The Morning After

Whew! What a weekend! I was up early all week, which got me thinking about breakfast. My love of coffee, eggs and pancakes is great. Fruit is always a great option. Of course, without a standby like toast I would starve to death most mornings--so why not do more?

What do you eat early in the morning after a late night? Something hearty and something yummy! My favorite: omelets! Eggs are another one of those great foods, like pasta, potatoes and bread, that provides a blank canvas for you to combine your favorite ingredients to create a delicious dish. This weekend, I created a pepper, mushroom, spinach, tomato omelet.

Hardware:
One small mixing bowl
One fork or whisk
One small skillet
One spatula
Non-stick spray
Chef's knife
Wooden cutting board

Ingredients:
1/4 C. red bell peppers, sliced
1/4 C. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 C. fresh, baby spinach, sliced
1/2 Roma tomato, quartered
3 whole eggs
1 Tbs. milk
A pinch of Kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh, ground black pepper
1/4 C. mozarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:
First, slice all of your veggies on your wooden cutting board, using your chef's knife. Next, spray your skillet with a thin coat of the non-stick spray. Now, heat the skillet over medium heat on your stove. Add the red bell peppers to the pan. Let them cook stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms to the skillet. Stir the mushrooms and peppers together. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

As the peppers and mushrooms are cooking, crack the eggs into a small mixing bowl. Add the milk, salt and pepper to the eggs. Whisk until all ingredients are combined.

Add the spinach to the peppers and mushrooms. Give the skillet a quick stir. Now, gently pour in the scrambled egg mixture. Grate the mozarella cheese onto your cutting board. When the bottom of the egg is cooked, use your spatula and scrape the sides of the skillet. Keep scraping the sides until all of the egg is cooked.

Slide the omelet onto a plate. Sprinkle almost all of the mozzarella cheese on top of the egg. Using the spatula, fold the egg in half. Garnish with remaining mozzarella and tomato slices. Good morning, Starshine!

*For an extra easy twist scramble the eggs instead of omeleting them. (Yes, I'm pretending omelet is a verb and a noun.) The end result is equally yummy, but less attractive.