Spinach Omelet

I want to share a secret with you. I don't really like eggs. I don't like how eggs smell when they're cooking and the flavor of plain scrambled eggs turns my stomach. However, since I don't eat meat and eggs are such a great protein source, I disguise their flavor in thousands of different ways so that I not only eat them, but I actually enjoy them tremendously in the process.

Ok, now that my secret is out. I'm going to share with you my super simple spinach omelet (say that 5 times fast). An important thing for me is that my breakfast (or brunch by the time I get around to eating) stays with me. Nothing is more annoying that being hungry less than an hour after I've eaten. The protein of the eggs and the fiber in the spinach help this meal stay with you.

The ingredients are stuff I always have on hand:

raw spinach
2 eggs
diced onion
grated parmesan
salt
pepper
a dash of nutmeg

First, I saute about 1/4 cup of diced onion in a pad of butter with the heat on medium. If I had mushrooms, I would have gladly thrown them in at this step.



While that's cooking, I shred a handful of spinach into a bowl. Then, I crack two eggs on top.



Now it's time to add in the spices. Salt and pepper to taste and just a dash of nutmeg. Back in her early years, I used to watch Rachel Ray and a couple of things stuck with me. One thing was to chop all of your veggies as soon as you get home from the store to save on prep time. I take this one step further and bag the veggies by dish. For example, if I know that I'm going to make a soup that requires the mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery), I'll just chop up the right quantity of each veggie and combine them in the same plastic. That way I can just dump in the whole bag and viola. The second tip I got from her was to always add a dash of nutmeg when you're cooking dark green veggies. And she's spot on. It adds a nice complexity of flavor that is wonderful.

(pretend that there's a picture of me adding nutmeg here)

Add in a heaping spoonful of parmesan cheese because everything is better with cheese. This would be great with shredded mozzerella or provolone as well, but I always have parm on hand so that's why I tend to use.



Now, just mix it up really well...



and pour it on top of the sauted onions (which have been cooking for about 5 minutes).



Turn the heat down to low and put a lid on it. There is absolutely nothing worse than browned eggs (except for maybe burnt popcorn) so I avoid it at all costs. I would rather wait an additional minute or two for my omelet rather than risk it.



I usually let it cook for about 3 minutes or so before I take the lid off to check. If I can slide my wide spatula all of the way under the omelet without it falling apart, it's ready to be flipped.



The second side takes less time, so an additional minute or two would be fine here. I just give it a quick fold and plate it up.



I love how the inside of the omelet yields bright green spinach and fluffy eggs. Slower is definitely better in the omelet business. This omelet is so good that I almost forget that I;m eating eggs. Plus, it's easy, nutritious and takes less than 10 minutes from the time that I open the door of the fridge to the time that I'm sitting at the table (or the couch if I'm the only one here).