1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (18 page)

If I had to choose just one skill to teach to every new low-carber, it would be how to make an omelet. They’re fast, they’re easy, and they make a wide variety of simple ingredients seem like a meal!

First, have your filling ready. If you’re using vegetables, you’ll want to sauté them first. If you’re using cheese, have it grated or sliced and ready to go. If you’re making an omelet to use up leftovers—a great idea, by the way—warm them through in the microwave and have them standing by.

Spray your omelet pan well with cooking spray if it doesn’t have a good nonstick surface and put it over medium-high heat. While the skillet’s heating, grab your eggs—2 is the perfect number for this size pan, but 1 or 3 will work— and a bowl, crack the eggs, and beat them with a fork. Don’t add any water or milk or anything while mixing.

The pan is hot enough when a drop of water thrown in sizzles right away. Add a tablespoon of oil or butter, spread it around to cover the bottom, and then pour in the eggs all at once. They should sizzle and immediately start to set. When the bottom layer of egg is set around the edges—this should happen quite quickly—lift the edge using a spatula and tip the pan to let the raw egg flow underneath. Do this all around the edges until there’s not enough raw egg to run.

Now, turn your burner to the lowest heat if you have a gas stove. If you have an electric stove, you’ll have to have a “warm” burner standing by; electric elements don’t cool off fast enough for this job. Put your filling on one half of the omelet, cover it, and let it sit over very low heat for a minute or two, no more. Peek and see if the raw, shiny egg is gone from the top surface (although you can serve it that way if you like— that’s how the French prefer their omelets) and the cheese, if you’ve used it, is melted. If not, re-cover the pan and let it go another minute or two.

When your omelet is done, slip a spatula under the half without the filling and fold it over; then lift the whole thing onto a plate. Or you can get fancy and tip the pan, letting the filling side of the omelet slide onto the plate, folding the top over as you go, but this takes some practice.

This makes a single-serving omelet. I think it’s a lot easier to make several individual omelets than to make one big one, and omelets are so fast to make that it’s not that big a deal. Anyway, that way you can customize your omelets to each individual’s taste. If you’re making more than 2 or 3 omelets, just keep them warm in your oven, set to its very lowest heat.

Now here are some ideas for what to put in your omelets!

This is my husband’s favorite! With all that cheese, this is mighty filling.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 to 2 ounces (28 to 55 g) cheddar, sliced or shredded

1 to 2 ounces (28 to 55 g) Monterey Jack, sliced or shredded

1 slice processed Swiss

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), placing the cheese over half of your omelet when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the cheese is melted (3 to 4 minutes). Follow the directions to finish making the omelet.

Yield:
1 serving

3 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 46 grams of protein.

These are three of my favorite things—wrapped in eggs, another of my favorite things!

3 slices bacon

¼ Granny Smith or other crisp, tart apple, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons butter, divided

2 eggs, beaten

1 ounce (30 g) crumbled blue cheese

Start the bacon cooking in the microwave—if you don’t own a microwave bacon rack, a glass pie plate will work just fine. (In my microwave, 3 to 4 minutes on high is about right, but microwave power varies.)

While the bacon’s cooking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in your omelet pan over medium-high heat. Add the apples and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until they’re slightly golden. Remove the apple slices and keep them on hand.

Melt the remaining butter in the skillet, spread it about, and make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), using nonstick cooking spray if necessary. Arrange the fried apples on half the omelet, top with the blue cheese, cover the pan, and turn the heat to low.

Go check on that bacon! If it needs another minute, do that now, while the cheese is melting. Then drain it and crumble it over the now-melted blue cheese. Fold and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 23 grams of protein.

This will open your eyes in the morning! It’s one of my favorites—I enjoy breathing fire.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 eggs, beaten

2 ounces (55 g) jalapeño Jack cheese, shredded or sliced

2 tablespoons (32 g) salsa

Hot pepper sauce (optional)

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), placing the cheese over half of your omelet when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the cheese is melted (3 to 4 minutes). Follow the directions to finish making the omelet. Top with salsa and hot sauce (if using).

