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.

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

easy asparagus

I am a big fan of easy. A complex preparation is just not up my alley.

Usually a side of vegetables for our dinners comes out of a frozen bag. It's not romantic or interesting and doesn't taste great. I was at Trader Joe's the other day and, feeling like a walk on the wild side, I picked up some fresh asparagus. I wanted to incorporate some leftover parmigiano romano and almond slivers. 

Ingredients

15 shoots of asparagus

parmigiano romano cheese

olive oil

almond slivers (optional)

Preparation

Coat the asparagus with olive oil, cover with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees in a traditional oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with almond slivers and serve.

The preparation was so easy it was almost embarrassing to post the recipe. But it tastes so good, I wanted to share. The Mister was impressed and asked what I used to season the asparagus. Of course, I would not divulge any information that would detract from his rave reviews. 

Next time I'm going to try this recipe with cauliflower, minus the almonds.