TOMATILLO SALSA

June 18, 2016 Julie Sanchez

Tomatillo Salsa also known as salsa verde or green sauce is a staple in our home. We make it every week. My husband puts in on almost everything he eats. I love it with chips of course, but I also top it on eggs, on tacos, and on grilled fish. It is also amazing mixed with mayo and spread on your hamburger buns. If you want a creamier salsa, you can add sour cream and an avocado to the salsa. You will then have a salsa that tastes just like the green sauce at Ninfa's restaurant...a Houston landmark that we all love.

Try to buy tomatillos that are all about the same size. That way they will cook evenly. You probably will only use 2 jalapeños if you have a low threshold for spicy. I usually use 3 or 4 depending on the hotness of the jalapeños. My sons and husband like really hot salsa. When you are blending your salsa, you can add one jalapeño at a time and taste as you go; that way you are in charge of your spicy factor.

These are the same ingredients as above but with the added sour cream and avocado if you are making the creamier green sauce.

The tomatillos have a husk that you need to remove. Sometimes the husk, which is sticky, is difficult to remove. Just run the tomatillo under running water and you can slide it off. You will need to then wash the tomatillos.

Snap the stems off the jalapenos and wash the peppers.

You will only need a quarter of a onion, so cut the onion in half then half again and remove the outside layer of skin.

Peel 2 garlic cloves and then you will be ready to start cooking your salsa.

Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, and garlic in a medium pan and cover the vegetables with water. The vegetables will float, which is why my photo looks like I do not have enough water. Turn the burner on high and let the mixture come to a boil. Set your timer for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to medium high so that the mixture simmers.

While the salsa is cooking you can wash your cilantro and chop off the bottom stems. Since you are putting this in the blender, there is no need to remove every leaf from the stem. Just chop off the long ends.

After 10 minutes remove the vegetables with a strainer and place in the blender. I would put only 1 jalapeño in the blender to start, put the other jalapeños aside and add after you have tasted the blended salsa.

Be careful mixing hot liquids in the blender. It can be a explosive and dangerous situation if you do not either cool the mixture down first, or remove the small plastic lid while blending to allow the steam to escape. Put your cooked vegetables in blender, add your salt, and blend 'till smooth. Taste the mixture and add jalapeños to taste. Once blended, you can then slowly drizzle the oil in while the blender is on low. Once the oil is added, add your cilantro and blend on high 'till smooth and creamy. If you are making the creamier version, you would add your sour cream and avocado when you add your cilantro.

This is the creamier version green sauce. Make some chili con queso and a margarita, and you can have a party!

TOMATILLO SALSA RECIPE

Serves 10 people (or 2 people for 1 week )
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes

ingredients

One pound tomatillos (about 5-6 medium sized tomatillos)
1 to 4 jalapeños (depending on your heat tolerance)
1/4 of a onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup olive oil (halfway fill up a 1/4 measuring cup)
Handful of cilantro, long stems chopped off

optional additions

(for a creamier salsa)

One avocado
1/2 cup sour cream

PREPARATION

Peel off the skins of the tomatillos and wash the tomatillos.
Break off the stems of the jalapeños and wash the jalapeños.
Cut your onion into a quarter and peel.
Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and 2 cloves garlic to a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover the mixture.
Put on high heat and let it come to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium high and simmer for 10 minutes.
Wash your cilantro, cut off the long stems only, dry on paper towels and set aside.
Strain the mixture and place in the blender. I would recommend starting off with one jalapeño, place the other 3 jalapeños on the side. After blending you can keep the adding the jalapeños as your taste allows.
Add your salt.
Either let your mixture cool down a little, or you can blend on high if you have a lid that you can semi close to let the steam escape. A hot mixture in a blender can create a explosion if you do not allow the steam to escape while blending.
Taste your mixture for hotness. Add more jalapeños per your taste and blend again till smooth.
Once the mixture is blended, remove your lid, and with the blender on a low speed, slowly stream in your oil. Add your cilantro and blend on high till smooth and creamy.
For the creamier salsa, you can add your sour cream and avocado to the mixture when you add your cilantro.

Note: The salsa will last a week in the fridge. The creamier version will last 2-3 days.

