Tuna Frittata

It's been just over a half a year now since my mom found out about her food sensitivities. She is really the first person in our family to be diagnosed with any sort of food sensitivity or allergy. Her official diagnosis was Adrenal Fatigue. Her doctor said no gluten, no chicken or pork, no citric acid, no apples or bananas, and no dairy (among other things).

Needless to say, her diet has changed drastically over the past 7 or 8 months. And the crazy thing is - it's working. She used to have constant headaches. Now she can pinpoint what causes a headache by what she's eaten recently. Sometimes she'll go to a restaurant with a group from work, and that particular restaurant doesn't have any safe options. So, she'll take her chances...and usually wind up regretting it. The most common culprits being MSG and citric acid.

Now, when my family is on the verge of getting together, one of the first things that we discuss is food. What are we going to eat? If I'm bringing a dish along, or making one at "our final destination", I now stop to think about what's going in to that dish more than I used to. One of the most common culprits in my repertoire is dairy. I love dairy, and we eat a lot of it in our house. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about dribbling a little milk into my eggs when making a frittata. Now I do.

Egg White Frittata w/ Mushrooms, Spinach, & Goat Cheese inspired by Trinity Stones

So, apparently Paranormal Romance is a thing. When I first saw it, all I could picture were aliens in love. Fortunately this novel has no such nonsense in it. It has Nephilim and humans in love. Much better. And I'm being entirely serious. But if asked to give it a genre, I would probably have chosen Supernatural Romance over Paranormal Romance - it just seems more fitting. But I'll move on.

Would you believe me if I told that I've never read a Romance novel before? It's true. They just never appealed to me. I remember studying the Fabio-filled paperback covers in the grocery store when I was a kid, though. They didn't even pique my interest back then. Now, this isn't a straight-up Romance, so I still can't say that I've read one. But if the few pages filled with scenes full of deep penetrating thrusts, milking his hard length, and swirling tongue on sensitive peaks are just a glimpse into their pages, I won't be starting anytime soon. At those points, I felt like I shouldn't be reading the book while my kids were in the same room!

Italian Sausage & Potato Frittata

Everybody has a go-to meal, right?  Something that you enjoy enough to turn to when you're too tired/lazy/busy to make anything else.  Well, my go-to meal?  Omelets.  They're great because they can be different every time while staying basically the same.  You can add any veggies, herbs, cheese, or meats that you have hanging around the kitchen.  Throw some warm tortillas, toast, or crusty bread alongside and splash it with some Tabasco and you're good to go.  Plus, they can be impressive.  I mean, that's what I hear.  Even though I've probably made thousands of omelets in my life between working the breakfast shift, manning an omelet station, and making a go-to meal...there are many people that consider them a luxury.  If we have family crashed at our house, offering to make them an omelet in the morning always brings on the squeals.  I love it.

Now given, I'm sharing a frittata today, not an omelet...there's really not that much of a difference.  A frittata is basically an open-face omelet.  I could just have easily made individual omelets stuffing the same ingredients inside.  This is just a meal for four in all in one big shebang.  Cut into wedges and plated up, it can still bring a smile to my face.  

Our theme over at IHCC this week is White as Snow (white foods).  While I had plenty of white ingredients packed into this beauty, it came out as a vibrant mélange of color.

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Italian Sausage and Potato Frittata

by Heather Schmitt-González adapted from Apples for Jam 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: breakfast entree eggs pork

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 small potatoes
• olive oil
• ~¾ lb. Italian Sausage, crumbled
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• ~1 c. button mushrooms, sliced
• heaping ¼ c. of chopped parsley
• 6 eggs, beaten
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook potatoes in their skins until tender by any method you choose (I like to use the microwave when I'm in a hurry). When cool enough to handle, slice or cut into chunks and set aside.

Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and sauté until deeply golden and cooked through. Remove to a bowl, leaving as much of the tasty grease behind as possible.

Add onion and carrot to pan and saute until soft and onions are golden, ~10 minutes.

Add another good glug of olive oil to pan along with the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms have given off their water and turned golden. Season with salt and pepper and then add to the bowl with the sausage, leaving behind as much grease as possible.

Preheat broiler.

Add just a bit more oil to the pan (enough to equal a good coating) and add potatoes to pan. Saute until golden and crusty in places. Tip the bowl of goodies back into the pan along with most of the parsley and cook for a minute or two.

Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the eggs. Stir and lift, using a wooden spoon or heat proof rubber scraper, so that the uncooked eggs can leak to the bottom (like making an omelet). Once bottom is softly set, transfer pan to broiler until frittata is just set enough so that it can be cut into wedges.

Serve warm garnished with remaining parsley, some fresh tomatoes, and some good bread.

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Yucca Flower, Mushroom, and Feta Frittata

One of the things I love about the house we moved into just over two years ago is the yard.  I mean, it's smaller than our old yard (but still good size)...but there are numerous edibles that were already planted in the earth.  Things that I can count on to pop up year after year without any work on my part.  We have a couple of ever-expanding grape vines.  There's lots of mint; while we all know how invasive mint can be, fortunately it grows under the grapes, so I don't mind a bit.  We have chamomile.  We have ground cherries (that I have yet to figure out how to beat the bugs and birds to, but one day...).  We have purslane (or verdolagas) which is one of my favorites.

But why, oh why, did I never make use of what is probably the most prolific feature of our yard - Yucca!?  I just never really thought about it until I saw Hunger and Thirst using yucca blossoms.  Well, duh!  We have them in the front yard, the back yard, and on the side of the house.  I need to brush up how to use each part.  By the time I thought of it, I'd already missed the young, tender stalk (which looks a bit like...and here tell tastes a bit like...asparagus).

I'm still looking into using the root...because if I use the root, doesn't that mean I won't have the plant anymore?  Hmm...we'll see.  But since the gorgeous, milky-white flowers are in bloom right now, I knew that would be a great place to start experimenting.  The petals would make a great addition to fresh, raw salads.  I think they taste slightly reminiscent of mild cauliflower.  They also pair well with eggs, which is why I started with a simple egg dish.  Although, I do think that using yucca flower makes it seem elegant.  How crazy is that?  A simple back yard ingredient transforming a dish to elegant...kinda backward if you stop to think about it.  I can't wait to experiment with the abundant yucca that is waving in the breeze outside my window at this very moment.  I need to find a use for the seeds...I usually use the dried pod as an ornamental in autumn.  Until then, enjoy this frittata.

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Frittata with a Simple Spinach Salad

Okay.  I almost didn't even bring this "public" since it's not much of a looker.  But the more I thought about it, the more I decided to go ahead and share it.  Why?  Because for being such a quick and simple meal to throw together, it was pretty darn delicious.  I can't deprive you of delicious.  I know that a white plate under the blinding sun didn't help any, either.  But when it turns 55° for a day or two in the midst of the normal 30°'s...and gloriously sunshiny to boot...I am not in control of my actions.  Mother Nature took over.  Before I knew it I was dragging picnic tables across driveways and basking in the warmth on my cheeks and nose. 

Perhaps that's what made this meal so fantastic?  Nah...but it definitely played a part.  This is perfect for brunch or even a light lunch.  Although I feel kind of odd saying that pasta makes anything light...but in this setting, I think it rings true.  As long as you just have your one serving and don't dive in for seconds.  Maybe not so light anymore then.  But I'll let you decide what kind of meal you need. 

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Frittata

slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens (March 2011)

makes 4-6 servings

1 c. broccoli florets (smallish)

~½ c. onions, small dice

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 c. cooked pasta, I used gemelli

~1¼ c. cooked chopped chicken

2 Tbs. chopped, fresh Basil

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

8 eggs, beaten

½-1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400° F.  In a large, non-stick skillet (that can go in the oven), heat oil over medium and sauté broccoli and onion until tender, ~5 mins.  Stir in pasta, chicken, basil, salt, and pepper and let cook until everything is just warmed through, 1-2 mins.  Pour eggs over mixture, running a spatula around the edge to lift the eggs as they set, allowing the uncooked eggs to run underneath.  Continue until mixture is almost set.  Sprinkle cheese over top and slide into the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until frittata is set and cheese is melted.

Simple Spinach Salad

(from same issue of BHG)

make 4 servings

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

1-2 tsp. honey

4 c. baby spinach

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together first three ingredients in a large bowl, add spinach and toss to coat.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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PPN is being hosted at Debbi Does Dinner...Healthy & Low Calorie this week.