Quick & Easy Eggs

The other night I decided to make the Microwaved Eggs in Peppers recipe from the Manitoba Egg Farmers website. It seemed very straight forward. All I needed was 2 red peppers, 4 eggs, and salt and pepper. Well, since I personally seem to need garlic with everything, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to add. I incorporated a few other ingredients as well, just to spice things up. I call it Microwaved Eggs in Peppers with Pizzazz! It was an adventure once again; here’s what happened…

I sliced the tops of the peppers and removed the seeds. I threw out the stem, but chopped up the extra pepper from the top. I figured I could use it in the recipe too, since I don’t like to waste anything.

I placed the peppers upright on a microwave-safe plate and put in the microwave on HIGH (100%) for 3 minutes. Careful! When it comes out, the peppers are very hot. Then I inverted and drained them on a paper towel to soak up the moisture. I placed the peppers upright again on a microwave-safe plate, broke two eggs into each pepper and pierced the yolks of each egg. Beware: if you don’t pierce the yolks, they will explode in the microwave!

At this point, I threw in minced garlic and the extra pepper pieces inside with the egg. I figured this recipe still needed more colour, so I put some fresh basil in and topped it off with a shake or two of salt and pepper.

I put the filled peppers in the microwave again on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) for 5 minutes. I checked them when it was done, but since my microwave is very weak, I had to put them back in. The eggs were still very soft.

As I carefully placed the peppers back into the microwave, one of them toppled over and half of the egg mixture spilled over onto the plate. ARGH! Seriously, can’t I make something without having a mess? In my defence, peppers don’t exactly have the flattest bottoms. Yes, I’m blaming the peppers.

Quickly, as if nothing happened, I put the mixture which fell out back into the pepper and restarted my microwave for another 3 minutes. After it was done, I stirred them up and then let them sit for 2 minutes. I think putting in the extra peppers, basil and garlic, caused them to take longer to cook. But hey, I’m no expert.

I knew immediately that I wanted to put grated cheese on them (I love cheese), so I sprinkled some on.  I wasn’t sure how to eat this masterpiece, but eventually I decided to use a knife and fork, and cut up the pepper all together with the egg. It was very savoury and filling! I think my altering of the recipe really added to the taste!

Try the basic recipe out for yourself at http://www.eggs.mb.ca/entrees_M_MicrowavedEggsinPeppers.html, or try my version of the ingredients:

Microwaved Eggs in Peppers with Pizzazz
• 2 red peppers
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp fresh basil
• ¼ tsp minced garlic
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese

For more delicious egg recipes, go to: http://www.eggs.mb.ca/recipes-collection.html

Three recipes down, many more disasters to go…Stay tuned for my next recipe, Egg in Ham Cup.

The Egg Lady

An Egg-cellent Cooking Expedition

The other day I took on my second challenge of egg recipes and made Spinach & Potato Frittata from Manitoba Egg Farmers’ website. Here is my story…

I started with cutting up the vegetables and thawing the spinach – what a colourful recipe! Luckily I had some help in the kitchen so it made my life a little easier. I (perhaps I should say “we”) prepared all of the ingredients and then I combined them as directed. It was very straight-forward; even I couldn’t mess it up!  

The recipe calls for a 9-inch square baking pan. Who even has one anyways? I used my 8-inch square glass dish and it did the trick, so don’t stress if you don’t have a 9-inch. Also, I think the term “spray” can be interpreted a few ways, especially since I didn’t have cooking spray in the cupboard. To grease my baking pan, I just used the old butter trick. What’s that you may ask? Well, just take a paper towel, dip it in a little margarine or butter and spread a thin layer on all sides of the pan. Voila, you have a greased dish. I’m not sure where I got that idea from, but likely years ago from my mother. I also hear that waxed paper instead of paper towel works too.

By the way, in this recipe you’re using a large glass bowl, so hang on to it tightly since it becomes quite heavy and awkward when you’re lifting and pouring it with one hand and using a spatula with the other. I’m a weakling so I almost lost mine…seriously, it could have been another disaster like last time!

Right after I proudly put this colourful recipe into my oven, I went to move my recipe sheet and it was stuck to the counter! I couldn’t quite figure out how that happened, but then I realized when the eggs were cracked into a bowl to prepare, (not by me, by the way) some of the egg white landed on the counter where my recipe ended up. UGH! I made my trusty assistant scrape it off the counter and then I used my oh-so-wonderful antibacterial cloth to wipe it all clean.

After that was under control, I waited for my recipe to be baked. Mmm.. the aroma was wonderful and the taste was good. It came right out of the pan just beautifully. I thought I was eating cheese since there was an orange colour in the recipe from the carrot and a creamy taste from the mayo and sour cream. All of the taste and less calories; a perfect combination. If you’re adventurous, I think this recipe could be played around with a bit. Next time I think I would put less hash browns and more red pepper, but try it out yourself first because my taste buds are not the same as yours!

