The omelet (or omelette), I say, Tomayo tomahto, as long as it’s good! And so it is!

OmeletThe French word omelette first appeared in print in the mid-16th century.

An all-time breakfast favorite around the world, the omelet is pretty easy to prepare (especially if you read the tips below) so even the most inexperienced cook can experiment with recipes for the humble- or glorious- ness of the egg and omelets! Let’s dig in…

The Vegetable Omelet

Ingredients (per omelet)

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil (or your preferred oil)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper*
  • 1 tablespoon chopped onion*
  • 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms*
  • 3 tomato slices
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh baby spinach* leaves, rinsed
  • 2 eggs (let eggs get to room temperature for best results)
  • 1 layer of cream cheese, or shredded (or sliced) cheese of your choice (cheddar, jack, goat, etc)
  • Optional slice of meat (ham, bacon, whatever you choose)

*Optional types of veggies, go with favorites that cook quickly when chopped or diced.

  1. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (8-inch is perfect).
  2. Chop veggies above or replace with your preference: onion, green chilies, kale, etc.
  3. Add to the pan. (If you are adding spinach, hold off)
  4. Stir regularly, cook for 2-3 minutes, or until veggies are soft (then stir in spinach to wilt)
  5. Place cooked veggies in a bowl and hold.

Note: If you plan on adding a lot of veggies, remember the more you pile into the fold, the heavier and more difficult it will be to get it onto a plate in a nice half fold!

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, water, salt, and pepper to taste until well combined.
  2. Add to the skillet, on medium-high heat.
  3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan quickly. As you slide the pan back and forth over the heat, briskly stir with a spatula spreading the eggs evenly over the bottom as they thicken.
  4. Allow to sit for a few seconds over low heat to lightly brown the bottom of the omelet.
  • If you’re adding meat, place it on half of the omelett, top with cheese.
  • Add the veggies at this point (with or without meat)
  • Fold the other half over top of the veggies. It will continue to cook after folding, so don’t overcook it.

Gently slide out of pan onto the plate. Garnish as desired.

If you can’t serve the omelet immediately place in an oven on warm (not hot).

AND sometimes I top it with Homemade Salsa >

Nutrition:

140 Calories, 5g Total Fat, 16g Protein, 6g Total Carbohydrate, 3g Sugars

Health Benefits:

One whole, large egg is a rich source of selenium and vitamins A and B-12; it’s also a good source of iron and vitamin D. An egg supplies complete protein, yielding 13% percent of women’s and 11% of men’s recommended daily allowance. Most of these nutrients are found in the yolk. If you only use egg whites, you’ll lose about half the protein and selenium and all of the iron and vitamins B-12, A and D.

Vegetables provide a fat-free, low-calorie nutritional boost. One sweet green pepper ring, one onion slice, and two tomato slices provide around 15% of your recommended daily amount of vitamin C and 10% of your recommended daily diet of vitamin A. Add spinach to double the vitamin A, broccoli to double the vitamin C, and both are high in vitamin K.

Most forms of cheese have as much protein as an egg and roughly 20% of your daily calcium need.However, an average slice of cheese contains approximately 8.5 grams of total fat and 27 milligrams of cholesterol.Cheese can also be rich in salt, but the levels vary depending on the type you choose. You can avoid these issues by purchasing low-fat, sodium-free cheese.