Smoked Ham Frittata with Caramelized Onion & Potato

Who doesn’t love ‘breakfast for dinner’? Simple, easy, delicious. The frittata I made today has a very short ingredient list, proving once again that flavor doesn’t require complexity. The smoky ham and the sweet, caramelized onions pair beautifully with the creamy Yukon gold potato. Top that off with goat cheese and you’ve got pure perfection. You may be thinking: “What is a frittata? I’ve heard that word, but not sure what it is.” A frittata is basically the Italian version of an omelet that’s cooked over a low heat in a skillet until the edges have solidified, finished in the oven or under the broiler. The ingredient list usually includes: eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables or pasta and often includes herbs. The ham I use here is fully cooked, so if you wanted to, you could dice it up and throw it in without the browning step. I love however to get a bit of caramelization on it and really develop those flavors. Since you’re already taking the time to make caramelized onions, you may as well brown up the ham while you wait If you’d like to lighten it up a bit, feel free to use all egg whites and reduce the amount of cheese. Also, if you’re not a fan of goat cheese, you can use any kind you like here. Serve with hot sauce and a green salad.

What You Need:

6 large eggs (or 1 ½ cups egg white)
6 oz smoked ham, diced
1 large onion
1 medium Yukon gold potato
4 oz crumbled goat cheese

¼ tsp salt and pepper, divided (or to taste)
1 Tbs olive oil, plus 1 tsp (divided)
Medium sized oven safe skillet (10”)

What To Do:

Pierce your potato with a fork several times and cook in the microwave on high for about 8 minutes or until fork tender. Cook times may vary here as it depends on how large your potato is (mine was 11 oz). Set aside and allow to cool a bit while you work on the rest of the ingredients.

Thinly slice your onion while you heat 1Tbs oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, carefully add onion to the pan and reduce heat to medium low. Season the onions with 1/8 tsp salt and pepper.

Cook onions over medium low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often. When the onions have about 5 minutes to go, heat up your broiler.

While the onions cook, heat 1 tsp oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the diced ham and reduce heat to medium. Cook the ham for about 8 minutes or until well browned, then set aside.

Next you’ll want to cut your potato up into bite sized chunks and set aside.

Season your eggs with 1/8 tsp salt and pepper and beat with a fork or whisk in a small bowl.

Combine potato, browned ham and caramelized onion in the skillet you used for the onions and gently mix so that all the ingredients are well distributed.

Pour your seasoned eggs evenly over the meat and vegetable mixture and top with cheese.

Allow the frittata to cook most of the way on the burner over medium low heat. This will take about 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the edges begin to look cooked, but the center is runny.









Transfer the frittata to the broiler to finish cooking. This will only take about 4 minutes, so don’t go far because you’ll want to watch it so the top doesn’t burn. Serve with hot sauce and a green salad.




Serves 4-6

Print this recipe !

**Edited to add: here are the nutritional stats for 1/6 of the recipe.**

Bon Appétit!
Mary

Dinner Tonight

I have been reading Jenna's blog since 2008.  She blogs about her cooking adventures and several other things like books she likes and places she visits from her home in Northern California.  She's always baking up tasty things in her kitchen, so you might want to click over and see some of her other recipes.

Back to the pizza... I was drinking my coffee this morning and reading some blogs for dinner inspiration and came upon Jenna's recipe for Barbecue Chickpea Pizza with Gouda and Caramelized Onions.  I loved that she used chickpeas in place of the more traditional chicken here.  After looking through the ingredients, I realized I had everything on hand.  Perfect!  I had to make a few substitutions as I didn't have any Gouda on hand (I've put my substitutions in italics and parenthesis below.).

Barbecue Chickpea Pizza with Gouda & Caramelized Onions

Recipe from Jenna Weber
makes one large pizza (about 8 slices)

Ingredients:

1 batch The Best Pizza Dough (I used 1 - 8oz ball of prepared dough)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I used about 1 cup)
1 bottle barbecue sauce of choice (I loved the Trader Joe’s kind! - me too!)
1 large yellow onion
1 T olive oil
8 oz Gouda cheese, freshly grated (I used a blend of smoked cheese & goat feta)


Directions:

Make the pizza dough according to recipe directions. Note that one recipe makes two large pizza crusts so you may want to freeze half the dough for later.

Heat the olive oil up in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Slice the onion very thinly and cook in the olive oil for about 30 minutes on low heat, until deeply golden and caramelized. Stir frequently! You don’t want to burn this.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out your pizza dough into a large rectangle or circle. Drizzle with barbecue sauce (you’ll probably only use 1 cup sauce). Sprinkle with cheese then layer with chickpeas and caramelized onions.

Reduce oven temperature to 425 and bake pizza on a lined baking sheet for 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted and the crust is done. Let cool then cut into slices and serve.

