Southwest Veggie Frittata

To me, eggs are one of the greatest "blank canvases" when it comes to cooking.  You can spice and flavor them in tons of way.  I'm always a sucker for Southwest flavors and find them sneaking their way into a lot of my meals.  I find that eggs and Southwest flavors blend very well together.

This meal works well for breakfast or dinner or warmed up for lunch the next day.  It is also a great make-a-head meal.  I made ours the night before and put it in the refrigerator.  I pulled it out of the frig about 20 minutes prior to cooking so the eggs could come up to room temperature before baking.

SOUTHWEST VEGGIE FRITTATA

2 cups sweet potatoes, diced 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalepeno, diced (remove seeds and veins if you don't want too much heat)

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, diced

1/2 cup black beans

1/4 cup roasted green chilies, diced (canned ones work just fine)

8 eggs (or 16 egg whites)

2 tsp cumin

zest of 1 lime

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Toss sweet potatoes with oil and place on baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until nice and soft.  (You could always just boil the sweet potatoes, but I love the flavor they provide when roasted.)

In a bowl, whisk together egg whites, cumin, lime zest, salt and pepper until well combined.  Add in onion, garlic, jalapeno, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, black beans and chilies.

Put roasted sweet potatoes into the bottom of a greased baking dish.  Pour egg mixture on top.  (The capacity of mine was 2 quarts.  An 9 x 13 would work as well, but you may need to adjust the baking time.)  Bake for about 35-45 minutes, until the eggs are set and the edges are slightly browned.

Slice and serving with sour cream and avocado.

 

My Favorite Green Smoothie

I am in LOVE with this smoothie! There have been days when I've had one for breakfast and dinner (yes, I've been slacking in bit in the cooking dinner department).  Not only is it creamy and smooth and wonderfully delicious, it's packed with both fruits and veggies.  It's a great way to get excellent nutrition to start (or end) my day. 

Don't let the combo of veggies freak you out.  I had never thought about adding avocado to my smoothies until I read a recipe using them to create a creamy chocolate shake.  I decided to give it a try and man, I'm so glad I did!!

Yes, avocados are a little on the high side when it comes to calories, but the nutritional benefits definitely outweigh the addition of the calories. Avocados contain folate, potassium, monosaturated fats (the good fats) and are very high in fiber.  They have also been shown to help lower LDL and raise HDL.

My second favorite addition to this smoothie....the kiwi!  I'm addicted to them right now.  While not technically a superfood, this little green gem is packed full of vitamins A, E and C, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes.  It's also a great source of fiber, packing almost twice as much as spinach.  Take that, Popeye!

And those little chia seeds...great source of both protein and fiber.  If you don't like the feeling of the seeds whole in your smoothie, you can always grind them into a powder prior to adding them in.

It's easy to add in a little extra protein when I drink these after a workout, too!  Add a little vanilla protein powder or Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) and you've got a great post-workout smoothie!

MY FAVORITE GREEN SMOOTHIE

1/2 cup diced pineapple, frozen
1/2 banana, sliced and frozen
1 kiwi, peeled, sliced and frozen
1/4 avocado
1 cup spinach
2 inch chunk of cucumber
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp chia seeds
1/4-1/2 cup water
optional add ins: 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder or 2-3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Place almond milk in the blender first, then add remaining ingredients, only adding 1/4 cup water.  Blend on high until everything is blended well and smooth.

Depending on your fruits and blender, you may need to add an additional 1/4 cup water to get and keep everything moving.  Add it slowly and in small amounts so your smoothie isn't too runny.

NOTE: To make things easier, I put the pineapple, banana and kiwi in food saver bags and freeze them together.  That way I can just grab one bag from the freezer and I'm ready to go!

Linked to: Allergy Free Wednesdays, Mix It Up Monday

Italian Chicken Roll-Ups

The other day I had a craving for Italian food. Normally, that isn't something I crave. Since the majority of it contains pasta and I'm not a huge fan of gf pasta, I don't eat much of it. However, thoughts of tomato sauce and cheese sat in the back of my head all day while I was working.

In honor of my hubby's Italian heritage (which means I really should work on creating more Italian recipes for him) and what I found in my refrigerator, I came up with these Italian Chicken Roll-Ups. The hubby has raved about them and asked for them for dinner repeatedly.

I served our roll-ups over sauteed spiraled zucchini noodles, but they would also be delicious over any regular pasta, gluten free pasta or quinoa. 

ITALIAN CHICKEN ROLL-UPS

2 chicken breasts
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss* (see note)
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 - 2/3 cup chopped spinach
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking dish.

Trim chicken breasts and cut in half, width-wise.  One at a time, place each piece inside a gallon size baggie and pound flat to about 1/4th of an inch.  You want it as thin as you can get it without creating holes or ripping your chicken.

In a bowl, combine the cheese, Italian Seasoning, spinach, salt and pepper.   Spread a fourth of the mixture onto each piece of chicken.  Roll each piece up and place seam side down in the baking dish. 


In a separate bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.  Sprinkle mixture over the tops of the roll-ups.  


Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and pour sauce over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and return the pan to the oven.  Bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.


NOTE: each wedge is just about an ounce.  You could substitute in 4 ounces of any soft, spreadable cheese i.e. ricotta, cream cheese, etc.


Linked to: Heart & Soul Hop, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays