Posh Up Your Picnic, Lunch or Bento Box

Yesterday I had the delightful experience of attending an open-air theatre performance right in the midst of leafy Regent’s Park in central London. The weather was kind and we were encouraged beforehand to bring along a picnic to enjoy pre-show or book one through the venue. Sandwiches, pork pies, crisps/chips might have suited me pre-op but now I’m a little more choosy with my picnic fare – some say I have most certainly poshed things up!

So I made a frittata to take with us to enjoy with a little salad and fruit. A wedge served on a bed of leaves proved perfect. This one was made with

some cooked new potatoes, ham, spring onions/scallions, eggs and a little reduced-fat feta cheese. I had a thick carved slice of ham to use up which I tore into pieces, tossed it with some chopped fresh mint from the herb garden, cooked some new potatoes and added a crumble of feta (a great cheese I find for introducing intense flavour and a hint of saltiness for just a small quantity). I think a handful of cooked peas would also work well in the mix. It would be just as delicious hot or warm as it was cold in my bariatric bento box and ideal for family eating.

HAM, SPRING ONION/SCALLION AND FETA FRITTATA

Ingredients

METRIC/US

200 g/7 oz new potatoes

6 spring onions/scallions, trimmed

low-fat cooking spray or mist

1 thick slice carved ham or about 75g/3 oz cooked ham slices, roughly torn into pieces

4 eggs, beaten

60 g/generous1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat Feta cheese

6 fresh mint leaves, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Chop the potatoes into small bite-sized chunks and par-cook in boiling water for 5-7 minutes until almost tender. Add the spring onions/scallions for the last 1 minute of cooking time then drain well.

2. Generously spritz a medium-sized non-stick frying or saute pan with the low-fat spray or mist. Add the potatoes, spring onions/scallions and ham and heat through for 1 minute.

3. Add the eggs and stir a couple of times to coat and incorporate everything together. Sprinkle over the feta, mint and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook gently for about 8-10 minutes or until almost cooked. Meanwhile, heat the grill/broiler to hot.

4. Transfer the pan to the grill/broiler and cook until the frittata is golden on top and cooked through – about 3-5 minutes.

5. Serve hot or warm cut into wedges or allow to cool and then slice to serve.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: 1/2-1

Calories per portion: 177

Protein: 14.6g

Carbohydrate: 9.6g

Fat: 8.9g