Brunch with Friends and an Egg White, Veggie and Herb Frittata

This weekend I had two my of best gal pals over for some catching up . The three of us hadn’t had the chance to actually talk in weeks, which was unusual for us considering that we usually talk almost every day. I sent out a cute little Evite about two weeks ago and we all committed to a homemade brunch at my place.

After a fun night out on Saturday night, I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and excited to see my girls. Even more excited to cook for them.

First things first, the studio needed a bit of a tune up. She was lookin’ a little sleepy and was not ready for guests.

Just a few minutes later, we were ready:

Much better.

Now, on to the food. I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute ingredients, and then got cooking.

First up, ‘taters. One of my friends is Gluten Free so I designed the menu to have zero gluten. Potatoes were therefore the carb of choice, and I decided to keep them simple by roasting them with some garlic, spices, and herbs.

Popped these babies into the oven and moved on.

Next up was the star of the day, an egg white and loaded veggie frittata that I had on my mind. These girls like to keep it healthy, as do I, and I will find any way to sneak my friends some extra veggies without them even noticing. I am only looking out for their best interest and health ya know?

Oh yes, this turned out so well! I was very very happy with the result and will be making this one again, for sure.

I also chopped up some fruit for a colorful fruit salad. Plums, banana, strawberries, blueberries and pear.

One of my friends, Amanda, is in culinary school at ICE and just finished up “baked goods” week. HA, how convenient. Lucky for us, she brought over many, many of her leftover treats. The perfect complement to a healthy brunch.

We loaded up on coffee and sat around finally catching up for a few hours. You know how it goes… we could have talked forever and literally lost track of time. A girls brunch success!

We didn’t get a good picture of us (we tried the selfie thing a few times and pretty much failed) but here is a pic of us from last year:

What I loved most about the frittata was the fresh herbs. If you do make this, I would say don’t skimp on the herbs! They added such a fresh, garden taste to the eggs. This can also be made at the start of a week and cut into slices that can be used for a pre-made breakfast throughout the week. This morning, I had leftovers and just heated the slice for about 30 seconds in the microwave, added some hot sauce, and avocado toast on the side. It was great having this made ahead of the time and not having to think about it.

Roasted Potatoes

• several red and brown potatoes, of any kind
• parsley
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika
• olive oil
• garlic

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil

2. Chop a few garlic cloves into tiny pieces, set aside.

3. Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl. Top with garlic, a couple tablespoons of EVOO, salt, pepper, and a generous helping of cayenne and paprika, depending on how spicy you like it. Top with parsley. Mix with hands and then spread out on baking sheet.

4. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring once.

Egg White, Veggie and Herb Frittata

(serves 5 or 6)

• About 1 cup of egg whites (I used the ones in the carton)
• 1 small red onion, sliced very thin
• 3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 large mushrooms
• 1/2 cup assorted bell pepper, chopped
• handful or two of kale, chopped
• 2 T fresh dill
• 2 T fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup feta
• EVOO, S&P

1. Add a couple tablespoons of EVOO to a skillet. Add chopped garlic and let it cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat.

2. Add sliced onions and let them caramelize for about 10 minutes while you are chopping everything else up. Stir them occasionally and season with S&P.

3. Add mushrooms and peppers and let them cook until soft. Finally, add Kale and herbs. Allow everything to cook for a few more minutes. Season with additional S&P if desired.

4. Line a quiche dish or pie dish (or you can just keep it in the skillet) with some cooking spray.

5. Add your cooked veggies to the pie dish and then top with the cup of egg whites. Feel free to use real eggs and adjust the amount of eggs/egg whites so that the frittata is as thick as you’d like.

6. Top with a sprinkle of feta, salt and pepper.

7. Pop into a 350 degree oven. Once the egg whites are mainly cooked (after about 20 minutes), put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Watch it closely so it doesn’t burn! You just want the top to get slightly brown and crusty.

8. Cut and serve! Top with hot sauce if you like a kick.