Crustless Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

 Every week, I make a crustless quiche to have for breakfasts for the week. What goes into it depends what I have on hand. When I went shopping this week, I found a beautiful bunch of asparagus. Today, I felt like asparagus, mushroom, roasted red pepper and bacon. I admit, I took the shortcut on the mushrooms, but you could easily use fresh mushrooms. If you do, I would saute them in butter to cook off as much water as you can (plus give it a really nice flavor). As for seasonings, I just add what sounds good to me.

Crustless Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

1 lb asparagus, cut in 1" pieces

2 4oz cans mushroom pieces, drained

1 lg roasted red pepper, diced

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

2 cups cheddar/parmesan blend, divided

8 slices cooked bacon, diced

12 large eggs

3 cups 2% milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mixed ground pepper

1 tbsp chives

1 tbsp dried basil (fresh is better)

1 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 375⁰ F.  Place asparagus in a microwaveable bowl with 2 tbsp water. Cook for 4 minutes. Set aside. If using canned mushrooms, drain. Chop pepper and bacon. In a prepared baking dish (I use a half chafing pan), spoon in cottage cheese, vegetables, bacon and 1 cup cheese. Lightly mix to distribute ingredients. 

In a large bowl, whisk eggs with seasonings until uniform color. Slowly whisk in the milk until mixture is a uniform lemon color. Pour over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.   Bake for 40 minutes or until set in center. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Eggplant and Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes

 While I miss having a CSA to rely on, I do visit the Farmers Market every chance I get.  This past weekend, I got the first of the eggplant for the season.  Unfortunately, there was only one small one!  So, last night, I decided to make a quiche out of it with some beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes.  It is important I decided to do this last night because as always, when you want to put fresh vegetables into a quiche, you must do what you can to reduce the extra liquid added to the dish.  Instead of only doiing 20 - 40 minutes with the salt, I decided to slice the eggplant last night, salt it and let it rest in the refrigerator over night, to get as much liquid out as I could.  I didn't, however, remove the liquid from the tomatoes, even though I roasted them until they burst, so I am fully expecting liquid around the quiche.  But it smells so good while it is cooking!!!

Roasted Eggplant & Heirloom Cherry Tomato Crustless Quiche

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 small eggplant*, sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch slices

2 cups mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes*

1 head garlic*

Cooking spray

6 large farm fresh eggs*

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 ½ Cups Milk (I used 1% organic milk)

1 oz crumbled goat cheese

1 up shredded Swiss & Gruyere cheese

Directions:

1.      Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice the eggplant and lay in a single layer on sheet.  Sprinkle with salt.  Allow to rest 1 – 8 hours (refrigerate if over 1 hour).  This will draw excess liquid from the eggplant.

2.      Preheat oven to 400F.  Pat the eggplant slices to absorb excess moisture.  Line a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Lay eggplant slices evenly over the cookie sheet.  Spread tomatoes between the slices.  Cut the top and bottom off garlic head and place head in middle of cookie sheet.  Spray all with cooking spray.  Roast for 20 minutes, turning pan halfway through cooking.  When done cooking, reduce oven to 375F.

3.      Remove garlic to cutting board to cool.  Place tomatoes in a colander to drain excess liquid.  Pat dry the eggplant.

4.      In a medium mixing bowl, crack eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Beat eggs until uniform in color.  Slowly add milk and beat until a light lemon yellow.

5.      To assemble: Spray baking dish with cooking spray.  Place one layer of eggplant in the bottom of the dish.  Add burst tomatoes.  Peel cloves of garlic and spread throughout the tomato layer.  Place a second layer of eggplant over tomatoes.  Sprinkle with goat cheese.  Slowly pour eggs over vegetables, then sprinkle Swiss/Gruyere over top.

6.      Bake at 375F for 40 minutes, or until toothpick, inserted into center, comes out clean.  Allow to sit for 5-7 minutes before serving. 

* Farmer's market items.

Summer Staple - Ratatouille Quiche

 The thing that I love the most about summer is the ability to get all of the ingredients for Ratatouille.  It is one of my two favorite dishes to eat.  I make a big batch and then use it in other dishes.  Today, I used it in my quiche.  The most common recipe I use for my ratatouille is very wet, as I like to use it for a pasta sauce, so I have to remove as much moisture as I can before using it in the quiche.  It has been quite a journey to find the best material to use to do that.  Today, I tried a linen napkin, with pretty good results.  But the weave might be just a bit tight, so the experimentation continues.

