Meatless Mexican Frittata (Featuring McCormick Perfect Pinch Mexican Spice)

Saturdays are cooking days in my house. That's when most of the week's blog posts (if I have any) get cooked. I also like to make a nice breakfast or brunch.

Today I was in a bit of a bind though. The girls leave for Texas for the summer next week (they live with their dad during the summer) and I fly out to Haiti to do some videography work for my job. So I'm not stocking the kitchen until I get back. So that is to say, there isn't much in there!

I knew this morning I wanted a Mexican-themed frittata but I knew I didn't have all the ingredients called for in the Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book recipe. So I played with my food!

Nik's Meatless Mexican Frittata

(Makes a family sized, which is about 8 servings, which all freeze great when cut and wrapped tightly.)

Ingredients:

• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 small yellow pepper, diced
• 1 medium tomato, diced (I used a hot-house)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 c. cooked black beans (I had some left over from lunches the previous week)
• 1 tsp. McCormick Perfect Pinch Mexican spice
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 6 eggs, beaten (or equivalent of egg substitute)
• 1 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Optional: Unflavored Greek yogurt and salsa for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an oven-safe skillet with non-stick cooking spray, set it over medium heat and allow it to get hot.

Add peppers, tomatoes, and onions and sautee 1-2 minutes, or until softened.Add black beans and spice.

Place baking powder in a bowl and pour a little of the egg into it. Beat that with a fork until it's incorporated, then add the rest of the egg (if you just add the baking powder to the egg it will clump).

Pour eggs onto cooking vegetable/bean mixture and spread it around until it resembles a big, flat egg pancake. 

Gently stir inside the circle of eggs with a wooden spoon, but do not disturb the edges, you want them to set. 

Once edges set, top with cheese and place the entire skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the top of the frittata is done and cheese is browned to your liking. 

Cut and serve while hot!

NOTE: In the Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book all frittata recipes come in single-serve varieties (like this one!) requiring just one egg and a tiny oven-safe skillet! Perfect for cooking for one. 

This was a good breakfast because everyone but one member of my family (my oldest daughter who hates eggs) will eat it. My boyfriend will eat it, I will eat it, my pescetarian younger daughter will eat it. It's in that wonderful Venn diagram of meals most of us will enjoy. #Winning.

Here are some outtake pics:

While this post was not a review for the McCormick Perfect Pinch, it really did make this frittata. It's full of flavor and took it from plain to Mexican in just a few shakes!

I like this shot but the kid in me always sees Pac-Man when I do this kind of shot of a cut frittata!

Sometimes I wish I could invite you guys over for a Saturday breakfast. I love weekend breakfast. I think it's because I get to actually wait to be hungry instead of having to eat when time allows.

Foodies, breakfast does not need to be a challenge after WLS! 

In the Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book I've done the hard work for you. The book features single-serving recipes for things like eggs, frittatas, and protein pancakes, as well as make-ahead/grab-n-go breakfasts like protein baked oatmeal and protein muffins.

I'll also teach you how to amp up the protein in your favorite breakfast dishes, 11 creative ideas for cottage cheese, new ways to enjoy Greek yogurt (like cheesecake!) and lastly, I show you how to make an awesome "Un-Breakfast" (a dish that uses breakfast foods but doesn't feel like breakfast). 

Check out the crave-worthy recipe pics on the Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book board on Pinterest, then you can browse and buy the book on hard-copy or Kindle on Amazon - you won't be sorry you did!

Breakfast Week: Nik's Warm Asparagus Salad

This blog post title is something of a misnomer. I started wanting to remake a warm asparagus salad I had at Cheesecake Factory. Oh it was lovely! It was on their Skinnylicious Menu and had fresh asparagus, pine nuts, basil, Parmesan Cheese and a fried egg on top.  It was a bit heavy on the oil though so I knew I could do better.

But as I was writing this post I thought to myself, "Self? Since you're doing this recipe to highlight the Unbreakfast chapter of The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book...technically you've thrown eggs on top of a lot of stuff...so really you should also highlight that!

And so I will.

But first the salad recipe!

