Quiche Cups

Made this recipe for school lunch and it was easy, quick and tasty. It's good for lunch and also would be good for brunch.

Recipe on the this website.

Crustless Quiche in a Cup Muffin Tin Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 30 to 40 mins

Ingredients:
4 eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
fresh pepper & sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water, dry and chop up into small pieces and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine eggs and whites and lightly whisk together. Add milk and continue to whisk together. Stir in broccoli and cheese and finish off with salt and pepper to taste. Grease muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide egg mixture evenly among cups and bake for 15 minutes or until beginning to brown. This should yield 12 quiches. You can easily freeze them and pack them in future lunches. Or cut the recipe in half and make less at a time.

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Yogurt Dipping Sauce (for falafel)

A simple and tasty yogurt sauce found on the Food Network site followed by a falafel recipe. . .

Yogurt Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and chill until ready to use.

Yield: 1 cup

Falafel in Pita

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus extra for frying
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (14-ounce) cans chick peas, drained
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 3/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• Pitas, for sandwich
• Toppings: shredded lettuce and chopped tomato, sliced cucumbers
• Yogurt Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

In medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and sweat onion and peppers 2 to 3 minutes then garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse together chick peas, red chili flakes, ground cumin, the egg, salt and black pepper to form a coarse consistency. Then add flour, parsley, and cilantro. Pulse until mixture starts pulling from the sides of the food processor.

Remove mixture to a large bowl and mix in the onion mixture. Chill falafel until ready to cook.

Roll falafel dough into 1-inch rounds. Then form rounds into an oblong quenelle shape, like a football.

In a thick-bottomed skillet heat 1/2 inch of canola oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Cook falafel balls a few at a time, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Be sure to turn them so they do not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt while still hot.

Open the pita bread to make pockets. Place 3 to 4 falafels inside. Stuff with lettuce tomato and cucumbers and drizzle sauce generously on the inside. Serve immediately.

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Portobello Burgers

A tasty burger!
Yes, a veggie burger!

Portobello Burger

Portobello Burgers

2 Portobello Mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp canola oil
Brie cheese, sliced
red leaf lettuce
heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1/2 an avocado, sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
mayonnaise
Dijon mustard

1. Mix garlic, water, Dijon, vinegar, herbs, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce in small bowl.
2. Remove stems from mushroom caps, discard or keep to eat on the side.

3. In large, shallow dish (or large resealable plastic bag, add marinade and mushroom caps. Turn a few times to coat and allow to marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. In oven proof sauté pan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium high heat.
5. Add mushroom caps, gill side up, searing until brown (about 3 minutes). Flip over and repeat. Flip third time, add Brie slices and finish in 350°F oven for 20 minutes.

6. Serve on warm, toasted buns slathered in Dijon and Mayo. Top with avocado, tomato, red onion and lettuce.

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Cabbage Salad

Saw this recipe on The Martha Stewart Show and didn't want to forget it. In a way it seems like broccoli salad.

Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cups chopped red cabbage
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 3/4 cup chopped cucumber, preferably seedless
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon garam masala

Directions

1. Place cabbage, onion, cucumber, raisins, cilantro, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and garam masala. Drizzle over cabbage mixture and toss to combine.

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Hot Pastrami Sandwiches

Found the recipe for "Hot Pastrami Sandwiches" at My Recipes. Haven't made it but it's another recipe I'd like to try.

Hot Pastrami Sandwiches

Yield: Makes 16 sandwich halves

Ingredients

• 2 pounds thinly sliced peppered pastrami
• 2 pounds thinly sliced corned beef
• 2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 16 slices rye bread
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• About 3 cups coleslaw (homemade or from the deli)

Preparation

1. Place pastrami, corned beef, and broth in a slow-cooker.* Heat, covered, on lowest setting until hot, stirring periodically, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

2. Set out bread slices and cheese on a platter, and mustard and coleslaw in small bowls. Cover with plastic wrap until served (up to 1 hour).

3. When pastrami mixture is hot, invite guests to make their own sandwiches, or assemble for them: Spread 2 slices of bread with mustard. Pile a generous helping of the meats onto 1 slice, then top with a slice of cheese, about 1/3 cup coleslaw, and the second piece of bread. Cut sandwiches in half, they're large, so consider sharing.

*If you don't have a slow-cooker, put the pastrami and corned beef with a little broth in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and warm in a microwave oven.

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"flavored" tortillas

I was in Santa Fe last week and had a DELICIOUS quesadilla for lunch! It was a veggie quesadilla made with just a little bit of cheddar cheese and a whole lot of veggies. The veggies were probably sauteed but could have been oven-roasted; I don't know. It included mushrooms, green bell peppers, hatch chile (mild), red onion. The tortilla was what I call a "flavored" tortilla, spinach and sun-dried tomato. YUM!

My mom has never made anything but corn, flour and wheat tortillas but I have I have found a recipe for spinach tortillas and feel it's worth a try! Especially on my stove that we bought with a griddle so that I could "make tortillas often" but have only done so once in 4 years!

