Recipe: Sagan’s Fantastic Frittata
Along with my pedometer, I also got a few other goodies last weekend…
an oil mister and an elephant teapot!
This is my first ever teapot. Isn’t it the cutest? The oil mister is basically a spray bottle contraption. Pour the oil (I like olive oil) into the bottle, pump it a few times, and then spray the pan. No need for using lots of unnecessary added fats when cooking anymore!
Now that I’ve been experimenting with my pedometer and have fallen in love with it, and have been using my wonderful little teapot and have found it to be more than satisfactory, I figured it was about time I tried out the oil mister. And, while I was at it, I might as well make a recipe I’ve never made before. My great and exciting experiment? Frittata!
I make a really good poached egg. I’m decent at cooking eggy-in-the-basket and scrambled eggs are almost difficult to screw up. But an omelet? That’s one of the many recipes that is beyond my cookery skills. Whenever I’ve attempted it in the past and tried to flip the darn thing, it just falls apart. So I’ve given up on omelets.
But frittatas are a little different (a very little different). And I’d never tried one before. It’s about time I got on that. I scoured the Internet and my cookbooks for frittata recipes and have since learned that a frittata is actually very similar to a Spanish tortilla- I’m going to have to try to make one of those next!
Surprisingly enough, my cooking went by without a hitch. That’s got to be a first! Certainly reason to celebrate. Last night, however, the stir fry that I was making didn’t cook quite so smoothly. The sauce was a little on the vinegar-tasting side and the broccoli and chicken burned a touch (“lightly charred”), and I probably should have sliced the carrots rather than chop them in big chunks (mmm, crunchy!), and there was only about 1/8 cup of noodles for each myself and the other cook in the kitchen, but other than that it still tasted pretty good! It was rather pitiful, though, because a stir fry has got to be the easiest meal in the world to make, and we had no idea what we were doing. And this was with a lady who can whip up pies and canneloni and make an entire Christmas dinner like nobody’s business!
Anyway, I’m sure you’re all very interested in the recipe for how to make a frittata:
Sagan’s Fantastic Frittata Recipe
This is what I cobbled together from what I had in the fridge:
– 1 cup egg whites (no, don’t throw out the yolks- I used Simply Egg Whites, the stuff that comes in a carton. 1 cup is the equivalent of 8 egg whites or 4 whole eggs. Check that the only ingredient listed is egg whites)
– Shredded cheddar cheese (just grated a bunch. Maybe 1/4-1/3 cup?)
– Chopped green and red pepper
– 1 chopped tomato
– handful spinach (tear it up so its in slightly smaller pieces)
– black pepper
– basil
– oregano
Directions:
1. Spray a pan with olive oil in a mister. Throw in the red and green pepper and move it around for a couple minutes (over medium heat). Add the tomato and spinach and stir it every so often with a spatula.
2. Meanwhile,whisk the egg whites in a bowl with the cheese, black pepper, basil, and oregano. Try to make it frothy so that air is added to make the eggs fluffier.
3. When the spinach starts to shrivel and get smaller, pour the egg mixture over top and swirl the pan a bit so it gets evenly distributed.
Let it sit and when it the top starts to set, slide the spatula around the edge of the pan to let the runny part get to the bottom.
4. After it has become quite firm, cover the pan with a lid and flip your frittata. Slide it back into the pan so that it is flipped upside down. Continue to slide the spatula around the edge every minute or so until the frittata is firm- it should “not be runny, nor should it be bone dry”.
And you have your very own frittata! Depending on how much and what type of cheese you use, this entire frittata can be under 200 calories. It’s healthy, it’s tasty, it’s filling, and it’s easy. That’s how I like my recipes.
A couple notes…
You’ll want to be patient. I think my problem with past attempts to make omelets is that I cook it on too high a heat. Keep it at medium heat and don’t get discouraged. Grate yourself some more cheese to munch on if you’re really starving. Better yet, chop up some extra veggies!
Also, it’s a good idea to use a lid without a lip. Even though several of the recipes I found warned me not to use a lid with a lip, that was all I had. When I slid the fritatta back into the pan, Some of the runny eggs got caught in the lip so I had to lift up part of my fritatta and pour the eggs underneath. Not very classy, but it worked!
