Okay, so this “clean eating” thing I got myself mixed up in has been the most difficult part of the 14-Day Challenge. I’ll spare you the long version of that. For now. And only because I might be about to belabor the point in this weekend’s Shelbyville column. Or maybe I’ll find another point to belabor. Or, most likely of all, there will be no point and just a lot of belaboring.
Belabor. If you say it enough times it loses all meaning. Belabor.
Anyway.
This morning I regrouped, figuring that if I write off a couple of food failures in the last two days, I can still make this a 12-Day Challenge. Or at least a Wednesday-Morning Challenge. Good enough.
Then, when I saw another bootcamper’s picture of the egg white omelet she was having, it was like finally gaining a foothold in the clean eating. It looked like an omelet, just without the yellow. I’m not a big yellow person anyway. I cross-checked the WWPP and realized the whole yellowless omelet would amount to just one point. Whereupon: sold.
And me likes. Me likes a lot. It went like this:
Ingredients
3 large egg whites (or 3/4 cup cartoned egg whites)
1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup baby spinach, shredded or chopped or whatever you call it when you cut up spinach leaves
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
*Dice the pepper and chop or shred the spinach.
*Combine egg whites, salt, and pepper.
*Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
*When pan is hot, add pepper. Cook pepper for about 1.5-2 minutes, so that it softens slightly and releases some of its sugary goodness, but doesn’t lose all of its crispness.
*Add spinach, continuing to stir for about 30 seconds, just long enough to let the spinach do a little wilting.
*Remove veggies to separate plate.
*Whisk the egg whites so that the salt and pepper are well mixed and the egg whites become what I can only describe as ‘kinda bubbly.’
*Respray pan and pour in egg mixture.
*Move skillet back and forth over heat; as edges begin to brown, lift the edges and tilt the pan so the uncooked whites can run underneath.
*When the egg is almost done, add the veggies down the middle and fold two edges over the center.
*Gently turn the omelet over, letting any uncooked juices to run out the ends, and allow it to cook for another 30 seconds or so until set.
*Remove to plate. Be surprised by the goodness. (Unless this isn’t your first egg white omelet, in which case just be reacquainted with the goodness you already knew but for some reason didn’t tell me about, why is that??!?)
Result
Lotsa yum in there. A surprising amount. And? Clean-eating friendly. And? I say again: only one WWPP point.
And if I had happened to sprinkle a 1/2 tablespoon or so of fat-free cheese on top (which I’m not saying I did because that’s not on the approved list of clean eating items)? Still only one WWPP point for the whole thing.
Pretty sure jalapeño would be a fantastic addition, but then I feel that way about most every dish. Probably tomato, too.
There are many more of these in my future. At the very least: twelve days’ worth.
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Printed version of recipe (4×6 card format), here: OSK – Egg White Omelet (4×6)
