Bari Omelet

Prep Time: 10 minutes              Cook Time: 10 minutes          Add to MyFitnessPal

You've all had an omelet before. Or, well, those of you who haven't either been living under a rock or else living with an unfortunate allergy (if that's you, I'm sorry, you've got it rough!) have had an omelet. The thing is, most omelets (especially those you get at a breakfast place) are loaded down with enormous amounts of fat, even more carbs, and surprisingly little protein. Not to mention all of the additives and artificial junk that gets in there.

The best part of waking up...

A classic staple of continental cuisine, the omelet is actually the perfect vehicle for high quality protein and excellent taste. I've left greens out of this one - it's about as rich as they come. For those of you want more greens in your brunch, don't worry, I've got a frittata coming that's chock full. Or just add spinach, kale, collards, chard or other hearty greens to you onions when cooking - my particular favorite is chard.


Ingredients:
Liquid Egg White - 1/4 cup
Ham - 1 oz
Reduced fat hard cheese (any variety) - 1 oz
Reduced fat cream cheese - .5 oz
Avocado - 1 oz
Raw Yellow Onion - 1/4 cup

Preparation:
First things first - prep your mise en place.

Dice your ham, avocado, and onion. Slice your cream cheese into thin strips and shred your hard cheese. Pop the onion into a skillet and caramelize until thoroughly browned but not burnt.

Once you've got your fillings prepped, the easy part begins. DO NOT preheat a non-stick pan (I use a well-seasoned cast iron) for this part. Add your egg white to the pan while it's still cold. Place the pan over medium low heat - going slow is key here.

Once you can't see the pan through the egg anymore, sprinkle the cheddar on one half of the omelet, lay the cream cheese along your intended 'crease, and sprinkle the remaining filling on the empty half of the omelet. Once the omelet is mostly opaque, with only the barest bit of runniness remaining on the top surface, use a spatula to carefully fold the omelet over.

Don't worry if it breaks, this takes practice. Allow the omelet to cook an additional 1-2 minutes, and transfer to your plate. Top as you will (if you will), just be sure to account for the change in nutrition info.

Once you've got this omelet down, vary the filling to your heart's content. I LOVE adding spinach and reducing the amount of cheese a smidge. It's also excellent with salsa and/or bell peppers inside. Oh oh oh, and you'll just about lose it when you try this with a filling made of smoked salmon and capers.

Lastly, like most of my recipes, you'll likely need to spread this omelet out over two meals.

Nutrition:
Calories: 198
Fat: 14 g
Carbs: 6 g
Protein: 15 g
Sodium: 469