PRINT RECIPE

CHOCOLATE BARK

April 30, 2016 Julie Sanchez

I have been making dark chocolate bark for years since my husband and I both love a little piece of dark chocolate after dinner. This is one of the easiest and yet elegant desserts. We have a lot of visitors from Mexico, and we entertain a lot, so I always keep this bark in my fridge for a simple, homemade, and delicious way to end a meal.

Dark chocolate has become a superfood. One to two ounces a day of dark chocolate, that has a 70% or higher cocoa content, has many health benefits. Dark Chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, helps lower blood pressure, raises HDL and lowers LDL cholesterol. Something that is delicious and good for you...I'm so in!!!

I like to buy the pecan pieces instead of whole pecans because they are less expensive than buying the whole pecans and the they are easier to measure. You can sprinkle fleur de sel or any special salt you may have to finish the bark. I always cook with fine sea salt so that it what I use. A coarser salt would also work as well. You need either parchment paper or foil. Parchment paper is so nice for so many baking needs. It makes for a very easy cleanup.

I like to chop up the pecans a little more for 2 reasons. First when you chop them finer they create this nut sawdust that looks cool on the bark. Secondly, the finer nuts adhere to the chocolate better.

Break up the chocolate bars into little pieces and place in a microwaveable bowl.

Microwave the chocolate for 1 minute. It will look like the photo above and you will think it is not melted enough, but once you begin to slowly stir the chocolate it will finish melting.

Stir your chocolate till all the pieces have melted and it is smooth. A rubber spatula is perfect for scraping all the chocolate out of the bowl onto your flat pan.

Pour the chocolate onto your pan and smooth out to about a 7" x 11" rectangle. A offset spatula is helpful but a knife or spoon would work as well.

Use a wet paper towel to clean your bowl and spoon that touched the melted chocolate, otherwise your sponge or dishrag will become permanently brown and nasty looking. Trust me...I learned the hard way.

Sprinkle your nuts evenly over the chocolate. Do not forget about the nut sawdust from the cutting board, spread that as well. With your fingertips carefully smoosh the pecans down into the chocolate. If your fingertips get chocolaty, wipe them off and continue pressing. You do not want your nuts to be covered in chocolate from your fingertips. Sprinkle salt over the bark, then place in the fridge to get hard.

Once the chocolate is hard, carefully break up your bark with your hands. Some nuts will fall off...that is OK. Life is not perfect. Store your bark in a airtight container in your fridge. It will stay good for weeks.

It so much more satisfying to have a piece of salty pecan bark than a one ounce square of dark chocolate broken off from a bar...just sayin!

cHOCOLATE BARK RECIPE

Serves 10 people (or a 2 week supply for 2 chocoholics)

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

INGREDIENTS

Two 3.2 - 3.5 ounce dark chocolates bars (70% or higher cocoa content)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
sea salt
parchment paper or foil

PREPARATION

Place the pecans on a cutting board and chop a little finer. You are trying to create a little nut dust which looks cool on the bark.
Pull out a flat cake pan or small cookie sheet that can fit in your fridge. If a cookie sheet does not fit in your fridge, you can use any flat pan or pans that will fit. Line the pan with either parchment paper or foil.
Unwrap your chocolate and break into pieces in a small microwaveable bowl. (Taste your chocolate. If it is too bitter for you, then you can add a tablespoon of sugar into the chocolate at this point.)
Microwave chocolate for one minute.
Remove the bowl from the microwave, it will look like the chocolate is not melted, but it will slowly melt as you begin to stir the chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the melted chocolate on your flat pan.
Spread the chocolate with an inverted spreader or knife on your pan. You will want to spread it to about a 11" long by 7" shape. You do not want to go much bigger than this since the bark will become too thin.
Sprinkle your nuts evenly over the top. Make sure to collect the nut dust from your cutting board and sprinkle that on as well.
Sprinkle sea salt over the chocolate.
Gently press the large pieces of nuts with a few fingers into the chocolate to make sure they are in the chocolate and not just sitting on the chocolate.
Place sheet in fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
Break up into pieces and store in the fridge in an airtight container. The bark will last for weeks this way. The bark will become too limp and not crisp if not kept in the fridge.

Note: Use wet paper towels, not your dishcloth or sponge to clean the items needed to melt the chocolate, otherwise your sponge will turn brown and there is no turning back.

Note: For a little extra kick you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your melted chocolate. The spicy and salty combo is addictive!

