Swiss Chard And Summer Squash Frittata

This was suppose to be with tomatoes instead of the summer squash but I have a tomato hater and an old summer squash...

Yesterday morning I was in a real bind about what to make for dinner. Once again it needed to be something that I could make ahead of time and reheat when it was time for all of us to eat. We had Karate after school and it makes it much easier when we get home at 6:45 to have something that can be reheated and set on the table immediately. So what did I do? I tweeted it!!! I had several responses but @nandita from Always Order Dessert won this round. She suggested my exact dinner!!! If you are not familiar with twitter maybe you should be. And if you are really interested you can follow me there on Twitter @nofearentertain

I did call on T's help with the side dish to the frittata. I had him throw butternut squash fries into the oven for me when he got home. All I did was take 2 baby butternut squash and peel them and clean out the inside and cut them into French fry shapes. These were sprayed with some olive oil spray and tossed in a preheated oven of 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Removed from the oven and sprinkled with kosher salt and flipped and placed back in there until nice and crispy. About 20 minutes more. These were so good. They are so much better than sweet potato fries and I will be making these again and again!

Anyway onto the main player here...



Swiss Chard and Summer Squash Frittata (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, the Moosewood Collective)

1 lb. Swiss chard
1 summer squash, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp. Olive oil
6 egg whites
2 whole eggs
3 Tbs. Chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Wash the Swiss chard, remove and discard the large stems, and finely chop the leaves. In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, saute the garlic, summer squash and onions in 1 teaspoon of the oil for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the Swiss chard, stir, cover, lower the heat, and cook for a bout 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the Swiss chard if juicy.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, eggs, basil, salt, and pepper until blended. Stir in the sauteed Swiss chard. Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining tsp. of oil and return it to medium heat. When the skillet is hot, pour in the Swiss chard-egg mixture. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the edges are firm and the bottom is golden and beginning to brown. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and cook for about 5 minutes, until the eggs are fully cooked. Serve immediately or at room temperature, topped with grated Parmesan if you wish.

This was such an incredible meal that was a hit with both of the girls. It will be made again and again in our house!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Yummy Frittata!

Pretty huh? Delicious too!

Frittata is just a fun thing to say and I had found that this word had been bouncing around in my head lately as I have been coming across some really great recipes for frittata's using spring veggies. I am not really getting spring veggies so I was really looking for something different. I grabbed my "Homegrown Pure and Simple: Great Healthy Food from Garden to Table)" by Michel Nischan and started searching.

I came up with the recipe for a Garden Vegetable Frittata and as luck would have it I had a couple of eggplants sitting on my counter just begging to be used (um-starting to rot) so this would work out perfect.

Now the only problem was that I would be at the skating rink from 5 PM until 7:30 PM. How the h*** was I going to get this made. Not too much of it could be done ahead which is what I usually do. T. to the rescue. I left him the recipe and instructions and he followed through wonderfully. You see he is not really one to ever cook from a recipe and I personally think that they tend to stress him out a little but he did this for me and I was so glad he did. This meal was great. I had made a salad earlier in the day and some dressing so we had that while the frittata was resting. My youngest one ate a PB & J and went to bed (skating nights tucker her out!) but my oldest one loved it. She is the one who doesn't like tomatoes hence the frittata with only one half with tomatoes!

See how nice and fluffy this was?

Garden Vegetable Frittata (adapted from Homegrown Pure and Simple: Great Healthy Food from Garden to Table)

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 small potatoes, thinly sliced
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), cubed
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
12 eggs
1/2 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (we used oregano, basil, chives)
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 large tomatoes, sliced

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Heat a well-seasoned 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the butter and heat until the butter sizzles. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook on one side until browned. Turn them over and move them to the side of the pan.
• Meanwhile season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Add the eggplant to the skillet and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes or until the eggplant cubes are browned at least on 2 sides. Add more oil if you need to.
• Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Move the vegetables around in the pan until they are evenly distributed.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, herbs and half of the cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slowly pour the eggs into the skillet so as not to dislodge the vegetables. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes without stirring until the frittata is partially set.
• Sprinkle the goat cheese over the top and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nearly set but not yet brown. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese. and return to the oven until just melted. Remove and top with tomatoes and some fresh herbs and cook for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and browned.
• Serve directly form the skillet, cut into wedges.

T. says that he would add some more seasoning (garlic, more salt, onion powder) the next time but all in all it was good.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com