Time for some spring cleaning? Frittata lets you use up all those things in your fridge you weren't sure what to do with. In my book, frittata is only second to stir fries in making something delicious out of nothing. Basically whatever veggies and/or meat you have on hand will be delicious when covered in egg and cheese. Sixty percent of the time it works every time. You could probably throw in cardboard and your guests would be none the wiser if you added enough cheese.
That said, my frittata did not include cardboard, but a medley of vegetables I impulsively bought without a meal in mind. They just looked so enticing I couldn't help myself. With mushrooms, broccoli, onion, red pepper and zucchini in my fridge, I figured I'd better get them on a plate before they ended up in the compost. For good measure, I threw in some turkey breakfast sausage and feta.
With this dish, you are not only getting all the vitamins and minerals from the various vegetables, eggs themselves are a great source of nutrition. Besides being are a great source of protein, they also contain choline, an essential nutrient for your cardiovascular system, brain function and cell membranes.
What exactly does choline do? Well the choline goes into phosphatidylcholines (PC), which are a major component of your cell membranes. PC is known to help your body from accumulating fat and cholesterol in the liver and supporting liver repair. It does this by repairing damage to the cell membrane inflicted by toxins, alcohol, etc. (read more here).
Your body uses PC to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important in memory and other bodily functions. It is implicated in slowing down aging-related processes as well as improving brain function and memory (WedMD).
Those of you worried about heart disease and cholesterol may be relieved to know that the Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating says: “No research has ever shown that people who eat more eggs have more heart attacks than people who eat few eggs.” Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, dietary cholesterol, such as that found in eggs, does not effect everyone in the same way.
Recipe
6 oz. turkey sausage
1 onion, finely diced
3 cups mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large zucchini, sliced in rounds and quartered
1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets
1/3 cup water or broth
90 grams (3 oz.) reduced-fat feta
1 cup grated cheese of choice (gouda, cheddar, mozzarella, etc.)
10 eggs, beaten
2 T. milk
Salt and pepper (remember feta is full of sodium)
Cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In nonstick pan on medium heat, brown the sausage, breaking up the meat as you go then remove and place in large casserole dish. In the rendered fat, sauté the onions and mushrooms then add to casserole dish. In the same pan, sauté the zucchini for 2-3 minutes then add red pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until they both are soft. Add to casserole dish. Add broccoli to pan, briefly stir fry adding additional oil if necessary until it become a brighter green. Then add about 1/3 cup water or broth to pan, cover and let broccoli steam until easily pierced with a fork about 5 minutes. Drain excess liquid off, coarsely chop and then add to dish. Crumble in feta then toss all ingredients together. In a medium bowl, combine beaten eggs with milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over meat and veggies. Bake begins to set about 20-25 minutes. Remove sprinkle cheese over the top and bake until cheese is melted and golden brown. While the frittata is cooling off, sear cherry tomatoes on the vine in the pan with some olive oil until they become soft and sweet. Garnish with parsley and serve.
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