Super Simple Dinners: Frittata!

The best thing about frittata is that you can put whatever you want in it, and it almost always comes out delicious.

I mentioned before that my sister had the brilliancy to make a "menu" for the week....I did that this week, and "Frittata" was one of the meals on my list.  I decided to leave some wiggle room on the type of Frittata, and when I went to the market I bought a ham steak, asparagus, and goat cheese.  I L-O-V-E goat cheese, by the way.

So how did I make said Frittata?  It's so simple!!

The Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 8-oz Ham Steak, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bunch of Asparagus, chopped into about 1" segments
1 large Potato (or 2, however much you want), chopped
8 whole eggs
6 egg whites
salt and pepper, to taste
2-4 oz semi-soft Goat Cheese

The Method

• Chop the onion and ham into small pieces and saute in olive oil in a large skillet (I used a 12-inch skillet).  Make sure whatever skillet you use is large enough to hold all the ingredients, and is oven-safe
• Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus in water in another pan.  This helps so that you're not adding raw asparagus into the cooked onions/ham.
• Chop the potato and add to the onions/ham (I actually used a baked potato that was left over from some take-out over the weekend.  It was baked, and refrigerated.  So I peeled the skin off, and chopped it up and threw it into the mix.  This made it super easy and quick, since all I needed to do was heat it through because it was already cooked!)
• Add the cooked asparagus, and season with salt and pepper
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, and a splash of milk.  Add this into the ham/asparagus mix.  Mix everything together
• Cut the goat cheese into small chunks and sprinkle on the top of the egg mixture.  I only put cheese on half of mine, because I wasn't sure if my husband would like it (which he did), so I only used 2 oz...
• Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until the center is cooked and firm!
• Cook for a few minutes, cook, and serve!!

Seriously!  It's the most delicious thing ever!!!

Enjoy!!

Oven Fried Fisn 'n Chips

That's right...oven fried! Or baked. But oven fried sounds so much more delicious.

Oven Fried Fish 'n Chips - delicious homemade french fries and fish sticks!

Being that its Lent, we always have some kind of seafood on Fridays, but lately, they've been lacking.  This past Friday, I really felt like I needed to spice up our Lenten feast. I feel like I don't realize how much meat (chicken, turkey, beef) I eat until Friday comes along and I 'can't' eat meat. One week we had shrimp, another we went out to eat. But this week, I wanted to make something at home. So I figured fish and chips - but my way.

When I was young, my grandfather was a fisherman, and he stocked our freezer with all kinds of fish, so we ate it at least once a week. After he passed away, I feel like fish got reduced down to just during Lent.

My experience with cooking fish is very limited, so I decided to make something I know, but also something new that I couldn't mess up too bad.  Hence:  Oven Friend Fish 'n Chips!

For the Fish:

1 lb cod
1 1/2 cup Panko
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika

Slice the fish into 1/2" thick slices. Coat the fish in the egg, salt, and pepper, and then coat in the Panko, mixed with the spices.

Let the fish sit for about 20 minutes on a drying rack (like when breading chicken, the actual breading stays on the fish better if you let it rest before immediately transferring it to the baking sheet). Then transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the fish with the cooking spray and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400* until browned and firm.

For the Chips:

Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Slice the peppers and transfer to a large zip-lock bag. Add a little bit of oil (about 1 tsp), and the seasonings and mix well to coat the potatoes. Then transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 400* (I put the potatoes in the oven for about 20 minutes, then put them on the bottom rack while the fish baked).

I then made a quick tartar sauce (mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, salt, and pepper) and we had a feast!!

The result: delicious. Scott said there was too much seasoning on the fish (he says he likes to taste the fish, but then covers it in tartar sauce / ketchup), but I enjoyed the flavor. Maybe I'll go a little lighter on the garlic powder and paprika. But for a first attempt, I'd say it was a success!! :o)

The fish is resting, the potatoes are ready for the oven!

This makes about 3 servings: 510 calories, 74 carbs, 5 fat, 40 protein, 6 fiber. 12 Points Plus.

Potato Leek Soup

Last week, I spent about $120 on food at Stop and Shop.  It sounds like a massive shopping, but I really didn't buy a lot of things.  Most of the money was spent on produce and meats.  I have some great ideas for dinner this week, and while I was walking through the produce section, I found some gorgeous looking leeks, in bunches of three.  I had been given a recipe for potato leek soup by my neighbor, and decided right there in the market that we would have soup this week.

I spent the day with two great friends making "Trial run" cookies for a baby shower.  It's a terribly un-seasonably cold day, and just on waking up this morning, I knew it was a potato-leek soup kind of a day.

The recipe:

• 3 large leeks, (whites and pale green only) cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Marjoram - dash
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce (optional)
• Salt & Pepper

The Method:

• Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, checking often. Do not brown leeks - this will result in a burnt taste. 
• Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan (I used an immersion blender, and just blended half of the soup in the pot). Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste, if desired. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste.

The results:  4-6 servings of pure deliciousness.

 

The entire pot of soup is 30 points plus....

@ 6 servings:  5 points plus

@ 4 servings:  7 points plus

Enjoy!