With these mini omelettes with zucchini flowers, I resumed, after a short break, my experiments to get my children (aged 9 and 12) to eat vegetables. Luckily, during this break from vegetables, we had plenty of fruit at home to substitute them with, enjoying it, so the daily fiber intake is still safe. 😀
I used molds that I’ve had for a long time but have rarely used because a “normal” omelette can be prepared much faster than these with molds, it must be said. However, zucchini flowers are a really tough topic at my house, so I decided to “distract” my kids by making these flower and heart-shaped mini omelettes, which became a topic of conversation during lunch and magically ended up in my kids’ stomachs in no time.
I admit it, yes, there’s also a second trick. The ham.
I have to recognize that the fun part of these experiments with vegetables, apart from my personal enjoyment while cooking, is my children’s reaction when they discover that what they don’t like, surprisingly, sometimes is good: usually, they laugh, often Fabrizio says “that’s why I liked it less” even though while eating he had said exactly the opposite! However, we always decide together whether the experiment can be repeated or not. The goal of these experiments is to teach them that most things we don’t like might actually be enjoyable, because sometimes it depends on the cooking method (or the presentation, appearance is important with children). And to know if they like it, you have to eat or… at least taste (but sometimes it’s hard to convince them to taste! Is it the same for you?).
😀
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for 3 mini omelettes
- 2 eggs
- 6 zucchini flowers
- 1 slice ham
- onion
- milk
- extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- Molds for eggs and omelettes
- Frying pan non-stick
Procedure
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork. Add a little milk and mix. As mentioned before, I always add a little milk (or sometimes cream) to the eggs because it makes the omelette softer.
Wash and chop the zucchini flowers. I used only the orange part of the flower, removing the green part, which is a bit tougher. But I didn’t throw it away, I added it to the chopped mix for the sauce’s soffritto (in the “zero waste” series!).
Chop a small piece of onion.
Sauté the onion and the chopped zucchini flowers in a tiny bit of oil. Add the ham, cut into small pieces.
Before cooking the first mini omelette, divide the mix into three parts by eye and scoop out with a tablespoon the two parts that will be used for the next two mini omelettes.
Place the mold in the center of the pan and ensure that all the chopped vegetables and ham are well distributed inside the mold.
Add the third part of the beaten egg, corresponding to the right amount for these molds. Be careful because some of the beaten egg might seep out of the mold (I recommend using a pan with a very flat bottom).
Wait for the mini omelette to set well, detach it from the mold walls with a spatula or knife, then flip it and finish cooking the other side. Keep the freshly made mini omelette warm while cooking the other two.
👉 In the past, I had tried cooking two or three mini omelettes simultaneously by placing the molds together in a larger pan, but I didn’t get good results, probably because the bottom wasn’t perfectly flat all over the pan. Cooking them one at a time, instead, I’m satisfied with the result.
After the flower, here are the two hearts:
Finally, here are the molds! 😀
If you don’t know where to find them, try these –> Non-stick Egg Molds (very similar to mine).
Alternatively, you can use a pancake pan, like this one with smiles, which kids will surely like. 😃
Salt-Free Tips
This is a blog of salt-free added recipes, in fact, I have been cooking without salt for over two decades.
Since this recipe is dedicated to children, I remind you that salt should not be added to baby food and that it can be introduced into their diet only after their first birthday. This is something that can be avoided – as I did – because to their palate, not yet accustomed to salt, foods are good in their natural flavors.
Let’s prevent health issues for our children by delaying the introduction of salt into their diet as much as possible! 😉
Let’s prevent health issues for our children by delaying the introduction of salt into their diet as much as possible! 😉
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
● Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to adjust slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
● Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
● Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
● Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
● Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
● Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
● Prefer fresh foods.
● Avoid water-based cooking, prefer methods that don’t dilute flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave)
● Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
● Allow occasional indulgence. It’s good for the mood and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want to, or can’t, give up salt:
● You can still try my recipes by adding salt according to your habits.
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
● Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to adjust slowly and should not notice the progressive reduction.
● Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
● Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
● Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
● Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
● Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
● Prefer fresh foods.
● Avoid water-based cooking, prefer methods that don’t dilute flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave)
● Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
● Allow occasional indulgence. It’s good for the mood and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want to, or can’t, give up salt:
● You can still try my recipes by adding salt according to your habits.
I also invite you to join my group Catia’s Group, in the Kitchen and Beyond where I have created a special section dedicated to low sodium cooking.
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