Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

This tasty meal is perfect for breakfast or brunch, or for a change of pace at dinner. The egg whites and veggies — seasoned with healthy turmeric, cumin and garlic — are packed with protein, fiber and nutrients. The fries are oven-baked with healthy olive oil. A low-calorie, low-fat menu, ideal for any meal!

Vegetable Frittata

Ingredients

8 egg whites
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup sweet onion, fine-diced
½ cup red pepper, fine-diced
½ cup zucchini, fine-diced
½ cup shitake mushrooms, fine julienne
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon canola oil (for pan flip only)

Preparation

1. In a bowl, combine eight egg whites with one egg yolk. Whisk with wire whip until frothy to aerate eggs for a fluffy frittata.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to a 10-inch non-stick sauté pan and heat.
3. When hot, add shitake mushrooms; stir continuously until light brown in color.
4. Add onion, pepper and zucchini, and season to taste with salt and pepper; stir frequently.
5. When all is stirred and coated with oil, add turmeric; sauté until vegetables are just tender.
6. Add beaten eggs evenly around vegetables. Gently fold sides inward from rim of pan where eggs begin to cook. Tilt pan in direction of fold to allow loose uncooked eggs to fill that area and cook. Continue doing this around pan to quickly cook eggs.
7. Finish cooking the top of the eggs by putting pan under a pre-heated broiler or
8. covering pan with a plate the same size, then flipping onto plate and sliding back into pan to finish cooking. (You can also place pan in a preheated 350° oven until eggs are done, but this method risks overcooking eggs.) For the brave of heart: Try a pan flip, the best way to avoid overcooking eggs. Lubricate sides of pan with the ½ teaspoon of oil; with a quick uplifting motion, flip and invert frittata. Remove from heat and allow residual pan heat to finish cooking eggs.
9. Plate and serve with oven-baked sweet potato home fries, below.