Nik's Warm Asparagus Salad (Cheesecake Factory Knock-Off)

Ingredients:

• 5 or 6 stalks of asparagus of medium thickness (not super thick, not pencil thin)
• 1 small tomato, cored and sliced into wedges
• 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (fresh basil and oregano, finely chopped would be better but I had neither on hand!)
• 1-2 tbsp. (depending on your caloric limits) shelled sunflower seeds (I'll explain why the switch in a moment)
• 1 large egg

Directions

Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray, set it over medium heat and let it get HOT.

Cut off the woody stems of the asparagus (HINT: Usually grocery stores rubber band them at the cut mark but if not, usually where they are definite green and not any white). Then chop asparagus into bite-sized pieces (whatever that means for you).

Add asparagus to the skillet and stir to cook for about 2 minutes. Add tomato. WARNING: The tomatoes are going to release a good deal of water when they hit the heat. It will evaporate quickly.

Add olive oil and spices and toss it all to coat.  Transfer to a plate and set to the side.

Re-spray your pan and fry an egg the way you like it (as you can see, my preferred way is sunny side up!). As your egg is cooking, sprinkle asparagus and tomato with sunflower seeds. I used sunflower seeds because...um...HELLO? Have you checked out the price of pine nuts lately?!?! I mean I love you guys but $13 for a small bag was a bit steep and these work just fine!

Slide your egg on top of the mixture once it's done and go. To. TOWN!!!

Adding an egg to something is an easy way to make an Unbreakfast, which I define one of two ways in the book. An Unbreakfast is either:

1. A food that uses traditional breakfast food but could easily work as lunch or dinner. OR...
2. A food that doesn't use traditional breakfast food but has great nutrition to start your day.

So with that, here are a few other things I've plopped an egg on in the spirit of good eating!

Nik's Turkey TVP Chili...with a fried egg

Veggie hash...with a fried egg

Spinach, red peppers and mushrooms...with a fried egg

Matchstick peppers...with a fried egg

A bed of caramelized onions, a turkey burger...with a fried egg

So those are just a few ideas to get you started. I love putting a fried egg on things mostly because the luscious yolk adds a richness to things that I love. Yes, it's added fat but it's added fat with NUTRIENTS which, much as I love it, butter just can't claim!

One Recipe, Three Ways! Protein Quick Bread.

Recap: In honor of the release of The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book we’re talking about breakfast this week!

The next major section of the book is called “Smart Carbs.” Many folks are afraid of carbs, in general. With all the publicity about them, it’s no wonder. So before you get this book and freak out, I suggest you read my primer, “Carb Confusion” to brush up on what carbs really are (I find many people really do have the wrong idea) and why they are actually a good part of an overall healthy eating plan.

Now that we’re all on the same page, I should say in the book I mainly tackle one type of carb: starches. Yes, starches can be made in ways that are weight-loss surgery friendly and beneficial to your body and overall health. You just have to be smart about it, hence the chapter name.

In my estimation the easiest type of starch to make weight-loss surgery friendly are quick breads. For those who don’t speak “food-ese” a quick-bread, generally speaking, is just what it sounds like, a bread that can be made quickly by nixing the yeast (and the multiple rises/wait times it requires) and using more “cakey” ingredients. Examples of quick breads include banana and pumpkin bread, both of which already have recipes here on the blog (click the links on the words to get to them).

This quick bread started out with my over-abundance of roasted pear butter. I made a lot of that stuff and didn’t want to waste any of it. The divas liked it (my oldest daughter, who hates pears, loved it…score!). One thing I know about pear/apple butter is that it can be used to replace some of the oil/butter in baking to yield a moist result. That information in hand, I set out with a very specific goal: to make a protein quick bread recipe that contains no protein powder.

My other recipes do but variety is good, right?

In the book, I share the recipe to a very easy, make-ahead baking mix you can make and store to streamline this process even further!

As promised I’m giving you the recipe but also THREE ways you can prepare it.

Pear Spice Protein Quick Bread

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

• 1.5 c. pear butter/sauce (or natural apple sauce)
• ½ c. no-calorie sweetener (if you are using natural apple sauce, also add ½ tsp. apple pie spice)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 large eggs (or equivalent amount of liquid egg substitute)
• Up to 2/3 c. milk (I used unsweetened almond milk) 

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 c. oat flour (don’t freak out, I’m going to tell you how to make this!)
• 1 c. soy flour (if you don’t like soy flour use another type of non-white flour replacement such as almond meal or garbanzo bean flour)
• ½ c. flax meal (NOT flax seed)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder

Directions:

How to make oat flour: Place 1 c. quick cooking oats (I don’t recommend traditional oats for this) in a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet knock-off) and whiz until it has been completely pulverized into flour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together pear or apple sauce, spices and vanilla in a large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

In a separate bowl mix together all the dry ingredients and whisk to thoroughly combine them.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet stirring. The result will be thick. Add enough milk to loosen the batter to the consistency of a thick bowl of oatmeal (Note: no matter what don’t use more than 2/3 c. milk but feel free to use less if it doesn’t take that much).