Ratatouille Quiche with Goat Cheese

2 cups Ratatouille

1 cup goat cheese crumbles

8 basil leaves, chiffonade

8 large eggs

2 cups milk (I used 2%)

salt & pepper

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 F.  Using cheese cloth or a linen towel, squeeze as much moisture as possible from the ratatouille.  Place ratatouille in a prepared casserole dish.

2) Sprinkle vegetables with goat cheese crumble.  Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle over the vegetables and goat cheese.

3) In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk and salt & pepper until well mixed. Pour over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with Swiss cheese.

4) Bake for 40 minutes or until center is set.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: the recipe for my ratatouille is linked above.

 

Zucchini & Corn

The one thing that I have gotten a lot of this summer so far is zucchini and summer squash.  And this week, we got our first ears of corn.  So, I looked around and finally decided to make a quiche using these two ingredients.  The corn, when I cut it from the cobs was super sweet, a nice surprise so early in the season!

Zucchini Corn Quiche

This is not an original recipe to me.  It is an adaptation of this recipe: http://pinchofyum.com/sweet-corn-zucchini-pie

• 4 tablespoons butter
• Whole sweet onion, diced
• 2 ears sweet corn*
• 1 large zucchini*, sliced very thinly (about 2 cups)
• 1 large yellow summer squash*, sliced very thinly (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 tsp fresh basil*
• 1/2 tsp fresh oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
• 4 eggs*, beaten
• 1 cup 1% milk 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, zucchini, and mushrooms. While the veggies saute, cut the corn kernels off the cob. Add them to the pan and continue to saute until the veggies are soft, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat to a bowl lined with cheesecloth.  Once cooled enough to handle, twist cheesecloth to press out as much liquid as possible (this will prevent the quiche from being too wet.

Stir in the basil, oregano, salt, cheese, and the beaten egg. Line a pie pan (9-inch or larger) with parchment paper or just grease a pan with nonstick spray. Transfer the mixture to the pan. Arrange the top so the zucchini slices lay flat and look nice. Top with a little extra cheese for looks and bake for 40 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting into slices.

*CSA ingredients

Jack's Bacon

Every once in a while, I stop by Jack's Market to get bacon and sausage. They have the best thick - cut bacon. I also had leeks and spinach that I needed to use. I figured that would be a great combination for a quiche.

Bacon Spinach Quiche with Leeks

2 slices thick - cut bacon
1 med leek*
3 cups baby spinach, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs**
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 cup Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When cool, chop into small pieces. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp bacon grease. Cut white part of leek in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/4 - inch slices. Heat pan and add leeks. Cook about 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Remove to paper towel to drain excess moisture.

Prepare baking dish with cooking spray. Place vegetables and bacon into bottom of dish. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with salt and pepper. Slowly add milk until well mixed. Pour over vegetables. Sprinkle with swiss cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife, inserted into center, comes out clean. Allow to set 5 minutes before serving.

*farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Okra

Decided I needed to use up some of the okra I got last weekend at the farmers market.  So, as I was digging through recipes (I only wanted to use a bit of them because I still plan to make okra and tomatoes), I ran across an idea for mini crustless frittatas.  Well, I made them this morning and they were actually quite nice!  Might have to think about changing my quiches into mini quiches for grab-and-go ease.

Mini Okra Frittatas
Adapted from: http://arentedkitchen.com/2012/09/24/mini-okra-frittata-cups/

• 1 cup sliced okra*
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 slices cooked bacon, diced
• 6 large eggs**
• 1/2 cup 1/2% milk
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 2 mini-muffin pans.  

Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add okra and saute for about 5 minutes until browned and crispy.  Add minced garlic and continue cooking until fragrant.  Remove from heat. 

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk, panko and seasonings until smooth.  Add the okra, bacon and cheese.  Fill muffin cups to top and bake, about 12 minutes, until the frittatas are puffed and cooked through.

*farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Caramelized Onions

The interesting part of this time of year is the availability of sweet onions at every farmers market, not to mention Vidalia onions at the grocery store. Now, in general, I am not an onion person. I cannot eat raw onions at all. I try, but it just makes me sick. But if you take a sweet onion and cook it long and slow over low heat, it becomes food candy. I adore caramelized onions and am especially fond of balsamic caramelized onions.

