With Easter coming up, lots of stores are putting eggs on sale. This week Ingles has eggs for $0.98 per dozen! A great time to try a yummy omelet recipe!

This is a recipe I found in a Paula Deen Magazine my grandmother gave me. I seem to be on a roll with Paula’s recipes, don’t I? :-)

Southwest Egg White Omelets

(makes 4 omelets)

1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices ($0.69 – recipe calls for red bell pepper but they were more than double the price of the green ones!)

1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices ($0.53)

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices ($0.53)

10 egg whites ($0.80)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (8 oz) package Neufchatel cheese, softened (my store only had cream cheese….$0.88 {store brand})

1 cup prepared salsa ($0.64)

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Place bell pepper, squash, and zucchini on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring once, or until vegetables are soft. Remove vegetables and reduce oven temperature to warm.

In a large bowl, combine egg whites, salt and pepper. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Heat an 8-1/2 inch omelet pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 of eg white mixture to pan, using a spatula to smooth top of mixture so it fills the bottom of the skillet. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until egg whites are set, flipping halfway through. Place on baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining egg whites.

Place 1/4 cheese in center of each cooked egg white. Top with 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 vegetable mixture. Repeat process with remaining cooked egg whites, cheese, salsa, and vegetables. Garnish with green onion, if desired. Serve immediately.

TOTAL COST: $4.07

Now that you’ve used your egg whites…what you do you with 10 egg yolks? Certainly we do not want to waste them. I’ve read several suggestions from using them in other recipes to feeding them to your pets.

I found this interesting information at the American Egg Board website:

“Raw egg yolks require special treatment because the yolk’s gelation property causes it to thicken or gel when frozen. If frozen as is, the yolk with eventually become so gelatinous it will be almost impossible to use. To help retard gelation, beat in either 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar or corn syrup for each 1/4 cup egg yolks (4 Large yolks). Label the container with the number of yolks, the date and whether you’ve added salt (for main dishes) or sweetener (for baking or desserts) and freeze. Substitute 1 tablespoon thawed egg yolk for 1 Large fresh yolk.”

How would you use leftover egg yolks?