Omelette à la Leftovers (or, “How to Feed a Teenager!”)

picture422Teenagers are curious creatures, particularly when it comes to their eating habits. My teenager can – quite happily – make short work of a freezer full of frozen pizzas, a storage container full of cookies, or a box of breakfast cereal. Any unattended carbohydrates are fair game for after school snacks! However, when I suggest heating leftovers from the mysterious rectangle in the kitchen known as a refrigerator, the look which comes my way makes me wonder if I have suddenly sprouted a unicorn horn in the middle of my forehead. I’m not suggesting foraging through the compost bin, for goodness’ sake, but apparently reheating last night’s roasted vegetables has the same lack of appeal.

Enter omelettes. Happy was the day I discovered that my teenager loves omelettes… and can prepare them independently! Something about being able to get creative with ingredient and seasoning combinations appeals. And how wonderful… eggs are a whole lot less expensive than frozen pizzas!

My teenager took these photos, and seemed pleased that I wanted to include a soon-to-be-famous “after school omelette” on Crowded Earth Kitchen. Share this with the teenagers (or other budding cooks) in your life, to encourage healthy and economical food choices.

picture416Ingredients (Makes 1 omelette)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 cup diced leftovers (any combination of cooked vegetables and/or meat)

1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

picture417pinch of cumin*

pinch of chili powder*

1 tablespoon of salsa or diced leftovers for garnish

[*Seasonings are subjective. If you don’t like cumin and chili powder, try a pinch of seasoned salt, or just plain old salt and picture418pepper.]

Directions

Step 1) Melt butter in a medium, nonstick pan over medium heat. It’s important to use a nonstick pan when making omelettes!

Step 2) Beat eggs in a small bowl and pour into pan. Shake the pan back and forth over the heat, gently, until the bottom of the egg has “set” (is cooked and solid). It’s OK of the top of the egg is still a little runny.

Step 3) Season the surface of the egg and sprinkle leftover veggies and/or meat onto the egg. Top with cheese.

Step 4) Use a flexible spatula to fold the omelette into thirds, so that the veggies and/or meat, as well as the cheese, are hidden inside.

Step 5) Use the spatula to help slide the omelette out of the pan and onto a plate. Garnish and serve immediately!

 

4 replies to “Omelette à la Leftovers (or, “How to Feed a Teenager!”)

  1. Great recipe, fun read. Growing up, omelettes were the only way I could get Kiddo to eat eggs and veggies for breakfast. And that’s fine because they are so good!

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