Broccoli & Pepper Jack Frittata

Frittatas are the answer. As long as you have eggs, frittatas will solve your problems. All you have to do is trust in the way of the frittata.

When I want to feed a crowd, I make a frittata. When I want to use up all of the almost-at-the-end-of-their-life veggies in the fridge, I make a frittata. When I am feeling extra organized and want to make a breakfast we can eat all week, I make a frittata. 

Heck, when the fridge is looking really bleak and I have to get dinner on the table, what is always there as a fall back? Good old frittata. 

That's why it's no surprise that three frittata recipes ended up in my first eBook, Foraged Breakfast (which you can get here!!!), this being one of them. I make a frittata at least once a week, because you really can just put whatever you have on hand in a pan and fill in the cracks with egg. 

This particular frittata calls for broccoli, a bit of bell pepper, potatoes, and pepper jack cheese (plenty of pepper jack!). It's simple, but it's killer. It's the kind of frittata I would serve to guests (I use fresh veggies for the guests, of course ... not those wilting veggies I mentioned earlier, of course! 😝) 

And you know me, impatient as always: frittata comes together quickly, too!

Broccoli & Pepper Jack Frittata

Published September 19, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

   |     Print This Recipe

Serves: 9   |    Total Time: 50 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets  
• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato  
• 1 red bell pepper  
• 1/4 white onion  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic  
• 6 eggs  
• 1/4 cup milk of choice  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt  
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil  
• 3/4 cup shredded pepper jack

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Set aside.
2. Dice the potato into bite-sized cubes, chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces, and dice the onion and bell pepper.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot, add potatoes, broccoli, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender. The onion should be softened. Scrape veggies into the prepared baking dish.
4. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over vegetables.
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk of choice, black pepper and salt. Pour over vegetable mixture. Place in oven, bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top, and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven. Eggs should be set. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Want more recipes like this one? You can order Foraged Breakfast for instant download! 

Spinach & Gouda Soufflé

Soufflé. Isn't funny how a single word can make us feel anxious, nervous, or even hungry? I think soufflé is one of those words that many of us associate with an impossible to achieve feat or a daunting task. Some of my think of how delicious they are, but most of us probably just get worried about them falling flat. What happened in food history to make us all feel this way? A soufflé is but an egg-y bread-like thing, not quite a quiche and not quite a popover, but somewhere in between. 

It's this feeling that made me want to write a slightly more technical post than usual. If you have soufflé questions... read on! And maybe try to make one some day soon: I think you'll fall in love.

What is a soufflé? A soufflé is a puffy, egg-based dish that can be made savory or sweet and has French origins. (Think quiche, but fluffier). It is known for the way it fluffs up in the oven, and deflates as it cools. 

Ok, so what is a soufflé made with? Eggs! Eggs, eggs and more eggs. Most soufflés also have flour, which helps them keep their structure. For this recipe, I used cassava flour, which means the dish is gluten-free and grain-free, but many recipes use all-purpose wheat flour. From there, you can do what ever your heart desires: add cheese, like I did, or try a sweet version, with fruit or chocolate. 

Ok, sounds easy enough. What makes them rise so much? This all comes back to those eggs. When you make a soufflé, you separate the yolks from the egg whites, and then beat the whites until they are stiff. This puts a lot of little air bubbles into the egg whites. When you put the soufflé in the oven, those air bubbles expand, lifting the soufflé with them. The proteins in the egg become strong as they cook, giving the soufflé it's structure. 

So then... why does a soufflé collapse? You may have heard that soufflés collapse when there's a loud sound, but I have yet to see this happen (maybe we're just too quiet!). You need not worry about your soufflé! All soufflés deflate a bit, this is just their nature. When you pull the dish from the oven, hot air eventually leaves the soufflé, and as a result, the dish begins to fall. This doesn't mean it will be any less delicious. If you want your guests to see your soufflé in all of it's glory, plan to work quickly, pulling it from the oven and putting it straight on the table. Either way, they'll be impressed. I promise. 

Many soufflés are baked in a large round baking dish, but I chose to bake these in my popover pan. The pan is quite deep, so each soufflé is nice and tall, and now everyone can have their own. Perfect for a brunch party! You can also bake them in ramekins or a muffin pan. Just be sure to put a cookie sheet underneath to catch any drips and save you from cleaning the oven later! 

It's a snap, all you have to do is try! 

Spinach & Gouda Soufflés

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |    Print This Recipe

Soufflé is an intimately word but don’t let that stop you: they are really just gloried, fluffy spinach and egg quiches.

Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 10 active minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 4 cups baby spinach, packed
• 4 tablespoons butter, plus some for greasing the pan.
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Dash cayenne

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add spinach to pan. Cook spinach, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until wilted and soft. Place in a mesh strainer, and press spinach with the back of a spoon to squeeze out any excess water. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add milk and cassava flour to pan, and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer, and then remove from heat.
4. Place egg yolks in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour milk mixture into yolks, while it’s still warm, and whisk quickly until smooth. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne. Then, stir in the spinach and shredded gouda.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff glossy peaks form: about 5 minutes. Add half of the yolk mixture to the whites, and use a spatula to gently fold them in. Add the other half, and fold in. Do not over stir this mixture.
6. Grease a pop over pan or individual ramekins generously. Fill each about 3/4 of the way with egg mixture. To prevent any over flow in your oven, place the pop over pan or ramekins on a cookie sheet. Place in oven and reduce heat to 375°F. Bake for 20 minutes, or until soufflés are puffed up and golden on top.
7. Soufflés will begin to fall once removed from the oven (don’t worry about it, that’s just what they do!). Serve immediately. Optional: sprinkle with extra finely grated cheese.

Paleo Spring Omelette

View fullsize

The series Sex and the City hit it's peak at the end of my Junior year of high school. It was a BIG DEAL. A really big deal. The first Sex and the City movie came out and my tight-nit group of girlfriends was all over it. Sure, watching the show felt a bit risque, but what made this show so appealing was the strong female leads. The quartet of women knew everything about one another, and gathered for regular brunch dates to just talk about life (who doesn't want to go to brunch on a regular basis?). 

My circle of friends could totally relate to it. While our lives were significantly less entertaining than Carrie's, Charlotte's, Samantha's, or Miranda's, we could spend hours talking about our shared dramas. We would camp out at the local coffee shop, Cup of Coffee, claiming it as our headquarters.

View fullsize

Those days are long behind us--Cup of Coffee has a new owner and a new name, and our tradition has slipped into the past along with it. I wish I could say we still talk to each other on a regular basis, but to be honest, it's sporadic at best. Still, when that group gets together it's like no time has passed at all. 

Earlier this Spring a few of us sat down to brunch in a Sex and the City-style fashion. Nothing had changed. Is brunch a 5 hour affair? Sure! Just make sure there are enough Mimosas to go around. These airy Spring Omelettes made it feel like a fancy meal. Since our brunch dates are few and far between these days, it's nice to make them count with a bit of extra everything. I'm the only Paleo eater at the table, but it doesn't matter: no one seems to notice they're eating grain-free when the table is covered in platters of fresh food! These omelettes stole the show, stuffed with prosciutto and garlicky asparagus.

View fullsize

I think even back in 11th grade, I secretly hoped that I'd always have my girlfriends around for brunch. Here's to many more to come! 

View fullsize

Best enjoyed outside!

Paleo Spring Omelette

Yields 4 small omelettes

4 eggs

1/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk

4 slices prosciutto

16 stalks of asparagus

1 clove garlic

4 teaspoon coconut oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mince the garlic. Add it to the pan once the oil is hot. Trim the tough, white ends from the asparagus and add it to the pan. Stir every so often, cooking until the asparagus is bright green and tender. 

2. While the asparagus cooks, whisk together the eggs and coconut milk.

3. In a 9-inch non-stick skillet (I use a Le Creuset enamel cast iron skillet), heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, pick up the skillet and swirl it around the pan to coat. Return to stove, and pour in 1/4 of the egg mixture. The mixture will bubble and begin to set. Turn the heat down to low. Once the omelette is cooked almost all the way through, lay 1 slice of prosciutto in the center. Top with 4 stalks of asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Fold the omelette: working carefully, use a spatula to fold one side of the omelette over the asparagus and then the other. Slide the full cooked omelette onto a plate and serve.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, using remaining coconut oil, eggs, prosciutto, and asparagus until all four omelettes are cooked.  

Yields 4 small omelettes

4 eggs

1/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk

4 slices prosciutto

16 stalks of asparagus

1 clove garlic

4 teaspoon coconut oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mince the garlic. Add it to the pan once the oil is hot. Trim the tough, white ends from the asparagus and add it to the pan. Stir every so often, cooking until the asparagus is bright green and tender. 

2. While the asparagus cooks, whisk together the eggs and coconut milk.

3. In a 9-inch non-stick skillet (I use a Le Creuset enamel cast iron skillet), heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, pick up the skillet and swirl it around the pan to coat. Return to stove, and pour in 1/4 of the egg mixture. The mixture will bubble and begin to set. Turn the heat down to low. Once the omelette is cooked almost all the way through, lay 1 slice of prosciutto in the center. Top with 4 stalks of asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Fold the omelette: working carefully, use a spatula to fold one side of the omelette over the asparagus and then the other. Slide the full cooked omelette onto a plate and serve.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, using remaining coconut oil, eggs, prosciutto, and asparagus until all four omelettes are cooked.