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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Something Light and Lovely



It's Spring! Time for brunches, and artichokes, and delicately piquant flavors, and mushrooms, and did I mention weekend brunches, best savored while watching the birds and the flower gardens with a cup of tea or coffee in hand? Hence, I would argue, that Joanna of Joanna's Food, this month's host of the ever-inspiring Heart of the Matter heart healthy blog event, couldn't have picked a more perfect theme... Brunches!



During the week, Zach and I run a dizzying race between school, work, schoolwork, and the occasional home crisis (such as when I walked into our bathroom yesterday to find that the toilet paper holder had capsized onto the floor and taken along a large percentage of the wall as well...)

Saturday morning, though, all is softly stilled, as though someone finally remembered to release the fast forward button on the remote. The scent of fresh coffee lulls us into wakefulness, and we leisurely prepare our breakfast/lunch/brunch as though the actions of separating eggs, measuring flour for pancakes, and heating skillets were the only tasks in our world.

And during the week, we often recreate our brunch dishes for supper, and taste the weekend again...



Artichoke Frittata

8 egg whites
2 whole eggs
2 T olive oil
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
6 T shredded fat free cheddar cheese, divided
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
~ Beat the egg whites and eggs together well, whisk in 2 T of the fat free cheddar cheese, and set aside.
~ Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until they've released their juices and are slightly browned.
~ Add the artichoke hearts and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue sauteing until the artichoke hearts are beginning to brown.
~ Reduce the heat to medium, pour in the egg white mixture, cover, and cook for around 5 minutes - until the eggs are just set.
~ Sprinkle with the remaining 4 T fat free cheddar.
~ Place the skillet on a rack in the upper 1/3 of the oven, and bake just until the eggs are fully set in the center and the cheese is melted - around 3 to 5 minutes.
~ Cut into wedges, and serve warm!


7 comments:

  1. The topping is gorgeous and the frittata's very seasonal, using arichokes.

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  2. SO glad that you and Zach are able to slow down on the weekends; especially to enjoy a delicious brunch!! That frittata is lovely :0)

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  3. This looks yummy! I loved your description of things quieting down being like someone taking the fast forward button off - it's just like that!

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  4. I love a good frittata - in fact, I'll eat one any time of day - brunch, lunch or dinner!

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  5. aaaaaaahhh mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and artichokes?!!! in a ton of eggy goodness?!!!!
    I want to marry you.
    But I can't. So instead I'll just use your recipe....
    =)

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  6. That frittata looks great. We were served omlettes at our climate brunch yesterday, and as I never buy eggs these days it was a great chance to be naughty and indulge myself!

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  7. Peter, thank you so much! Hooray for artichoke season!

    VeggieGirl, many thanks for the sweet words!

    CakeLaw, thank you! Sounds like you know the feeling... :-)

    Deborah, me too! :-)

    Allison, you rock - your comment cracked me up! :-) You're too kind! I hope you enjoy the recipe! :-)

    CookieMouse, those omelettes sound great... Mmmmm...

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