Give the batter a taste. It should taste like really good (although maybe a tad too sweet) apple/cinnamon oatmeal. If not, adjust spices accordingly! Don’t worry that it tastes too sweet in the batter form. The oven will do its magic and it will all even out.

Now…here’s where you can get creative.

Make loaves: This works well as either a traditional loaf or in mini-loaf pans. The mini-loaf pans are great for making things ahead so that you can wrap and freeze. These loaves freeze well when properly wrapped. To eat, you’d simply set the loaf out in room temperature and allow it to thaw. You can nuke it if you want warm bread. What you see at the top of this post are two “short loaves” (meaning I divided the batter between two loaf pans so that it wouldn’t be so tall). For me, the short loaves are easier to handle AND gave me the opportunity to test out idea #3 below.

Directions: If doing a full loaf, spray your loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray made for baking (they sell it at the grocery store). Fill the pan with batter (it will almost completely fill the loaf pan). For short loaves, use two pans. For mini loaves, spray the mini-loaf slots and divide the mixture evenly. This makes about 6-8 loaves, depending on how much batter you use.

Bake time for full/short loaves: 25-30 minutes

Bake time for mini-loaves: 20-25 minutes

Make mini-muffins: This makes about 24 mini-muffins, give or take a few. These too freeze well and are great for grab & go. Just make sure you’re using a good non-stick mini-muffin tin!

Directions: Distribute batter evenly into mini-muffin tin slots. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Make (protein) biscotti! Well…sorta. Technically biscotti is a twice baked cookie but my loaf turned out so wonderfully moist I just knew I could pull it off so I tried and it worked! To make it into biscotti, make a “short loaves” (simply meaning divide the batter between two loaf pans). Allow them to cool after coming out of the oven then slice them into sections about a half inch thick. Spray down a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray and bake them for an additional 7-10 minutes on each side. Both sides should brown. Your result will be firm but not quite as rock hard as a traditional biscotti.

Nik's Mini Farm-Stand Frittata

This is a close-up but this frittata fits on a SALAD sized plate!

So in case you haven't heard, my third book, The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book, was released today in hard copy on Amazon! (My e-book loving Foodies, hold tight! I just got what I hope is the final draft of the Kindle, Nook and iPad versions so I hope to have them for sale this week also.)

To celebrate, we're doing "Breakfast Week" here on the blog where I'm going to share four BONUS recipes corresponding to the four major sections of the book.

First up, eggs!

In the book, I go over some of the challenges post-ops have with eggs. I know some folks have problems with eggs, especially after they've been reheated. For me, they've always been a safe food so I do a lot with them.

But one thing I heard from you guys in the past about my books was that the recipes seemed a little daunting for folks with smaller appetites (I'm not one of you but I do LOVE you!). So in this book I made a real effort to give folks options. For instance, all the scrambles in the book have mini-sized and SUPER mini-sized versions so that you can pick which version works best for you!

TIP: Read the intro pages to each of the recipe sections. There's valuable tips. For instance, in the intro to the section on Egg Casseroles there is guidance on how to make them into mini-quiches using a mini-muffin tin. In the intro to the Egg Scrambles, I show you how to make those individually-portioned meals into a breakfast your entire family can enjoy!

To make this recipe you'll need a 7-ish inch oven-safe skillet. You can click this link to see one but I got mine from K-Mart. :)

Nik's Mini Farm-Stand Frittata

Ingredients:

• 1/4 of a small yellow onion, cut into slivers
• 1/2 a small tomato, diced (seeded if the seeds bother you)
• A handful (or about 1/3 c.) baby spinach
• 1 clove garlic,  minced
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 c. shredded cheese of your choice (I used Kraft 2% Mexican-blend cheese)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray your skillet down with non-stick cooking spray, set it over medium heat and allow it to get hot.

