Mini Bacon and Caramelized Onion Frittatas

Sometimes, you get a little sick of the same old pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast on the weekends.  This time, I decided to change it up a bit.  I have these mini Dutch ovens at home that are perfectly sized for individual portions.  They’re cute, dainty, red and prevent overindulgence.  Yes – they’re awesome! 

Frittatas are basically a crust-less quiche.  They are a good option when you want to stay on the healthier side and don’t feel like making a pie-crust.  This morning, I maybe got about 4 hours of sleep (remember I have a 4 month old) so I needed something quick and honestly, something I couldn’t mess up easily.  I was exhausted!  I reached in the fridge and grabbed ingredients I had and put them in a frittata.  Boom!  Done.  There are endless possibilities for frittatas so I encourage you to experiment and try what you like best!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ onion, thinly sliced

¾ tsp salt, divided

3 eggs

¼ c milk

cooking spray

½ tsp pepper

3 slices cooked bacon, chopped

½ c shredded cheddar

¼ c chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 375F.  Heat a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add olive oil, onion and a pinch of salt.  Cook onions, stirring regularly, until caramelized and browned (15-20 mins).  Let onions cool slightly and roughly chop.

Tip: Low and slow is best for cooking caramelized onions.  Frequent stirring allows for even browning.

Combine eggs, milk, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until combined.  Coat 2 mini Dutch ovens (cocottes) with cooking spray.  Add half of the bacon, cheese, caramelized onion, and parsley to each of the mini Dutch ovens.   Leave a small amount of each ingredient for garnishing the top once done cooking.  Add half of the egg mixture to each of the mini Dutch ovens.

Place in the oven and cook at 375F for 10-15 minutes or until the center is just set.  Top with any leftover ingredients for garnish.  Serve hot.

I often cook for two since it’s just my husband and I.  Little Syd isn’t quite eating big people food yet :)  Double up the recipe for 4 servings.

Chicken Quesadillas with Peppers and Onions

As you have noticed, I like to make versatile dishes.  There is little pressure to keep things exactly the same and usually the experiments turn out well with a little tweak here or a little tweak there.  Chicken quesadillas (or quesadillas in general) are one of those things.  As long as you have cheese, you can just add whatever you have leftover in the fridge.  Also, they make for a super quick weeknight meal when you serve with a side of rice and beans.

For these quesadillas, I used rotisserie chicken (one of my staple ingredients).  Having a rotisserie chicken on hand really helps to take the “work” out of making chicken.  Chicken can be hard to make because many people overcook it as a precaution to undercooking and it potentially being harmful to your health.  If you use a rotisserie chicken, all you have to do is chop it up and use it in sandwiches, soups, salads, or…quesadillas! 

Chicken Quesadillas with Peppers and Onions

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

4 10-12” flour tortillas

Cooking spray

1 rotisserie chicken, breast and leg meat removed and chopped (~2.5c)

2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese

2 tsp Southwest seasoning

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and then peppers and onions.  Top with salt and pepper.  Stir peppers and onions to coat in oil and seasoning.  Continue cooking until tender and lightly browned.

Heat a cast iron griddle (or a large skillet) over medium-high heat.  Spray with cooking spray once heated.  Add flour tortillas, in batches, to heat and lightly brown on both sides.  Once the tortilla is heated, remove from pan.  On one half of the warm tortilla, spread a layer of cheese, then a layer of chicken, grilled peppers and onions, and then another layer of cheese.  Sprinkle Southwest seasoning over the top.  Fold tortilla in half so that chicken mixture is between each half of the tortilla.  Move back to the heated griddle and cook until the cheese is melted and the flour tortilla is browned (about 5-7 mins on each side). 

Kitchen Tool: I have a cast-iron griddle that has a grill pan on the other side.  Place over two equal sized burners and it provides for very even heating and allows for great browning.

Cut in thirds or quarters and serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Onions

Balsamic vinegar tends to put the finishing touch on just about anything.  It’s a staple in my cabinet and I use it whenever I want to give something a little “zing”.  When I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, I knew that this was going to make an appearance in our kitchen. 

