THE POWER OMELETTE

One of my absolute most favorite things to eat is the power omelette!  What is a power omelette you may ask...??  Well there is one pictured below...

The power omelette is something I came up with years ago during my frantic workout phase.  It went through several stages of development and many critiques from the Juiceman, but I'd say it is near perfection.  I used to come home from a run or a really intense morning workout and feel like I was ready to eat my own arm I was so hungry.  At this point, it is always challenging to make a good meal decision because your body is begging you to restore the calories it just burned.  Naturally, your first instinct is to grab food, and a lot of it!  But you also don't want to flush down the drain all your hard work.  So I present to you the perfect after workout meal!

I like to scramble two eggs.  I've been known to scramble three on occasion and I've also done just one, but you need enough egg as binder to hold your filling.  I season the scrambled eggs with Goya Adobo, which is a blend of salt, garlic, oregano, black pepper, and turmeric, but any seasoned salt will work just remember to use it sparingly.  I add some fresh ground black pepper, because while you can have too much salt you can never have too much pepper, and some red pepper flakes for a little kick.  I like to whip as much air into the eggs as possible using an egg whisk.  This is key in creating a full, fluffy, omelette and I have found the better I whip the egg, the fewer eggs I need!  You need a hot pan, preferably non-stick, though if you have some skills stainless will work just fine on a lower heat.  I like to use a non-stick spray, but there is no sin in using butter or oil.  I just find the egg releases better from the pan using a spray and there is almost no calories involved this way.  Once your egg has set a bit you want to start to pull back the sides with a rubber spatula and tilt the pan to let the liquid egg run to the sides and also set.  You keep doing this until you have a nice, round, semi-solid disc of egg, but you still want some liquid remaining so that your filling has something to adhere to. Then you add your filling to the center of the egg, spreading it evenly.

The filling is the fun part.  I try to use as many vegetables as possible.  Bell peppers, spinach, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, shredded carrot, artichokes, garlic, diced broccoli, avocado, olives, tomatoes, asparagus.  You can also use corn, black beans, different kinds of salsa, diced potatoes.  I try to stay clear of these options because of my paleo commitment, but certainly they add flavor when used in the right combination.  You can also used diced chicken, bacon, sausage, ham, ground beef, ground turkey, tofu.  The list of possibilities is endless!  Some fresh herbs is a must and I've been known to grind some flax seed and add that as well.  Greek cheese is also a favorite.  Whatever you chose, I recommend that you dice or shred the vegetables and give them a quick saute to soften before adding them to the omelette.

Variety is key.  I try to pack as many nutrient rich vegetables into my egg as it will hold and often I've gotten nearly a day's serving of vegetables in my morning meal.  Some of my favorite combinations are wilted fresh spinach, tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, black olives, and feta cheese (like pictured above) and sometimes with a touch of crumbled sausage, lamb, sage, and mint.  Mmmm...MMMM.... I also love zucchini, asparagus, and bell pepper omelette's with fresh herbs and ground beef.  I met a man at Wegman's who buys every fresh mushroom from Oyster mushrooms to portobellos and makes a wild mushroom scramble with Swiss cheese.  That sounds absolutely delightful, but in order for it to earn the prestigious "power omelette" designation from me and the juiceman, it must contain a minimum of five different kinds of vegetables.  I find the best thing to do is experiment and use whatever you have readily available in your produce drawer.  In fact, it is a great way to rid yourself of some failing produce.

So back to the omelette.  You place the filling in the center, evenly spreading it around.  This is also a good time to add some cheese to help hold things together, and then fold over the omelette to seal.  I fold my in half, some people like to fold their egg in thirds, but if you have a lot of filling that can be difficult.  Let the filling set a bit, reduce the heat so the outside does not burn, and voilá, you have a perfect after-workout meal.  The only thing I've altered from the early days is that I used to serve this omelette on, or with, whole wheat toast.  Being carb resistant, I now skip that step and I've even come up with an alternative.  Normally, you never want your omelette to have a crust or be cooked too hard, but I have found that if I cook my omelette long enough it forms a nice crust-like exterior, similar to a frittata, and it mimics toast for me.  I can't pick it up and eat it as a sandwich, but it gives it just enough umph to distract me from having a piece of bread.  The pic above is an example of this.  It almost resembles a pita, right?  This isn't me not knowing how to properly cook an omelette, this is intentional.

I hope next brunch you try out a power omelette for yourself.  It's a great source of protein, fiber, and vitamins.  It is quite filling without costing you too big a dent in your day's calories.  Happy eating! :-)

“Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” ~English Proverb