I am sorry that I was missing in action last week at Christine’s Taste of Heaven. I made desserts for a wedding that took place on Friday and all of my time for the whole week was spent on making over 500 individual pies and pudding parfaits plus one mini wedding cake. I am very proud of the outcome and will take just one moment to show you what it looked like:

The wedding was held at a beautiful venue that had a log cabin rustic kind of decor. The bride’s father made the dessert stand and platters out of log slices, and it made the presentation of the pies so beautiful. The dessert menu included pumpkin pie, key lime pie, caramel apple pie, cherry heart hand pies, butterscotch pudding parfaits, and pistachio pudding parfaits.

Veggie and Bacon Omelet:

On to our real topic: homemade omelets! Omelets are probably my favorite thing to have for breakfast, though I am not averse to waffles or blueberry muffins or cinnamon rolls or crepes or French toast or quiche either. Hmmm…I guess I like most breakfast foods, but omelets are definitely near the top. These are great for lunch or supper too.

Omelets are awesome because they can be made pretty quickly and are packed with protein and vegetables. They are very filling. If I make one of these for breakfast, I am usually not even hungry for lunch.

Though I am calling this a “veggie and bacon omelet,” it is really up to you. Omelets are totally customizable. Have some extra spinach? Add that in. Don’t like bacon? Skip it or use another protein instead.

Over the years, the main thing I have learned about omelets is to TURN THE HEAT DOWN. I do a lot of cooking research, and the most common problem in making eggs–of any variety–is having the heat too high. So my main advice for you is to cook it lower and slower. Even so, it’s a pretty quick and filling and delicious breakfast, lunch, or supper choice.

Veggie and Bacon Omelet

Ingredients:

• butter and/or cooking spray
• 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped vegetables (I used green onion, white mushrooms, green pepper, and tomatoes)
• 2-3 whole eggs or you can use just egg whites for a healthier omelet, beaten with a whisk
• salt and pepper
• a small handful of shredded cheese, whichever variety you prefer (I used sharp cheddar)
• 1-2 strips of cooked and crumbled or chopped bacon
• (optional) additional greens from the onion, cheese, or bits of bacon to use as garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare your vegetables, cheese, and bacon. Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. The process of cooking the omelet goes pretty quick, so you want to have everything ready to go before you start. 
2. Heat a small non-stick pan to medium (5 on my stove) and add a teaspoon or so of butter, or spray the pan with cooking spray. If you have a pan that is truly non-stick, you can omit the butter or spray. My non-stick pans are never fully non-stick, so I add a little. You don’t want a pan that is too big or too small. If the pan is too small, your omelet may come out too thick, and if it is too large, your omelet may get too thin. (The pan I use is about 8 inches across in the bottom and about 10 inches at the top edge.)
3. Add the vegetables and cook until tender. (I cook all of the vegetables except the tomato. I add the tomato later when the omelet is almost done because I don’t like it overly cooked.)
4. When the vegetables are done, remove them to a plate and set aside.
5. Re-spray your pan. (I add a touch of butter to the pan for flavor AND lightly spray it because, again, my non-stick is not totally non-stick.) For your omelet to be successful, it needs to release from the pan easily. If if does not release, no worries, you will just end up with an egg scramble instead of an omelet. I had a lovely egg white scramble this past Sunday morning…
6. Give your eggs another stir or two and then pour them into the pan. Let the eggs sit for just a few seconds to begin to set and then begin gently scraping part of the circle of egg in to the middle of the pan, letting the runny part of the egg from the top of your circle flow down to the pan. Keep tilting and turning the pan and scraping back the eggs around the pan until most of the runny egg is gone but you still have a full circle of egg covering the bottom of the pan. If this process is going too fast or the egg seems to be cooking too much, turn the heat down a little. Take your time.

   

   

   

   

7. When the egg is mostly cooked, place your previously cooked vegetables down the center of the circle or on one half of the circle. Add the crumbled bacon, diced tomato, and shredded cheese. Turn the heat down to low. If you placed your vegetables on one half of the egg, fold the other half of the egg over the vegetables. If you placed the vegetables down the center, fold the two sides of the egg into the middle, burrito style. (I tend to overdo the amount of vegetables and have a hard time folding the egg over completely.)

   

   

8. Continue to cook the eggs until the cheese begins to melt. You can help this process along by placing a cover over the pan for a little while or even remove the omelet to a plate and microwave briefly.
9. When the omelet is heated through, remove it to a plate. If desired, garnish the top of the finished omelet with another sprinkle of cheese, bacon, or onion greens. Serve with a side of fruit.

   

   

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Category: Breakfast, Lunch Tags: breakfast, brunch, eggs, lunch, protein, veggie and bacon omelet

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