A Mean Omelet

Have you ever heard that expression? Maybe someone invited you to come over for breakfast and they added, "I make a mean omelet." Curious as to why it has to be a mean omelet. Why can't it be a nice omelet? Isn't there enough meanness in this world without making our breakfast with something mean? Oh well, today I'm sharing my very nice omelet recipe that I hope you try and enjoy it.

If you read my previous post, you might remember that I make so many recipes with bell peppers and onions and this is no exception because I simply love them in just about everything. To me they add so much flavor. Additionally, I read an article on web.md that stated that bell peppers are very healthy to add to your diet. They are low in calories and high in some important nutrients like Vitamin C. They are also high in fiber which makes them great for weight loss.

The article also mentioned that bell peppers are actually not a vegetable but technically a fruit. Who knew? I didn't know that. I also didn't know that the color variety of bell peppers are simply the stages of ripening. They are harvested as green first, then when they turn yellow, they are harvested again and this process carries on to when they turn orange and then red. The red ones are the healthiest and the sweetest because they have been on the vine the longest.

So, you can see my Land O Lakes butter in the background of this picture because I also cook with a lot of butter. This variety also contains olive oil and for some reason that makes me feel like I'm making this dish healthier but for certain it makes this butter easier to spread because we all know that when butter gets cold, it will certainly tear up just about any slice of bread. But when you add some olive oil into the batch, it is softer and easier to work with. 

So, at this point, I am melting about 2-3 tablespoons of this butter into a small skillet. I use a small skillet, because for me, it makes the omelet easier to flip if the batter isn't allowed to spread out into a larger skillet. Next, I add the veggies or should I say fruit and veggies to start simmering them on medium heat. I said before that I cook these until they turn transparent, but I noticed that they don't actually turn transparent, but they do seem to change their appearance somewhat when there are done.

I stir them continually while they are simmering and I just know when they are done for me. I don't add any salt to this dish because the butter contains salt and for me that's enough. But if you like food a little saltier, you can add some here. I do add fresh ground black pepper and paprika. I really like black pepper in food and the paprika adds a slight hint of smoky flavor to the omelet, but ever so slight. If you don't think you'd like that, just skip it.

Next, I take my healthy, organic, pasture raised eggs, usually about 2 or 3 of them depending on how hungry I am and crack them into the skillet. I used to crack them into a bowl and mix them up before adding them to the skillet because I used to think that would be easier. But I found that the omelet flips better if the eggs are blended with the pepper/onion mixture after they are added to the skillet. So after adding the eggs, I gently break the yokes and stir them into the fruit/veggie mix, but not for very long because you don't want to be stirring them after the eggs are almost cooked because again the omelet won't flip very good. It should look like this when its about halfway cooked.

At this point, it is ready to flip. I used my spatula to gently loosen the mixture all around the edges first and then carefully flip to cook the other side. If it breaks a little, simply flip the broken part and put it back together with the majority of it and let it finishing cooking. This should only be a couple of minutes at this point, so sometimes I'll go ahead and turn off my burner and let the heat that's already in the pan finish cooking it. Do not overcook it or it will be dry. Just make sure that there are no runny egg whites left anywhere but the egg mixture is still very moist.

When the omelet is done, use your spatula to slide it out of the skillet onto the plate and then use the spatula to flip the omelet in half. This makes for a better presentation. If you are not me right now trying to avoid dairy, you could add a glob of cream cheese on the inside of the omelet fold and spread it out a bit. I have done that before and that makes this dish creamy, fluffy and delish! 

Just hold the fold open with your fingers being careful not to burn yourself and spread the cheese. And if you are a meat eater, you can also add crumbled cooked bacon or whatever meat you like. I'm trying to avoid too much meat right now. But anyway, here's the finished product with the plate decorated with avocado slices and tomato chunks. Extremely filling and satisfying. Not to brag or anything...