Leftover Omelet

 

I look forward to finding leftovers in my refrigerator. Inspiration always surprises me.  This is a lower calorie lunch meal with freshly steamed kale and half of a leftover roasted russet potato.   Living in LA, I often camped in the wilderness. slowly roasting vegetables wrapped in foil nestled under logs burning in a campfire ring.  The next day, those leftover veggies would be a real treat hiking to the mountain top. 

My usual omelet is one whole egg and two egg whites, mixed in a mini food processor with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. I steam the kale in the microwave for a few minutes, and before the kale was done, added the leftover roasted potato slices to reheat.

Cooked the egg mixture in a nonstick pan, with a spray of oil. When it was nearly cooked through, added the cut up potato slices and kale along with ¼ C of whole milk ricotta cheese.  While the eggs were still soft, folded the omelet in half. The potato pieces did give the small omelet substance. Next time, I’ll add chopped scallions or red onion, parsley or watercress, mushrooms, squash or broccoli bits, always a different combination.

 

still a great snack or salad: hard boiled eggs

Put the eggs in saucepan with water covering them and bring the water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, cover and set timer for 20 minutes.  Plunge in cold water by draining water and filling pan with cold water and ice cubes on top of eggs.   Refrigerate.

Why we really need an egg separator

I have always separated the yolk from the egg whites by cracking the egg and spilling the yolk into the empty cracked shell. I recently purchased a set of measuring cups that came with an egg separator and thought I'd try it. And this is why I'll use this gadget again. I had more than double the quantity of saved egg whites and it was so easy to use.

Try this: Devilish Eggs

Ellie Krieger's Devilish Eggs recipe from "The Food You Crave"  published in 2008. Only half of the egg yolks are used in the recipe so the filled eggs are good for you!

Makes 24.  Per serving, two halves: 64 calories, 4 gm fat, 7 gm protein, 1 gm carb, zero fiber

1 dozen large eggs

2/3 cup silken tofu, drained

1 tb mayonnaise

1 tb Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, plus more to taste

2 tsp prepared white horseradish

2 tb chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 tsp paprika

Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 9 minutes.  Remove the eggs from the water and run under cold water for about 1 minute, until cool to touch. Peel the eggs under cold running water. Pat dry.

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop our the yolks and discard 6 of them. Set aside the whites. Place the remaining 6 yolks in a medium bowl and mash with the tofu, mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, horseradish and chives. Season with salt and pepper. (You can prepare the filling and store it separately from the egg whites in the refrigerator in air tight containers for up to two days.) 

Spoon the yolk mixture in to the corner of a plastic bag and snip off the end. Pipe the yolk mixture into the egg whites.  Sprinkle with paprika and chives, arrange on a platter. You can hold the stuffed eggs in the refrigerator for up to a few hours before serving.

salmon and eggs

Make an extra portion of salmon for leftovers and another meal. Salmon, flaked with a fork, with scambled eggs is delicious. Add the salmon when the eggs are cooking in the pan with some black beans too for a nutritional boost.

Perfect Poached Eggs in the Microwave

...the magic is the vinegar!

For 1 or 2 eggs, use a 2 cup covered casserole dish. Add 1/4 tsp vinegar (any kind) to 1 cup water. Cover. Microwave at full power (high) for approximately 2 minutes, until boiling. Break eggs into a custard cup or saucer; prick yolks with a pin or wooden pick (skewer the membrance covering the yolk so that it will not explode as it's cooking). Gently slip eggs, one at a time, into the hot water mixture. Cover. Microwave at 70% power (medium high) for 1 1/2 minutes for 2 eggs or 40-50 seconds for 1 egg. Let stand, covered, 1 minute. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon. To poach 4 eggs, cook 2 eggs at a time.