SUSAN S. YESKE
Lent is a season of sacrifice and contemplation, and with those sacrifices come giving up some of the things we love. Those can include favorite foods and meat on Fridays.
In the search for alternative meals, fish is a favorite, but even simpler are eggs in just about any form. Any egg dish you eat for breakfast can easily be adapted for a meatless dinner that still has plenty of protein.
That means that you might not have time to make omelets, quiches, stratas, frittatas, scrambles, French toast and baked eggs in the morning, but they all are fairly simple to make for lunch or dinner.
If you are worried about eating eggs, the American Heart Foundation says that you can eat up to six or seven eggs each week. That’s one egg a day or two to three egg meals a week.
Each egg contains about 6 grams of high-quality protein and about 70 calories, according to the website incredibleegg.org. Each egg yolk has 250 milligrams of choline, which promotes normal cell activity, liver function and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body. At an average of 17 cents a serving, eggs are the least expensive source of high-quality protein.
This layered strata dish from
tasteofhome.com can be put together the night before or in the morning before work, then popped into the oven at the end of the day. It’s also a great brunch dish or vegetarian entrée. Adjust the vegetables and cheeses to your preference for this dish, which is large enough to serve as a family entree.
Colorful Frittata
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
1 medium sweet yellow pepper,
diced
1 small onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and
chopped
14 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey
Jack cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh
parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, sauté asparagus, mushrooms, peppers and onions in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cream, Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, parsley, basil, salt and pepper; stir into vegetable mixture.
3. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition: 1 piece: 219 calories, 16g fat (8g saturated fat), 230mg cholesterol, 294mg sodium, 6g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 1g fiber), 12g protein.
