Southwestern Dinner Frittata

March 14, 2010  { }  

Eggs are a go-to for a healthier meal in a pinch at our house.  Last week I had a chicken defrosting in the refrigerator with hopes of a perfectly moist oven roasted bird for dinner.  Still frozen solid with not enough time to defrost under cold running water, I had to resort to plan B.

A New Cookbook…Absolute Inspiration

I’d just come home from the library with a 2 foot stack of cookbooks.  After pouring over pages of inspiration, which was much more interesting than studying for my impending midterms, I decided to do a slight variation on a frittata from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. While cooking low fat is not my primary concern, I love learning about good low fat cooking because it infuses intense flavor using healthier ingredients.

The Moosewood Lodge uses hominy, which wouldn’t normally occur to me as a lively paring with eggs.  Then again, we love a pan of hot cornbread with almost anything. An unexpected heartiness emerges from the hominy, black bean, and egg combination.  Neither Joe nor I missed the meat or the extra egg yolks.

Served with a big green salad and a side of short-grain brown rice, this was a simple and satisfying quick meal – and naturally sugar free and gluten free to boot. The presentation is beautiful with thin lines of red bell peppers accented with specks of black and green.  I’ll serve this to our next bunch of out of town guests.

Other quick and simple breakfast-for-dinner ideas:

• Mushroom Frittata
• Protein Packed Breakfast Pancakes
• Whole Grain Gluten Free Waffles

This post is linked to Real Food Wednesdays and Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Print friendly recipe

Southwestern Dinner Frittata
serves 4 – 6
adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites

1 large onion, small dice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 (14.5 oz.) can golden hominy, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup pasturized egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt, if needed
fresh ground black pepper, if needed
salsa (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium low heat in a non-stick skillet.  Use a pastry brush to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add onions and saute for 5 – 8 minutes, until they’re soft and fragrant.  Add the bell pepper and saute for another 5 minutes, until bell pepper is soft.  Add hominy, beans, cilantro, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until hot.

Taste and adjust as needed.  Does it need more salt? What about a few grinds of the pepper mill?  Or maybe you like a little more spice – if so add more cayenne.  Once the filling suits your palate, remove pan from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites until light and fluffy.  Stir the slightly cooled bean mixture into the eggs.

Coat the bottom of the same skillet with the remaining oil.  Don’t wash it in between – it has great flavor on the bottom of it.  Heat the skillet over medium heat.  Add egg and bean mixture.  Cover and cook for 5 – 8 minutes, until sides are set and the bottom is a nice golden brown.  Transfer skillet to oven and broil until the frittata is puffed and golden.  Remove from oven and let sit for several minutes before cutting.

Sliding the frittata onto a large cutting board.  Slice into wedges and serve.  Offer regular or light sour cream and salsa as toppings if desired.

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