I like to cook. Bunches. It's in my blood. I grew up watching my mother assemble five and six pounds of baked ziti at once while listening to The Godfather soundtrack. (She also hummed this to me as a lullaby when I was a baby. I wish I were kidding. ) However, in that tradition, if you give me a pile of veggies to chop and a movie I like, I will happily stand in the kitchen like an idiot for hours on end. However, I'm also on a diet, so my options are limited. The challenge? Make something delicious that doesn't kill the progess I've made. Today I'm serving up a veggie omelette with fennel and basil, and with it, balsamic sesame broccoli and cauliflower. Sounds good, right? Let’s go!



For the omelette:
3 eggs
1 orange bell pepper
1 handful of fennel leaves
1 tbsp dried basil (SORRY SORRY, I would have used fresh, I swear)
1 large tomato (I used jarred tomato since it was what was available)
1 large onion (your choice)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
a pinch of pepper
grated parmesan cheese
chopped green onion (garnish)

For the broccoli:
1/2 a head of cauliflower
1 head of broccoli
1 large onion
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds (I used half white, half black)
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves of crushed or finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp pomegranate molasses (you probably don't have this, you could substitute brown sugar and it would taste great, though obviously not the same)
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved completely in water

Background noise:
Jon Stewart hosting the Autism fundraising event.
(In my mind, I was listening to Phantom of the Opera, but if my family heard such a thing coming out of my speakers, I'd never, ever live it down.)

Notes:
I had a red and white (sweet) onion, and used half of each in each recipe. I also baked all the veggies because my grill isn't working, but this would be absolutely orgasmic if you grilled the veggies.

First, the balsamic sauce for the broccoli!


Do yourself a favor and toast the sesame seeds while you mix together the vinegars, oils, garlic, and honey. Low to medium heat, no oil, just wait until they smell good. Don't burn them.


But..hmm. This needed something. The acidity was a little too strong for something that wouldn't be dressing a salad. Ah, right!


Hell yeah! Use only a tiny bit; it goes a long, long way. Substitute brown sugar, about a tbsp, if you don't have it. Once this is all mixed up, put it on the stove and bring it to a slow simmer, then add the cornstarch mixture bit by bit until you get to where you're happy with the thickness. Keep it on the stove on low, because we don’t want to pour cold sauce on the veggies. How one might use a cooled sauce such as this? Well that's a different kind of cooking thread. It would go in In Flagrante Delicto.

By the way, while I did all this, I decided to make something pretty and almost totally free of calories. I peeled a carrot, sliced it into chips, and tossed it with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of (kosher, oh yeah) salt, then baked at 300 until cooked but not browned. Why not, right?


(Touga's sad because I chopped up his carrot now. )

I also roughly chopped up the pepper and baked it in the oven in this time. Again, toss with a little oil and salt before, then bake until the edges are darkening a bit. It imparts a nice flavor you won't get in the pan later. (Works better with a grill! )

You'll also want to get the broccoli and cauliflower started; same routine, oil, salt, 300-400 degrees, depending on how fast you want to go. You'll want to keep them the same size, but not too small.



Now let's chop up the onions! I love onions. I hear there's a fancy trick to stop you from crying, but I never bother. Like Akio before me, I choose to cry for no real reason.


These are going with the broccoli and cauliflower, but wait until the broccoli and cauliflower are about half done before putting the onions with them in the oven, as they'll cook faster. Soggy overly limp onions won't do. (If you want to be very picky, sweet onions will soften quicker than red onions.)


These are for the omelette. Put those suckers in a heated pan with some oil and sauté! (Oh, Touga, speak French to me! )



Things are going well! The broccoli and cauliflower are half done, so the onions are going back in with them, and the onions for the omelette are underway. Between tosses, you can chop up the pepper, tomato, and fennel leaves. (And basil if you were using fresh basil instead of being a godless heathen like me.)



Now throw your veggies all in the pan, with your basil and red pepper flakes. Cook that up!



Mmm. Pretty colors. How much you cook this stuff is up to you, you may prefer the veggies be a bit softer, you may prefer to keep them hard. When you're happy with them, distribute them as evenly as possible on the pan and pour the eggs (whisked with 1 tbsp water, a pinch of salt and pepper) onto it. Now, you could cover and cook this on the stove, but I just pop it in the oven, keeping it at the 300 degrees. Time this right and you can take the veggies out when it's about half done (should take 10 minutes or so, but keep an eye on it, I didn't time myself) and mix in the sauce while you wait. Yum!

DON’T BE AN IDIOT LIKE ME AND GRAB THE HANDLE OF THE PAN AFTER YOU HAD IT IN THE OVEN. OW.



I poured the balsamic sauce right on the veggies and mixed them up on the cookie sheet. (Foil wins. )



Cook your omelette until the top is set, then shake it out onto a plate. Sprinkle cheese, garnish with green onion. And now, the money shot!



And here's a bonus picture of me and Aki, who wouldn't stop bugging me because she thinks this is all cooked for her. Aki is a feline waste disposal, she’ll eat everything from hamburger to green onions to cheese. Also she kept trying to knock over my camera. Evil little kitten.



That's that! That's also easily dinner for two, though I admit I ate the whole thing. You would too if it's all you were going to eat for 24 hours. Please do tell Yasha and I if you enjoy our masturbatory cooking threads. We'll probably subject you to them anyway, but encouragement always helps.