About the egg whites: depending on how long you’ve been reading this blog for, you may already know my position on eggs, but for the newcomers (*waves*), I like whole eggs very much. Could rave about them all day long if I had the chance. But everything in moderation, so when it comes to baking or other cookery in which the yolk won’t be missed, I prefer to just use the egg whites. I get in enough whole eggs otherwise that I don’t need to eat a bunch extra when I won’t even be able to really appreciate them. So feel free to replace the egg whites with whole eggs if you don’t eat a ton of them, just remember that the calorie content (but also the nutrient content!) will be a little higher. And it’s probably not wise to eat the whole frittata in one sitting if you’re using whole eggs because 4 eggs is a little much for one person in one day!
Some day I should probably learn how to cook real meals… but until then, I’m happy to experiment and learn the basics:)
I ADORE your teapot!!!! I collect them, so I’m always excited when I see one, haha 😀
Such a colorful frittata!! Nice!!
The elephant tea-pot is divine. Does he have a name?
And what IS the difference between an omlette and a frittata? I’ve never grasped it. Yours looks amazing! I wish we had those cartoned egg whites in the north of the UK – some stores down South stock ’em but they haven’t filtered up here yet. I hate throwing out the yolks!
TA x
Your teapot is adorable!! (and will bring you good luck – never buy an elephant statue without it’s trunk in the air – it’s bad luck)
Your frittata looks fabulous! (hints for omelette – medium heat! – do the same thing with lifting the edges to let the uncooked egg run underneath. Do not add the cheese to the egg mixture, but when the top of the omelette is almost set, sprinkle the cheese on top. Turn the heat down to med-low, cover with a lid for a few minutes. When cheese is melted, flip half of omelette onto other half, slide onto plate and enjoy!)
Cool Teapot! I love it. I’ll try that recipie for Frittata too it looks yummy :0) x
Sagan,
Follow the advice of the bag lady and you’ll have an omlette for breakfast.
VeggieGirl & CP- I think I’ll need to start collecting them. Could have a whole cupboard full of teapots. *swoons*
TA- not yet! Name suggestions? 🙂 I think that the only difference is how you flip it. That’s all I’ve been able to discern, anyways. Too bad about the cartons, can egg yolks be frozen and used later so they don’t need to be wasted?
Bag Lady- thanks for the advice! VERY much appreciated.
Tom- it will be egg central all around here:)
Love the teapot!!! It is just toooo cute…Thanks for the recipe, I love frittatas – have a house guest arrive this weekend so I may just try it out!
Love love love the teapot!!
My sister gave me an origami calender for 2009, and one of the projects I’ve done already was an elephant! Not too good for boiling the tea water, however 🙂
Love the teapot!!
Oh, I forgot – for flipping your frittata (why does that sound nasty….?) use a plate instead of your lipped lid. Slide frittata onto plate, flip back into frying pan (and if you can do that and manage to get ALL of the frittata back into the pan without some of it hitting the stove, would you please come and demonstrate to the Bag Lady?):)
Oh, I want to try your poached eggs missie! And yep, I can’t flip an egg, so omeletes are not something I can tackle~
But gotta say, love your elephant teapot!
Yummy, and lots of protein. Good for you for being brave and experimenting!
Love the elephant teapot, too. I’ve got a penguin coffee carafe — maybe we should get them together:-)
Missicat- do! I was thinking about trying it with some jalapeno cheese next time…
Dr. J- that would be a fun calendar. Good idea not to put the tea in it. I think that would be very disastrous.
Bag Lady- well that’s some common sense… of course, a plate would work so much better! Definitely should have thought of that when I was looking for a lid without a lip lol. And I think that flipping it without some of it landing on the stove/floor is a bit too coordinated for me to manage;)
Sharon- next time you’re in Winnipeg, I’ll fix you up a poached egg!
Dara- loves me some protein. I wanna see a picture of your penguin coffee carafe! That sounds hilarious.
That’s how i make my omelets. Had no idea there was an actual name for it. I don’t use red pepper but use tomato and add a little basil while their sauteing. Delicious =) “Frittata” I’m going to have to remember that one.
i love your teapot!!
and now i want eggs. thanks a lot.
Kelly Turner
http://www.everygymsnightmare.com
Yummy! That looks awesome! Cute teapot!
I love my oil mister – use it all the time!
I’d love to make fritattas for dinner, but my hubby can’t stand breakfasty things for dinner! Waa!
You could always call the teapot Dumbo 🙂 Seriously, it’s awesome. May I suggest some nice looseleaf Genmai Cha to brew in it? It’s green tea with roasted brown rice grains mixed it–it adds a nice nutty flavour to the tea.
Ha! ha! I got the same teapot as a Christmas gift. It is cute, now I am waiting to buy little cups that could go with it!
