Happy valentine’s day everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful time with the people that you love.
Yesterday was Family day in BC. People had a day off work and schools were closed. This holiday is observed to encourage people to spend time with their families and appreciate the importance of family values. Since cooking is one of the ways I can show my love for my family I made this frittata for the perfect start to our day.
In this household we are big egg eaters. French toast (sweet or savory), omelete, egg croquettes, scrambled eggs, egg muffin, curry. You name it we love it. Frittata is another favorites. My husband and I didn’t grow up on it, I make it often enough as if we did. It is one of those “throw together’ baked egg dishes that is high in protein, low carb and packed full of veggie nutrients. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And if you bake it in a muffin pan its perfect for packing up a healthy snack or on the go breakfast. The best part is it’s super easy to make and so satisfying.
Frittata is a one pan meal, which starts on stove-top and gets finished in the oven. So, you have to be sure you have a pan that can go into the oven. My favorite pan for this is my enameled cast iron skillet. It’s kind of impressive when you bring the frittata in the pan to the table and serve family style.
A well done frittata consists of a good amount of vegetables or meat and is a great filler. It is fully adaptable and you can use whatever leftovers you may have in the fridge. My version contains 7 whole eggs, 4 cups of vegetable and on top of that a cup of paneer and quinoa. If you are worried about too much cholesterol, you can beat a couple of whites in with whole eggs.
To begin with, I sauté vegetables in the pan to get rid them off excess liquid. If you want to add meat instead of paneer or tofu, cook that first and then remove it from the pan to add back in later. After the vegetables are just about cooked, pour in lightly whisked eggs. I like to season the frittata with turmeric, ginger, cumin and cilantro. They really add deep flavor and, it’s also quite nice that the frittata takes on a lovely yellow hue from the turmeric.
With a good cup of tea, this is definitely a healthy breakfast worth enjoying with the whole family!
A quick, easy and flavorful frittata, that is high in protein, low carb and packed full of veggie nutrients.
Ingredients
- 7 eggs
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 4 cups mixed vegetable of your choice, diced ( I used cauliflower and bell peppers)
- 1 cup paneer or tofu or meat, diced
- 1/2 cup mixed cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1/2 tsp , cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/2 tsp green chili, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, divided
- 1 tbsp, cilantro chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Pour oil into the skillet over medium-low heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds.
- Once they crackle, add in ginger and vegetables, cook on medium heat.
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with salt, turmeric, green chili and cilantro.
- Add in paneer, and quinoa. Cook just enough to warm through.
- Season with salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric and cumin powder.
- Spread the vegetables into an even layer. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cheese.
- Tilt the pan to make sure the eggs settle evenly over all the vegetables. Cook for a minute or two until you see the eggs at the edges of the pan beginning to set.
- Put the pan in the oven and bake until the frittata is cooked through to the center and lightly golden, about 8-10 minutes.
- if you want more color, run it under the broiler.
- Transfer the skillet to a wire cooling rack; run a spatula around the edges.
- You can leave the frittata in the pan or unmold it.
- Slice into wedges and serve with fresh fruit.
Adina
We love frittata as well and I make it often with different veggies and sometimes ham. Making it with quinoa sounds very interesting, I have never tried that, I would love to taste it.
Juliana
Oh Balvinder, what a nice fritatta…I am loving the idea of adding quinoa…one dish meal are my favorite.
Enjoy your week 🙂
Monika
Adding quinoa to a frittata is a great idea! This is my kind of recipe:)
Balvinder
Haha, after I saw your cherry quinoa pudding I kind of knew you would love this 🙂
marcie
Oh I love frittata, and this is so full of wholesome ingredients! I love that you added quinoa so it’s even heartier!
Monica
First of all, I just love the idea of “family day” and the fact that it’s a true holiday really stresses how important it is. Just a lovely idea that I wish we had here! Secondly, I love that you choose to start off with cooking. It is indeed how many of us show love and I think making an egg dish is so appropriate. I love all kinds of eggs cooked every way. A frittata is a great dish to share. Just sitting around the table is such a treat. Hope you had a great day!!
Dolly
Very nice frittata, and throwing quinoa into it is so original – I have to try it, we are big on quinoa here! Thank you, Bal!
Katerina
I love meals like this one! They are crowd pleasers and so easy to put together!
ZazaCook
Looks delicious! I love healthy meals!
Easyfoodsmith
Would love to serve it for brunch on a weekend.
hosni danoor
very good
Renu
That is a complete meal with quinoa and paneer too in it and so protein-rich. I make frittata a lot but only with eggs and veggies, will try this way.