Time:

30 minutes (does not include time to make pizza dough)

**Cook's Note: The onions take 30 minutes and then you have to bake the pizza, so total cook time is more than 30 minutes.**

Mexican Chicken Soup

This spin on chicken soup came to me this chilly winter day after peering into my pantry and spotting a can of fire roasted tomatoes with roasted garlic, a jar of salsa verde and a can of green chilies.  I knew right then that I wanted to make a soup with Mexican flavors in it.  I had just gone to the market yesterday and picked up a package of chicken tenders, so I decided I should make a Mexican twist on good old fashioned chicken soup to warm us up.  This soup has deep smoky undertones of cumin and a hint of beer in its broth.  I really wished I had had some tortillas, because I think that toasting some in the oven with some cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne would be lovely.  Also, if you have a ripe avocado and some fresh cilantro, I highly recommend adding both of these accompaniments.   Promise you won’t be disappointed!   This recipe can also be made in the Crockpot by reducing the amount of garlic by half and combining all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.  This soup freezes extremely well.  Serve with chopped avocado, thinly sliced green onion, sharp shredded cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, minced cilantro and hot sauce.

What You Need:

1 lb chicken rinsed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 – 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes with roasted garlic
4 cups ( 1 – 32 oz box) chicken stock (broth would work also)
1 cup salsa verde (I used Henry’s Store brand – Sun Harvest)
¾ cup beer (I had a Bass on hand)
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 cup corn kernels (canned, fresh or frozen)
1 – 4oz can green chilies
1 medium brown onion (about 2 cups), ½“dice
6 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt and pepper plus a pinch of each

What To Do:

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and season with ¼ tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and ½ tsp cumin.

Brown the chicken for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Remove from pan. 

Turn heat down to medium and sauté onions for 8 minutes adding the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Season the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add chicken to the onions and garlic, then deglaze pan with beer by turning up the heat to medium high and slowly adding the beer, scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a  wooden spoon. Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes. During this time, the alcohol will burn off.

Next, add all remaining ingredients and simmer covered, over low heat for about 15 minutes.












Makes 4 (2 cup) Servings


Bon Appétit!
Mary

Creamy Baked Potato Soup

I first made this soup in September after my husband has his wisdom teeth taken out. I had no plan other than I wanted to make a creamy potato soup that would be easy for him to eat with ingredients that I had on hand. We both ended up loving it so much, I decided I should make it again for blogging purposes. If you prefer your soup be chunky, use an immersion blender or a potato masher to get the soup to your desired consistency. I used beef stock because that’s what I had on hand, but any broth or stock would work well here. I recommend using a low sodium variety as stocks and broths can pack a lot of sodium. This is also why I don’t season the soup with salt and pepper until after blending. Some stocks will be really salty and you may not even need to add any additional salt. I didn’t have any bacon on hand, but highly recommend frying up a few slices and crumbling it on top of this soup. This recipe makes a generous amount, but does not freeze well so feel free to half this recipe is you desire. Serve garnished with Greek yogurt or sour cream, thinly sliced green onion, hot sauce and crumbled bacon.

What You Need:

 

5 cups stock or broth
2 cups milk, room temperature (I used whole milk)
3 lbs russet potatoes, washed and cut into small pieces (about 5 medium)
1 large brown onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
8 cloves garlic (or to taste), minced
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
1 ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided
Optional Garnishes: Greek yogurt or sour cream, thinly sliced green onion, hot sauce and crumbled bacon.

What To Do:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion and carrot, season with ½ tsp salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic during the last minute of cooking.

Create a well in the center of the vegetables and melt butter.

Once butter is melted add the flour and cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Slowly add stock or broth stirring constantly, scraping browned bits off the bottom.

Once all of the broth has been incorporated, throw the potato in the pot and simmer for 10 minutes or until mostly tender.

Add milk and return to simmer. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

In batches, puree the soup until smooth. Taste and see if you need more salt and pepper. I added 1 tsp of salt and pepper.  Top with garnishes and serve immediately with a garden salad.
















Yields 13 ½ - 1 cup servings



Bon Appétit!
Mary



**Behind the Scenes:  Had to share a picture of my cat/ fur-child trying to help me blog about this recipe :)**

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

One of my most favorite things to eat is Mexican food, but not just any Mexican food… Enchiladas to be specific. Today I decided that I wanted to put a fun spin on my usual enchilada recipe by making it into a casserole. This casserole not only tastes great the day you make it, but make a double batch and freeze half for a rainy day when you don’t feel like cooking. Enchiladas happen to be one of my favorite ways to use up left over roasted meats and vegetables. Just add some cheese and enchilada sauce and … BOOM! Dinner is served. Top with your favorite garnishes: guacamole, salsa, sour cream/ Greek yogurt and hot sauce.

What You Need:

1 – 1.25 lbs ground turkey
6 - fajita sized whole wheat tortillas (or any tortilla you like), each torn in half
2 – 12 oz jars red enchilada sauce
1 – 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green peppers, partially drained
1 – 4 oz can green chilies
1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium brown onion, diced
1 medium sweet potato (orange inside), micro waved until tender (6-7min), then diced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
½ - 1 ¼ cup shredded cheese (optional & to taste)
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbs, plus 1 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1 Tbs, plus 2 tsp salt free chili powder (or to taste – I like Spice Hunter)
½ tsp kosher salt, divided
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided

What To Do:

Heat half of the oil in a large skillet and sauté onion for 6 minutes over medium heat seasoned with ¼ tsp salt and pepper, adding garlic during the last minute of cooking. Once the vegetables are cooked, push them to the outside of the pan.