I love your rendition of the egg white omelet! I am very much like you, anything I make is in moderation and always sharing my creations with many!
Aww. Very cute teapot and I love the oil concept. Way smarter than something like I can’t believe it is not butter spray…!! It is already on my list for things to get this weekend!! Thanks for the great idea!
Fitness Surfer- spices really make the dish, don’t they? I love the word frittata. It’s sounds so much fancier than omelet.
Kelly- that was the master plan. To get you back for making me crave your bowl of fruit.
Strongandhealthy- oh it was!
Biz319- really? Am shocked! I thought everyone likes breakfast at any time… so confused by this concept of not wanting breakfast for supper…
Rachel- thanks for reading! I’ve never heard of that kind of tea but am SUPER intrigued by it. Do you know where I might be able to find it?
Nazarina- ooh matching cups would be so adorable. LOVE your creations:)
Juliet- I had the same elated feelings as you; I’ve seen (and used) the Becel sprays and all that before but this is just so much better. Real food in spray bottle form. Something as simple as that sends me over the moon!
LOVE the teapot. A pot of tea – green or otherwise – in this cutie will brighten up any morning 🙂 The mister is a really good idea too. I’m going to hunt one down because I use a pastry brush to minimise oil. Such a pain!
The frittata looks absolutely delish!
My fave lazy way with soft or egg tofu is to lightly steam it, then drizzle a little sesame oil, soya sauce and top the lot with some chopped spring onions (chinese chives) and crisped shallots. If you have some time on your hands, some carrots, mushrooms and snow peas cooked in a little ginger and garlic, seasoned with some oyster sauce, thick soy sauce, regular soy sauce and plum sauce, and thickened with a beaten egg. The sauce is then poured over (usually deep fried) tofu chunks. Or just steam the tofu with some fish marinated in ginger, soy sauce and a sour plum. Serve with steamed rice and veggies. Enjoy 🙂
Great teapot!
I am always impressed by fritatas because I can’t even do an omlet!
I thought that frittata was “omelette with potatoes”… either way that looks yummy. I like to use up leftover veg in a frittata, potato, cabbage, leeks etc, and only use a couple of eggs. I normally spoil the calorie count by adding cheese and pepperoni on top and finishing it off under the grill.
I used to have an oil spray bottle but found it got really gunked up and was difficult to clean – I find prefer to use the ready packaged oil sprays, Frylight, Flora and so on, as when they’re finished you chuck them and get a new gunk-free one.
OMG, I MUST have that teapot! Hubby & I collect elephants! Please do share where you got it, its super adorable!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! You’re quite crafty with your foods Sagan! Very impressive!
you can tell my allergies are BAD as I thought, upon first glance, it was a NETI POT!!
Dee- my love is white tea. So light and good. But green is wonderful too. Thanks for the tofu tip! Your recipe looks awesome for making it. I’ve never gotten on the tofu bandwagon so I think its about time I give it a shot.
Hangrypants- oh thank goodness, it’s not just me! 🙂
Jellybean- thanks for stopping by! Adding potatoes would be so good and hearty. Yummy.
Rupal- got it at McNally Robinson bookstore- it’s a local bookstore but they’ve expanded, I think they’ve got one open in New York… though you might be able to find one like this at any quirky little tea store type place!
MizFit- and how funny is it that I had to Google Neti pot? I’m pretty sure it’s not one of those 😉
Have I told you how much I enjoy your posts? I learn so much! Thank you!
Most tea stores carry Genmai Cha, as well as Japanese groceries stores, and smaller specialty grocery stores and Whole Foods (don’t worry, it’s not expensive, just not as well known).
**Just as a heads up: I will not be able to comment on blogs as often now, during this semester, due to work overload (I’m stressed already) – PLEASE know that I’m still loyally reading, but just won’t have time to comment. I hope you understand!!
The elephant’s too cute!
Mark- aw thanks! I enjoy yours very much too 🙂
Rachel- thanks for the info. I wish I had a Whole Foods! I’ll check out some of the specialty stores I know of and see if I can find it.
VeggieGirl- haha don’t worry about- I completely know what you mean.
Chocolatecoveredvegan- isn’t he?!
Oh goodness, when I saw the first picture I was so afraid you were going to put banana in the frittata. My stomach actually did a pitch-and-roll at the thought. 🙂
Love the little elephant!
Cammy- LOL well judging from my past experiments, I suppose that wouldn’t be all that surprising! You kill me:)
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Good post. I just found this Origami-inspired Twitter icon at Digg, which you can use on your blog if it is running WordPress.
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