Add onions and cook about a minute, or until softened. Add tomato, spinach and garlic. Toss and cook about another 2 minutes or until spinach just starts to wilt (NOTE: It should still be a nice, verdant green!). Drop your heat to medium-low.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and baking powder (this is one of the rare instances where you can actually use baking soda instead - and usually I do - but sources tell me it can sometimes produce a slightly metallic taste in the finished product. I've never noticed one but just to disclose!).

Pour egg into skillet and swirl skillet so that the egg gets into the nooks and crannies of the veggies and forms a circular shape.  Cook (stirring insides gently with a wooden spoon) until edges begin to set.

Top with cheese and pop the entire thing in the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the center is done (it will puff up slightly) and cheese is browned to your liking.

Remove from oven and place skillet on a cooling rack. If this is too big a portion for you, from here you can cut it. If not, slide that sucker onto a plate and be happy!

If you have leftovers, wrap them well in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge. They do fine on the reheat IF you generally do well with reheated eggs. (If not, tread carefully!)

Here's another variation I did with peppers and onions. Frittatas are so versatile you can make them a million different ways!

The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book is HERE!



I'm extremely happy to announce that The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book is now available for sale in hard copy on Amazon!

(For those who want the e-book version, hold tight! I'm finishing up the Nook, Kindle and iPad versions as you read this and hopefully they'll be ready within the next week or so!)

In celebration of the release of the book, this week will be "Breakfast Week" on Bariatric Foodie.

There are four sections of recipes in the book and this week I'll share a special BONUS recipe for each of those sections here on the blog. The bonus recipe isn't in the book. It can only be found here on the blog!

So stay tuned for:

• Later today - To get things started we'll talk about eggs! It's the first section of recipes in the book and I'll share a mini-sized version of one of my favorite egg dishes.
• Tuesday - We'll talk  Smart Carbs! And I'll share one recipe that can be made FOUR different ways to yield a high-protein, high-fiber, reduced-carb breakfast!
• Wednesday - We'll turn dairy into indulgence.
• Thursday - We'll talk about the "Unbreakfast" section of the book and I'll show you a recipe knock-off from a favorite restaurant of mine.

I hope you all enjoy this week in celebration of the most important meal of the day!

Nik's Roasted Pear Butter

See the "HOW TO USE" section for details on what this is!

Ok, so I’m really, really, really REALLY behind on stuff lately. For those who have followed this blog more than a year, this is a familiar song and dance.

But I’m trying to get caught up because next week will be all about the release of The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book! I’m so excited about that (and nervous).

But first we have some unfinished business to attend to. I owe you TWO recipes that I demonstrated on social media. I’ll post one today, the other tomorrow. First up, let’s talk pears!

Have you ever had fruit in your refrigerator too long? It goes through some stuff! It deepens in color, softens in texture and, in some cases, begins to bruise to the touch. And there’s a point where you look at it, remembering that you really did buy it for a purpose (you really did!) but the fruit has gone past its ability to fulfill that purpose and it is all. Your. Fault.

Ok, so maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but my main point here is that over-ripe fruit can still have a place in your food plan! But first a few words:

• Over-ripe and rotten are NOT the same thing. You should be able to tell the difference just by looking at the fruit but if there is any doubt, cut a piece of fruit in half. If it is mostly still healthy inside with only a few soft/bruised spots, cut those out and keep it moving.
• However, note that over-ripe fruit is fruit whose sugars have developed and intensified. That means it’s naturally sweeter than the day it was picked and therefore when you prepare stuff with it, you’ll need to adjust additions accordingly.
• My ultimate rule for over-ripe fruit goes like a page from the Johnnie Cochran playbook: “If in doubt, throw it out!”

So anyway. One day I was in the grocery store and noticed in the produce section that they had the “last chance” bin out. That’s where the produce folks package up fruits/veggies that are older and sell them for deep, deep discounts. It is a well-known fact in my household that I have the physical inability to resist this cart. I can. Not. Do it!

On the cart this day was a pack of 6 pears. Very, very ripe pears. I bought them, endeavored to do something yummy with them, then put them in the fridge.

And then…four days later…they were very, very VERY ripe pears. When I have very, very, very ripe pears, I start thinking pear butter!

This probably isn’t true pear butter to pear butter officianados (I wonder what they are called) but it was easy and can be used a bunch of different ways.

