Spinach and Feta Omelet Muffins – plain and simple or stuffed into red peppers

Spinach and Feta Omelet Muffins Stuffed into Sweet Red Peppers

A few weeks ago, at the Farmer’s Market in Great Falls, Virginia, I enjoyed a delicious spinach and feta omelet muffin. Finding a low-carb healthy muffin was an unexpected delight. Kudos to Plain and Simple for making omelet muffins available for sale — instead of just the usual bread and baked goods!

Back home in my kitchen, I tried to create a recipe for a spinach and feta omelet muffin. In the end, I came up with two recipes. Both are delicious, healthy, and very easy to make!

We’ve enjoyed the plain and simple version (different from the one made by the company Plain and Simple) for breakfast every day this week! And yesterday, right after I took a new batch out of the oven, I knocked on my neighbors’ doors and invited them to a “pop up party” at our house where I served fresh Spinach and Feta Omelet Muffins cut into quarters and speared with toothpicks (a quick and simple appetizer.)

It’s easy to see why everyone loved these little gems! They’re delicious and nutritious — with plenty of protein and fat to make you feel satisfied and not hungry for a good while. They’re great when you need a hand-held, grab-and-go breakfast or snack – just pair with a berry smoothie (recipe in upcoming post), and you’re all set!

SPINACH AND FETA OMELET MUFFINS
– makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil (for greasing pan)
8 eggs
6 ounces frozen chopped spinach
6 ounces feta cheese
1 tablespoon grass-fed butter
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (for health benefits of turmeric, see Why Turmeric and Black Pepper)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease 2, 6-cup silicone muffin pans (or metal muffin pans) with olive oil. If using silicone muffin pans, place the greased pans on a metal baking pan (for stability in moving from counter to oven). Set aside.

Place all remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until small flecks of spinach remain.  Pour the egg mixture into the muffin cups so that each cup is about 3/4 full.

Place baking sheet on top rack of pre-heated oven and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. If the center of each muffin is firm, it’s ready; if not, heat a little longer. Remove from oven. When cool, remove muffins from pan and store in refrigerator. Reheat in microwave.

Spinach and Feta Omelet Muffins – just cooked!

SPINACH AND FETA OMELET MUFFINS STUFFED INTO SWEET PEPPERS

Ingredients for stuffed peppers: I used fresh pimento peppers but they have a short season. When they’re not in season, just use the bottoms of small red bell peppers. Slice each pepper so that you end up with a 2 – 3 inch tall bottom to fill. Note: I have discovered that the red pepper dilutes the flavor of the filling. So add a 1/2 teaspoon or so of salt to the filling or top each stuffed pepper with crumbled feta during the last few minutes of baking. Since feta cheeses vary in how salty they are, you may need to play around with the recipe a bit to get it just right for you.

Directions for stuffed peppers: Preheat the oven. Place the pepper bottoms (peppers with tops and cores removed) on a baking sheet.Pour the liquid mixture into the peppers. Place baking sheet with filled peppers on top rack of pre-heated oven, and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

FOOD STORAGE / SAFETY

• According to Still Tasty, my favorite source for food storage information, you can safely store omelets for 3 – 4 days in your refrigerator.

FOOD SHOPPING TIPS

• Eggs – I often buy eggs at the farmer’s market from farmers whose chickens roam around and forage for food. At the supermarket, I follow my personal shopping guideline: Choose that do not contain EPA and DHA. Why? Because eggs get their EPA and DHA from the fish meal that the chickens eat — and who knows what fish end up in the fish meal and how fresh that meal is! Besides, the amount of EPA and DHA in the eggs is minuscule compared to what our bodies need. To learn more about eggs in general, check out IncredibleEgg.org,  an industry-sponsored site with good information and lots of recipes.

COOKING EQUIPMENT NOTES

• Silicone muffin pans – I am a big fan of silicone muffin pans and use them for freezing pestos and other herb sauces as well as baking. A while back I wrote this post about silicone muffin pans and the plastic fillers in some brands.
• Immersion blender – I love my Cuisinart Smart Stick which I often use in place of a regular blender. It’s so easy to use and clean. But do be careful that it’s always unplugged when you are not using it!
• Large Pyrex measuring cup – I use my 8-cup Pyrex Measuring Cup for mixing ingredients, especially when using an immersion blender.

Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni

Baked Okra Boardwalk “Fries” with Old Bay Seasoning

These Baked Okra Boardwalk “Fries” are a fun and healthy food. Slightly crispy on the outside and sweet and chewy on the inside, they are totally yummy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 1/4 pounds fresh red or green okra (4-5 inch long pods are perfect)
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Lemon wedges, if desired

Steps

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F ( 232 degrees C).

