Quiche

Left Spinach, right broccoli. Both with extra-sharp Cheddar Cheese

Quiche is a staple at our house. It is the meal to cook when you just can't think of anything else to cook. It is pretty easy to prepare, if you stick with the basic recipe. You can alter the vegetables, cheese and spices to suite your tastes.

Here is the basic recipe that I use starting with the crust:

Pie Crust
1 C. Whole Wheat White flour (I like King Arthur brand)
1 TSP. salt
7 TBSP. butter
3 TSP. iced water

Using a food processor blend the salt and flour on low, then add the butter 1 TBSP at a time. Once the butter is completely incorporated (it will look like crumbs) add the water 1 TSP at a time. Stop adding water as soon as the dough forms a ball (don't add anymore than the 3 TSP). Wrap the ball in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured board, place in pie dish and prick holes in the bottom with a fork. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 5 - 7 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside.

Or you can use store bought crust, just read the ingredients first!

Basic Filling
Olive oil 
16 oz. frozen or 2 cups raw green bell pepper and onion mix (I usually get the frozen yellow, green and red bell peppers with onion mix).
16 oz. frozen or 2 cups raw vegetables if using raw spinach you need more like 6 cups (I used spinach and broccoli this time)
Nutmeg
Dill
6 oz. cheese (I used cheddar)
4 eggs
1 cup of milk or half & half
salt

Place approximately 2 TBSP of olive oil into a large frying pan. Saute the bell pepper/onion mix until it is completely defrosted and thoroughly hot, add the frozen or raw vegetables to the pan and cook until the frozen is completely defrosted and hot or until the raw has softened (do not overcook the raw spinach, it cooks very fast). Add 2 TSP of the nutmeg and 1 TSP of the dill (I didn't add the dill to the Broccoli Quiche) to the mixture and salt to taste. Set aside and prepare the egg mixture.

Whisk the 4 eggs, milk (or half & half), 1/2 TSP of nutmeg and 1/2 TSP of salt together.

Cut the cheese into cubes and place 1/2 of it onto the pie crust. Top the cheese with the vegetable mixture and place the rest of the cheese  cubes on top. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese and using a fork make sure that the egg mixture is evenly spread.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the egg is completely set.

Video Directions

Birthday Party

You want to invite family & friends over to celebrate a birthday, graduation, engagement or any other special event. You want it to be festive and not only serve good food but great food, but you feel that your choices are limited. What do you serve when the foods expected at a party include soda, punch and cake? This is the dilemma I faced while planning a birthday celebration for my son recently. I wanted to make his party special, but I also wanted to serve good food which to me doesn't include sugar laden "treats". Here was the menu:

Pear Ginger Iced Tea
Tzatziki Dip and Pita Chips
Chicken Sausage (Pineapple, Italian and Sundried Tomato)
Elotes (Mexican Corn)
Greek Salad
Honey Cheesecake (mango/pineapple & plain)


I found the Pear Ginger Tea Bags at Trader Joe's, my daughter sweetened the brewed tea with honey.

Tzatziki Dip:
1 seedless cucumber (the long one with the ridges that is sometimes individually wrapped in a plastic sleeve)
1 16 oz. container Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped or sieved through a garlic press)
1 TBSP of Dill
1 TBSP of finely chopped fresh mint
Juice of 1 large lemon (add more if you like it really tangy)

Grate the cucumber and place in a large bowl, add all of the other ingredients and whisk together. Cover and place it refrigerator for an hour to allow the flavors to blend.


Pita Chips
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Olive Oil
Garlic powder
sea salt

Brush each pita with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle very lightly with garlic powder and crushed sea salt on one side, cut pitas into 8 wedges.  Toast in a 450 degree oven until crisp. Keep an eye on the pitas, you have to be careful with the whole wheat ones because they are already brown. You want toast them not burn them.

I purchased the Chicken Sausages from BJ's, they have a variety of flavors. I had never had the Pineapple before but it turned out to be my favorite.

Elote
These things were so good, stinky, but so good.