Description:

A soft homemade flour tortilla with spinach

Yield: 8 tortillas (10-12 inches in diameter) or more, smaller tortillas

Ingredients:

9 ounces fresh spinach, chopped (about 4-5 cups of packed, chopped spinach)
1 tablespoon water
2+ cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
dash of pepper or seasoned pepper
1/4 cup oil

Instructions:

1. In a large pan or skillet over medium to medium-low heat, cook spinach in water. Cover, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and soft. This will probably take about 5 minutes after the pan is hot and the spinach has started to cook.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and oil. Stir until crumbly.

3. Add the (hot or warm) spinach mixture, including the water left in the pan from cooking. Knead or stir, adding additional flour as needed (may take a cup or more of extra flour) to make a smooth dough. Knead dough for about 5 minutes, which will mix the spinach in better, and give the dough an even consistency.

4. Divide dough into 8 parts (for 10 to 12-inch tortillas) or more (for smaller tortillas).

5. Pre-heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. If using a cast iron or non-stick griddle or pan, you won't need oil (although you can use a little if you wish).

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough portion into a thin circle (or other shape if desired).

7. Brown tortillas in pre-heated pan for about 5 minutes on each side, just until cooked. A few light brown spots should appear.

I usually start cooking the tortillas while I'm still rolling out the rest of the dough. Stack cooked tortillas on a plate or in a bowl with a clean towel around them, until all are cooked. Serve warm, filled with your favorite fillings! :)

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes on each side

Tammy's Review:

These homemade tortillas are a beautiful green color and have a great spinach flavor. They're hearty but soft (when served hot and fresh!) and taste wonderful. I liked them so much, I will never want to go back to store-bought spinach tortillas!! My rating: 10/10.

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Penne Pasta

*UPDATE-This is a very tastey recipe! Since I posted this recipe I've made it twice now and have found that it tastes better (less vinegar-y) if you let the balsamic vinegar thicken in the oven while the tomatoes are baking. (Oct 8, 2008)

A pasta dish that sounds perfect for using our end-of-summer garden treasures!
I found the recipe at this blog.

Penne Pasta

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 # cherry tomatoes (it’s not the same without them!)
2 cloves garlic

Place these in a pan and bake them at 450 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Prepare penne pasta as the package directs.

In the meantime, chop about 20 full-size basil leaves and 12 oz of fresh mozzarella.

Toss all ingredients together with about 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Pasta w/a Mexican twist

If you can believe it, the following recipe was inspired by airline food!
We were headed home on Mexicana Airlines from Mexico City and I was served the best meal I've ever had on a flight! It's been two years since I had this meal but every once in a while I still make the pasta. It's yummy and very quick to make.

My airline meal was baked chicken breast on a bed of pasta with red sauce. The twist was in the pasta. It included Mexican cheese called "cotija", cilantro and red sauce. (It might have had more ingredients but this all I can remember today and it still reminds my taste buds of the airline pasta. Yum!)

You can find cotija cheese (queso cotija) at most grocery stores. It is a dry, salty, crumbly cheese and, in my opinion, is the Mexican equivalent to parmesan cheese in Italian cuisine.


Pasta a la Mexicana Airlines
Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta (I like gemelli, mini-penne, or bow-tie)
red sauce (see recipe below)
1/4 cup crumbled queso cotija
2 tablespoons cilantro

This is such a simple recipe that all of the measurements for each ingredient can be adjusted based on personal taste and/or servings desired.
Cook pasta. (Use anywhere from 10 oz. to 16 oz.)
While pasta cooks, make tomato sauce, crumble the cotija cheese and chop cilantro.
Once pasta is cooked and drained, return to its pot, pour tomato sauce over pasta and add crumbled cheese and cilantro. Stir and serve!


Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. each)
salt
pepper

Blend one can of diced tomatoes in blender until smooth. (You can blend both cans if you don't like tomato chunks in your pasta.)
Heat olive oil in sauce pot and add minced garlic cloves. Cook until fragrant.
Add the blended tomatoes and the can of diced tomatoes.
Stir and heat until bubbling.
Reduce heat and let simmer uncovered 10-20 minutes, depending on your preference for a thin or thick sauce. (The longer you cook it the thicker it will become.)
Salt and pepper to taste.

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Chicken Club Salad

A favorite at our house especially when I haven't made good plans for dinner, just like happened today!

You can find the recipe here, at Martha Stewart.

(I've decided to include the recipe here because sometimes the website is down.)

Serves 4

• 6 slices bacon
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick, plus 1/2 cup celery leaves (optional)
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lay bacon in a single layer on prepared sheet; bake until it begins to render its fat, about 10 minutes. Turn bacon over, and slide to one side of sheet. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place on baking sheet. Bake until bacon is browned and crisp and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, and let drain; crumble. Let chicken cool completely. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, celery, celery leaves (if using), mayonnaise, and vinegar.
3. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch chunks, and add to bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Serve chicken salad over lettuce leaves, and sprinkle with bacon.

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