gruyere and swiss spinach quiche and parm crusted cauliflower

For the last few weeks, I've had the itch to cook again. I can't explain my inspiration, but those around me, namely the Mister and the Super-Beast (oh yes, she has graduated to SUPER BEAST) don't need one.

I stumbled across a recipe for Gruyere Spinach Quiche. I wanted something with spinach because somehow we've ended up with three bags of

frozen spinach and no ambition to use it. Quiche is cool because it's relatively easy and just sounds like something incredibly fancy which took hours to make. (And that's how I roll.)

I love roasting vegetables (refer to chili broccoli and kale). I

think it's quick and healthy. In the spirit of adding something healthy, I also found a great recipe for cauliflower on Once Upon a Chef. I like throwing something in the oven. Setting the timer. And walking away. Somehow, I feel like I'm taking a short cut and getting off easy.

Gruyere and Swiss Spinach Quiche (inspired by Once Upon a Chef)

Ingredients

1, 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup thinly sliced shallots

4 large eggs

1¼ cups half and half

pinch ground nutmeg

¾ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon chili powder

1 cup grated Gruyere (I used the shredded Gruyere and Swiss mix from Trader Joe's)

1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach (make sure to take all the water out.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the pie crust from freezer and leave it out for about 10-minutes. Prick holes throughout the pie crust so that the air has a place to escape and it doesn't explode. Bake on center rack for about 10-minutes. Take it out, and turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Saute the shallots in butter until they are clear. Once they are cool, spread them as the first layer on the pie crust. Mix together eggs, half and half, nutmeg, salt and chili powder. Sprinkle the Gruyere on top of the shallots, spread spinach evenly on top. Finally pour the egg mixture over the top. Cook for 55-60 minutes at 325.

It did take a bit longer. I increased the heat to 375 and cooked it for another 10-minutes. Perfect.

Parm Crusted Cauliflower (inspired by Once Upon a Chef)

Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Heat oven to 375, cook for 40-50-minutes. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

For the cauliflower, I was running tight on time so I just stuck it in the oven on 325 degrees for the 50 min. That did it. I would increase the heat in the future to 375 degrees. You just have to keep checking on it to see if it's browned or not. If it is, then take it out, add the parm and stick it back in for another five minutes.

This was my reaction from the Mister when he started eating the quiche:

"Mmm. This is good." Mmmm. This is good too." "This isn't very healthy, is it?"

No Sir, it is not. Which is why this meal is going to be a very sporadic addition to our meal rotations.

blueberry coffeecake with flax seed

On the box of the Trader Joe's Multigrain Baking and Pancake Mix I found a relatively simple recipe for blueberry coffeecake. We were actually on our way to a friend's house for a weekend and there would be several little rugrats roaming the halls. (And by roaming, I mean running.) I figured that a blueberry coffeecake could supplement pretty much any breakfast. I had everything necessary to make the cake in my fridge and pantry, minus the buttermilk.

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Flax Seed

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons oil

2 1/2 cups TJ's multigrain baking mix (but any baking mix will work)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Whisk together egg, buttermilk and oil, add baking mix and sugar. Fold in blueberries. Spreak batter into an 8x8x2 pan coated with cooking spray and sprinkle flax seeds on top. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

I believe this recipe to be relatively healthy, especially after I sprinkled flax seed on top. It seriously took me about 10 minutes to prepare. I'm going to get some more fresh blueberries and make another loaf this week.

Tofu Steaks

My relationship with tofu is fickle at best. I've compared the taste to styrofoam and twigs. I've suggested that I'd rather eat paper or a dirty shoe. And I've dismissed it's appearance with a "gross" on pretty much any restaurant menu.

Here's the problem. The Mister and the Bebe heart the tofu. And why shouldn't they? I mean, I loath it. So it's only natural that they both love it. I have had it prepared properly. La Na Thai (French Thai Restaurant) in Media, PA on State Street makes an amazing tofu. They must inject it with delicious or marinate it in succulent for days, because it's flavor is nothing short of fantastic.

