A simple egg white omelet
And a not so simple post about it!
Readers liked my fish salad post... so here's another meal I frequently cook. It's a low fat meal, but if you want to dial in a little more fat, that's easy to do... use a few whole eggs instead of all whites. Grate a little parmesan on the omelet or add some nuts with the veggies. Or slice the apple and top with peanut butter!
Don't do ALL the above at once, unless you are Michael Phelps! ;^)
If you need lower carb, nix the apple and add fats. This is pretty much the kind of meal you can tailor to WHATEVER your desired macro requirements! If you are a guy and need more protein, add chopped turkey. Or have a lean sausage link. Want more starchy carbs? Add a side of oatmeal or pancakes.
I switch veggies/fruit and seasonings out as desired. Italian seasonings work quite well, so do French blends. If you like heat... feel free to add it. Salsa is good on omelets! A sliced tomato is nice in place of the apple.
This was my Meal 1 for Saturday 10-25-2008.
Ingredients:
- 7 large egg whites (or as per your protein/cal needs)
This came to about a cup of egg whites. - 1 cup of sliced zucchini or approximately one small whole zucchini.
I don't get too crazed with measuring green veggies as a rule. I DO measure my fats/protein/starchy carbs more carefully. - 2 large brown or white button mushrooms This will look like a lot sliced, but they shrink way down when cooked. Adjust according to mushroom desire.
- Seasonings: I used a pinch of turmeric to color the egg whites, then also used turmeric, chili powder, garlic powder and iodized sea salt to season the veggies. I shake the spices in lightly and never measure. (Cashews are a lovely nut to add with this seasoning mix!)
- 4 large leaves fresh basil
(I roll them up and slice in a chiffonade style.)
- Medium apple (Slice or munch whole as desired.)
How to make it:
Heat an 8" non-stick pan on medium. Start slicing your zucchini and mushrooms. Once the pan is sizzling hot, I'm ready to toss the veggies in. You can use a spritz of oil or not as desired. Once the veggies are in the pan, I sprinkle my seasonings over them and give the pan a good shake.
Then I separate my egg whites into a glass Pyrex measuring cup and whisk them up. I continue to shake the pan at intervals until the veggies are done. It's kind of a flip action, but not to the point stuff is flying out of the pan! Once the veggies are done, put them aside in a bowl. Quickly rinse the pan and scrub with a handled brush to remove any carmelization from the veggies that might make your eggs stick, then put it back on the stove. It will heat up quickly!
Once sizzling again, spray some olive oil in the pan and add your eggs/egg whites. As the edges get hard, you can push them in and let the runny whites fill in on the edges. Or you can try to lift them up and let the runny whites go under. I do this a couple times, then I turn the heat down a notch and cover the pan for 1 minute and 20 seconds.
When you uncover, you should see a few bubbles and the eggs will be mostly set, perhaps a little runny on top. You don't want too much of that, or it may be difficult to flip. If needed, recover the pan for a few seconds.
I like to flip my eggs so they are cooked on both sides. You may prefer to add veggies and fold the omelet over to serve at this point.
I am NOT good at pan flips, so I slide the partially cooked egg "pancake" out onto a plate and use the plate to neatly turn the omelet back into the pan with the uncooked side down. Then I spoon my cooked veggies on half of the omelet and set the timer for another 2 minutes. If you want to top your veggies with some nuts or grated cheese, this is a great time to do so! You can also put strips of cheese slices down before you add the veggies.
After my timer goes, I loosen the finished omelet with a spatula and then slide the whole thing out on a plate, using the pan edge to flip the unloaded half of the omelet over. I top with the basil, then usually also add a little sea salt and ground pepper. Add desired fruit or side and munch away!
This nice, plate filling meal came in under 250 calories! And for inquiring minds... this is a modern plate circa 2005 and measures 10.25" in diameter. As for cooking time... somewhere between 20-30 minutes is what it takes me to make my omelet. This post took far longer...
