Baked Greek Omelet

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but who has time (or the inclination) to get up early to make it every morning? This baked omelet is my answer. While the following recipe is for a Greek-inspired omelet, you can use the technique with any combination of flavors and make delicious food. Other versions I enjoy include mushroom/onion/rosemary/goat cheese, arugala/goat cheese, onion/red pepper/green pepper/cheddar, asparagus/mushroom/goat cheese, and glass shards/goat cheese (jk). Thought I have never tried them, I bet broccoli/cheddar, roasted zucchini or squash/mozzarella, anything with sundried tomatoes and roasted red peppers, and tomato/fresh basil/mozzarella would also be excellent. My only main advice for experimenting with this recipe is to make sure you cook things enough before adding the eggs and baking because the veggies won't cook much in the oven and raw onion, broccoli, garlic, etc. will 1. taste kinda gross and 2. be too hard a texture against the fluffy eggs. Also, you could certainly add in meat (sausage, bacon, ham, smoked salmon, shrimp) if you were so inclined, just make sure to cook the meat before you add it or thoroughly saute on the stovetop before adding the veggies.

Ingredients

Yellow or vidalia (sweet) onion

Olive oil

Spinach

Tomatoes (or tomato sauce/canned tomatoes)

Kalamata olives

Eggs or Egg Substitute (I usually use Egg Beaters)

Feta Cheese, crumbled

[Note: I didn't include ingredient amounts because it depends entirely on how much omelet you want to make, and how much you like each of the ingredients - there are no wrong amounts unless you have so many veggies the egg can't hold it together or you put in so much of one veggie you can't taste anything else. When I last made this recipe, I used 3 cups of chopped onions (about 2 yellow onions), 2 Tbsp olive oil, 6 cups of spinach, 1/4 cup sliced olives, 1/2 cup tomato sauce because I was out of fresh tomatoes, but next time I would use 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes instead if possible, 2 cups of egg beaters (~8 eggs), and 3 oz of feta]

Equipment

Knife and cutting board

Saucepan

Silicone spatula/wooden spoon or scraper

Pan that can go in the oven [if you have a dutch oven, you can use it as a saucepan and then put it straight into the oven]

Oven

Stovetop

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.

2.Wash and dry tomatoes and spinach if necessary. Chop onions, tomatoes, olives, and spinach (but keep them separate on your cutting board or in bowls because you will add them to the pan at different times).

2. Heat your saucepan or dutch oven on medium/medium low heat on the stovetop. Add olive oil and onions, stirring the onions to coat with the oil. Cook, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until onions become translucent and are starting to brown. [I often finish chopping the other veggies while the onions cook, keeping an eye on the onions so they don't burn or start sticking to the pan].

3. Add the spinach and stir to coat with the residual oil and moisture in the pan. Cover with a lid if you have one for your saucepan and cook until the spinach has wilted (is soft and limp and has let off a bunch of water), probably 2 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and olives. Cook for a minute or two, stirring, until the tomatoes soften slightly. If using already cooked tomatoes, you can skip the softening. Turn off the burner.

5. If not using a dutch oven, transfer your veggies into a dish that can go into the oven (glass, silicone, or metal baking pan, pie pan, loaf pan, etc.) [I have on occasion just put saucepans, even ones with plastic handles, into ovens, and have never had a problem, but you could end up with melted plastic in your oven, so be warned]

6. Pour your Egg Beaters or crack your regular eggs into the baking pan and stir so the eggs are scrambled and the veggies are mixed throughout.

7. Bake until the egg is almost set (just a little wet on top and still jiggly but not liquid in the center), about 15 minutes (less if you are making a smaller omelet/using a shallower pan, more for a deeper pan/larger omelet).

8. Remove from oven and sprinkle the crumbled feta evenly over the top. Put it back in the oven until completely set (not wet on top and less jiggly, more quiche-like) and the cheese is a bit melty, a few more minutes.

