Fritatta

I have been experimenting with a no starch diet now for a month, it has been great. The only problem is,  I dropped weight and now have re-gained it. I guess I enjoyed it too much! Don't panic, I am talking two pounds, and that can fluctuate based on just what I ate and drank the day before!


So the idea of my "no starches" is that I need to increase fats. Well, I increased them too much I think, I was lazy and didn't weigh and measure. I am now doing that again so I can actually make an intelligent decision on all of this.


One thing I have quite enjoyed is fritatta. It is so easy and you can basically make it with whatever you have on hand. This started because David made something and it required 8 egg whites so I stopped him from throwing the yolks away. I combined them with slightly more egg whites from a carton!


I used whole eggs basically, full fat cheese, vegetables and pancetta (Italian bacon). So, if you were watching your weight you might use mostly egg whites (a couple yolks for richness and the flavor), low fat cheese, vegetables and no bacon or maybe turkey bacon (never tried it so I'm not sure). 


It can be low calorie and delicious, I know as I have made it before that way! You know how to do it!


In a well seasoned fritatta pan (or a pan that can go in the oven- don't use a non-stick). Coat it well with butter or olive oil ("no" calorie watching or "yes" calorie watching). Add whatever chopped ingredients you wish, here I had sautéed zucchini and pancetta, I am just warming it at this point in the process, the vegetables and pancetta were already cooked. Pour over the eggs (whole eggs or a combination of some whole eggs and some egg whites), add mozzarella cheese (or any cheese you like) and then with a rubber spatula, gently lift the edges as the eggs cook, the uncooked egg with run down the sides and fill up the space.

Add some more mozzarella (here I have small pieces of fresh buffalo mozzarella, the white chunks). 

When it is mostly set, after gently lifting the sides away and letting the uncooked egg run under, it will be time to put it under the broiler. 

The egg puffs, the top browns and the cheese melts. this was only a few minutes. It depends on the oven, the pan and the distance from the burner. I would go anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. 

All done and ready to cut into wedges. This is great served hot, room temperature or cold. In the picture at the top of the page I had it with avocado. See why I gained some weight? I should have left out the avocado....

Do try this, even on a low calorie diet. Just use less whole eggs, less cheese, and more vegetables. Eggs are a super good source of protein and this is a great breakfast, lunch or dinner!