The original recipe called for just the asparagus and tomatoes but I added onions because (as you all know by now) I love them.  I can’t make a dish without onions.  When I went to the store and was shopping for ingredients for this dish, I saw yellow pearl onions and thought it would be the perfect accompaniment for the tomatoes.  Boy was I right…

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Onions

Ingredients:

1 lb asparagus, trimmed

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ c halved grape tomatoes

1c yellow pearl onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper, divided

3 tbsp crumbled goat cheese

 

Inspired by Cooking Light

Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 mins or until crisp-tender.  Drain.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes and onions; cook 3 mins.  Add garlic and cook another 2 mins or until onions are cooked through.  Stir in vinegar; cook 3 mins.  Stir in salt and ¼ tsp pepper. 

Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture.   Sprinkle with cheese and remaining pepper.

Note: Cook the asparagus and sauté the vegetables simultaneously so the asparagus doesn’t get cold.

I served this side dish with baked chicken and honey-almond rice.  It made for a great meal! 

Sweet Onion Tart

Lesson of the day: Pie crust is HARD!!!  It is so deceptive with only 4 ingredients but you have to add and mix them perfectly to get the ideal crust.  First, it’s using butter and water at a certain temperature, then you add water…and who knows how much since I think I saw recipes that called for anywhere from 2-6 tbsps lol.  The crazy thing is, the amount of water is probably the most critical ingredient of it all!  In my recipe, I said to add 3-5 tbsp.  In the grand scheme of things, this is a big difference (I know) but it really depends on a lot of external factors such as temperature and humidity and…okay I sound like a weather-girl now.  Bottom line – practice makes perfect!

This onion tart is delicious.  My husband and I are pretty much obsessed with onions.  We put them on everything.  And if something has caramelized onions in it, WE’RE IN!  We don’t care what it is.  Naturally, when I saw this idea in Cooking Light a while back, I decided to make it my own and even try my hand at homemade crust since the original called for store-bought pie crust…which isn’t such a bad idea considering my tirade above.  My husband described this as “eating dessert for dinner”.  Well…obviously this isn’t dessert but I can understand where he’s coming from with the buttery crust and sweet onions.  I guess it just goes to show you how versatile pie crust can be…once you figure out how to not mess it up :)

Sweet Onion Tart

Ingredients:

1c all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

6 tbsp chilled butter

3-5 tbsp ice cold water

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 large onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

4 oz chopped pancetta

4 thyme sprigs

½ c shredded Gruyere cheese

For the crust:  Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times just to mix.  Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture.  Pulse until large crumbs form (10-15 pulses).  Add water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing between each addition, until the mixture sticks together when pressed and is no longer sticking to the side of the bowl.  Empty onto plastic wrap and gather to form a ball.  Press dough into a round disk, wrap in the plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for 30 mins to 1 hour.

Tip:  Store butter in the refrigerator and place in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to cutting into small pieces.  Also, I used a fork and knife instead of my fingers when cutting, to prevent any body heat from melting the butter.

Preheat oven to 375.

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large sauté pan set at medium-high heat.  Add onions, salt, pepper and stir to combine.  Once the onions soften, lower heat to medium-low and cook until browned and caramelized (20-30 mins).  Add leaves of thyme sprigs to onion mixture just before the onions are fully cooked.

While onions are browning, cook pancetta in a small skillet until brown and crisp (8-10 mins).  Empty pancetta onto a plate lined with paper towel to drain grease and set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out into a 10-11” disk on a floured surface.   Carefully move dough to a non-stick baking sheet (or baking sheet lined with parchment paper) and pierce dough a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape.

Tip: Loosely wrap dough around the rolling pin to move it from one place to another.

Top dough with onions, pancetta, and cheese – leaving about 1” of the outer rim uncovered.  Fold over outer rim of dough onto the filling.  Place baking sheet in oven and cook at 375 for 30-35 mins or until both cheese and crust have browned.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.  Garnish with thyme.

You can serve this with a salad or some other veggie for dinner or as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre for a party.  Happy crust making!