Tofu is high in protein, iron, calcium, magnesium and low in calories. I'm losing this fight, so rather than hate on the tofu I've decided to dominate it.

Here was my train of thought...what do I love? Meat and potatoes. Why not prepare the tofu like the meat? Over the past few months, the Mister has taken it upon himself to make me various cuts of meat. I've become familiar with different sauces and marinades.

TOFU STEAK

Ingredients

1 block of tofu (firm or extra firm)

1/2 cup Worchestire sauce

2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

McCormick steak seasoning

1/2 large onion chopped

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

Marinade: combine Worchestire sauce, spicy brown mustard, chili powder.

Cut the tofu block into six blocks. Make sure they are thick and even, otherwise they are going to fall apart in the frying pan. Place the tofu in a deep baking pan and cover with the marinade, make sure everything coated and covered. The longer you marinate the tofu, the better it will taste. I recommend a minimum of 3-4 hours so it can really absorb the flavor.

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil, add the mushrooms. Sprinkle the tofu with the steak seasoning. Place the tofu steaks in the pan with all the marinade (ta-da, there's the sauce!). You can fry 2-3 steaks at a time depending on the size of the pan. Make sure you put the mushroom/onion mixture on top of the tofu while you fry them so the sauce doesn't over cook. I fried them on medium for probably 15-20 minutes until the outside was browned.

Serve with the sauce on top.

And not to toot my own horn...but "toot-toot!" The Mister's eyes just about popped out of his head when I handed him the plate with the tofu and the mushroom/onion sauce on top. The presentation was quite impressive. I even made a side of mashed potatoes (straight out of the box, thank you very much) mixed with some wasabi sauce.

I really think these would be AWESOME on the grill. You'd have to make the sauce separately then grill the tofu, but that might be the way to go next time.

indian veggie pancakes

She is crude, she is rude, she is a mess. If she doesn't like it, she throws it, spits it and yells. She is the Beast. The Beast is presenting me with a variety of challenges these days. In addition to making something that the Mister likes, I also need to take the Beast's meals into consideration. All her counter parts have a mouthful of teeth and she has two, it presents additional obstacles. Such as chewing. I must say, that she gums the hell out of her food when she likes it.

Anyway, I digress. Really, I want something healthy and tasty for the kid and if the Mister can eat it, then I can hit the bottle earlier rather than later. (Things burn when I drink and cook.)

I raided TJ's yesterday. I came back with the Multigrain Baking and Pancake Mix, among other items. Multigrain always sounds as if it tastes like dirt. Not the case this time. I wanted to make some veggie pancakes with Indian spices. My mother-in-law makes something similar called Appom, which is very tasty, but I'm looking for something a bit healthier (Appom involves coconut milk.)

Basically what I did was shred a bunch of vegetables and add some flax seed and spices to the basic pancake recipe.

Indian Vegetable Pancakes

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup shredded zucchini, carrots (TJ's has them ready-shredded) and peas

1 tablespoon flax seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chili powder (tweak to your tastes)

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spray frying pan, spoon mixture onto griddle and cook as you would a pancake.

We ate the pancake with what I thought was the best tasting yoghurt I'd ever had. It was actually sour cream. (Tee-hee) I'd suggest yoghurt for a healthy alternative. I really think you could put a lot of different veggies in the batter...corn and spinach might be good.

After spitting it out twice, the Beast finally chewed and once she tasted it, she ate the entire pancake. The Mister ate the other two.

Beast is satisfied.

meatballs

When I began this blog, my aspiration was to learn traditional Indian recipes from my Mom. It was quite touching, really. Well, clearly it's evolved into more of a 'I'm trying to make the tastiest possible meals in as little time as possible' and I've gone astray from my original objective.

