons get peeled and chopped and put away in the fridge for easy snacking for the kiddos (and me).  Other things get cooked for dinner, with the most perishable things getting used first.  And any leftovers most likely will find their way into my breakfast.

I found the most wonderful tiny shiitake mushrooms at the market this week.  My daughter commented on how delicious they were and how different they taste compared to other mushrooms.  She’s right! Combined with some leftover roasted asparagus, I had the makings for a tasty treat of an omelet.

Asparagus and Shiitake Omelet

Asparagus and Shiitake Omelet

4 stalks of asparagus, cut into one inch pieces
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2-3 eggs
Salt & pepper

In a small bowl beat the eggs with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Set aside.  Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and toss in your onion and mushrooms.  Saute for a couple of minutes until veggies are tender.  Add asparagus and cook another minute or two (since my asparagus was already cooked I just added it at the end and tossed it until it was heated through).  Remove veggies to a bowl and set aside.

Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and swirl it around to coat the surface.  Pour eggs into the pan.  Move them around with your spatula, lifting the edges and tilting the pan to move the uncooked egg to the pan surface.  You’ll end up with a lumpy moon crater surface, with all of the egg mostly cooked but still a little glossy on top.  This is how you avoid omelets that are runny in the middle or overcooked on the outside!

Sprinkle cheese all over the egg surface.  Pile all of the veggies on one half.  If needed let it cook a few seconds until the egg is set and the cheese is melted.

Doesn’t that look yummy?

Fold over and slide onto a plate.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

I’m Not Sweet In The Morning

You can keep your french toast and your waffles.  When it comes to breakfast I want something savory.  I guess you could just say I’m not all that sweet in the morning. 🙂

I hardly ever order omelets in restaurants.  They are either waaay too big (really, who needs to eat 6 eggs in one sitting?), or the cheese isn’t melted, or the eggs are overcooked, or there is too much stuff in it, or…something.  I just like mine better.  And they are so easy to make.  I usually make a 2 egg omelet, but you could make it with three if you have a bigger appetite.

In this case, I had a few simple ingredients on hand.  Basil from my own garden, some organic grape tomatoes from the fruit stand, and fresh feta from farmer’s market.  With ingredients that good, there was no need for anything else.

Tomato Feta Omelet

Tomato Feta Omelet

2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped grape or cherry tomatoes
1-2 tbsp sliced fresh basil
2 tbsp crumbled feta
Salt & pepper
Olive oil for cooking

Heat a small skillet (I use a 6 or 8″ non-stick pan for omelets) over medium heat.  Make sure your pan is hot before you cook!  Get all of your ingredients ready, it will come together quickly once you start.  Beat eggs with a pinch of salt & pepper in a small bowl with a fork or whisk until very well combined. When your pan is hot add a drizzle of olive oil and swirl it around.  If you flick a few drops of water in the pan and they sizzle, your pan is ready.  Pour in the eggs and swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan.  Using a spatula, push in or lift up the edges in different spots, tilting the pan to let the runny egg fill the spot and then doing another spot.  You’ll end up with a bumpy moon-surface sort of omelet bed with no runny egg left, but eggs still a little glossy on top.

Making the omelet. Note bumpy surface from moving the eggs around. That’s the secret to a great omelet that doesn’t have runny stuff in the middle and isn’t overcooked on the outside.

When the eggs stop running (but aren’t quite finished cooking), sprinkle cheese.  Then put your other ingredients on one half.  When the cheese is pretty much melted, carefully fold the bare half over the half with the ingredients, cook for another 30 seconds or so and slide off onto a plate.