9. Cool for a few minutes before serving, or cool completely, cut into slices, and refrigerate in individual containers for easy breakfasts you can take to the office and reheat. I recommend serving with a slice of whole wheat toast, but that's just a personal preference.

Sweet Potato Fries

While she may be the queen of unhealthy cooking, Paula Dean's recipe for sweet potato fries is both delicious and actually not horrible for you (and shockingly doesn't feature a sour cream/mayonnaise/heavy cream dipping sauce). My version is slightly modified from hers, and vegan. I can't say if they are tasty eheated because I ate all the fries that night off the baking sheet while hot. My guess is that they will lose a lot when they cool off and get soggy, but unless you cook up 5 potatoes for yourself, that probably won't be an issue because you won't have any leftovers, they're that delicious.

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

2-5 sweet potatoes (depends totally on how much you want to make)

olive oil for tossing (~1 Tbsp per potato)

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and other seasonings optional

Equipment

Sharp knife and cutting board

Vegetable peeler (semi-optional)

Oven and oven mitts

Tongs

Baking sheet + silpat or foil/parchment paper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.

2. Peel the potatoes, or wash and carefully dry if you're leaving the skin on (I usually peel, but up to you). Cut off any bad spots or eyes, then cut in half the long way. Place the cut side down so it doesn't roll around, then cut into 1/4 inch wide slices. Cut slices into 1/4 inch thick fry-sized strips.

3. Place your silpat on the baking sheet or cover your baking sheet in foil or parchment paper. Place potato strips on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then toss with your hands to coat. You want the strips to be a little slick, but not sitting in puddles of oil, so add oil accordingly.

4. Spread the potato strips out on the baking sheet (bake in two rounds if you have too many fries to fit without overlapping them). Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper to your tastes. You can also add a sprinkle of other spices like garlic or onion powder, paprika, or cayenne pepper. I would recommend going without spices the first time you make them, or adding them after baking once you've tried a plain fry and decide what flavors you want.

5. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender and golden brown (cook more depending on how brown you like them), taking them out at least once to toss with tongs. Cool for a few minutes before eating so you don't burn your mouth (this is the hard part).

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan

The original recipe calls this the best broccoli of your life. I might not go that far, but it is mighty delicious and oh-so-easy. It's tastiest right from the oven, but still very good reheated later in the week, and could be done without the parmesan if you want a vegan version. My recipe is an adaptation of the recipe here: http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html

Ingredients

2 heads of broccoli (you can do it with more stem-heavy or floret-heavy broccoli, totally your preference)

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt (kosher or sea salt is recommended, but regular table salt is fine too)

Pepper

Parmesan cheese

Equipment

Knife and cutting board

Baking sheet (cookie sheet with sides)

Oven and oven mitts (or dish towels)

Tongs (or 2 forks in a pinch)

Grater/Zester/Microplane zester

Silpat or tin foil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. If you don't have a silpat, line your baking sheet with tinfoil.

2. Wash and dry your broccoli, then cut into somewhat small pieces. Peel and chop your garlic into small chunks.

3. Put the broccoli on the baking sheet and sprinkle the garlic over it, then drizzle with olive oil and toss until coated (the original recipe says 5 Tbsp of oil, that is way more than I use, which is usually more like 2 Tbsp). Sprinkle with salt and pepper based on your tastes (you can always add more at the end, so if you're not sure how much to add, go light).

4. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until some of the broccoli begins to brown (you can let it go a little longer if you like more browning). Probably once during the cooking time or twice if you're worried, take the pan out of the oven and toss the broccoli with tongs so nothing sticks and different parts get exposed to brown.

5. When the broccoli is done, remove it from the oven and zest the lemon over it, then cut in half and squeeze the juice over the broccoli (if you don't like too much lemon, feel free to only zest and juice half). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (they recommend 1/3 cup, I don't really measure, just pour as much as I want).

Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is an adaptation of a butternut squash soup recipe that my family loves to make, which I thought would be particularly popular given that it's about 10 degrees and snowing right now. I'm not exactly sure where it was originally from; I think my uncle Jamie got it from a cooking magazine a while back, but I just have a printout of it with no source. The original recipe uses chicken broth and milk, making it neither vegetarian nor vegan, but I frequently make it with vegetable broth and omit the milk, and it turns out great, so choose your ingredients based on your preferences.

Butternut Squash Soup

(Note: you can easily double or half this recipe. It freezes really well, so I would recommend making a large pot and freezing what you can't eat in the following few days.)

Ingredients

1 lb butternut squash (the recipe says you could use pumpkin instead, I've never tried this but go ahead if you want)

4-5 cloves of garlic

4-5 green onions (plus extra for garnish if you want)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2-3 Tbsp of flour

3 cups vegetable/chicken broth

1 cup of tomato sauce (the kind that is totally smooth and comes in a can, not the chunky one you put on pasta, or alternatively, one small can of tomato paste)

2 tsp- 1 Tbsp of chili powder (2 tsp. is usually enough, but this is very much based on your personal spice perference)

.5 tsp each cumin and oregano

1 cup milk

dash cayenne pepper (optional)

plain greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

Equipment Required

Stovetop burner

Chopping knife and cutting board

Vegetable peeler/paring knife (optional)

Measuring cups and spoons

Large pot

Wooden spoon/spatula for stirring

Blender/food processor/immersion blender (potentially optional)

Instructions

1. Peel and dice (cut into large chunks) the squash. If don't have a good knife to cut the squash, this will be very difficult and possibly dangerous, so I would recommend buying peeled pre-diced squash (which is also faster and easier if you're short on time).

2. Wash and dry the green onions, cut off the gross root part at the very bottom and any brown or shrively bits at the very top, then chop into relatively thin (maybe 1/4 inch wide) slices.

3. Peel the garlic, cutting off any brown hard bit on the bottom. Chop into very small pieces.

4. In a very large pot over medium-low heat, saute the garlic and green onions in enough olive oil so everything is coated and doesn't stick to the bottom (I would guess 1-2 Tbsp should be plenty).

5. When the green onions and garlic are mostly cooked (the green onions will have become more translucent and the garlic will not yet be browned), add the diced squash. Pour in the broth, tomato sauce, chile powder (if you're unsure about the spice level, add less than you think you will want and you can taste and add more later on when things are cooked), cumin, oregano, and flour. Stir so the spices and flour are not just floating on top and try to break up with the spoon any flour lumps that form.

6. Simmer (this means put on whatever heat level is necessary to keep it bubbling a little but not with the big bubbles of a boil) 20-30 minutes until the squash is tender (you should be able to easily put a fork through all pieces). Don't worry about over-cooking it since that won't hurt it, but do be sure the squash is totally cooked because hard squash will be really gross.

7. Turn off the burner when the squash is done and allow to cool slightly. Pour into a blender or food processor and puree (blend until smooth) or keep in the pot and blend with your immersion blender if you are so luck as to have one. (If using a blender or food processor you will likely have to blend in several batches unless you are only making a small pot of soup). If you are adding in the milk, you should add it now (just add to the blender with the broth and cooked squash). If you have no blender or like soup with chunks, you could leave it as a broth with squash cubes, in which case I would make sure to cut the squash into quite small pieces at the beginning. But I think the soup is a lot better pureed, so I would go that route unless you really can't.

8. Test your soup for spice-level. Add salt, cayenne pepper, and/or more chile powder if you want.

9. Serve garnished with a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream (I love greek yogurt with this soup) and a sprinkle of chopped green onion if you would like, or allow to cool a bit more, then pour into individual containers and freeze (the individual containers make reheating for a future meal much easier than having to reheat a huge block of frozen soup to get one cup or trying to cut off a hunk from a soup ice cube).