Luckily, my Moms was in town for about a week before Christmas and I did take advantage of learning exactly one dish. Meatballs. I heart meatballs. Especially Goan-style meatballs. They were surprisingly easy to make and turned out delicious.

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1 tablespoon garam masala

1/3 cup finely minced onions

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves

1/4 cup chopped mint

1/3 cup zucchini

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tablespoon salt

a few drops of lime

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn meatballs and bake another 15 minutes.

I love, love, LOVE these meatballs. My Mom did tell me to tweak the recipe to my tastes. Meaning add more onions or less salt, etc. You can eat them with some rice, throw them into a pita or naan with some raita, or just eat them plain.

olive oil chocolate chip cookies

I've really enjoyed baking these past few weeks. The sense of accomplishment, the warm smells, the endless applause...it's all been quite lovely. Quite. 

Just one hitch. Each time I drop in a stick or two of buttery goodness into my creation, I cringe. The problem is that butter is so vital to a good baked product. The texture, the melt in your mouth factor, the mouth watering smell...isn't it worth a few clogged arteries? 

Luckily I was able to find a adequate substitute: olive oil.

These cookies turned out moist and fluffy. In fact, I sent two dozen cookies to work with the Mister and the he came back with an empty plate. In fact, he claimed they were all gone by lunch.

While the pudding cookies are my best work, these cookies are a slightly healthier alternative.  

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Slice of Feist

2 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup of chips (I used mint and dark chocolate)

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl. Combine the rest of the ingredients and gradually mix in remaining ingredients. The mixture will be sort of crumbly and should then be molded into small balls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees, 10-12 minutes. 

I baked them for 10 minutes, then threw them back in for another two minutes.

These are definitely going into my recipe box. They'd be great for a holiday cookie exchange or for a Christmas party.

zucchini and chipotle cheese scones

I'm obsessed with making the perfect scone. I've probably had three scones in my life, and once was seventh-grade home economics, and let me assure you, they were all gross. Until this recipe, I wasn't even really sure what a good scone is supposed to taste like.

The zucchini-chipotle cheese scones were inspired by a recipe on Ciao Chow Linda's recipe blog  and was my second attempt at scones.

My first try was not quite disastarous but took a toll on my cooking mentality. The recipe I found was on was on The Foreign Kitchen blog for cheese scones, and looked really promising. The only problem was I didn't read down to the commentary to see that the recipe called for four teaspoons and not four TABLESPOONS of baking powder. Fully expecting the scones to explode, I literally ran to the oven to check on them. Surprisingly, even with the mess up, they were edible. But apparently too much baking soda can cause a little bitterness and they were extremely dry.

With a lot of butter, the Mister dubbed them digestible. But I definitely felt dejected. (The blogger from The Foreign Kitchen was kind enough to apologize for the mistake and it's been fixed.) The photos look so good, I will definitely try them again.

Zucchini and Chipotle-Cheese Scones

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 cup flour

3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used mostly chives and a little oregano)

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup cheese (I used chipotle-cheddar, but I think anything potent will work)

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, herbs. Cut and add butter, stop mixing when the butter is in small chunks. Add eggs, buttermilk, zucchini and 3/4 of the cheese. Pat into 12-inch round circle. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cut into 8 slices. Preheat oven to 400, bake 30 minutes.

Serve hot!

The scone is a very tasty meal and compliments a nice soup or salad. The Mister really loved these and I think he was truly shocked at how well they turned out. (The first batch was sort of atrocious in comparison to this one.) After inhaling two for dinner, he packed up some more for lunch today and just called me saying someone on his staff wants the recipe!

chili-garlic roasted broccoli

I am so over Halloween. In fact, I've been over it since I was thirteen, which is the last time I went trick or treating and willingly dressed up. What I really hate is the 'forced fun' that ensues with some adults. Dressing up like a skanky cat, carving a slimy pumpkin and eating Snickers till I barf holds little appeal to me. 

I even worked at a company where the owner treated Halloween like a national holiday. It was a nightmare where I had to dress up like a fortune telling gypsy and Madonna to fit into the department theme. Forced fun. No fun was not an option.

The Bebe is still too young to appreciate dressing up or all the candy you can eat, but she may be the one to rejuvenate Halloween in our household. 

My in-laws were also over for the weekend and they really did us a huge favor by taking care of the Bebe all weekend and allowing us time to run errands and enjoy dinner at Fellini's Cafe. I usually enjoy Fellini's, but was a little annoyed at our waitress being overly attentive in an attempt to get us out of the restaurant. (Which was empty, by the way.) I'm guessing she had a date to dress like a slutty feline and inhale Smarties till she puked. 

At some point during the weekend, a huge bag of broccoli appeared in our fridge. So huge it wouldn't fit in the vegetable drawer. Apparently my father-in-law stopped at Produce Junction and bought a forest of broccoli. They left me two medium-sized heads. Last night I went on Food Network's web site and put in a search for "broccoli." Good old Rachel Ray has a recipe for Chili Garlic Roasted Broccoli. Say what you want about how annoying Rachel Ray is, but the woman can cook in a quick and efficient manner. A lot of my recipes are Rachel Ray inspired.

Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves (I used crushed garlic)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 large head of broccoli

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut broccoli into thin florets. Mix olive oil, garlic, chili powder and steak seasoning in large bowl. Coat broccoli with seasoning and lay on non-stick cookie sheet. Cook for 20 minutes.

The broccoli comes out sort of crispy burnt on the ends. It really hits the spot if you like salty/spicy and you can hardly taste the broccoli. Our chili powder is hardcore, and extremely spicy. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but the Mister couldn't handle it. Wus. 

Next time I'll probably cut the amount of chili powder to 1/2-tablespoon.

As pictured on Food Network's web site

crock pot tonak

Tonak is a traditional Goan dish with beans, potatoes and onions, generally eaten with bread, naan or rice. 

Ingredients

Canola oil

1 small onion (chopped)

1 1/2 tbsps garlic

2 1/2 tbsps garam masala

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp low fat sour cream

1/4 cup or two cubes coconut milk

1 can of chickpeas

1 small potato (diced)

1 cup water

Preparation

Heat up crock pot and oil on high heat. After oil is warm, add mustard seeds. In frying pan, mustard seeds should pop when ready for onions, however in the crock pot they will change color to sort of a grayish/purple. Either look for the color change or wait 5-10 minutes and add the onions and garlic. Once onions are clear, add remaining ingredients. If you’re on a time crunch, then throw diced potatoes in the microwave in a bowl of water for two minutes before adding to pot.

If you have all day, then leave the crock pot on low heat for 8 hours. If you begin preparation in the evening then leave on high heat for an hour, then move to low heat until ready to eat. I think a minimum for cook time is at least four hours for this to turn out to optimal levels of tasty. This way the spices can really saturate the chickpeas and potatoes.

eggcellent curry

When the Mister is on call, as a courtesy, I ask him what he wants for dinner. Occasionally it happens (usually it doesn’t). Last night, he requested egg curry. 

Egg Curry

Ingredients

6-8 eggs

1 large onion chopped

1 medium tomato chopped

1-tsp turmeric

2-tbsp minced garlic

1-tsp chili powder

1-tsp cumin

2-tbsp garam masala

1/2-cup low fat coconut milk

1-cup water

coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

The fact that garam masala is necessary for this recipe may be a little intimidating. What the hell it is and where you can get it? Garam masala is a mixture of Indian spices. My Mom makes her own masala (although a lot of people don’t) and that’s what I use in all my Indian cooking. From what I gather, she fries her chosen spices then grinds them in a coffee bean grinder. I sort of skulk away when I see her making anything that may be a lot of work. I prefer our current set up where she miraculously shows up with a fresh baggy of garam masala. No questions asked.

