Fuel Cycle Frittata

I love frittata and quiche, and over my years of weight watching and dieting, I've come to rely on them as a staple. My favorites are full of cheese and cream, plus they contain lots of veggies and sometimes some meat. Recently, I just wanted to get rid of some stuff in my freezer, and I hit upon one that is a definite winner. Since I just threw it together, my measurements are not going to be terribly exact here, but you get the idea.

Sage Sausage Frittata

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 to 1 cup of cream (or half and half)
1 pound of sage sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 large onion, diced and browned
1 bunch of spinach or kale, chopped and wilted
2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

Directions:
First preheat your oven to 350 (F) and crack the eggs into a bowl.

Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings, and whisk the eggs together. Then add the cream.

Now add 1.5 cups of the shredded cheddar, the sausage, and the wilted spinach, and mix well. Pour the entire mixture into a casserole dish.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is nicely browned. Makes 6 huge servings, or 9 smaller ones, or about 18 half-servings like these:

This was such a big hit that it was completely gone before the day was out. And P-Daddy has been hinting ever since that he wanted some more. But I'm headed into a Fuel Cycle with Trim Healthy Mama, and all that cheesy goodness is a definite no-no. So, I decided to make it much more Fuel Cycle friendly. Of course with the eggs and sausage, this is an S, and a pretty Deep one. Here's how it went:

Sage Sausage Frittata for the Fuel Cycle

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 to 1 cup of cream (or half and half) almond milk
1 pound of sage sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 large small or medium onion, diced and browned
1 bunch of spinach or kale, chopped and wilted
2 cups 2 ounces of cheddar cheese Kerry Gold aged cheddar, shredded
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

As you can see, it's pretty much the same, but let's take a look at each of the substitutions that make this dish much more Fuel Cycle friendly than the original:

Almond milk in place of cream
Dairy products are fairly restricted on the Fuel Cycle. A bit of raw cream is okay in your coffee, but yogurt, cottage cheese, cream, and half and half are a no-no. Almond milk is neutral, so it's fine, and it actually worked well in this recipe. Definitely use unsweetened, and while plain might be better, it was still great with vanilla flavored, which is all I had on hand.

Small or medium onion instead of large
On the Fuel Cycle, onions are discouraged, and we are told to "eat very few" - I understand this, but I really felt like this dish needed at least a few for the flavor. Spread out over an entire recipe, the onion in each serving is minimal, and should be fine for Fuel Cycle guidelines. But feel free to leave them out if you think that's a better choice.

2 ounces of Kerry Gold white cheddar in place of 2 cups of whatever cheddar I had on hand
Since we just want to use cheese in very minimal quantities on the Fuel Cycle, you do want a strong cheese, and this one has a nice sharp taste. The 2 ounces spread across the entire recipe is just a tiny amount of cheese in a serving (something like one small cube per piece). Of course if you have raw cheese, that would be a better choice! I love the Kerry Gold white cheddar, and although it's not raw, I feel like it's a better option than your average cheese is, so it's my Fuel Cycle choice when I can't get raw.

Overall, this turned out really well! P-Daddy liked it as much as the original (he's not as much of a cheese fan as I am), and I thought it was pretty good as well. I don't think it's as pretty without the browned cheese on top, but it's that taste that counts, right?!

I'm linking up to Trim Healthy Tuesdays over at Gwen's Nest and Stacy Makes Cents - head on over to either one for lots more THM-friendly treats!