Going on vacation next week....details at the end of the post.
See you in September!
When I was a younger woman, I had no time for breakfast. Of course I choked down all the coffee I could manage and then, on high throttle, ran to catch the bus for work or jumped in the car to run kids to school. By lunch I was Starved with a capital “S” and surely ate more than I needed. I particularly remember drinking chocolate milk with my noon meal every day for one year of my short teaching career. (I also had to buy new and larger pants that year. It only takes one constant change, you see.) It wasn’t that I hadn’t been raised to eat a good morning meal; I had. Thanks, Dad. Somehow that daily oatmeal had gotten lost in the shuffle along the way, perhaps at college, much to my detriment. One fateful fall, however, weight having finally gotten the best of me, I joined Weight Watchers (WW). The doctor also called me on my caffeine habit; sigh. (I drink half-caff now so I can still have a humongous mugful.) If you know anything about WW and particularly old school WW –before points–you’ll know you must eat breakfast. You’ll fall flat on your face if you don’t. While I’m still a faithful member of the WW tribe (I’d be even larger if I weren’t), I also have become even more attached to the idea of a filling, substantial breakfast so I don’t lean into snacking or want two lunches. Plus I simply love breakfast!
Aside: Why have I done WW for so long? It keeps me honest. Can’t forget that ice cream bar if you’re tracking everything you eat.
Maybe you’ve seen one of my egg posts; I have never, as my friend Chris says–and you might recall this– “met an egg I didn’t like.” Like most folks, I go in spurts about what I eat come sunup. Weeks and weeks, it’s poached eggs on toast; the following month I whip up egg white frittatas with tomatoes and basil for days on end. But what I’ve now cooked up for a good long while is this fast one-pan breakfast burrito sort of thing, full of vegetables and a salsa-whisked egg (or two) but not always. It’s occasionally without –and then it’s a frittata– but mostly with a whole wheat, low carb tortilla, or even a regular tortilla if that’s all there is.
What’s cool about this BIG breakfast- or breakfast for dinner in this heat- is it’s often just the 2 points for the tortilla as the other ingredients, veggies and eggs, are 0 points. Which means this is a great meal whether you’re counting points, calories, carbs, or fiber. Unless you threw in cheese, and you could, you’d be hard-pressed to exceed 200 calories. The fiber for the tortilla alone is a whopping 11 grams with net carbs listed at a measly 5 and calories at only 50. Compare that to the nutrition on a regular wheat or even a corn tortilla, which is typically the healthier of the two. While I could write a recipe, I think a description and photos makes just as much sense since it’s so versatile; smart cook you will only need a plan. What makes this different than other breakfast burritos is 1. it’s truly more healthful without a big load of restaurant hash browns and cheese (I know they taste good, though), 2. it’s quick (under 5 min.) and, saving the best for last, 3. everything cooks in one pan. No tortilla gets cold while you cook the filling or visa versa.
This, then, is the pattern for making the meal, which you can amend and embroider ad infinitum to suit yourself:
- COOK YOUR VEGETABLES: Heat a 9-inch nonstick pan briefly over medium-high flame (some folks disagree with spray on nonstick;I do it anyway), then spray with avocado oil spray –away from the flame, perhaps over the sink to keep your stove clean and also because you could have a fire*– and let that get hot again. Next, sauté a good cupful of your choice of fresh vegetables. Have some leftover veg that needs using? In that case, cook up a little onion and diced peppers (for example), toss in the cooked green beans and broccoli from yesterday’s dinner –or whatever you have– and top off with diced tomato and a handful of spinach. As long as you get some kind of vegetables tender and hot–that’s the goal– you’re good. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs if you like. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes or until everything is done or nearly done. It’ll be steaming out of that lid.
*additionally, store your cooking spray away from your stove for safety reasons
2. WHISK TOGETHER 1 OR 2 EGGS WITH SALSA while the veggies cook-about 2 teaspoons salsa for each egg. Season with salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the hot vegetables and turn the heat down to low.
3. ADD THE TORTILLA on top of the veggie and egg mixture and gently press it down in a few spots with your fingertips.
4. COVER THE PAN once more and cook for another couple of minutes (could be a little more or less depending on the amount of liquid in your veggies and eggs) until you can see by peeking under a corner of the tortilla that the eggs are set. If eggs are gooey, cook another minute and check again.
5. FLIP THE PAN OVER: Having the courage of your convictions, as Julia Child would say, quickly flip the pan over onto a waiting plate so the tortilla is now on the bottom and the cooked egg and vegetable mixture is on the top. If any of the egg mixture is stuck to the pan, use a rubber spatula to get it out. If you’d like cheese or avocado, add some now.
5. ROLL UP THE BURRITO. Start with folding up the bottom about 1 1/2 inches and then begin rolling from the longer left or right side. If you’ve used two eggs or extra vegetables, it will be quite full and, in that case, a fork and knife will come in handy when it wants to unroll. And that could happen anyway if your filling is really juicy, i.e. lots of tomatoes. Breakfast burritos have a mind of their own.
6. If you like, spoon some salsa on top and/or a few cherry tomatoes for garnish. Watch out; it’s hot and often messy! Enjoy.
COOK’S NOTES: Want more protein? Include some shredded chicken, canned tuna, or other cooked meat when you add the eggs to the vegetables. Not a veggie fan in the morning? You can make an egg and cheese burrito with the same method; do go with two eggs. Vegan? Add more veggies and/or tofu or veggie crumbles (stirring in some salsa after they’re cooked) and omit the egg. GF? Use gluten-free tortillas.
If you need more than one breakfast, you could share one and add some fruit, etc. Or use two pans and make two burritos at once. Or make one burrito, put it in a low oven to keep warm and then make the other and even another as needed.
WHICH TORTILLAS WERE THOSE?? La Banderita Carb Counter Whole Wheat Wraps.
When you grocery shop, there is an embarrassingly large, confusing section devoted to tortillas. If you want my low cal, high fiber version, which are technically wraps, you’ll find them with the other La Banderita tortillas. Make sure you get the whole wheat version.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE MY:
LIFE GOES ON:
Best sous and husband Dave (we just celebrated #49), labradoodle Rosie, the blog, and I will be on vacation until the end of August. While Rosie gets to go live with the girls at our vet’s and get spoiled rotten, we’ll fly out to the Twin Cities for a few days to see old friends before heading to Boston to begin a 25-day cruise to Iceland and back, July 29-August 23. We have neighbors and a good friend taking care of our house, so have no worries there.
If you’re friended to me on facebook, I’ll keep you in the loop with photos when I have wifi.
Not friends? (Friend me on facebook.)
I promise to bring back stories of icebergs, – as we’re going by way of Greenland- fermented shark (yum, right?), beautiful wool sweaters, geothermal energy, and Brennivín, the national drink made from mashed potatoes and flavored with cumin and caraway, some say anise.
Geothermal water is used to heat around 90% of Iceland's homes, and keeps pavements and car parks snow-free in the winter. Hot water from the springs is cooled and pumped from boreholes that vary between 200 and 2,000m straight into the taps of nearby homes, negating the need for hot water heating. It's also purified and cooled to provide cold drinking water. While the government believes that exploiting geothermal energy for space heating alone saves Iceland $100m (£50m) in imported fossil fuels each year, it also means less CO2 emissions. If the geothermal energy used for heating homes in a single year is equivalent to the heat obtained from the burning of 646,000 tonnes of oil, the government estimates that the total release of CO2 in the country is cut by nearly 40%. ~THE GUARDIAN
Enjoy the rest of your sweet summer dreams and cook on, friends. I’ll see you in September.
Alyce