Easy Zucchini Frittata

Sometimes you need a super simple dinner that won't take too long to prepare or cook.  Last night was one of those nights.  To me, frittata is an any-meal dish that can be put together of just about anything.  It's basically like a quiche but the key difference between them is that a quiche has a crust.  This makes a frittata super easy because all you have to do is cook everything up in a fry pan, add some beaten eggs, and stick it in the oven to finish cooking.  Really.  It's just that simple.

Last night, I wanted a way to get protein into my meal without having chicken or beef, and I wanted a decent amount of vegetables without just having a huge salad.  Well, I did it.  And you can too!!

Easy Zucchini Frittata with pepperoni and cheese

The Ingredients

• Zucchini (as many as you want - I used 4 small zucchini), quartered longways and chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• Red Hot Pepper Flakes
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 10-12 large eggs, beaten
• Chopped pepperoni
• Shredded cheese

Chopped Zucchini and Onion

The Method

• Chop up your zucchini and onion, as small or as large as you want.  I chose to chop my zucchini by slicing them the long ways (in quarters) and then chopping them.  This will ensure that you don't get massive pieces of zucchini in each bite.
• Chop up your onion
• Saute the zucchini and onion in some olive oil with the red hot pepper flakes.
• Add some salt and black pepper to taste
• Once the vegetables have softened, add the beaten eggs into the pan, and mix it just so that there is egg completely on all sides of the vegetables
• Sprinkle the pepperoni and cheese on top (you're more than welcome to mix them into the egg, but I chose to leave them on top)
• Transfer the entire frying pan to a 350* oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the eggs are completely cooked

And that's it!!!

Enjoy!!

Pork Loin with Spring Vegetables

So, day three of me cooking like an adult.  Once again, a simple task.  This was Wednesday Night's meal and it proved to be quite good, although not quite what I had hoped it to be.  Once again, the recipe came from my Weight Watchers cook book, and I think it has helped me to get the general idea of cooking a pork loin, although I may change a few things when I make this again.

The Recipe:
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
3/4 tsp salt
1 (9-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 pound baby potatoes, cut in half
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 cup baby carrots
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 tsp black olive

Sprinkle pork with chives and 1/4 tsp salt.  Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat.  Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Transfer pork to roasting pan and combine with artichokes, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, oil, remaining salt and pepper (these were all mixed together prior to being transferred to roasting pan).  The vegetables should be arranged around the pork.

Roast, stirring vegetables once, until vegetables are tender and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 60*F, about 25 minutes.  Let pork stand 5 minutes before slicing in 12 slices.  Serve with vegetables.

The result:

What I actually did & my feelings on the dish:  I added onions, and since I couldn't find frozen artichoke hearts, I omitted them.  Also, I put too many carrots.  The pork wasn't browned enough.  I was afraid to let it brown too much, and I shouldn't have been.  It was good, but browning it a bit more would have made it better.  Also, there wasn't enough flavor.  The vegetables were good, but in reality, the only thing that actually flavored the meat (as far as seasonings/herbs) was salt, pepper and chives.  So the pork was delicious, it was moist, it wasn't dried out, but it needed more flavor.  Maybe some garlic, mushrooms, less carrots and the artichokes, and I think it will taste completely different.  Also, because I used frozen asparagus, it was almost over-cooked, whereas the carrots were almost under-cooked.  I didn't like the mixture.  Next time, it will need to be done with all fresh ingredients rather than a mix of fresh and frozen.

Oh, and by the way, I actually used a 1-pound pork loin (which is what the recipe called for).  There's NO WAY you could slice it into 12 pieces, serve 4 people and all be satisfied.  I sliced it into 8 pieces, and served two people, and thought that was a more realistic amount to fill me and Scott.

Overall, a good dish, but it definitely could use some tweaking.  I definitely have some ideas for the next time I make this, and I think it will be just as easy.  :o)