Western Omelette To Go

So, now that I'm trying to follow a Paleo life-style; I'm having to eat more eggs. Yay. Eh, not really. I've never been an egg fan. Or, I should say a fan of egg yolks. Bleh. I don't like the texture or the flavor of egg yolks. However, I've realized that as long as the eggs are cooked, scrambled, etc then I can tolerate them a lot more. So, I've started looking for recipes that involve cooking such as quiches, omelettes, and scrambled. There's a cookbook I really want to buy from health-bent called Primal Cravings. Fortunately, good ol' amazon let's you look inside the book prior to purchasing. One of the recipes that's featured is this one for Western Omelette To Go. I thought it would be perfect for my lifestyle. I get up really early (5:45 am) and only give myself 45 minutes to get ready. So, I want to make something quick, or have something already made that I can pop in the microwave. Suffice it to say; these Omelettes fit the bill. I was able to make them on a Sunday, and since the serving size is about 6 "muffins" I have one for each day of the week, and one for the weekend. Plus, they turned out to be really delicious. One recommendation; do not microwave these little guys for more than 30 to 45 seconds. I think I microwaved mine for like a minute and a half and they ended up being pretty darn chewy. Bleh. Feel free to tweak the ingredients to your liking. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 slices of ham
6 eggs
2 tbsp bell pepper, finely chopped (I used yellow)
2 tbsp yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
I threw in some cheese as well.

Set your oven to 350 degrees. Take out your muffin pan and grease with some butter. Line the muffin pan with the sliced ham. Set aside. Next, take out a medium sized bowl; and combine your eggs, chopped pepper, and chopped onion. Toss in some salt and pepper. Stir well. I used an ice cream scoop to scoop out the egg mixture and gently pour into the muffin cups. Bake until the eggs are set...about 15 to 20 minutes.

Barefoot Contessa's Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry

I made this recipe for a friend's 40th birthday party a year ago, and I remember it being such a hit that I decided to make it again for a White Elephant Christmas party. I think Ina Garten hit the nail on the head with this appetizer. I love me a ham and cheese sandwich, but adding puff pastry to the mix just takes this rather plain sandwich to another level. Also, substituting gruyere cheese in place of swiss cheese makes it even fancier. And, using Dijon mustard instead of plain ol' yellow mustard takes it to gourmet status. Plus, it's super simple to make and tastes yummy! Really. Give this fancy version of the plain ol' ham and cheese a try and you will want to make it for your next party! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 pound black forest ham, sliced
1/2 pound Swiss Gruyere cheese, sliced
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

First, roll out your puff pastry so that it's around 10 by 12 inches. If you have trouble rolling it like I did then just skip this part. The sandwich will still taste the same. Next, spread the dijon mustard on the puff pastry, but leave space around the edges. Then, add the ham and then the cheese. Brush the border with the egg wash. Be sure to roll out the second puff pastry to 10 by 12 inches or just leave it as is, but either way you need to place this on top of the filled pastry. Pinch the edges together to help seal the two puff pastries together. Gently, brush with the egg wash and slice small slits so that steam can escape while baking. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, and then gently move the puff pastry to the baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is a lovely golden color. Serve hot or warm.