Marvelous Meals with Rachel: Eggplant Frittata with Roasted Broccoli
Today’s post comes to you from my friend and colleague Rachel Rodek, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD. Rachel is Manager of Nutrition Communications for NuVal. Lucky for me, she sits just a stone’s throw away from me at the office. We have a great time sharing our cooking stories and I love this one that she wrote and photographed about The Night That Her Fiance Made Dinner. So, without further ado, I bring you Rachel!
Ah, the beauty of letting go of the reigns in the kitchen. A rare yet beautiful bird. That’s right, Fernando was the cook tonight – and boy does he know how to spice it up. Who doesn’t love watching someone else work their magic with food?
On the menu tonight: Eggplant Frittata with Roasted Broccoli.
The eggplant, also known as aubergine, is another only modestly-loved fruit. Yep – you read it right: Eggplant is botanically classified as a berry. Quite a big one at that. And although it’s not dangerous, this fruit is related to the nightshade family along with tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet peppers.
Eggplant scores a 96 on the NuVal scale and is packed with fiber, potassium, and flavonoids (another name for antioxidants). So though you may be intimidated by this large, alien-shaped purple knob – it’s an incredible addition to the diet.
Back to dinner. As you know, sometimes dinner doesn’t go as planned. What was the plan? To try and flip the L-A-R-G-E LeCreuset pan of eggplant frittata like a pancake. What?? My thoughts exactly. But I wasn’t in charge tonight, so I let The Chef man the helm. You would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall.
*Splat* Eggplant Frittata everywhere. Did we eat it? Of course – it was delicious! But dinner was more of an eggplant scramble than an open-faced omelet.
To help ease the cooking anxiety of a Frittata Flop, I took over the Roasted Broccoli. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that contains a type of flavonoid called glucosinolate, which is responsible for its sharp-taste. These powerful little substances act like Scrubbing Bubbles for your body; helping to activate enzymes in the liver that eliminate toxins. Other cruciferous veggies include Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, collard greens, turnip, radish, and wasabi.
Ingredients:
1 Large eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes (NuVal score 96)
1 Onion, chopped (NuVal score 93)
2 Plum tomatoes, diced (96)
4 whole eggs (33. Trade up to 660mg omega-3 eggs for a score of 42)
4 egg whites (26. Trade up to Egg Beaters egg substitute for a score of 58)
1 Tbsp olive oil (11. trade up to Canola oil for a score of 24)
1 Pound broccoli, cut into florets (NuVal score 100)
2-3 Garlic cloves, diced (91)
Olive oil (11. Trade up to Canola oil for a score of 24)
Salt & Pepper
½ a Lemon zest and juice
Eggplant Frittata:
Whisk eggs and egg whites together.
Saute eggplant in ½ Tbsp oil until cooked through, remove from pan. Saute onions in ½ Tbsp oil until translucent, then add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir back in eggplant and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Pour eggs over vegetables, cover, and cook for about 12-15 minutes.
Lift edges with spatula occasionally to allow uncooked egg to flow to bottom of skillet.
Heat broiler (So that you don’t have to attempt the “flip”!) and broil frittata for 2-3 minutes until golden.
Optional: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of frittata before broiling.
Roasted Broccoli:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread broccoli onto a cookie sheet, drizzled oil, and toss with salt, pepper, and diced garlic.
Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes until crisp, tender, and some floret tips are browned.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with zest and juice of ½ a lemon.
Optional: sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Winner of Yesterday’s Giveaway
Congratulations to Tiffany from adantatslife.wordpress.com. She guessed correctly (as many of you did) that Newman’s Own makes the highest scoring salsa. But here’s the catch: It’s Newman’s Own Black Bean and Corn Salsa Medium All Natural that gets the high score of 48. Newman’s Own All Natural Chunky Salsa Medium only gets a 15. Interesting, huh? Thanks to everyone who entered.
Posted by: Melissa 6 comments
Posted in: Marvelous Meals
on Apr 14th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
what a delicious meal!
on Apr 14th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Anxious to try these, Rachel. I love eggplant but never have any ideas for cooking it. I’ll let you know if we’re successful! ; )
And the broccoli – we only steam ours so this’ll be a GREAT change! Maybe my daughter will try it now – I bet this broccoli doesn’t stink as much as steamed does.
Thanks!!
on Apr 14th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Terrific idea for a frittata and what a tasty addition – someone else cooking it! I have a question: did you have to “salt-sweat” the eggplant to eliminate the bitter taste before you cooked it? If not, I wonder why some eggplants seem to have a bitter taste while others do not?
on Apr 14th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I love eggplant and broccoli and am always looking from new receipes. Anxious to try this one.
on Apr 14th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
I loved reading this info on the salsa. SO INTERESTING!!! And, this eggplant recipe looks so delightful! Excited to try. Thanks for sharing!
on Apr 15th, 2010 at 6:20 am
This looks fantastic! I bought, ok, invested in some frittata pans from Williams Sonoma over a year ago. LOVE THEM! They solve the flipping problem in no time flat!