Fresh corn on the cob
mayonnaise
lime juice
butter

Cotija cheese (my husband found this at the Mexican market, your supermarket might carry it).
Chipotle chili powder
Skewers 

Roast the corn on the grill, while corn is roasting mix 1/2 cup of mayo with the juice of 1 lime. When corn is done push a skewer into 1 end and rub butter on the entire cob (I leave the stick of butter in the wrapper and just open one side of it to rub on the corn). Brush the corn with the mayo/lime mixture and roll in the Cotija cheese and finally sprinkle with a little of the chili powder. Everyone who tried it loved it (I had one guest who wouldn't touch it!).

Greek Salad
8 Marinated Artichoke hearts, quartered
2 yellow bell peppers, sliced
4 small tomatoes, quartered
1 can of large black olives, pitted
1 large cucumber, sliced
 4 TBSP vinegar (I used red-wine vinegar)
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
baby lettuce mix

Mix the first 5 ingredients together, mix the oil and vinegar and pour over vegetables and toss. Top the salad with the feta. When serving place a portion of baby lettuce mix on the plate and top with the Greek Salad.


Honey Cheesecake

16 oz Cream cheese  
1/3 C. Honey 
2 eggs 
2 egg yolks 
1 C. Sour cream 
1 TBSP grated lemon peel 
2 TBSP cornstarch

Crust  
1 1/4 C. Almond flour 
1/2  C. Ground walnuts 
1 TSP. Ground cinnamon
1/3 C. Honey
1/4 C. Butter, softened

Place crust ingredients into a mixer and mix well. Using a spring form pan press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Take your time it will be really soft and kind of sticky. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, mix the cream cheese and honey together and then add the next 4 ingredients, after everything is blended add the cornstarch and mix well. Pour onto the crust and bake for 50 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Chill for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight). 


I topped one of the cheese cakes with a fresh pineapple, mango and lime mixture. I chopped 1/4 of a fresh pineapple, the flesh of 1 mango and mixed in the juice of 1 lime.

Consolation Prize!

Mango Smoothie

Have you ever had one of those days?

One of those days that gets so aggravating that you want to buy a half gallon of ice cream (preferably chocolate with all sorts of chunks in it) and go somewhere quiet and eat it all yourself?

Well today, more specifically earlier this evening was it for me. I don't eat sugar nor do I eat artificial sweeteners so I would have had to make major compromises eating the ice cream.  I decided that I didn't want to do anything self-destructive, it wouldn't change anything and would actually make things worse.

So I made a Mango Smoothie instead, it doesn't look like much but it was wonderful. I took 1 ripe mango, 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup of milk and 1 cup of ice and whipped it up in the blender. And I actually shared. 

Old habits die hard and one of my old habits was to use food for comfort, it works in the short term but then you are left with the original problem compounded by a new one.

Roasted Broccoli, Squash, Onions & Carrots

 I'll admit that I never really liked broccoli. I would eat it of course, I just never really liked it. That is before I started roasting it. I am in favor of making sure you have raw fruit and vegetables in your diet but there is something to be said about cooking food. And your cooking method can really make a difference.




 Roasted Broccoli

3 bunches of fresh broccoli
3 cloves of raw garlic, pressed
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

The roasted broccoli was simple to prepare. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Rinse the broccoli. Cut the florets off of the broccoli stalks and place in a bowl, cut the tender part of the stalk into pieces and add to the florets.  Add pressed garlic and toss. Place in a roasting pan that has been sprayed with oil and drizzle olive oil over the broccoli. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and black pepper and roast for 25 minutes or until the edges get a little crispy and enjoy. I have also done this with frozen broccoli, you follow the same process and don't worry about defrosting it first. Be careful not to burn it, the pieces are smaller in the bag.  You can follow this method for a variety of vegetables, the only thing you may change is the seasonings and the length of time you roast.

I served this with Squash, Onions and Carrots.

1 - 32 oz bag of frozen yellow squash
3 large carrots
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 TBSP virgin coconut oil
2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste

Slice the carrots and cook for 5 minutes in coconut oil, add onion slices and saute for 3 more minutes. Dump the bag of frozen squash on top, turn heat down and place lid on pan. Allow the squash to steam until completely defrosted. Take off the lid and turn up the heat to reduce the liquid in the pan. Add spices and cook until the squash starts to brown a little.

This meal served 4 with no leftovers.