PRINT RECIPE

HARICOTS VERTS WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS

April 15, 2016 Julie Sanchez

Baby French Greens sauteed with a little garlic butter and topped with crunchy shallots...whats not to love! The fact that you can do most of the prep of this dish ahead of time combined with its impressive presentation makes it the perfect side dish for any occasion. This is one of our standard side dishes for Thanksgiving, but really these beans are so easy to prepare there is no reason to save them for the holidays. Haricots verts are green beans which are bred to be thinner, tender and more flavorful than regular beans.

HEB sells French green beans in one pound sacks. Sometimes my Whole Foods carries them, but not consistently. You can use any oil you like to fry the shallots. You also need garlic and one shallot. I usually buy two shallots, because I often get distracted when frying my shallots and they get too dark so I have to redo them. You may be more focused than me, if so, feel confident in your one shallot purchase.

After you rinse and drain the beans, lay them on a cutting board to trim the ends. I find its easier to grab a handful at a time to trim the ends and inspect the beans. When I was a little girl I would sit on my grandmothers front porch swing and snap beans and peas. Such simple happy memories...both my grandparents had vegetable gardens. Even when I was a young mother I would hand snap all the ends off the beans. Now I am more practical. Maybe when I get really old I will hand snap the beans once more...probably not. Discard any curvy beans, like the one at the top of the photo or any super large beans, since they will be tough. I discard the curly ones because they mess up my presentation. I like to present the beans in a row on a square or rectangle plate, the curvy ones will stand out and look odd. Greens beans going all different directions in a bowl just seems very wrong to me. A bowl does not show off the beautiful slender shape of the green bean. Yes I know I am a little crazy!

Once your beans are trimmed, you will put a large pot of water on high heat and let it come to a rapid boil. You will set a stopwatch on your phone and cook the beans for 3 minutes, no more. I like to cook broccoli this same way. Blanching and then plunging the veggies in ice water helps green beans and broccoli keep their bright green color. It also means that you can prep your dinner ahead of time. So when it is time to eat you simply saute your beans in a saute pan and they remain bright and green and not water logged.

After 3 minutes, you will remove the beans and place in bowl with ice water.

I fill a bowl halfway with tap water and throw a few cubes in the water. They will melt as you throw them in the water, but they will cool up the water quickly.

You need to then drain the beans, usually I just pull them out of the water with my hands and lay them on paper towels. Then I carefully lay them on my plate. You could do this stage a day or half day in advance. If the night before, then cover the store them in the fridge. If prepping for the evening they are fine on the counter half a day.

You can also fry your shallot in advance. They will stay crunchy for hours. Peel your shallot. Cut the shallot in half. Lay the cut side down and thinly slice the shallot. Finally break up the shallot slices with your hands forming little shallot strands.

Use a small saucepan and turn your oil on high. Throw one shallot strand in the oil so when it sizzles you know the oil is hot. Once the oil is hot enough, turn heat down to medium high and carefully place your shallots in the oil. You will have to stir occasionally. Start your stopwatch on your phone, it will take 2 to 3 minutes to turn golden brown. It happens so fast so totally focus on your shallots. They go from golden to dark brown so quickly.

Have your paper towels ready to drain the shallots on. Sprinkle with salt. I bet you can not resist tasting your yummy creation. Go ahead...no one is looking.

I even prep this step ahead of time as well. I usually blanch my beans in the morning, put them in my saute pan with my water, garlic, butter, and salt. They can sit out all day like this. Only on special occasions do I really use butter on the beans, I usually just add a splash of olive oil. But for celebrations and dinner parties we do not count calories so I will pull out the butter.

Once the beans have sauteed, I lay them on my serving dish, I drizzle the remaining garlic butter left in the pan on top, and then scatter the crispy shallots down the middle.

hARICOTS VERTS WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS RECIPE

Serves 4 people

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb French Green Beans (Haricots Verts)
1 large shallot, cut into strands (I like to buy 2 shallots in case I get the first batch too brown.)
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup oil
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1/4 cup water

