Tag Archives: eggs

Mediterranean Egg White Frittata

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Julie • 3 Comments

I just realized that my last five posts have been either dessert or alcohol. Oops. I’m sorry. Or, you’re welcome. Either way.

In fairness and deference to your arteries and mine, I’ll go ahead and share one of my new favorite fast, healthy weeknight recipes. It’s also my favorite way to use up egg whites. Whenever I make something with Swiss meringue buttercream, I usually end up tossing the yolks and feeling a little guilty (but not guiltier than I’d feel if I made mayonnaise or custard or whatever other unhealthy recipe starts with egg yolks). But throwing away the whites? No way. Last week, I had a ton of whites left over from a tart (soon to be posted) and a hankering for an easy, healthy dinner packed with veggies. Ergo, this frittata.

Quick sidebar: I am currently making a note to myself that whomever created the spellcheck dictionary for WordPress was clearly not a food blogger. Every time I post, I get pinged for things like “frittata,” “buttercream,” “cremini,” and so on. Worth a letter-writing campaign? Definitely not, but surely noteworthy enough for the occasional mild gripe. Because I don’t like to get falsely spellchecked, ya know?

Sidebar #2: I just ran spellcheck and “WordPress” got flagged. Really?

Anyway. What was I talking about? Frittatas. Right. This is definitely going into the heavy rotation – quick, versatile in both ingredients and usage (brunch or dinner!), and super-healthy, you can tweak it to throw in whatever you have in the fridge, and it’s a perfect bounce-back dinner if you’ve subsisted mostly on cupcake batter in the days before. Not that I know anyone who does that.

Mediterranean Egg White Frittata
Print
Category: Brunch, Main Dish
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Yield: 6 servings
The trifecta – healthy, easy, fast – for a perfect brunch or weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups egg whites
  • 3 Tbsp milk or half-and-half
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
  • 3 scallions, diced (white and green parts)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine egg whites, milk, feta, basil, oregano and thyme in a medium bowl and whisk until frothy. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron or ovenproof skillet. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and cook over medium heat until slightly softened, about five minutes. Add garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives and cook until spinach is wilted, about two minutes. Add scallions and stir.
  3. Pour in egg white mixture. Stir constantly for about a minute until you start to see bits of cooked egg. Let sit undisturbed for two to three minutes, until the bottom begins to set. Place skillet in preheated oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the top is browned and the frittata is set in the middle. Let cool for about five minutes and serve with a simple salad.

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Main Dish, Quick & Easy

Mushroom and Leek Quiche

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

Take a leek.

Being able to make that joke each and every time I make this may in fact be the only reason I like leeks. It’s hard to dislike food that so easily lends itself to 12-year-old humor. In fairness to the leek, though, this is quite good even without the lame jokes. Leeks are milder and sweeter than onions, and are a great way to impart an onion-like flavor without the tears and inevitable halitosis. They also contain less of the sulfur compounds that make onions difficult for some people to digest, and thus make a good substitute for people who don’t tolerate them well. And that is why the leek shall inherit the earth.

Okay then. Now that I’ve indulged my insatiable need to pun, let’s move on. This quiche is a staple for us – although the total prep-and-cook time is close to an hour and a half, it’s all easy, and extremely satisfying to boot. And I’m saying this as somebody who isn’t really a quiche person – my general rationale is along the lines of “if you’re going to throw a bunch of eggs together and call it dinner, why not make an omelet and save us all the hassle?” But this isn’t a quivering three-inch-high egg pile like some quiches. The rich flavors of the roasted mushrooms and leeks are the real stars here – the eggs just quietly hold it all together. Serve with a simple green salad and as many bad leek puns as you can think of.

Mushroom and Leek Quiche
Ingredients:
1 pound mushrooms, quartered or diced (I use a combination of cremini, shiitake, and portabello)
1 bunch leeks, washed and sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup half and half or milk
1.5 cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
3 eggs
1 9-inch pie crust
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine mushrooms, leeks, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a large bowl and toss to combine, making sure everything is well coated with the oil. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Return to bowl and stir in cheese.

Prick pie shell with fork and prebake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove and lower oven temperature to 350 F.

Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add the half and half and thyme, and more salt and pepper to taste. Spread mushroom mixture into the pie pan in an even layer and pour half-and-half/egg mixture on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Filed Under: Main Dish