Better Breakfast: Veggie Omelet

Here in the Escobar Household we're trying to take advantage of spring's bounty. A lovely biproduct of this is we inadvertently eat healthy! Case in point, breakfast yesterday morning. Instead of the usual bacon, sausage, and eggs breakfast with pancakes, we opted for a lighter veggie omelet using the fresh produce my local farm delivered. The result was tasty, light, and healthy and a great way to start off the day.

A quick saute of onions, mushrooms, and garlic gave nice sweetness to the filling while asparagus and tomotoes gave nice fresh crunch. Then I added mild fresh goat cheese for a creamy and tangy finish that paired beautifully, and some fresh parsley for color and flavor. Simple salt and pepper with well beaten eggs brought the omlet home.

This recipe yielded 2 generous portions perfect for 2 people. The general rule I use is 2 eggs per person, so if you plan to make this for more people adjust accordingly with the eggs that way, and up the veggies as you see fit.

Veggie Omelet
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 asparagus, tough end trimmed and cut into chunks
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
splash heavy cream
1 Tbsp butter
1 roma tomato, chopped small
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh mild goat cheese (recommend: Montrachet)

Special equipment: nonstick saute pan or omelet pan

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onions and mushrooms and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute on medium-high heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and asparagus and cook another 2 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

Crack the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the splash of cream and some salt and pepper to taste. Vigorously whisk the egg mixture until light and fluffy and frothy, and the color turns a pale yellow, about 2 minutes. The more air you beat inside of the eggs the lighter an omelet you'll get.

Heat the nonstick or omelet pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and melt around. Add the egg mixture all at once. As the egg begins to cook, you'll notice it will cook from the outside-in. Gently pull in the outside cooked egg into the middle using a spatula. Keep doing this to help redistribute the cooked egg about, then gently move the pan around allowing the uncooked liquid egg to move to the outiside so that can get cooked. Do this until you've got a pretty set bottom with only the top jiggling. Once you feel the bottom is set, gently flip the omlette over so the top is now cooking on the bottom. You can flip it with the pan or if you feel more comfortable, use a large spatula to help you. Turn the heat off under the pan. Add the veggies, tomatoes, cheese, and parsley on one side of the omelet, then fold over the other side to create a half-moon shape. Gently press down the top with the spatula to help the veggies stay inside, but be careful not to break the omelet with too much force.

Serve immediately.