Low-Carb Lesson #38: Ballpark Low-Carb Omelet

Low Carb Cooking 101: Low-Carb Lesson #38: Ballpark Low Carb Omelet

Today is officially the first day of spring, and what comes right on spring’s heels? BASEBALL! Monday is Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds, and it’s a very big deal here. At this point in the season hope springs eternal, and we all KNOW that the Reds are going to win the World Series this year. There’s a parade before the game, and both kids and adults cut school and/or work to attend the pre-game festivities as well as the ball game itself.

I never saw a baseball game at the ballpark until I married my husband, but baseball rules in his family, and I’ve been to many a game in the last almost-20 years. Rod’s father was a semipro baseball player in his day, and he took his boys to see every single American league team play every summer.

Jake worked for the railroad back then, and got free train transportation to Detroit and Cleveland. Back in the l950s you could take your own food into the ballparks, and they would pack up huge picnic lunches to take with them. The only out-of pocket expense was the tickets for the game.

In those days, men wore suits and ties to the ball games; imagine dressing up for a ball game! Rod doesn’t go that far now, but he does wear his baseball tie to work on opening day every year.

In our household, Opening Day is celebrated at home. I make a Ballpark Low-Carb Omelet for the family, and stick tiny Reds pennants in the flower arrangement on the kitchen table. Judy draws stitch lines on the napkins. After dinner we go out back and toss a baseball around for a bit (weather permitting).

Here’s this evening’s simple menu:

• Ballpark Omelet
• Quickie Salad
• Nectarines Melba

Here’s the shopping list for the meal. You may very well already have some of these things on hand:

• 8 hot-dogs
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 cucumber
• 1 Roma tomato
• 2 radishes
• 1 16-ounce bag prepared salad greens of your choice
• chopped nuts (slivered almonds, walnuts, or pecans)
• butter
• large eggs
• heavy cream
• yellow mustard
• shredded cheddar cheese
• salad dressing of your choice
• Splenda or other artificial sweetener
• unflavored gelatin (like Knox)
• sugar free DaVinci Raspberry Syrup
• vanilla
• salt
• pepper

Here’s the game plan:

Prepare the Nectarines Melba ahead of time; the nectarines need time to soak up the sugar free DaVinci Raspberry Syrup. You can do this the night or morning before or simply before you begin preparing the rest of the meal.

About 20 to 30 minutes before you want to serve the meal, prepare the salads and put them in the refrigerator to keep them chilled.

Set the table before you begin preparing the omelet.

Prepare the Ballpark Omelet according to the recipe directions. When the omelet is resting to let the cheese melt, put the salads and salad dressing on the table. You can serve up the Nectarines Melba now and put it on the table with the rest of the meal or wait until after eating to do it.

Serve the omelet on dinner plates and sit down to a well-deserved, relaxing meal.

And, finally, here’s the recipes:

Ballpark Low-Carb Omelet Recipe

• 8 hot-dogs, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (or more – to taste)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more – to taste)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions, green part only (optional)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)

Slice the hot-dogs into thin rounds.

Combine the eggs, heavy cream, water, and mustard and whip the eggs until everything is thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the hot dogs to the melted butter and saute the cutup hot-dogs until they begin to brown. Remove the hot-dog pieces from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When it is melted, pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Tilt the skillet slightly so that the eggs cover the entire bottom of the skillet.

Continue cooking over medium heat. As the eggs cook, carefully lift the sides of the omelet and tilt the skillet to let the uncooked egg mixture on the top flow to the underside of the omelet. Continue cooking until all the liquid egg mixture has been transferred to the bottom of the omelet.

Distribute the sauteed hot dog slices, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions over one half of the omelet. Carefully fold the other side of the omelet over the “filled” side. Remove the skillet from the heat, cover, and set aside briefly to let the cheese melt.

Slice the omelet into 4 servings and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Quickie Salad Recipe

• 1 16-ounce bag salad greens of your choice
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered but unpeeled
• 1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 radishes, sliced
• salad dressing of your choice

Place 2 cups of salad greens in salad bowls or on salad plates. Distribute sliced, quartered cucumber, chopped tomato, and sliced radishes evenly among the salads.

Serve with your favorite salad dressing.

Serves 4.

Nectarines Melba Recipe

• 2 nectarines
• 4 tablespoons Sugar-Free DaVinci Raspberry Syrup
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 packets Splenda or other artificial sweetener (to taste)
• 1/8 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (like Knox)
• dash vanilla (just a couple of drops)
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped pecans, slivered almonds, or walnuts (optional)

Remove the flesh of the nectarines from the pits, discarding the pits. (Do not peel.
The skin provides both nutrients and fiber.)

Cut the nectarines into small, bite-sized pieces and place them in a small bowl. Drizzle the sugar-free DaVinci Raspberry Syrup over the nectarine pieces and toss gently so that all the pieces are coated with the syrup. Cover the bowl and put in the refrigerator.

Whip the heavy cream until peaks form. Add the unflavored gelatin, Splenda (or other artificial sweetener), and vanilla to the whipped cream and continue beating until everything is incorporated. Taste test and adjust Splenda and vanilla to your taste.
Place the whipped cream in a small covered container and put it in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

To serve, divide the syrup-soaked nectarine pieces between 4 dessert bowls. (Custard cups work well.) Place a small dollop of whipped cream atop each bowl of nectarines and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of chopped nuts, if desired.

Serves 4.