Vegetable egg frittata is not only a quick and easy way to sneak in more veggies, and count it as regular vegetables intake, it also conveniently supplements as protein add-ons to a protein-veggie bowl e.g. Curry Chicken Veggie Bowl with Egg, Broccoli Chicken Salad with Egg.
For example, make Chive Egg Frittata and enjoy the extra boost of protein (egg) with fiber, vitamins and minerals (from the chive vegetable) in this chicken-veggie bowl.
Following HappyCall Pan (HCP) Fried "Rice" (Quinoa), and Pan-Fried Fish Fillet, this is another take on HappyCall Pan and this time, I'm going to make quesadilla. Alright, the tortilla wraps were store-bought but the HCP does a good job in warming up (gently steaming) those wraps.
The tortilla wraps are warmed. Now it's time to make a chive-egg omelette. I find that the HCP does a good job in making egg dishes as the pan surface is non-stick (ceramic coated and not Teflon) and therefore does not call for a lot of cooking oil when making egg dishes such as omelette.
After the chive-egg omelette is cooked, slide it out on a plate. Then place warmed tortilla back to the HCP, add the omelette back to the pan on the tortilla wrap, then place another layer of tortilla on top of the omelette (photos above).
Partially close the HCP and allow the quesadilla to warm and the omelette to fully-set within the wraps-sandwich. Remove and set aside on a plate, cut into half or quarters and then roll up with spring herb or salad veggies, and cucumbers and take a big bite.
This quesadilla wrap, roll-up sandwich is super-easy to make, healthy and nutritious too. With the chive-egg omelette as the main filling, it is definitely flavorful. Yum!
Sharing this wrap and roll-up sandwich with Souper Sunday
Tag: quesadilla, chives
Ended up with more filling than wraps after making boiled dumplings? Make chives meatballs from the remaining filling.
Then make a quickie chive egg-drop soup and gently cook the meatballs in the soup.
This is Chive Shrimp-and-Meatballs in a Chive Egg Soup 韭菜鲜虾肉丸蛋花汤. You can also call it Surf-and-Turf Soup with the combination of seafood and poultry in the meatballs.
You think that making dumplings is a chore (it does take some time up-front esp. the wrapping part). Think again. The dumplings can be made ahead and frozen, so it can be a time-saver if you prepare and plan well. When hunger calls, just boil water or broth and boil the frozen dumplings to cook.
So well, you still think it is a chore. Here comes a quickie Chive and Egg-Drop Soup - 韭菜蛋花汤to the rescue. Especially for vegetarians who would like to derive the chives benefits, you should consume them not as herbs/garnish but as a vegetable.
Though a popular filling for Chinese pan-fried dumplings/pot-stickers 锅贴 or boiled dumpling 饺子, it is in fact my first time making dumplings with it.
Today, I am making Boiled Dumplings with Shrimps, Pork/Chicken and Chives - 三鲜饺子 (三鲜 = 虾, 肉, 韭菜). To me, this is one of the stronger-flavored dumplings compared to dumplings that are Chicken + Napa Cabbage-filled, for example.
Chives 韭菜 (Jiu Cai) is of course the pungent-contributing factor (so pungent that some people actually dislike chives); and with chives being used, seasonings (soy sauce, salt) into the fillings can be much reduced.
While chives is typically used as garnish in most Western (French, Mediterranean included) cuisines, it is considered a vegetable (main) ingredient in Chinese dumplings or in fact in many Chinese cuisines.
Chives contain several nutrients such as Vitamin C, Potassium, Magnesium, Folate, Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A) and Vitamin K. However, when used sparingly as herbs, the nutritional benefits derived may not be impressive (Source: Livestrong.com)
Certainly, you can see that a lot of chives (in fact, entire bunch!) being used up in this Chive Dumplings recipe.
For Vegetarians: the dumpling filling option can be Chives + Tofu and/or Egg Shreds and/or Mushrooms and/or tiny Glass Noodles shreds + Egg (as the binder) , seasoned accordingly.
I used to find Chinese chives very pungent and definitely not a huge fan of it. The only time I am able to take relatively more chives (where they are typically used as garnish - meaning in small amounts) is in Mee Siam, as the tangy spicy gravy is tantalizing enough for me to forget about the strong garlicky smell and flavor of chives.
What is in the unique smell of Chives (韭菜, Jiu Cai)? Part garlic and part from the presence of (volatile) mustard oil that gives this plant antiseptic properties - healing wounds/bruises and killing germs in the intestines. Like most alliums, chives have also anti-cancer health benefits.
How best to cook Chinese chives? So pungent and strong-tasting that I have decided to combine it with a relatively bland ingredient: TOFU.
