An omelette is a very nutritious meal. It makes a great breakfast, lunch, a post-workout meal, an after-party snack, etc.
Usually an omelette is prepped by simply whisking eggs and adding milk and flour. Then the mixture is baked or pan fried. Thick omelettes are better baked and thinner ones are better fried. However, adding flour makes an omelette almost a pancake. This results in lots of extra calories from the fast carbs. Such an omelette will not suit many people as a breakfast or lunch option, because fast carbs will spike insulin. An insulin spike is very beneficial post-workout, but otherwise should be avoided. Read more on it here.
The problem with whisking eggs is that no matter how long you whisk, the result is usually not so great.
The secret to a fluffy low carb omelette is to prep the whites and yolks separately, and combine them just before cooking.
For a light airy low carb omelette for one person you will need:
- 3 bowls are recommended, one will serve for checking the eggs freshness
- 2-3 chicken eggs or 10-15 quail eggs, quail eggs will make a much more tender omelette
- 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt, sour cream or whole milk
- Some olive oil
- Few drops of vinegar
- Salt (Himalayan) and pepper to taste. If you want to emphasize on the eggs’ taste, choose black salt instead
- Optional herbs and veggies (tomatoes, bell peppers, squash etc)
- Optional mozzarella or any other cheese, smoked tofu or tempeh bacon
Wash the eggs under running water and crack them against the counter top. Cracking eggs with something sharp usually results in cracked shells in the bowl. Then separate the whites by pouring the yolks from one shell to the other, until the whites drain down to the bowl below.
Place yolks into another bowl. Make sure every egg is fresh, for this you can also use another (third) bowl where you will put the whites first. After making sure the whites are fresh, you can transfer them to the “main” whites bowl. You can inspect the yolks while they are in a shell, there is no need for a separate bowl. So, you should have all the yolks in one bowl and whites in the other.
Add some olive oil, vinegar, yogurt (sour cream or milk), salt and pepper to the yolks.
Whisk together well. You can use a portable frother with a whisk extension for this step.
If you are making a veggie omelette or tofu/tempeh omelette, place them on the frying pan at this moment. Put some coconut oil or ghee on the pan, these are one of the best frying oils. Set to medium heat and place the omelette additions of your choice. Finely chopped bell pepper, squash or zucchini is a popular veggie extra. Chopped smoked tofu or tempeh bacon will give the omelette a more traditional flavor. Tomatoes and mozzarella is another great combination for the omelette additions. If you choose this option then fry the tomato pieces on the pan first, place mozzarella pieces just before pouring the omelette mixture. Mozzarella with tomato sauce will give you a “pizza-style” omelette.
Blend tomatoes, garlic, salt, herbs of your choice and tomato paste together. Place onto a frying pan with some oil. Sautee on medium heat until excessive liquid evaporates.
Spinach and sour cream/yogurt is also a good omelette supplement.
Now, you have your omelette extras cooking on a medium heat with some coconut oil or ghee with optional salt and spices of choice. Also, the yolks are well mixed with the rest of the ingredients and whisked.
Now beat the egg whites. You can use a small frother with a whisk extension for that. It is very easy to handle and clean, however beating the whites with a portable frother may take longer.
Whisk the whites until they are visually airy and able to maintain their shape. The whites are easier to beat if they, as well as the beaters and the bowl, are just out of the fridge.
Mix the whisked yolks in and gently blend until the mixture is uniform.
Pour the mixture onto the frying pan.
Now is the time to add herbs. Finely chopped green onions combine very well with the omelette, also dill and parsley are good options. So, sprinkle the chopped herbs over the omelette while it is still not fully cooked.
If you prefer spicier food, sprinkle with some very finely chopped chili pepper. The omelette is usually ready within a couple of minutes on a medium heat, there is no need to flip it. Thicker omelettes will need more time to cook properly (use low heat with the lid closed). Frying only one side of the omelette will give you two variations of the it: crispy and juicy.
Another option is to bake your omelette. This is particularly good if you prefer a thick version of it. In this case all the preparation steps are almost the same. If you use mozzarella cheese in the recipe, then grate it and mix into the omelet mixture before pouring into the baking pan. This is because baking usually takes much longer and the cheese will have enough time to melt. You can do the same with the veggies: grate them and mix into the raw omelette mixture. Or you can pre-bake them the same way as in the fried version. Before pouring the mix, oil the pan well with ghee or coconut oil.
The baking time depends on the thickness and the pan size and can take up to 40 minutes. If you use smaller one-portion pans, then it is more like 10 minutes.
Also the baking time depends on how airy the mixture is. The usual baking temperature is 160-170C/320-350F. Sprinkle with chopped herbs once ready. Serve directly in the individual oven pans or transfer to preheated plates.
Lavash can be a good omelette extra. You can pour omelette mix into lavash strips or even bake it on a lavash entirely.
The omelette can be served with fresh greens, fresh herb stalks, cold sour cream or Greek yogurt. Sprinkling ground black pepper on sour cream or yogurt will add a unique flavor to it.
Enjoy!