Yield:
1 serving

5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 25 grams of protein.

This is a great way to use up leftover taco filling.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup (50 g) beef, turkey, or chicken taco filling, warmed.

2 tablespoons (15 g) shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons (32 g) salsa

1 tablespoon (15 g) sour cream

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), placing the taco filling and cheese over half of your omelet when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the cheese is melted (3 to 4 minutes). Follow the directions to finish making the omelet. Top with salsa and sour cream.

Yield:
1 serving

3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 24 grams of protein. (Analysis does not include garnishes.)

You can, if you like, jazz up this omelet with a little diced onion, olives, or whatever else you like on a taco.

Again, this is a great way to use up leftovers!

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

2 eggs

Leftover steak or chicken fajita, warmed

1 tablespoon (15 g) sour cream

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), placing the fajita filling over half of your omelet when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Follow the directions to finish making the omelet and top with the sour cream.

Yield:
1 serving

The carb count for this omelet will depend on your recipe for fajitas. The eggs and sour cream will add only 2 grams of carbs, no fiber, and 11 grams of protein.

This omelet is loaded with cool Greek flavors! Look for jars of tapenade, an olive relish, in big grocery stores. Kasseri is a Greek cheese; all my local grocery stores carry it, so I’m guessing yours do too.

2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil

2 eggs, beaten

1 ounce (30 g) kasseri cheese, sliced or shredded

1½ tablespoons (23 ml) tapenade

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82). Cover half the omelet with the cheese and then top with the tapenade when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and let it cook for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted. Fold and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

4 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 18 grams of protein.

One of the few high-carb meals I miss is the turkey club sandwich—so here’s the omelet equivalent!

2 slices bacon, cooked and drained

2 ounces (55 g) turkey breast slices

½ small tomato, sliced

1 scallion, sliced

2 eggs

1 tablespoon (15 g) mayonnaise

Have your bacon cooked and drained—I like to microwave mine and crumble it up. Cut the turkey into small squares and have the tomato and scallion sliced and at hand.

Beat the eggs, and make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), adding just the bacon and turkey while it’s still cooking. Once it’s cooked to your liking, sprinkle the tomato and scallion over the meat, spread the mayo on the other side, fold, and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

Each with 29 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.

It’s worth making extra tuna salad just to make this omelet. This is a great lunch.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 ounce (28 g) Swiss cheese or processed

Swiss-style singles

½ cup (100 g) leftover tuna salad, warmed to room temperature

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), placing the Swiss cheese over half of your omelet when you’re ready to add the filling. Spread the tuna salad over the cheese, cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until hot all the way through (3 to 4 minutes). Follow the directions to finish making the omelet.

Yield:
1 serving

The carb count of this omelet will depend on your recipe for tuna salad. The eggs and cheese will add only 2 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 19 grams of protein.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 eggs

1 ounce (28 g) cheddar cheese, shredded or sliced

¼ cup (40 g) diced cooked ham

¼ green pepper, cut in small strips and sautéed

¼ small onion, sliced and sautéed

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), placing the cheese and the sautéed ham and vegetables over half of your omelet when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the cheese is melted (3 to 4 minutes). Follow the directions to finish making the omelet.

Yield:
1 serving

7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs (and you can cut that by using seriously low-carb ham) and 25 grams of protein.

This is a terrific combination.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 to 2 tablespoons (14 to 28 g) mayonnaise

1 canned artichoke heart, sliced

2 tablespoons (12.5 g) grated Parmesan cheese

Make your omelet according to Dana’s Easy Omelet Method (page 82), spreading mayonnaise over one half of your omelet and topping it with the artichoke heart and Parmesan when you’re ready to add the filling. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the cheese is melted (3 to 4 minutes). Follow the directions to finish making the omelet.

Yield:
1 serving

11 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 18 grams of protein.

Believe it or not, this is classical Italian food, with no pasta in sight.

2 cups (200 g) sliced mushrooms

¼ small onion, sliced thin