Add the remaining oil and brown meat until cooked thoroughly, about 7-9 minutes over medium high heat, seasoned with spice mixture, salt and pepper.

Next, add all of the remaining ingredients into the pan, except for the cheese and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray the inside of a large baking dish (13x9) with cooking spray. Layer the meat mixture, cheese, enchilada sauce and tortillas, making sure that the top layer of the casserole is the enchilada sauce and cheese.








Bake for 35-45 minutes tented with foil, or until bubbling, and then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes with the foil off so that the cheese can brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before trying to serve.





Serves 8 (Bake in two separate, smaller pans and freeze one!)



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Baked California Halibut with Lemon Vinaigrette

I came up with this baked fish recipe when the hottest part of the day was a perfect 72*, but this morning I forgot to check the weather report and ended up baking this fish with the AC blasting! Oops!! California halibut is a much more delicate fish than Alaskan and falls apart extremely easily on the grill. I recommend only the best of grill masters try this one on the outdoor grill. I’ve tried this type of halibut both off the grill and out of the oven and it is very tasty both ways, but I think baking is the way to go here. I like to buy the living herbs at my local Henry’s Market and the intensity of those herbs are much less than the ‘regular’ kind of fresh herbs that you get at the grocery store. If you’re using traditional fresh herbs, you may want to reduce the amount of rosemary as it can be quite potent. Serve with steamed brown rice and a garden salad.

What You Need:

 

1 lb wild caught California halibut fillet, rinsed and patted dry
1 Tbs fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 thin slices of lemon
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper



For the Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
1/8 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

What To Do:

 

Heat oven to 350*. Brush both sides of the fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with herbs and place lemon slices evenly over the fillet.

Bake fish for 12-15 minutes, or until flakes in the thickest part.

Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Serves 3

Bon Appétit!

Mary

Italian Style Mini Meatloafs

With a craving for Italian and a pound of ground turkey in the fridge, I got to work. You may be wondering why on earth I would want to put carrots in a meatloaf… The answer is simple. Grated carrot will not only keep your meat extra juicy, it will bulk up this meal with extra vitamins and minerals (vitamin A and beta carotene). To save time, you could buy them pre-grated. In addition to grating the carrots, I decided to grate the onion for an extra, extra juicy meatloaf. Serve with mashed potatoes.

What You Need:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium carrot, grated
1/3 cup egg white (or one whole egg)
½ cup loosly packed Italian parsely, minced
6-8 cloves garlic (to taste), minced
¼ large red onion, grated or finely chopped
1 medium tomato, seeds removed and finely chopped
3 Tbs sundried tomatoes packed in oil, sliced (optional)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
½ tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

What To Do:

Heat the oven to 350* and spray the inside of a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix with hands.

Divide mixture evenly among the 12 cups and sprinkle with more red pepper flakes.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until no longer pink. Serve with mashed potatoes.













Serves 4-6



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Raw Sweet Corn Salad

Don’t be scared of the title of this recipe. Raw sweet summer corn does not need to be cooked to be delicious. I have always loved munching on those raw kernels and decided to throw them into salad of sorts today to accompany some baked California halibut. In this recipe I use aged balsamic vinegar because it is much sweeter and more syrup like than its traditional counterpart, but if you don’t feel like running over to the market… The regular stuff would work just fine. Feel free to add a minced jalapeno or serrano pepper for some heat or serve with hot sauce.

What You Need:

1 ear sweet corn, kernels removed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small avocado, diced
½ cucumber, seeds removed and diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
1 tsp agave or honey
¼ tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Sriracha hot sauce





What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently until combined. Serve with hot sauce over baked California halibut with shredded brussels sprouts.











Serves 4



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Mirepoix Tofu Stir Fry

I know what you’re thinking… A French stir fry?! Nope! But the word mirepoix (pronounced: meer-pwa) is a French name for the combination of vegetables: carrot, celery and onion. I always have carrots, celery and onions on hand in my pantry, but sometimes I don’t end up using them before they start getting tired. That was the case this fine evening and so another tofu stir fry was in order, featuring a mirepoix.

What You Need:

1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 1” cubes

1 package snow peas, cut into bite sized peices

½ large sweet onion, sliced

¾ yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2” pieces
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 – 8 oz package mushrooms, roughly chopped
6 - 10 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbs minced ginger
3 green onions, thinly sliced

The sauce:
Hot sauce to taste (sriracha)
2 Tbs oyster sauce
Soy sauce to taste
2 Tbs sesame oil

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil



What To Do:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add tofu and cook until well browned, about 8-10 minutes.

Add celery, carrots and onion and cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.

Next, add yellow pepper, snow peas, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are cooked, but still have some crunch.

Turn heat down to medium low and add hot sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Serve with green onion and additional hot sauce.





Serves 4-6



Bon Appétit!
Mary