Breakfast - Entry #1

Thank goodness I don't eat the way I blog -- in binges!! Yikes. Finally, an update to my blog and this one is dedicated to an often overlooked, but highly enjoyed meal: breakfast.

I used to not do breakfast on a regular basis, but having a baby has changed all of that. I love breakfast food (doesn't everyone?), but reserved breakfast for a weekend outing. Now, though, I must have breakfast and find that it has become one of my favorite parts of my morning. There's my quick fix breakfast, which is the most popular since I do have a baby. The quick fix is waffles from the freezer to the toaster and two Morningstar veggie sausages with my coffee and soymilk. Usually, instead of syrup, I have fruit on my waffles (berries or bananas). The bananas work great because I can slice up half of the banana for my waffles and mash the other half up for Sky.

I have also become quite skilled at making omelets, so I'm sharing today the technique I use for beautiful omelets and my favorite, healthy goodies to go in the omelets.

My omelet is a two egg omelet. I use butter (just a pat) and peanut oil (just a drizzle) to set the stage for the omelet. This prevents sticking and creates the perfect cooking set up for the omelet. Also, I use a smaller pan, since I only use 2 eggs in my omelet. If the oil/butter combo (after the butter has melted) is not just coating the pan, I drain off the excess.

I whisk the eggs. I don't add salt, pepper, cheese, milk or anything at this stage. Then pour them into the pan (over medium-high heat). Once the omelet begins to set, lift the edge with a wooden spatula (or whatever spatula you prefer) and let the wet portion run under. Once the omelet seems pretty well cooked (to your liking), simply fold it over.

If you want to add goodies, which I highly recommended, I add them when it seems that the egg is about to set -- still a bit wet (and always after I've done the lift up edge trick). My favorite additions are spinach and mushrooms (typically sauteed ahead of time with some garlic) with some good parmesan tossed in. Sometimes I just toss in the parm if I don't really have any great veggies on hand.

As for salt and pepper, I think it is best to add after the egg is cooked -- along with, if you like, parsley or chives sprinkled on top.

Check back tomorrow (and it will be tomorrow!!) for my follow up breakfast blog featuring a delicious Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast I made for myself for Mother's Day.