Most grocery stores carry a generic mixture of garam masala that will suit your needs, if you have an Indian or Asian grocery store nearby I would suggest going there. It’s cheaper and the spices will probably be more fragrant. You can also purchase the chili powder, turmeric and cumin there on the cheap.

Be forewarned...Indian people can be rude and once you enter their territory all bets are off. If you’re not brown, you’ll get suspicious stares – as if you’re there on a surprise audit or to commit some type of felony. As a rule, Asians find it completely acceptable to hone in on someone who is different and make them feel uncomfortable by staring at them with trepidation and, eventually, amusement. Often, they will talk about you in “Indian” while you stand there paying for your goods. They’ll even look right at you and laugh a few times while they make fun of you. (And I’m not saying that Indians are shady, but I would check your receipt to make sure there aren’t any extra zeros.)

While you're there, I really, really like this sauce. It’s called Maggi Sauce and the chili garlic flavor tastes like spicy, tangy ketchup. I put it on my grill cheese with some onions.

Preparation

Fry the onions and garlic. Add the chili powder and turmeric. Once the onions are translucent, add the tomato, cumin and water. Add the garam masala, coconut milk and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Taste it to make sure it’s to your liking. If it’s too spicy you can add a little more coconut milk, if it’s not saucy enough, you can add a little more water. Once you are happy with the sauce, add your eggs. Cook them until the yolks are cooked…probably 10 minutes.

I freeze the leftover coconut milk in ice cube trays. When frozen, throw them into a plastic bag. Next time you need coconut milk, you can use the cubes.

Serve the egg curry with bread, naan or bread.

stuffed greek eggplant

The Mister found a large eggplant in our fridge. No doubt leftover from when my Mom was visiting, because I would never purchase an eggplant. Nothing personal against eggplants; they are just very low on my totem pole of vegetables- just below zucchini and above lima beans. (Unlike okra, which is my sworn enemy.) My natural instinct was to ignore this unwanted eggplant and eventually dispose of it's rotted corpse. 

(Un)Fortunately, I'm married to a man who hearts the eggplant. And so, in an effort at a vegetable truce, he did suggest stuffing it with things I like, and piqued my interest. 

Stuffed Greek Eggplant

1 large eggplant

1/2-pound ground beef (we used Lightlife Gimme Lean faux sausage)

1/2-cup garlic and herb bread crumbs

1-cup feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped green peppers

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/4-cup fresh coriander

1 spicy green chili (omit if you’re a wus)

2 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp paprika

Clean out the eggplant pulp leaving 1/2 inch on each side (the shape should be retained). Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook face down for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Chop removed  the pulp. (Since the Mister is so infatuated with the eggplant, it became his responsibility.)

Cook the meat and season with the paprika.

In a separate pan, saute the onions, garlic and eggplant pulp. Once they are cooked, add mushrooms, green peppers, basil, parsley, bread crumbs, tomato sauce and half the coriander. If the mixture seems dry, add a little olive oil.

Mix both pan contents together and add half the feta.

Once the eggplant is cooked fill with the stuffing and sprinkle the remaining feta on top. Cook for another 10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve.

goat cheese quesadillas with mango chutney

Goat Cheese Quesadillas (serving: 4 quesadillas)

8, 6-inch wheat tortillas

4 ounces goat cheese crumbles

1 1/2 cups of corn

1/4 cup green onions chopped

1/4 cup coriander (cilantro) chopped

1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spread on the tortilla. Layer with second tortilla and cook in pan until both sides are lightly browned. 

Mango Chutney (serving: 2 cups)

2 cups mango chunks (I like Trader Joe’s frozen mango chunks)

1 green chili pepper

1/4 cup coriander chopped

3 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp yoghurt

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 garlic clove chopped

1/2 tbsp garlic chopped

1/2 cup water

Blend all ingredients. 

Cut into tortilla into fours and serve hot with a side of chutney as dipping sauce for quesadillas.