Spanish Tortilla & Today's School Lunches

Good morning!

It's another beauty!

Here is what my kiddos took for lunch today...

Frozen organic sweet corn (will be thawed by lunch), Ak Mak organic PB n J cracker sandwiches, 1/2 organic apple, & Spanish Tortilla (keep reading for recipe and pics).

Spanish Tortilla

One of my family's most loved meals!  

This is not the type of tortilla you eat with your fajitas or tacos.   Oh no, this is a Spanish tortilla, and it is delicious!  My kids ask for seconds and thirds of this one.  :)  

It is an egg dish, much like a quiche, but crustless and made in a skillet on the stove top. It is an open faced omelet, a frittata.  

Here it is, served with rolls (a brand which we no longer eat), an organic mixed greens salad w/ my homemade dressing, and all natural applesauce (which we also no longer eat...we just eat the apple instead!).

This recipe calls for frozen pre-cooked potatoes, but I won't use them.  Nearly all that I've come across include preservatives like disodium pyrophosphate & potassium sorbate.  They also contain dextrose.  So, I choose to make my own.  I just allow for more time to peel, dice, and cook my own taters up.  :)  I use organic spinach, and organic eggs, and only use 1/2 the cheese...any cheese will do.  

I also don't bother to use yolks or whites.  I just use whole eggs.  10 whole eggs makes a HUGE Spanish tortilla.  The trick is in the flip.  I use a large pizza pan to flip mine.  The skillet I use is larger than a dinner plate, but if your's isn't, that would be a better option.  

Here it is...flipped!

This pic is from last night.  I then just slide the tortilla back into the skillet, trying to sort of pop it up over the edge of the pizza pan.  Otherwise, it can scrape off that uncooked portion of the tortilla.  If that happens, I just scrape that part back into the skillet, around the edges.  I put the lid back on my skillet, ensuring that any raw egg that got on top of the tortilla will get cooked. 

The first tortilla that I ever made was not cooked all the way through, which I didn't know until I cut it, and I had to throw each individual portion into the microwave (GASP!  We hate using the microwave, now!).  My version does use more eggs & potatoes, so I give it a little more time than the recipe calls for.

Here is the recipe from Eating Well...

Makes: 6 servings

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup precooked diced red potatoes, (see Tip)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 6 large eggs
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup shredded Manchego, or Jack cheese
• 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add potatoes, thyme and paprika and cook for 2 minutes more.
2. Lightly whisk eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Gently stir the potato mixture into the eggs along with cheese, spinach, salt and pepper until combined. Wipe the pan clean; add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and heat over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture, cover and cook until the edges are set and the bottom is browned, 4 to 5 minutes (it will still be moist in the center).
3. To flip the tortilla, run a spatula gently around the edges to loosen them. Invert a large plate over the pan and turn out the tortilla onto it. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and continue cooking until completely set in the middle, 3 to 6 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Last night, I served this with an organic greens salad w/ my homemade dressing, steamed whole green beans (kids), and thinly sliced organic zucchini, organic yellow squash & organic sweet corn, all roasted and lightly salted (adults).  My kids love roasted squash, but my husband and I had to eat later in the evening, and the kids polished off the green beans before we could get to them.  :)  So, I made us something else.  I talk more about how I make my squash, here.

Have a great day! 

:)

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are. ~ Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin