We all need to have some quick and easy, yet nourishing, go-to recipes for mid-week. This is one of mine. I am not sure if it is strictly speaking an omelette or a frittata, so I like to call it an omelettata! It has more vegetables than a traditional omelette, but no potatoes, but no matter. Also, the vegetable ingredients listed here can be changed about to suit what you have, and you really can add anything that cooks quickly.
Benefits of Eggs
In recent years, eggs were mistakenly given a bad reputation for increasing cholesterol. They actually contain GOOD cholesterol (which btw is needed for making hormones) and also help to regulate the balance between good and bad cholesterol in your body. If you can eat them (i.e. no allergy, intolerance or are not vegan) they are a delicious and nutritious addition to your diet AND convenient and affordable!
Health Benefits
Reduce risk of heart disease and improve the function of your cardiovascular system
Free range Eggs contain anti-inflammatory Omega 3, helping to reduce the risk of chronic conditions caused or driven by inflammation
Help prevent metabolic syndrome (Group of conditions which increase your risk of developing disease – raised blood sugar levels, fat around the waist, abnormal cholesterol levels)
Contain naturally occurring carotenoids (aid longer life span and lower mortality from chronic disease, improve eye health)
Aid in weight loss as they help you stay fuller for longer due to high quality protein
Contain Lutein which positively affects your physical activity levels and also supports the skin to fight ageing and skin cancer
Contain Choline which helps maintain liver and brain function
Egg Safety at this link and more benefits of eggs here
Ingredients Per Omelettata which serves 2
- Free Range Organic (if possible) Eggs X 6
- Onion X 1
- Tomato X 1 or 2
- Half of a red pepper, green pepper & yellow pepper
- Quarter of a courgette
- 2 Twists of Sea Salt
- 4 Twists of Black Pepper
- Tablespoon of dried parsley
- For side salad – two handfuls of salad leaves, quarter of a cucumber, 3-4 radishes, olive oil based salad dressing
Method
- Chop the onion and sautee over a low heat until soft
- While sauteeing the onion, chop the rest of the vegetables and set aside
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork (add a drop of milk if you like)
- Add the other veg to the onion and sautee for about five minutes on a medium heat, stirring regularly
- Add the salt, black pepper and parsley to the whisked eggs, mix and then add to the vegetables
- Roll the pan to make sure the eggs are distributed evenly around the pan and vegetables are all covered
- Leave on a low to medium heat (depending on your cooker) for about 3-5 minutes without stirring, or until you see the sides start to set
- Once you can see that the edges and bottom half are cooked, remove from the heat and place under your grill to set the top half
- When the top is set, you can stick a knife into the middle to make sure the middle is not runny
- While still in the pan, I cut into quarters using a spatula
- Place the salad on plates and then the omelette quarters
- You could garnish with some more parsley (dried or fresh) and sauerkraut or hummus on the side
I sautee the veg in a stainless steel pan and then transfer to my green non stick pan before adding the eggs (not Teflon and made from recycled materials and can be recycled). This makes it really easy to remove the omelette from the pan and so makes the cleaning up easier too!
In this dish, we have protein and lots of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre and can be ready in 15 minutes. Of course, if you need to add carbs after training, for example, a large slice of sourdough or wholegrain bread would be the fastest option, or a baked sweet or white potato if you have time would be an option.