PREPARATION

Wash your beans and drain on paper towels. Grab a handle of beans and line them up on your cutting board and cut ends off each side. Discard any large or curly beans at this time.
Set aside a bowl with tap water and ice.
Grab a large pan to boil water. Turn water on high heat and let water come to a rapid boil.
Start your stopwatch on your phone. Add the beans, cook 3 minutes.
Quickly remove beans with a slotted spoon and place in your ice water bowl.
Once cooled you can drain your beans and place on a plate carefully, so the beans remain straight and not curled up. At this point you can put the beans in the fridge and cook the next day or you can place in large sauté pan to finish cooking later the same day.
Peel your shallot and cut in half. Then thinly slice the shallot. Break up the shallot slices with your hands to create little strands.
Get your paper towels ready to drain the shallots after frying.
Put 1/3 cup oil (any oil you have) into a small saucepan and turn on high. Put one little shallot strand in the oil so you will know when it sizzles the oil is hot enough.
Once the test shallot sizzles, turn the heat down to medium high.
Start your stopwatch again, and carefully put shallots into hot oil. They will need to cook about 2-3 minutes till golden brown. You will need to occasionally stir the shallots. They cook really quickly so totally focus on the shallots. They can burn very quickly.
Once they look golden brown, remove the shallots with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt. Again the shallots can be fried ahead of time and kept at room temperature for hours.
Place your beans, 1/4 cup water, your minced garlic, your butter or olive oil and a sprinkle of salt in a large sauté pan. Up to this point, all these steps can be done in advance. You can leave the beans on your counter all afternoon till you're ready to finish cooking them.
When you are ready to finish cooking your beans place the large sauté pan with the beans, water, etc. on high heat. Again turn on your stopwatch.
Cook beans on high heat for 3-4 minutes, till water has evaporated and beans are heated through and tender, stirring occasionally.
Carefully place beans on platter. Pour remaining butter and garlic mixture on top and sprinkle shallots down the middle of the beans.

PRINT RECIPE

CASHEW CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES

April 2, 2016 Julie Sanchez

My cashew chicken is packed with crunchy vegetables and glazed with a slightly salty, sweet, and spicy sauce. Its a one pot meal. It takes some prep work, but the actually cooking time is super fast. Its the perfect meal to prepare for guests. You can prep ahead, then all your guests can sip wine and watch you perform . When my kids were little, this was my son's Christopher's most requested meals. I would serve it over white rice. Now that my husband and I are always trying to lose weight we skip the rice. With or without rice, its a much more colorful and healthy alternative to Chinese take out.

I love to use coconut oil as much as I can. Its such a healthy oil, but it does have a coconut taste, so in this recipe its perfect. If you do not have any, than use olive oil or any oil you have. I like to buy a bag of cashews from Whole Foods and then throw the bag in the freezer until I need them again. If I put them in my pantry, they will go bad before I can use them again. Try to buy organic veggies if you can!

Stand the red pepper up, and cut down 4 sides of the pepper. Discard the core. I only use half the red pepper in this recipe. If you love red pepper than you can use the whole pepper. I just feel a little bit of pepper goes a long way.

Cut your sections in half and then cut thin slivers, as thin as you can.

Peel the carrots, then cut into about 2"-3" pieces. Then cut the pieces in half so they lay flat on the cutting board. Then cut into matchsticks.

You need 2-3 heads of broccoli, about 4 cups, cut into bite size pieces.

Did you know that jicama is one of the few very low calorie root vegetables. It is one of the finest sources of dietary fiber. It also contains important minerals like magnesium, copper, iron, and manganese. To prep the jicama cut the top and bottom off the jicama. Then cut all the sides off. I know there is waste but it is very difficult to peel a jicama. And this way you have a cube to easier make your matchsticks. My husband, who is from Mexico cringes when he sees me cut the jicama this way. He will take forever peeling it and not wasting one ounce of jicama. I am a more practical cook. If you can not find jicama then buy a can of sliced water chestnuts in the Asian isle of your grocery store.

Trim the extra peeling off. Then cut into thin slices. Then stack 2 slices at a time and cut into matchsticks.

In this recipe I like to cut the green onions on the diagonal. It simply looks cool to me this way. Save a few green slices to garnish your dish at the end.

I prefer chicken breast tenders over chicken breasts since they already come in little tender strips. But you could substitute chicken breasts if your prefer. I have to admit I do not like cutting up chicken...its so slimy! Cut your chicken last since it will contaminate your cutting board.

Since this is a very quick cooking dish you must measure and prep before you begin cooking. Here are all my veggies, my cashews measured out, my garlic, and a few green onions in the front saved for my garnish.

