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!

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!

Nik Loves Egg Burgers!!!

After my multiple mentions about them in my WLSFA Meet & Greet recaps...(read parts one and two to catch up if you need to), you all HAD to know I was gonna make an egg burger!

I had two varieties in Vegas. The first was a turkey burger with cheese, turkey bacon and an egg. It was good. But here's the thing. I don't delude myself. Turkey bacon, while a reputable breakfast meat, is not "bacon" bacon. I don't expect it to be and therefore am not disappointed that it's not. And I think with this particular thing I needed "bacon" bacon.

So then I went to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, "Burgr" and had an egg burger made from beef with cheese and something called "duck breast bacon" which was actually pretty good. Duck is fairly high in fat so I guess it makes good bacon? I dunno. It was yummy.

For my at-home version, however, I decided to forgo the bacon (I know, a travesty!) and focus on other things. I had a taste for onions, ya see. So I sliced one up, caramelized half and pan fried the other half to be the bed for this burger.

Seriously? Pan frying onions is so easy and tasty! If you love onion rings, you'll love these. Put a little pat of butter in a pan and let it melt down. Reduce your heat to medium and throw the onions in there and then...walk away. In about 10 minutes they'll be all crispy (and some burnt if you don't watch them, but I actually like that) and with a little dash of salt they taste JUST LIKE ONION RINGS without the breading!

Anyhoo, so this is a lowfat turkey burger, a slice of good ol' American Cheese and, of course, my lil' egg on top. No bun. Don't need it!

S'anyway, I fixed up my little plate above, sat down and...

Ok, in the interest of full disclosure, if you're using commercial turkey burger patties, especially low-fat ones, you're gonna need a knife. So I got up and got a knife, sat back down, cut into that bad boy and...it was absolutely everything. The savory burger, the cheese, the egg yolk drizzling down over the pan-fried onions. It was like steak and frites and onion rings and breakfast and a whole TROTH of good food memories rolled into one.

I haven't been so satisfied since...well, yeah. Anyway.

The love continues...

(More) Fun with Eggs!

Continuing my eternal love for eggs, I have two offerings this week.

The above photo was the first I made, for breakfast on Saturday. It was so delicious that I felt COMPELLED to share it with my Facebook Foodies right then and there!

So...you know how sometimes you end up with a really random amount of leftover taco meat? Like it's not enough to make another full serving of taco, but you don't want to throw it out (starving children and yadda, yadda)? Or everyone is so full they can't eat another bite and it almost doesn't seem worth saving?

Well stick it in the fridge. And then the next day (or up to five days later) make this!

Nik's Taco Scramble
(I've heard from a lot of you that you'd like more smaller portion recipes, so this is my attempt!)

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. leftover taco meat (1 oz. = 2 tbsp by the way)
• 1 oz. diced onions
• 1 serving (usually 1/4 c.) liquid egg substitute OR 1 egg, beaten OR 1 egg white beaten (your choice!)
• 2 tbsp salsa 
• 1/2 oz. taco blend cheese
• (Not pictured above) 1-2 tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt

Directions:

Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and allow it to heat up thoroughly.

Add onions and cook for about a minute before adding cold taco meat (do not reheat it before adding). Cook until meat starts to get a crust on it and onions are brown.

Add your egg and gently fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until the eggs are cooked. Transfer to a plate.

Top with cheese, salsa and Greek yogurt and dig in!

Adding the meat, cheese and yogurt is one way to bump up the protein count on your eggs without adding a huge amount of volume.

And here's the second. For many post-ops, meat is problematic. But I personally have always done well with deli meat. As long as you chose lower-sodium varieties these can be a good option to replace some of the meat you're trying to eat. PLUS, deli meat offers a lot of flavor variety.

Take this scramble,which I am calling a "Cajun Scramble." The base of this recipe is this stuff:

This is NOT low-sodium (true fact: Nik has always had low blood pressure so I've never been advised to do a low sodium diet, but I try to use that information for good and not evil. Consequently my salt intake seems to keep my blood pressure at or near 120/80). But if you go to the deli counter you may be able to find a lower sodium Cajun lunch meat. Anyway, here's what I did with it.

Nik's Cajun Scramble

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. diced onions
• 1 oz. diced green peppers
• 1 slice Cajun chicken breast lunch meat, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. coriander
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• Ground black pepper, to taste (I also used a "splick" of cayenne pepper)
• 1/4 c. liquid egg substitute (or 1 egg, beaten)
• For topping; 1 oz. your favorite shredded cheese (I used taco blend) or salsa

Directions:

Spray down a pan with non-stick cooking spray and let it get HOT.

Add onions and peppers and let them cook for about 2 minutes or so. Add chicken and spices and cook until onions begin to caramelize and chicken gets a bit of a crust on it.

If your pan has gone dry, reapply some non-stick cooking spray then add your eggs. Gently fold egg into the veggie mixture until eggs are thoroughly cooked.

Transfer to plate and top with cheese.

BF Pick 3: Ode to Eggs

Apparently it is World Egg Day. (No, really, look it up for yourself if you don't believe me!)

Anyone who has read this blog awhile knows I LOVE eggs. I was so thankful I could tolerate them.

So in honor of World Egg Day here are my top 3 fave BF egg recipes!

Mexican Egg Casserole

Some people make quiches. I make egg casseroles. The difference? Quiches imply a certain lightness, airyness. This thing is anything but! Packed with good protein, this can feed you AND hold down the non-ops!

Click here to get the recipe!

Nik's "Egg-chilada"

Man, this was one of my more inspired egg adventures. One day I was making an omelet and got distracted (happens easily) an the thing turned into a ginormous egg pancake. When I rolled it off my plate I thought it looked sorta like an enchilada. Thus an idea was born!

Click here to get the recipe!

Nik's Angelic Eggs

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Who cares! With this fun recipe you can make something devilish into something oh so good!

Click here to get the recipe!

There are lots of other Bariatric Foodie egg recipes. In fact, so many that I've started a "Bariatric Foodie Loves Eggs!" board on Pinterest. Look for more food porn and recipes there.

BF Brunch for Two: Nik's Farmers Market Scramble



I say brunch for two because this will feed a non-op and a post-op. So if your spouse (or bf/gf/bff or whatever other relational acronym you'd like to eat with) loves veggies and you can tolerate veggies and eggs, this is a winner for a lazy Sunday morning.

You can, of course, sub in any veggies you like or find you tolerate well. Here's what's in mine!

Nik's Farmer's Market Scramble

• 1/2 of a large onion (of your choice) either diced or in thin slivers
• 1/2 a green pepper, diced
• 1/2 a red pepper, diced
• 1/4 of a small zucchini, diced small
• 1/4 of a small yellow squash, diced small
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 large eggs + 2 large egg whites, beaten (or 1/2 c. Egg Beaters)
• 2 oz. your favorite cheese
• 1 large tomato (of your choice), cut into wedges, then halved
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Set a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium heat. Add all veggies, Italian spice and garlic and sautee until lightly browned and soft.

Add eggs into the crevices of the veggies and then gently turn them so that the veggies get mixed in.

Once eggs are done, turn off heat and sprinkle cheese over the top, mix in if you'd like.

Add fresh tomatoes last (they taste great fresh so don't cook them!). Also if one of you likes tomatoes and one does not, this is an easy way to have them without forcing them on someone else!

Season to taste.

This was a perfect breakfast for me this morning. For your #2, you might serve some whole wheat toast or if the person has a hearty appetite, some French toast even. YUM! Easy, quick, delicious brunch for you and #2.

What's that you ask? Who is MY #2? Oh I'll never tell...

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!