When I am not busy taking care of my two energetic little boys, or working on an interior design project~ I play in the kitchen! For the last 15 years, I have been juxtaposing new flavors and ideas; it’s finally time to document my recipes...

I believe in fresh & affordable meals.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Veggie & Egg White Fritty with Goat Cheese



One of my best friends is getting married tomorrow; I can't wait! The beautiful bride simply can't eat crap the day of her wedding. She needs good protein energy~ without too many bloating agents!!! So, at JJ's request, this egg white frittata was created. This yummy dish is clean, simple and health packed.

Go and get it...
1 Red bell pepper
1 Yellow bell pepper
1 Orange bell pepper
1 container of button mushroom
1 large container of egg whites
1/2 log of goat cheese
2 tablespoons of pesto
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven at 350 deg.
Dice/chop peppers and shrooms, put them in a pan on the stove top with the olive oil, cook over med heat for about 10 minutes. After the peppers & shrooms are soft. Add the pesto (the reason you want to wait to add the pesto is b/c some pesto has lots of parm cheese, and if you cook it too long it burns). Let cook for another 5 minutes ON LOW. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour veggies in a large dish/pan, cover with egg whites, and crumble 1/2 log of goat cheese on the top.
Cook in the oven on 350 deg. for 1 hour.
I like to garnish with roasted tomatoes, basil or rosemary. This is a perfect dish for a shower, brunch or breakfast. If you are serving this for lunch or dinner, I recommend adding a balsamic reduction drizzle to the top. Google it. Its easy to to make and super tasty.

WHY GOAT CHEESE

Lower in Fat and Calories

When it comes to fat and calories, goat cheese has the advantage over cheese made from cow's milk. Goat cheese clocks in at eighty calories and six grams of fat per ounce, compared to cow's milk cheese, which generally has around 100 calories and 10 g of fat per ounce. This means goat cheese is the better choice for staying fit and thin.

Metabolism-Boosting

Diets higher in calcium have been proven to assist the body's burning of fat after meals. The need for hormone release to maintain calcium levels is banished, which correlates with a higher rate of fat oxidation.

Higher in Protein

There are five grams of protein in a single ounce of goat cheese! Goat's milk is a good source of low-cost high-quality protein, providing 8.7 grams of protein (17.4% of the daily value for protein) in one cup versus cow's milk, which provides 8.1 grams.

Higher in Calcium

The amount of calcium in goat cheese can vary from around forty grams in soft cheese up to 240 grams in hard goat cheese. This clocks in slightly higher than cow's milk cheese, which has about 200 grams in the hard version. Lower in calories and higher in the good stuff? We like it.

What does calcium do, anyway?
  • maintains the strength and density of bones.
  • helps to protect colon cells from cancer-causing chemicals
  • helps prevent migraine headaches
  • reduces PMS symptoms during the second half of the cycle
  • helps protect against breast cancer (Women with the highest average dairy intake had a 45% lower risk of developing breast cancer than women with the lowest average intake. When only pre-menopausal women were considered, benefits were even greater; those with the highest average dairy intake had a 65% reduction in breast cancer risk)
  • plays a role in vital body functions, like blood clotting, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, regulation of enzyme activity, cell membrane function and blood pressure regulation.
Calcium is vital to these activities, so when dietary intake of calcium is too low to maintain adequate blood levels of calcium, calcium stores are drawn out of the bones to maintain normal blood concentrations. And calcium from dairy foods is more effective than that gained from a supplement, according to a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Great Source for a Variety of Other Nutrients

Goat's milk and goats milk cheese are great sources of a number of important nutrients and vitamins:
  • the amino acid tryptophan
  • phosphorus
  • riboflavin or vitamin B2 (which plays important roles in the body's energy production)
  • potassium (which helps prevent high blood pressure and protects against arteriosclerosis)
  • goat's milk contains 25 percent more vitamin B-6 than cow's
  • vitamin A is 47% higher in goat's milk, too!
  • three times as much niacin. It is also four times higher in copper.
  • Goat's milk also contains 27 percent more of the antioxidant selenium than cow's milk.

It's Easier to Digest

People who are lactose intolerant (about a quarter of the American population!) are sometimes able to tolerate goat cheese even if they have problems digesting cheese made from cow's milk. The levels of lactose are similar, but the fat molecules in goat cheese are shorter, making them more digestible. Even people who don't have a lactose intolerance will find that goat cheese appears to be more easily digested than conventional dairy products.

Part of Dr. Oz's "Blue Zone" Diets

Sardinia, a Mediterranean island 120 miles off the coast of Italy, is a blue zone, an area with a high rate of healthy citizens.

Sardinians drink goat's milk, which is high in calcium and good for your heart. "Plus, researchers believe it could protect against Alzheimer's and heart disease," Dr. Oz says.

Not only is goat's milk healthy, it's easier for your stomach to digest and is also good for people who are lactose intolerant. "It has tryptophan, that same sort of mellowing agent that turkey has," Dr. Oz says. "The fat particles in goat milk are much smaller than in cow milk, so you don't have to mix it up. And when you mix up fat globules, in some people it makes enzymes that irritate your stomach." Goat's milk is available in most grocery store dairy departments, just look for it in a smaller size than a gallon. (Source: http://www.oprah.com/health/The-Secrets-of-the-Blue-Zones/8)

Contains Probiotics

Goat cheeses contain moderate levels of probiotics, the "good" bacteria that aid gastrointestinal health in the human body. Just what do probiotics do?
  • help melt postpartum belly fat
  • build elderly immune systems by tackling the age-related deterioration of the immune system.
  • they enhance immune system response
  • reduce negative affects of taking many types of antibiotics
  • aid in preventing and treating colon inflammation following surgery
  • help to prevent eczema in youth
  • increase ability to digest food
  • are therapeutic for viral respiratory tract infections by enhancing the overall immune system
  • reduce lactose intolerance
  • reduce incidence of yeast infection, vaginitis and candidiasis
  • increase ability to assimilate the nutrients from food
  • alleviate many common digestive disorders such as constipation, diarrhea and IBS
  • act as a treatment for halitosis (bad breath)
  • increase ability to synthesize vitamin B
  • increase ability to absorb calcium
  • promote anti-tumor and anti-cancer activity in the body     



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