egg quesadilla

This is a quickie. A quick post about a quick meal. This egg quesadilla is something that I make very often. I make it for a quick lunch. I make it for an easy dinner alongside a simple salad. I make it for a late morning weekend breakfast when I’m feeling the need for something a little salty and a blast of protein. You know what I’m talking about.

This is a light one. The cheese layer in this quesadilla is pretty insignificant. Just a tablespoon or two of grated Parmesan; you don’t need very much because the flavour is so strong. We’re moderating! I like to use a whole grain tortilla to boost up the fiber content, but a corn tortilla is nice too. Wherever you are, eggs are a great source of locally available high quality protein for not very many calories (more on that at the end of this post).

And, it’s easy, folks. You heat a little olive oil in a pan and whisk an egg. The egg gets dropped in the hot pan and you give a little swirl. You count to ten, then you take your whole wheat tortilla and press it lightly down over the egg to glue it on top. Flip! Now you grate a little fresh Parm over top, fold in half, and you’re ready to eat. Just like that. A little Greek yoghurt sprinkled with lemon zest fancies the whole deal up, if you’re in to being fancy.

One year ago: How to Cook Dried Beans

Egg Quesadilla Recipe:

I like to use a medium pan and a medium tortilla for one egg, I find that gives the best egg to tortilla ratio. I use a stainless steel skillet and get it nice and hot before I drop the egg in, and it works like a dream.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves 1

.

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 egg, whisked until the colour is uniform

1 medium whole wheat tortilla

1-2 tablespoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon fresh grated lemon zest

.

Set a medium skillet over medium-high heat and wait a couple of minutes for it to get nice and hot. Whisk your egg while you’re waiting. Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat the entire bottom. Now add the egg, swirling again to distribute the egg in a uniform layer. Count to ten. Carefully press tortilla over the top of the cooking egg. Wait another 20 – 30 seconds to be sure it has attached. Use a spatula to carefully lift up the egg and flip the entire thing over so the tortilla is now on the bottom and the egg is facing up. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fold in half. Wait a moment and then turn over to heat the other side for a minute. Remove from heat, cut into thirds, and serve with Greek yoghurt sprinkled with lemon zest.

Know what you’re eating: what’s good about this? Eggs are an amazing source of high quality protein, vitamin B12, choline (important for your brain), carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Eggs are satiating; a study found that those eating  a low fat diet which included 2 eggs a day for breakfast lost nearly *twice* as much weight as those eating a bagel breakfast with the same calories and mass, with no increase in blood cholesterol levels. Parmesan cheese is fatty and salty, so we're using it in moderation here. And while we're on the topic of moderating, don't be fooled by the thinness of tortillas. Check the nutrition profile and compare it to a loaf of bread - often a tortilla is equivalent to one or two slices. Greek yoghurt typically has a low fat and high protein content, but check your brand, that isn't always the case. (source)

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2012