Nik’s Roasted Pear Butter

Ingredients:

• 4-6 whole pears (Nearly any kind works, but the ones in the picture are Bosk. Also note they don’t have to be over-ripe. They can be freshly bought.)
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• Optional: ½ c. no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda) or to taste, 1 tsp. cinnamon or 1 tsp. apple pie spice and I’ll say below how you can add protein, if you wish.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cut pears in half. (If they are over-ripe, this will be a “juicy” process. You don’t have to peel or seed them at this point.)

Spray a cookie sheet down with nonstick cooking spray. Place pears, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. 

Roast your pears for 15-25 minutes (the more ripe they are, the less time they’ll take to roast). When they come out of the oven they should be easily pierced with a fork, the skin should have darkened considerably (mine already had dark skins because they were over-ripe, but look for an olive color).

Allow the pears to cool thoroughly before easily removing the skin with a spoon or paring knife. Flip them over and then use a teaspoon to easily remove the seeds.

Place your roasted pears in a bowl (or the bowl of a food processor if that’s what you’ll use to pulverize them) and add lemon juice, sweetener (if using) and spice. If you are using protein powder, you’d add that at this stage as well. I recommend using ¼ c. (or four tablespoons) of protein powder for every four pears you use, but play around with it. You can use vanilla, unflavored or any other kind you like!

If using a food processor, pulverize your pears until they reach your desired consistency (they can be chunky, they can be smooth…go with what you like best!). I don’t have a food processor so I used an immersion blender and did the same.

Chill until ready to use.

HOW TO USE

Well for me I like this straight out of the bowl but I did add some to some protein oatmeal and the kids have been noshing on it as well. I also put some aside and added some black chia seeds, stuck it in fridge (so that the seeds could fill up with water. Post-ops should NOT consume un-hydrated chia seeds as they take in fluid and expand in the gut in their un-hydrated form). What I ended up with is this:

It’s interesting. It tastes good, has a little bit of a crunch, it thickened the whole deal and it gave it an almost…dare I say…carbonated mouthfeel. So…if you’re interested give that a try. 

I also used it to make the dessert at the top of the post which I called "deconstructed pear crumble." It's basically 1/3 c. of the pear butter, about 1/4 c. of Bear Naked protein granola (I also used Fiber One another time but did not photo that) and a little poof of whipped cream. Yummy!

Release Date AND Sneak Peek at the cover of "The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book"

I am ridiculously, tremendously, over the top happy to announce that I can FINALLY announce that…

The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book will go on sale April 28! At this point I can only guarantee the hard-copy version will be available on that date. You will be able to purchase the book on Amazon!

My “e-book guy” and I are working hard to get the e-book versions done. When they are done the book will be available for Kindle on Amazon and for Nook/iPad on Smashwords. The price for the book is the same as all other Bariatric Foodie books: $12.95 for hard-copy, $8.95 for e-book (no matter which version of the e-book you buy).

For a preview of the yumminess to come, check out the “BariatricFoodie Breakfast Book” board on Pinterest. I’ll be adding more pictures as I get them snapped. In June, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and do a special Q&A with me about the book and the recipes. Stay tuned for information on that!

Until then, THANK YOU for your patience. This was the first time I was so open about the process of developing a book and I thought I was getting on your nerves BUT you all gave me great insight and kept me enthusiastic to make it to the finish line. I really hope you all enjoy this book!

Nik's Chicken Chorizo Skillet

This, along with many other nummy recipes, will be included in The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book, coming in April!

(But before we get to that, have you read about the opportunity you have to get YOUR favorite recipe into the forthcoming Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book? If not, go read about it!)

I go to Denny’s. Quite a bit. That may be a bad thing for a post-op to admit but what the heck. If nothing else, you know I keep it real!

S’anyway. I go to Denny’s. Quite a bit. This is mostly because I know what to order there. I know my options and I exercise them!

But every now and again they get something new. Such is the case on the day that I tasted the dish that became this knock-off.

They have these sizzling skillet deals. Now if you ever go to Denny’s let me give you some advice on the sizzling skillets, if you ever want to try them.

Firstly, don’t feel limited to the ones marked healthy. With a few simple modifications you can make nearly any skillet work for you. This dish is a knock-off of the Chicken Chorizo Skillet. The first time I got it I simple asked for them to omit the red skinned potatoes. That taught me how the dish is generally, which is wonderfully yummy…but full of oil!