Place the coconut oil in a small glass bowl; set aside. Add a tablespoon or two of boiling water to a bowl that’s slightly larger than the bowl with the coconut oil.  Carefully set the bowl with the coconut oil in the bowl with the hot water. The coconut oil will melt while you prepare the okra.

Wash and then dry the  okra with a kitchen towel. Trim the stem ends,  but leave a bit of the stem or  “cap” on.

Dump the okra onto a non-stick baking pan. Drizzle the melted coconut oil over the okra. Using your hands, mix the okra to lightly coat  it with coconut oil. Separate the pods of okra so they touch as little as possible.

Place the baking pan with the prepared okra on the top shelf of a preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, or until the underside of the okra pods have turned brown.

Using a pair of tongs, turn the okra over, keeping the pods separated. Roast for another 10 minutes, or until nicely browned but not burnt. Remove the pan of okra from the oven and immediately sprinkle the baked okra with Old Bay Seasoning. Using the tongs, mix the okra gently to spread the seasoning evenly. Place into parchment paper cones or on plates. Serve with a squirt of lemon, if desired.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Red + Green Okra – fresh from the farmer’s market

You can use green or red okra for this recipe. The farmer from whom I bought the okra told me that the only difference between the two varieties is that the red one is less slimy. But when you roast whole okra, there is no slime. So use whichever okra you can find. In season, I buy okra at the farmer’s market. The rest of the year, I pick it up at Asian or Halal markets.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• As an appetizer. It’s a real crowd pleaser and a great conversation starter!
• For a side dish.
• As a snack for kids! You can serve these okra “fries” in a cone of parchment paper, as shown in the photo at the top of this post.  While I used a cup for the photo, if you put the okra “fries” into parchment paper cones, you won’t need cups.

CHECK OUT my PINTEREST board for more great recipes with okra!

• If you are new to Pinterest (as I was until recently), let me assure you it’s easy to get around Pinterest. Here’s how easy:

1. Click on this link to my Pinterest board for okra.
   
2. Click on a photo of a recipe that interests you, and up will come a larger photo of the same image.
3. On the larger photo, you’ll see the “website” button.
4. Click on the website button, and you will go to the website where the recipe came from!
5. To return to my Pinterest board to see more recipes with okra, just click on the Pinterest tab in your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and then click on the back arrow in your browser.

And, if you are a Pinterest enthusiast like I am, you might want to follow me on Pinterest! Then you’ll see all the recipes that I find online and love!

SHARE YOUR OKRA RECIPE!

• And if you have a recipe with okra that you would like to share, you can share your recipe by leaving a comment on this blog.

Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni

Tuna Guacamole!

Tuna Guacamole in endive leaves

Tuna Guacamole is great dish for an appetizer, snack, or impromptu little meal. I know it may sound a bit strange, but trust me, it’s yummy! And it takes less than five minutes  to make — especially if you start with a high-quality, freshly-made, store-bought guacamole.

INGREDIENTS

Freshly-made guacamole (homemade or store bought)
Canned tuna, flaked with a fork
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Thinly sliced green onions (green part only)
Chopped fresh cilantro
Fish sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Leaves of Belgium endive or Butter  lettuce
Diced red onions
Diced red bell pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place the guacamole into a bowl and then mix in the tuna. Then add, according to your taste: lime juice, green onions, cilantro, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up; taste and adjust seasoning.

• Take a leaf of endive and partially fill it with a dollop of Tuna Gaucamole. Garnish with finely diced red onions and red bell peppers. Serve!

– OR  –

• Place a small scoop of Tuna Guacamole into leaf of Butter lettuce and top that with the red onions and red bell pepper. Wrap the lettuce around the mixture and enjoy!

FOOD SHOPPING NOTES

Tuna:  I really like the Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna. It’s pole-caught, high quality tuna, that is “highest in omega 3 and low in mercury.” And, it’s  canned without added oil or water in BPA-free cans! It’s a premium product for a premium price, but it’s a good value when you buy through Amazon Subscribe & Save (which is what I do)!

Fish Sauce: Tra Chang Brand Fish Sauce is my current favorite. It is made from anchovies, salt, sugar – and nothing else. I bought a 25-ounce bottle for just a few dollars at one of our local Asian supermarkets. For a side-by-side comparison of popular fish sauces, see the blog post, Thai Fish Sauce Taste Test. Note: All fish sauces are sky-high in sodium, but the Tra Chang Brand is lower in sodium than most. And, you don’t need to use a lot to get a great flavor hit!

Red Bell Pepper: Because red bell pepper is on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen Plus list (in 2013), I only buy organic red bell peppers.

Enjoy and be healthy!
~ Leni