Day 6 - Refrigerator Breakfast Scramble

Eggs are one of the best ways to get started in the morning. I used to have a two egg omelette every morning, but recently, I've been running out of time! So, being as how today is Sunday, Kyle and I were able to enjoy a fantastic breakfast scramble. I call this the refrigerator breakfast scramble because you can really put anything you have in the refrigerator in this dish and it will taste delicious. Nothing novel or exciting in this recipe, but good old-fashioned flavors.

Refrigerator Breakfast Scramble

1/4 cup small chopped broccoli
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced roma tomato
1/4 cup chopped ham (I use lunchmeat)
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
4-6 eggs (depending on how much "stuff" you like in your scramble)

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. While pan is heating, chop broccoli and onion. Place broccoli and onion in saute pan and drizzle with olive oil. While broccoli and onion are cooking, chop tomato and ham. Let broccoli and onion cook until broccoli turns a bright green and onion is becoming translucent. Add diced tomato and ham and cook for another 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat eggs together with salt & pepper. If you want a "fluffier" egg, add a bit of milk, sour cream, or cream. Pour egg over mixture and season with salt and pepper. Let bubble in pan and then flip in various sections (not all at once like an omelette). Cook until runniness of egg is gone. After egg is cooked and while in pan, top with shredded cheddar cheese and stir so cheese melts. Serve immediately!

Health benefits:

• Eggs are low calorie and high protein. They get a bad rap for having a high cholesterol level, but studies show that most people can process the cholesterol in eggs without having it affect their cholesterol level. If you're worried, you could always use egg whites or egg substitute in this recipe. A great way to reduce the level of cholesterol is to use 1/2 regular eggs and 1/2 egg whites or substitute. This keeps the taste level high. One large egg has 6 grams of protein, plus riboflavin, vitamin E, folate, B vitamins, and iron. It's an especially good food for non-meat eaters as you can replace a high level of iron and protein that you miss from not eating meat with eggs.
• When you're thinking about health in food, pay attention to color. The bright colors in food that you eat usually signify a wide range of vitamins and minerals. This dish is perfect for great eating with the bright green broccoli, red tomatoes, yellow eggs, and white onions.

Other options for this omelette include mushrooms (add at tomato step), zucchini, carrot, bell peppers, and anything else you have on hand. For cooking, just remember to add the "crunchier" veggies first, as softer veggies will overcook if you add them all at the same time.