cause i'm a fatty

Bacon Deviled Eggs 

Omelettes

Saturday morning I had my last interview (of three!) with the Boettcher’s program, and since it wasn’t until 12 noon I decided to start the morning off right with a delicious omelette.

To me omelettes are one of those incredibly satisfying dishes that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. I first attempted the perfect omelette in 7^th grade Home Ec., and I still the use the techniques I learned then to this day. I love how cheap and filling omelettes are too, and the endless list of fillings you can incorporate (i.e. whatever you have in the fridge). Every omelette I make has 3 basic components: a herb or spice, a vegetable or three, and a cheese.

Because you’ll eventually have to flip and fold your omelette, a nonstick pan works best for this purpose. I like to use a ratio of five eggs per two people, so a pan on the smaller side is ideal (less than 10 inches).

Ingredients:

5 eggs at room temperature
salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsps milk (or water)
½ tbsp butter per omelette

Fillings:

½ cup of finely chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped onions
1 or 2 garlic cloves crushed, chopped
1-2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

Crack your eggs into a large bowl and give it a few whisks, slowly adding in the milk. Jeff Smith, the infamous Frugal Chef from the PBS show, believes that milk doesn’t blend in well with the eggs, creating watery omelettes. I really think a little bit of milk adds to the texture and fluffiness of omelettes, so I use 2% milk, which is a nice compromise.

On medium-high heat warm your butter until it is “frothy,” and pour in half the mixture of the eggs. Wait one minute and use a wooden spoon to lightly scramble the mixture, making sure you fill in empty spots on the pan with the wet eggs. Doing so lets the eggs cook faster and makes it optional to flip the omelette if you’re worried about it falling apart. Wait a couple of minutes until the eggs begin to firm up. I like my eggs slightly crispy and golden, so I wait until the edges of the eggs start to brown.

Holding the handle slide your omelette around, flipping if you feel confident. Grab a handful of your filling and sprinkle on one side of the omelet, placing the cheese last. Slide your omelette onto a plate and use your pan to fold it over. Garnish with the green onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. -Another piece of wisdom by Smith: salt toughens eggs when blended together, so I’ve started to use it last.

There’s a whole world of filling ideas for omelettes that can transform this dish into a breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. And fortunately you won’t find a cheese you won’t like with eggs, whether it’s smoked gouda, goat cheese, gorgonzola, etc. Swiss goes well with mushrooms and mozzarella is perfect with some fresh tomatoes and a few basil leaves. Cottage cheese and spicy salsa with some egg whites make a hearty and healthy meal too. In the past I’ve chopped up leftover tandoori chicken and some onions to make a wonderfully savory dish. One option I have yet to try is strawberry jam with sour cream. I love the infinite possibilities of eggs.

Coastal Egg Curry 

Egg Curry is a great dish when you’re out of meat in the fridge but still want a hearty non-veg Indian dish, with a thick gravy. 

The original recipe is from the book “The Super Indian Cook Book” by Rakesh Puri, but I found the curry to be too thin and acidic, with the tomatoes overpowering the dish -so I made quite a few modifications. 

Ingredients:

6 or 7 boiled eggs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4-5 scotch bonnet peppers  
1/2 tbs of ground coriander
1/2 tbs of ground cumin
1 tsp of tumeric 
1 tbs of fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup of refried beans
1/2 cup of tomato paste (add up to 3/4 cup if it’s too spicy)  
1 cup of water  

Directions

For the Gravy:

1. Heat 5 tbs of oil in a pan and saute the ground cumin, coriander for 30 seconds on med-high heat.
2. Add turmeric and onions until they’ve caramelized.
3. Add tomato paste and saute until the oil separates.
4. Add refried beans (this thickens the curry), 1 cup of water, mix well. This is a perfect time to taste the sauce! It will probably need 1/2 tbs to 1 tbs of salt but it’s really up to your own taste. 
5. Stir in fenugreek leaves. 
6. Simmer uncovered until oil separates, turn off heat.

For the Eggs:

6. In another pan heat up a little bit of oil and fry the boiled eggs (it’s going to splatter so be careful, and keep it covered!). Upon my mother’s advice I rubbed the eggs with a little bit of turmeric so the eggs absorb the rich color.
7. Once the eggs are golden brown and the skin looks crispy, place them in a serving dish, and pour the gravy over it. 
8. Garnish with cilantro. (If you haven’t figured it out already, I put cilantro in everything. It never hurts!) 

I usually don’t have time for breakfast, and I will admit this sandwich was eaten for dinner. (I think)

But breakfast sandwiches are the easiest things to experiment with. Inside this Asiago Cheese Bagel is:

Turkey Bacon (only 3 grams of fat for 2 slices!)
Horseradish Cheddar
Spanish Onions
1 Egg
Arizona Gunslinger Chipotle Habanero Sauce (bought right at the Grand Canyon, last week)

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a picture of the last sandwich I made, but it had slices of avocado in it along with the previously mentioned ingredients. Leave it to avocado to maximize the experience of any meal.