The whole cooking process is so quick, its basically a stir fry, so you need to have everything ready to go before you begin cooking. In a small bowl set aside 3/4 cup chicken broth. Pull out your measuring spoon and corn starch and set aside. If you mix it together ahead of time the corn starch will turn into a glob in your bowl. The corn starch will create the glaze that we crave.

In another bowl combine your teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and honey and mix to combine. Now the hard part is done!

You want your chicken to get some color, which is why when you first place it in the hot pan you do not move or turn it for a few minutes. My camera lens was covered in steam when I shot this photo...looks a little mystical.

Cashew Chicken with vegetables is now ready for its closeup.

CASHEW CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES RECIPE

Serves 4 people

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

ingredients

red pepper, use 1/2 of pepper, cut into thin slices
3 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
2-3 broccoli heads cut into bite size pieces, about 4 cups
1 jicama, cut into thin matchsticks (you can substitute a can of sliced water chestnuts)
1 bunch green onions, cut into diagonal slices
2 lbs chicken breast tenders, or 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup roasted and salted cashews
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth, or water
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons honey
Sriracha sauce, as many squirts as you can handle
1 tablespoon coconut oil, or olive oil

preparation

Cut your red pepper into thin slices, I only use half the pepper.
Peel your carrots, cut into 2"- 3" chunks, then slice the chunks down the middle so they lay flat on the cutting board. Now cut into matchsticks.
Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces.
Cut the top and bottom off the jicama. Then cut down all four sides till you have a square. Then cut into slices. Stack 2 slices at a time and then cut into matchsticks.
Cut the green onions on the diagonal. Save some of the greener part of the green onion for the garnish.
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
Measure out your cashews and set aside.
Mince your garlic.
Measure out 3/4 cup of chicken broth and set aside, and pull out your cornstarch and measuring spoons.
Combine your soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and honey in a small bowl.
Place a large sauté pan on high heat. You will keep the heat on high the entire 11 minutes.
Let pan heat up for a few minutes, you want the pan really hot.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirl around the oil and then place the chicken in. Do not dump the chicken in, scatter it around the pan. Now is the time to salt and pepper the chicken. Set your stopwatch on your phone. Do not stir chicken, let it sit for 3 minutes, so the chicken can get a little brown. After 3 minutes stir the chicken, let it cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the carrots and pepper, cook one more minute, stirring constantly.
Add the broccoli and garlic, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Pour the soy sauce mixture in. Cook for 3 more minutes while constantly stirring.
Add the jicama, cashews, and green onions, and stir.
Mix the cornstarch into chicken broth till dissolved, and add to the pan, stir and cook 1 more minute. ( 11 minutes total cooking time) Add srirachi to taste.
Garnish with the remaining green onions.

PRINT RECIPE

BACON,TOMATO,SPINACH, AND GRUYERE FRITTATA

March 11, 2016 Julie Sanchez

I love frittatas for so many reasons. For one thing they are equally good for breakfast, lunch or for dinner. Secondly you can prepare the frittata in advance, zap it in the microwave, and serve it with fruit or a salad for a super quick and delicious meal. It is basically a crustless quiche. You begin cooking it on the stove and finish cooking it in the oven until it puffs up and turns golden. Its easy and cheesy and filled with protein.

These are the ingredients you need. If you can not find Gruyere you can use Swiss cheese instead. Try to use nitrate free bacon and organic spinach if you can find them.

I wanted the frittata to serve 4 people so I knew I needed to use 8 eggs for the recipe. But I when I made it with just the 8 eggs the frittata was not tall enough...I wanted the similar thickness of a quiche. So I decided to add the 2 egg whites to achieve the fluffiness and height I desired. Crack your 8 eggs in a medium bowl, then with the 9th and 10th egg, crack the egg in half, then carefully transfer the yolk between the 2 shells, letting the white fall into the bowl and finally discarding the yolk with the shells.

The brand of Gruyere cheese I buy has a hard rind on the 2 ends that needs to be removed.

Simply slice the cherry tomatoes in half .

Cut the green onions into thin slices. When putting the sliced green onions in a bowl to set aside, put the green part in the bowl first and the white second. When you are making your frittata you will sprinkle 2/3 of the onions into the egg mixture and save the remainder for sprinkling on at the end. The green part of the onion is best for the garnish and the white part is best for the egg mixture. So this is why I am suggesting that you put the green part in first since you will use it last.