So the next time, and every time thereafter, I’ve asked for my food to be cooked with non-stick cooking spray, not oil (I don’t say it explicitly but I hint at a food allergy), nix the red skinned potatoes, use half the usual amount of cheese and sub in scrambled egg whites instead of the potatoes. This usually yields two lighter, but still deliciously yummy meals.

But this weekend I didn’t want to go out and I didn’t want to spend money on breakfast! It occurred to me I have all the ingredients needed to make this, so why not?

Thus…

Nik’s Chicken Chorizo Skillet

(Family size OR good for several day’s lunches. This reheats pretty well!)

Ingredients:

• 3 links of chorizo sausage, casings removed, chopped into small pieces (NOTE: Chorizo comes in lower-fat chicken and turkey varieties if you don’t want to use pork)
• 4-6 oz. chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 small onion, cut into strips
• 2-3 different colored bell peppers, cut into strips
• 4 eggs, beaten (or egg whites, or liquid egg substitute)
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• ¼ tsp. chili powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 – 1 ½ c. Mexican blend shredded cheese

Optional: (Used here because my kids are potato fanatics) 3 red-skinned potatoes, diced and dry roasted.

You’ll need a large, oven-safe skillet for this.

Directions:

Set your oven to the broil setting.

Spray a large, oven-safe skillet with non-stick cooking spray, set it over a medium flame and allow it to get hot.

Add chorizo and cook, stirring about 2 minutes before adding chicken (the chorizo needs time to omit some oil). Stir chicken and sausage until both are cooked through.

Add onions, bell pepper, garlic and spices and sauté until softened. If you are using roasted potatoes, add those here as well.

Clear a well (hole) in the middle of your skillet, re-spray if needed, and pour in your eggs. Use a wooden spoon to scramble them completely before mixing into the meat/veggie mixture.

Top with cheese and place under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and brown as much as you like.

This was Sunday brunch. For the kids/significant other, I also fixed a batch of my killer homemade buttermilk biscuits (no I’m not putting that recipe on BF…my blog software might blow up!). I usually eat a tester sized biscuit and call it a day. Nummy!

Play with your food!

Wanna submit a recipe to be published in Bariatric Foodie's Next Book?

One of the many yummy and SIMPLE recipe ideas included in The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book.

I can make you a super-STAH!

Well…not really. But I could include YOUR recipe in the next BF offering, The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book. The book is in the final stages of drafting (meaning the recipes are almost all written and being tested out) and I figured it’d be fun to include some of YOUR recipes!

So here’s how this is going to work.

The book covers four main kinds of breakfast recipes:

• Egg recipes (scrambles, mini-quiches, etc.)
• Smart Carbs (traditional breakfast starches made with better ingredients and added protein)
• Yogurt/Cottage Cheese recipes
• Un-breakfast (Stuff that may or may not include breakfast food but either way doesn’t feel breakfasty)

If you have a recipe that fits into one of those categories, submit it for consideration! You can submit your recipe by sending it via email to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com (please put the word "recipe" in the subject line somewhere). You are not required to submit a picture of your recipe, however, if you happen to have one, I always love to see them!

A panel of esteemed judges will pick one recipe for each category to be included as a Foodie Submission recipe.

The deadline for recipe submission is Sunday, April 6.

I know you have questions! I thought of a few you might ask.

Who are the esteemed judges?

I’m not telling you yet. Mostly because I just asked them and haven't gotten all my "yes's" back yet! 

How are these judges going to judge the recipes?

The recipes will be judged on the following factors:

• Overall nutrition of the recipe. You don't have to submit nutrition information for your recipe (I won't publish it anyway) BUT it should be a recipe appropriate for WLS-folks (high protein, reasonable carbs, yadda, yadda...)
• Understand-ability of the recipe directions. You don't have to be Hemingway but I should be able to follow your recipe!
• Ease of use (The goal here is simple recipes that anyone can make)
• Creativity (Simple recipes do NOT mean boring recipes)
• Originality (IMPORTANT: Don’t copy a recipe from some other blogger’s blog and send it to me! That’s recipe thieving and we don’t like that around here. It’s ok if your recipe is similar to other recipes out there but it should be one of your own imagining, not a cut/paste of someone else’s recipe)

Remember, you can submit a recipe for consideration to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com (put "recipe" somewhere in the subject line).