TIP: For two people this recipe is a lot, but I look forward to reheating the leftovers in the microwave.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Here is the recipe for Spinach & Potato Frittata:

Ingredients:
1 pkg (250 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
4 cups (1 L) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup (250 mL) finely shredded carrot
1/3 cup (75 mL) diced red pepper
1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped green onion or fresh chives
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh basil or dill (or 2 tsp/10 mL dried)
8 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup (125 mL) fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup (125 mL) fat-free sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine spinach, hash brown potatoes, carrot, red pepper, green onion and basil in large bowl. Stir in eggs, mayonnaise and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Spray 9-inch (23 cm) square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread egg mixture in pan. Bake in preheated 350°F (180°C) oven until knife inserted in centre comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Servings: 9
Preparation: 15 minutes
Baking: 35 -40 minutes

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 130
Carbohydrate: 14 g
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 8 g
Fibre: 2 g
Sodium: 270 mg

For more delicious recipes visit: http://www.eggs.mb.ca/recipes-collection.html

Stay tuned for my next recipe… Microwaved egg in pepper. Now that one should be easy…right?!

The Egg Lady

The Beginning of an Eggcellent Journey

It’s a cold February morning and all I want to do is hide under the covers with a good book. However, it’s time to finally get to work on my New Year’s resolution. I’ve decided to make one of my 2010 resolutions an educational, yet fun one.

I resolve to become a better cook in the kitchen and I’m going to start by learning the various ways of cooking with eggs. Why eggs you may ask? As a new staffer at Manitoba Egg Farmers (MEF), I’ve rediscovered the goodness of eggs. They’re so delicious, nutritious and affordable!

The MEF website (www.eggs.mb.ca) has a number of great egg recipes; although I must say, I haven’t tried many of them yet. So, I’ve decided to set out on a journey to tackle and master at least a dozen new egg recipes from the website this year; everything from appetizers to desserts. Each month, I will share my cooking eggsperience with you, the reader. There are so many ways to have eggs; I can’t wait to get started. We can become eggsperts together – plus it will be a nice change to my usual scrambled eggs in the morning. I hope you will join me on my eggcellent journey in the kitchen this year!

Walking on Egg Shells…

My first experience, in a long time, with making an omelette was, well… somewhat disastrous. For someone who’s quite foreign to the kitchen, but loves a challenge, I decided I didn’t really need to READ the instructions. How hard could it be? I cracked the eggs and put them into a bowl with a bit of milk. I grabbed the whisk and the next thing I knew the whole thing was on the floor mat in front of my kitchen sink.  After a lot of laughing I thought, Ok. Start again.

This time, I held onto the bowl more carefully and finally got the eggs in the heated and greased pan. Things were looking great so I thought I’d better flip the omelette over to cook the other side. Well, I suppose it wasn’t cooked well enough because then it just fell apart in the pan. Ugh! I took it out and started again, pouring the egg mixture into the pan. This time I left it longer and it definitely looked more cooked. Perfect, I thought. I confidently turned it over with my spatula and quickly realized what terrible mistake I made. I forgot to re-grease the pan. The whole omelette was stuck to it and I was in the same boat all over again with scrambled eggs in my pan instead of a beautiful omelette. At that point, I admitted defeat, called it a day, and ate my scrambled eggs for dinner.

Last week, I tackled the Eggstra-Special Omelette recipe from MEF’s website. No major disasters (since I learned my lesson) and it tasted great! I made a couple of substitutions: I used dried basil and parsley instead of fresh and used only a third of what the recipe called for since the dried stuff is usually pretty strong on its own. I also didn’t have any dill kicking around, but I had fresh cilantro so I used that. Overall I thought the feta cheese made this dish a little too salty, so maybe cut back on that or substitute with goat cheese. You can even leave out the salt in the recipe too. A delicious meal that kept me full from brunch until dinner.

Tip: By the way, when I read the recipe and saw it called for 4 ounces (125 g) of goat or feta cheese, I thought, well how much is that? Google had the answer: it’s a ½ cup! Just type in “4 oz in cups” into Google and try the conversion out for yourself!

Here is the recipe:

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Vegetable spray
• 4 oz (125 g) goat or feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) each chopped fresh basil, dill, cilantro and parsley

To make each omelette, whisk 2 eggs with 2 tbsp (30 mL) orange juice. Season with salt and pepper. Spray a non-stick, 8-inch (20 cm) skillet with vegetable spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Pour in egg mixture. As mixture sets at the edges, gently push cooked portion toward the centre with a spatula. Tilt and rotate the pan to allow uncooked egg to flow itno the empty spaces. When eggs are almost set on surgace but still look moist, cover half of the omelett with one quarter of the cheese and herbs. Fold the omelette in half and slide onto a warm plate to serve immediately. Repeat with remaining eggs and filling.

Makes 4 omelettes.

Tip: Always prepare several individual omelettes rather than one large omelette. You will find each will be lighter, fluffier and easier to handle.

Follow this link for more great recipes: http://www.eggs.mb.ca/recipes-collection.html

One disaster and one Eggstra-Special Omelette recipe down, 11 egg dishes and many mini-kitchen disasters to go!

Stay tuned for the next recipe on my list…Spinach & Potato Frittata…

The Egg Lady