Remove the long stems from the spinach, then stack the leaves and roughly chop them.

Stack 3 pieces of bacon on top of each other and thinly slice down the length of the bacon about 1/4" thick. You have now created bacon lardons...yippie! Slice the remaining 3 slices the same way. Once cut, you can throw the bacon lardons into your pan to cook later.

Have all your ingredients prepped and your oven preheated before you begin to cook.

I know what your thinking...this looks like too much bacon. First of all there can never be too much bacon, and secondly the bacon will cook down considerable. While the bacon is cooking stir the bacon to break up the layers of three that stuck together while slicing the bacon.

Once the bacon has cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour the grease from the pan into a small bowl. You can use a little of it to grease your pan when cooking the tomatoes.

Save a tiny bit of bacon grease or olive oil in your pan and saute the tomatoes for 1 minute. Then add the spinach and 2/3 of the green onions and cook another minute. You just want the spinach to wilt a little bit, you are not trying to cook it all the way.

Add the tomato,spinach, onion mixture to your eggs. Then add half your cheese, your bacon, and salt and pepper. Wipe out your pan and re oil the pan with a little oil or bacon grease. Most frittatas are made in the pan without mixing the ingredients into the eggs.( You saute your veggies and then pour the eggs on top) But when you make a frittata this traditional way all the goodies are on the bottom layer and the eggs sit on the top. I do not care for how the frittata looks once you cut into it using this method. I like seeing all the ingredients mixed up throughout the frittata.

You can slide your frittata onto a cutting board once it has cooked, so you can slice it into wedges easier. I usually cut it into 4 wedges if this is being used for a meal. You can cut smaller wedges if you are serving it as a tapas appetizer.

I love the combination of the warm frittata with the cool crisp watermelon. When my boys were growing up I would often make quiche for dinner. I always served watermelon with our quiche...it was our tradition. So naturally this is by far my favorite way to enjoy my frittata!

BACON,TOMATO,SPINACH,AND GRUYERE FRITTATA RECIPE

Serves 4 people

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

8 eggs
2 egg whites = 10 eggs total
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 of a 5 ounce box of spinach, about 1 cup, roughly chopped
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4" slivers

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

10" nonstick, ovenproof saute pan

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl crack 8 eggs.
Crack open the last 2 eggs, but use the whites only. Use a fork to whisk eggs till combined.
Grate your cheese and set aside.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside.
Slice the green onions thinly, put the green slices in the bowl first then the white slices and set aside.
Remove the stems from your spinach and roughly chop, set aside.
Stack 3 pieces of bacon on top of each other and thinly slice lardons about 1/4" wide. Repeat with remaining 3 pieces of bacon. Add bacon to a nonstick, oven proof 10" saute pan.
Cook bacon on medium high heat till it starts to sizzle, then turn heat down to medium and cook bacon till crisp and lightly browned.
Remove bacon with slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain and pour almost all the bacon grease into a small bowl. Save about a teaspoon to saute the tomatoes.
Put the pan back on medium heat and saute the tomatoes for 1 minute.
Add the spinach and 2/3 of the green onions to the pan, stir and cook one more minute.
Add the tomato, spinach, green onion mixture to the egg mixture. Throw in the bacon, half the cheese, and 2 pinches of salt. Stir to combine.
Wipe out your pan with a damp paper towel, dry the pan and put in a little oil or bacon grease to swirl around and coat the pan. Turn the burner onto medium heat and add the egg mixture.
Cook the egg mixture on a minute or two, the sides will set a little. Open the oven door and carefully put pan into oven, trying not the slosh the mixture.
Bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes remove pan from oven. Sprinkle on remaining cheese and the remaining green onions.
Insert pan back into oven and cook another 5 minutes.
Remove pan and test the center with a knife to make sure the eggs are set.
Slide the frittata onto a cutting board and cut into 4 or 6 wedges.

PRINT RECIPE

Note: This recipe calls for a nonstick ovenproof pan. Most nicer brands can withstand heat up to 400 degrees in the oven as long as the handle is metal and not plastic. If you are not sure then look up on your brands website. I have a calphalon, which is safe up to 450 degrees with a nonstick surface. If you do not have a 10" pan, then adjust the ingredients to your pan's size.