Egg White Soufflé

Another healthy twist to dish that can be very airy, but rich. One of the most challenging foods that I made in my high school Home Economics class was a cheddar cheese souffle. I was nervous to take it out of the oven because I had heard that if you make too much noise, your souffle will collapse. Luckily, the boys in the class stopped screaming, we pulled the cheddar cheese souffle out of the oven and it survived. Souffles are very delicate and can deflate if they are disturbed during the cooking process, so be patient and gentle. CRAZY FOOD SCIENCE FACT: Now another thing that is interesting about this recipe is the lemon juice; you'd think that the acidity of the lemon juice would break down the egg whites, but it actually stabilizes the egg foam. It is fat that makes a souffle sink, so be cautious.

Tips:

**Cool you veggies - Make sure to chill the vegetables after you've sauteed them, otherwise adding hot vegetables to warm egg whites while give you scrambled eggs. Warm eggs - egg whites are easier to whip and hold up better when they are at room temperature.
Fresh juice - fresh lemon juice makes for a lighter souffle because a lot of bottled lemon juices are from concentrate.
Don't over do it - when you are folding the vegetables into the egg whites, DO NOT OVER STIR! Folding the egg whites too much will result in a flat souffle.
Popeye's 411 - Spinach REALLY loses it's volume after it is cooked; a full cup of raw spinach will really only give you a few tablespoons of cooked spinach.

Oven Temperature: 350 degrees

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes 

Servings: 1 medium (3 cup) souffle

2-3 servings         

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small (1/4 cup) onion, chopped

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups baby spinach, chopped      or     1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed

1 teaspoon (2-3 cloves) garlic, minced 

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour 

4 egg whites, room temperature  

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1) Move the oven racks so that the souffle will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Lightly grease a 3 cup souffle dish with non-stick spray or butter. Set it aside.

3) In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat the oil.

4) Add the onions, pepper, salt and pepper to the pan and cook until the vegetables are tender (5-7 minutes). 

5) Add the spinach and garlic to the pan and cook until the spinach has wilted (4-5 minutes).

6) Remove the pan from heat and transfer the vegetables to a small dish to cool. 

7) Stir into the vegetables the Tabasco, Parmesan, and flour until combined. Place the dish in the refrigerator while you whip the egg whites.

8) In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and lemon juice by hand or with a mixer on high speed until the egg whites form stiff peaks.

9) Gently fold the sauteed vegetables into the egg whites until they are just combined.

10) Carefully transfer the mixture into the greased souffle dish.

11) Bake the souffle for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.