Posts filed under 'meatless'
Good heavens, I really love Quiche! My husband calls it “one of those divisive foods”. I guess that means it falls into the same category as sauerkraut, brussels sprouts, and bleu cheese… foods that wars are fought over. Some folks are ga-ga over it, others gag. Very few people fall into the middle ground on foods like these. It seems like a lot of men think quiche is “gay” and are afraid that eating it will severely lower their manliness. (Wow! I hope their manliness is not that fragile!) Ladies seem to often think that it is just the ideal thing when eating together, say, for tea — especially if the quiches are very tiny and you can pop them individually into your mouth. I have no idea why - maybe we think it increases our femininity.
I made quiche for dinner last night. Normal-sized, not mouth-pop-able. To be safe, I also made French Onion soup and garlic toast, hoping there would be something on the table to please everyone. It was the first time I made quiche without a recipe - just “winging it”. I do have an old favorite of crustless spinach quiche which I got from an ancient cookbook in the early years of my marriage, but it has never gone over really well and instead of trying to improve on it, I just made this up as I went along.
The quiche I made last night, thankfully, turned out yummier than I expected. I just enjoyed it again for lunch. It’s crustless, but with a crunchy crouton topping. Here’s the recipe:
Spinach Quiche
6 slices of bacon
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
3 cloves fresh garlic
2 T. olive oil
5 eggs
3/4 c. milk or soymilk
1 1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
croutons, crushed
Start by frying up the bacon as you usually would. I like thick sliced bacon - it’s what I always use. If you are using the thin stuff, consider increasing the amount to 8 slices. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and set aside. Discard the bacon fat and clean your skillet or switch to a large, clean skillet.
Next, crush and dice the garlic and put it into a large skillet with your olive oil. Set the heat to medium, and while it warms up, chop the spinach up into bite-sized pieces. Often, frozen spinach is recommended for quiches and other spinach recipes, but I say “the fresher, the better!” Add the spinach to your now-hot oil and garlic. Stir and fry for a few moments until the spinach is wilted. That’s all it needs. Then remove from the heat and set aside. (You now have both the bacon and the garlic-spinach combo waiting on the sidelines.)
In a large bowl, break all five eggs and whip them up with the milk, salt, and pepper. Use a spatula to add the cheeses, then the spinach. Finally, cut up the bacon with your kitchen scissors and add that, too! Grease a regular 9 or 10 inch pie pan and pour your quiche mixture into it.
This needs to go into a 350 - 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the crushed croutons on top and return to the oven. You know it’s done when the middle doesn’t jiggle and you poke a knife into the center and can see cooked instead of runny eggs.
ENJOY!
I’ll be honest about the thumbs up count: There are 7 in our family. 1 was not home, 1 did not even eat the quiche, 2 (the little guys) were forced to eat the quiche. My husband ate a little but LOVES French Onion soup, so he focused on that. Really, only 2 of us dug into this quiche and really enjoyed it. Divisive foods. Ugh.
Signing off now–
the chow hall chef
September 4th, 2009
The Sunday Dilemma.
What to eat for lunch on Sunday? This is the question the plagues many of us every week. We, the church-loving, penny-pinching, got-a-lot-of-kids-to-feed moms need something appetizing and filling to be ready and waiting for us when we burst back in the door after Sunday worship services.
Today’s recipe can solve this problem once every month or two without getting old. Macaroni and Cheese, the standard crowd-pleaser, is a little different to prepare but is still its yummy self in the crockpot.
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
2 c. dry macaroni
1 can evaporated milk (it can be evaporated skim milk if you are watching the fat calories)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided (sharp)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
No need to cook the macaroni! Hooray! In a large bowl, combine both milks, the eggs, 3 c. of the cheese, salt and pepper.
Now spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Set on LOW. Add the macaroni to the milk mixture and put it all in the crockpot. Top with the remaining 1 c. cheese.
Cook for 5-6 hours on low.
vegetable. Asparagus truly is special, readers — it loves the cold winters and pops up in the springtime, the first vegetable a gardener gets to enjoy from his own piece of the earth. Now, I know that asparagus is something of an acquired taste, truthfully it is one that I am just starting to acquire myself. When it’s nice and tender, not too tough and woody, that’s when I like it best. Look for thin, bright green stalks with small heads and you can’t go wrong.
Enjoy!
(By the way — what a handy recipe to take to potlucks and other dinners!) For large families or crowds, increase everything by half or double the amounts.
May 6th, 2008
The Poblano Pepper is quickly becoming my favorite for Mexican dishes. With just a touch of heat of more serious peppers, none of the sweetness of a bell pepper, and enough flavor to taste — the Poblano suits my purposes in the kitchen quite well. That is, no one complains about them. My son likes as much heat as possible (ever try the Habanero Doritos? — he loves them) and does not like sweet peppers at all, but my hubby doesn’t like much heat in his peppers - he prefers his tongue to stay intact. 
If you need a little “Pepper-education,” Poblanos are very dark green, glossy and have a long and irregular cone-like shape. Again, not much heat, but that yummy pepper flavor without the sweetness of a green or red bell pepper.
So I’ve been using Poblanos more and more - in salsa, beans, and soups most particularly. The Poblano Pepper Boat evolved in my kitchen one night last week. I was making fajitas for my kids, but wanted something without refined starch for hubby and I. These peppers turned out so well that I knew I had to pass it on to all of you. As a bonus, Sam took a picture so you can actually see it and don’t have to rely on your imagination.
Poblano Pepper Boats
makes 3 servings
3 Poblano peppers
1 can pinto beans
1 sweet onion
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. oil
2 T. chicken stock, broth or water
1/2 can petit diced tomatoes
1/2 t. cumin
salt and pepper
cilantro
cheddar cheese, optional
Cut the tops off and then slice the peppers lengthwise and carefully remove the innards - the “core,” seeds and white pithy parts. Lay these open-side up on a baking stone or glass pan. You can pre-bake these in a 350 oven while you prepare the filling ingredients.
For the filling, coarsely chop the onions and the tops of the peppers (you didn’t throw those out, did you?!) Heat the oil in a medium skillet - use nonstick - and add the onions, peppers, and garlic to it - saute until the onion begins to soften. Remember - this is YOUR food, not mine, so if you like it hot, add a jalapeno or whatever pepper you like. Meanwhile, drain the beans and mash - either by hand with a fork or pulse them in a handy kitchen chopper.
Add the mashed beans and the tomatoes to your onions in the skillet and let them come to a quiet bubble. After that, you will want to turn them down as low as possible. Add the cumin, salt and pepper. A dash of lime juice is a nice addition, too. Chili powder is great if you want to add a southwest flavor.
Finally, remove the empty peppers from the oven and “stuff” them with the bean filling. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and minced fresh cilantro if you want. Return to the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve with fajitas, Spanish rice, eggs, corn chips or tortillas, tostadas… you-name-it! ENJOY!
January 14th, 2008
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