What’s in it for me?

Well, besides, super-STAHdom…people whose recipes are selected will receive:

1. A free copy of The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book
2. A $25 Amazon gift certificate

Hey, Nik, what's in that yummy looking pic?

Glad you asked! It's a knock-off of Denny's Chicken Chorizo Skillet. The recipe will be in The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book but I'm also going to post it here, tomorrow!

Fine print(y) stuff (and I respect you far too much to actually make it small print):

By submitting a recipe you are agreeing to comply with the BariatricFoodie Contest & Promotions rules. The winning recipe will be named for the winner (i.e. “Mary’s Slammin’ Egg Dish…) and will become the property of Bariatric Foodie. By submitting your recipe you agree that, if selected, Bariatric Foodie may publish the recipe as a part of The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book with the understanding that there you will be entitled to no compensation or royalties earned from the publication of your recipe. 

Nik's "Egg-chilada"

It's no secret. I love eggs. I love them scrambled, hard boiled, fried, in a scramble, in an omelet. I like to make pretty egg flowers and egg casseroles and I like to make them angelic.

I love eggs. So much that there's a whole section of them in The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book!

But it's been a long time since I did anything different with an egg. This morning, I felt experimental and that's always a good thing. Part of my "food joy" comes from playing with my food and seeing what happens.

This is what yumminess happened the other morning.

Nik's "Egg-chilada"
(This is for one Nik-sized one. If you can't eat that much, I understand! See the tips in the recipe for scaling it down.)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium egg + 1 medium egg white (If you are newer out, just go with either one whole egg, two egg whites or 1/4 c. of liquid egg substitute)
• Your favorite innards (I used 2 oz. deli rotisserie chicken meat that I sauteed, but other options are ground or shredded chicken meat, steak, etc. This is probably a good way to use leftover meat!)
• 2 tbsp your favorite salsa
• 2 tbsp. shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 2 tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt

Directions:

If you're using eggs, put them in the bowl, then spray a pan down with nonstick cooking spray and set it over medium heat. You want your pan nice and hot.

Meanwhile, beat your eggs well. If you are using a whole egg with whites, the entire mixture should be a pale yellow and be sort of the consistency of a loose cake batter. Do NOT beat them until they froth.

Pour out your egg onto your pan (I use a flat griddle pan) and allow it to naturally form a circle-esque blob of whatever size it wants to be. Now here's the important part...the part where most people go wrong...

Leave it alone for a minute or two! You want the edges nice and set before you do anything. I like to add a generous sprinkle of black pepper to the upside while it's setting. When it's all set, slide a spatula all the way to the middle of your egg "pancake" lift it up (don't worry if some egg pours off at this point) and then directly flip.

Cook on the other side for about two minutes or until done and transfer to a plate (or cutting board in my case).

Now comes the fun part. Technically you can fill an egg-chilada with whatever you want. The important thing to remember is to not overload it or it won't hold...and what fun is that? I used some sauteed lunch meat and half my cheese.

 Load up one end of the egg pancake with your fillings and then roll it into an enchilada shape.

Top with salsa, remaining cheese and Greek yogurt and you are good to go!

This all sounds more complex than it is. The whole process takes about 5 minutes (aside from the meat sauteeing or reheating time, which is about another 3 minutes or so) and it's a yummy, yummy way to start any day!

EDITED TO ADD:

My pal Christina emailed me her egg-chilada pic. Hers is made of egg whites and has ground beef, Mexican cheese and salsa inside and a dollop of guacamole on top! Lookit! SO cute!

Then my friend Teddi emailed me the pics of her and her husband, Wulf's, egg-chiladas:

Teddi's has: eggbeaters, taco seasoned ground angus, cheese, taco hot sauce and plain greek yogurt.

Wulf's has: eggs, taco seasoned ground angus, cheese, onions, tomato, salsa and plain greek yogurt. YUMMY!



So what's YOUR egg-chilada made of? If you try it, send me a pic at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com!

The Eggchilada is one of many WLS-friendly breakfast ideas featured in The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book! 

You also get great recipes to amp up the protein in your oatmeal, low-carb/high protein baked breakfast goodies, new ways to use Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and more!

Check out The Bariatric Foodie Breakfast Book on Amazon today!