Frugal Friday: Eggs for Dinner

One of the ways that I save money is by serving eggs for dinner one night per week.  Eggs are cheap, nutritious, and delicious.  There are a ton of ways that I prepare eggs, and some of our favourite egg dishes are the basics, like Fried or poached eggs with toast, or omelettes.  But since we made our commitment to eat egg dishes one night a week, I have discovered all kinds of new recipes that satisfy the whole family, and I've also dusted off some old family classics too.  Many of these dishes are not meat free.  My motivation for cooking eggs as a meal is to save money, so if I find a great recipe that needs a little ham, I don't turn my nose up at it. If you're looking for great ways to use eggs, check out one of these ideas!

1.  Avocado and Tomato Omelette  

My favourite omelette is light and fresh and so quick and simple to make.  I whisk the eggs with some chopped chives, salt and pepper, then cook them in batches to make individual servings (2-3 eggs at a time). In a medium frying pan over medium heat, melt a little butter and then pour in one serving of eggs.  Swirl the pan around a bit to coat the bottom.  The aim is to make a fairly thin omelette that can be filled and rolled up.  After a few minutes the omelette should start to set on the top. I use my spoon or spatula to spread out the raw bits and help the omelette cook evenly.  If you need to, you can pop it under the broiler for a minute to set the top.  Next, in the centre of the omelette place some sliced tomatoes and avocados.  Season them with salt and pepper, then top that with a dollop of sour cream.  Roll the sides of the omelette over the filling, slide it onto a plate, drizzle it with balsamic vinegar (the best you can afford - I love the Presidents Choice Splendido four leaf quality), and serve with a slice of buttered toast.

2.  Potato Frittata

I love this recipe because the ingredients are as cheap as it gets, but the result is still delicious and beautiful.  Start with a few potatoes.  You can bake them, steam them or microwave them.  I usually use the microwave, using a fork to poke some steam holes all around the outside of the potato, then placing them in a dish with a lid and cooking for 6-8 minutes, turning and checking them every 3 minutes or so until they are fork tender.  You don't want them mushy, just tender but firm.  Let them cool but DON'T put them in the refrigerator.  This will make them dry and grainy.  Once they are cool remove the peels, cut them lengthways into quarters and then slice them about 1 cm thick.  Preheat your oven to 375 F and heat a heavy fry pan over medium heat.  Add a little olive oil and butter and then place the potatoes in the pan in one layer.  You want them to crisp up and get brown, so don't move them around too much.  Just keep your eye on them but let the pan do the work while you chop a small onion and whisk up 8-10 eggs with some salt and pepper and chopped parsley.  Once the potatoes have started to brown, turn them over to brown the other side.  After a few minutes, add the onion and allow it to cook a few minutes until its soft and translucent.  Once the potatoes are good and brown, and the onions are soft, add the eggs. Pour them all into the pan at once, and stir with a wooden spoon until they begin to get curdled and stiff.  When they are about half way cooked, stop stirring and smooth the top of the frittata, then pop it into the oven for 10 minutes, or until the middle of the frittata is set.  If you want, you can sprinkle some Gruyere or Cheddar cheese over the top for the last 5 minutes.  Serve with a green salad.  

3.  Egg Casserole

This dish is wonderful because it is so versatile.  You can literally stir in whatever leftovers you happen to have in the fridge, bake it up, and call it dinner.  Your family might not even recognize that it is leftovers (Especially if the leftovers are from a few different nights, a few days ago, stirred together to become unrecognizable!)  Start by sauteeing a chopped onion in a little oil or butter until it is soft.  Next, whisk together 8 eggs, 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup of shredded cheese (use whatever you like or have).  Once the onions have cooled a little, stir them into the egg mixture too.  Cut some bread into cubes.  You can use any bread product you have around, and it is better if its a little dry and stale.  You need enough to cover the bottom of a 9 x 11 inch baking dish, so 6-8 slices of sandwich bread, or an equivalent amount of cubed baguette, hamburger buns, leftover toast ... you get the idea.  Grease the baking dish and place the bread in the bottom.  Next, add your leftovers, about 2 cups total.  Really, anything goes, but here are a few good combos:

• Diced ham, some cooked veggies (asparagus, broccoli, spinach, corn ... whatever), cheddar cheese
• Chopped Italian or farmer's sausage, cooked mushrooms and bell peppers, feta cheese
• Leftover chow mein or fried rice, leftover chop suey or other stir fry (be sure to drain off the liquid and pat the veggies dry).  I would leave out the cheese in this one.
• Diced chicken, black beans, some salsa, and monterey jack or cheddar cheese

This stuff is better if you make it in the morning, then pop it in the fridge all day so the bread can soak up all the eggy liguid.  When you're ready, preheat the oven to 350 F, place the casserole in and cook for about an hour, or until it is set in the middle, and starting to brown on top.  

4. Tomatillo Salsa Poached Eggs  

This recipe is so easy!  Simply pour your tomatillo salsa (check out my sister's fantastic recipe here) into a frying pan and heat over medium heat until it comes to a simmer.  If it is a little too thick, thin it out with some chicken stock or water. Crack in some eggs, cover and cook 3-6 minutes, or until they are done to your liking.  I like the eggs still runny so that I can break them, let them run into the salsa, and then soak up every bit of it with a warm tortilla.  Yum!!

5.  Eggstravaganza

This is an old family classic my mom used to make when i was a kid.  It is super fast and easy to put put together.  The ingredients are nothing special or surprising, but the end result is so good.  It is definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts:

You will need: a loaf of French bread, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 100 g sliced deli ham, 2 sliced tomatoes, 1 sliced onion, 10 eggs, salt and pepper, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, a long peice of aluminum foil.

1.  In a medium frying pan, cook the onions in some oil or butter until they are soft, but not becoming brown.  Remove them from the pan and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Assemble your sandwich.  Cut the top off of the French loaf, and pull out most of the soft bread from the inside of the loaf, creating an empty well to fill up.  (Tip:  I put these bits of bread in a freezer bag and freeze them.  Then, when I want to make an egg casserole, I pull them out, toast them up a bit in the oven to dry them out, then use them as my bread component!)
3. Spread the mayonnaise all over the inside of the emptied loaf, as well as on the under side of the top of the loaf that you cut off.  Next, line the inside with the slices of ham, and then add the sliced tomatoes and cooked onions.  
4. Break the eggs into a large bowl, then whisk them up with some salt and pepper.  Heat the same pan you used for the onions on medium heat.  Put the eggs into the warm pan and stir and scramble them until large curds form and the eggs are almost cooked.  Do not cook them all the way as they will finish in the oven.  When they are no longer runny but still need a little cooking, add them into the emptied loaf on top of the tomatoes and onions.  
5. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the eggs, and place the top onto the loaf.  Wrap the whole thing up tightly with aluminum foil.  Place on a cookie sheet and pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes.  
6. Remove from the oven and unwrap the aluminum foil. Let the sandwich sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

I hope you enjoy these egg recipes!  Let me know in the comments if you have any favourite egg dishes I need to try!!