Yedterday, I woke up at 4:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep. I needed to make some breakfast for the week so I could get back on track after our vacation. I knew I didn't have a lot in my kitchen to work with, but I did remember I had a large sweet onion. While I didn't have bacon, I did have ham, so I decided to make a modified quiche lorainne.

Ham Quiche with Balsamic Onions

1 large candy onion*
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 thin slices smoked ham
6 large eggs**
1 1/2 cups milk
2 oz asiago/fontina cheese blend
Salt and pepper, go taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly and evenly slice the onion. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions ND cook, stirring until the onions become translucent. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occassionally, until onions begin to turn golden brown. Cook, stirring frequently, until desired color.at the last couple minutes, add balsamic vinegar and finish cooking. This step deglazes the pan.

Chop the ham to small pieces (about 1/4 - inch dice). Add ham to the onions an cook until heated. Take this mixture ND place in the prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Continue beating as you slowly add the milk. The result should be a very smooth pale yellow. Season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs mixture over onion mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Note, when using strong cheeses, you need less, otherwise, they will overwhelm the other flavors.

Bake at 350 about 40-45 minutes until top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to set 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Note: I am in the habit of making crust less quiches. But I always regret not putting quiches like this in a crust. The savory crust is a nice contrast to the sweet onions. Consider using a crust for this recipe.

Zucchini Quiche

I processed a lot of zucchini this weekend because I wanted to make at least another batch of the zucchini taco shells and freeze them to see how they hold up.  If they do well, I will stock up for the winter.  They are so yummy. 

Of course, the trouble with processing a lot of zucchini (grated), is that you often end up with extra.  I froze several 1-cup portions to use during the winter, but saved a couple portions out thinking I would do something with it this week.  While I was looking for recipes, I realized that I needed to make another quiche for this week's breakfasts.  I also had thawed a package of imitation crab and thought that would be a nice combination.  The interesting thing about this quiche is that the texture turned out similar to a frittata made with pasta.  I was really surprised.

Zucchini and Crab Quiche

• 2 cups shredded zucchini*
• 8 oz imitation crab, shredded
• 1/2 cup asiago/fontina cheese, shredded
• 6 large eggs**
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 cup cheddar jack
• salt, pepper and dried basil, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix shredded zucchini, crab and asiago/fontina cheese in bottom of baking dish.  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour over the fillings and then sprinkle with cheddar jack cheese.  Bake 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Eggplant and Frittatas

I happened to catch The Chew last week when Michael Symon made his ratatouille frittata.  This morning, I was thinking that something like that sounded good because I had made ratatouille last week, so I just typed "ratatouille frittata" into the search bar and lo, and behold, up popped the actual recipe.  While his version sounds really yummy (with the addition of okra), I adjusted it to what I had available in my refrigerator.  That is the nice thing about quiches and frittatas.  They are today's pot luck.  They are both great ways to use up things in your fridge.  In my case, I had ratatouille, asiago bread and feta cheese.

Ratatouille Feta Frittata
Adapted from: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Ratatouille-Feta-Frittata-Michael-Symon

• 3 cups ratatouille** (see recipe: http://csafoodie.blogspot.com/2012/07/ratatouille.html)
• 4 slices day-old bread (I used asiago bread)
• 8 eggs*
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat broiler to low.  Place 12 inch skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat.  Spoon ratatouille into skillet and warm.  Cut bread into 1-inch cubes.  Add to the ratatouille and mix well.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk until smooth.  Season as desired with salt & pepper.  Pour over fillings and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Cook until eggs begin to set up.  Once the eggs are 75% set, place the skillet under the broiler and broil about 8-9 minutes or until the top begins to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Dutch Baby!

I bought some MI blueberries this week.  I wait for this every year because for 20 years, I couldn't get MI blueberries when I lived in VA.  There is no comparison for flavor, so I celebrate them every year!  I also have been craving a Dutch baby pancake.  So much so, I tried to talk John into going to The Pantry this weekend.  The problem with that place is that if you don't get there before church lets out, there's a 30-60 minute wait to get in.  So we settled for The Breakfast Club (which is just as good, but they don't make Dutch Babies).  So, today, I decided to make my own!  Blueberries are great for any type of pancake, so here's the recipe.

Blueberry Dutch Baby

• 4 eggs*
• 1 cup milk
• 1 scant tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Powder sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place a large cast iron skillet in the oven to warm while the oven is preheating.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.  Add the zest and vanilla and mix well.  Add the sugar and flour and continue whisking until well combined. Allow batter to rest while the oven preheats.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven.  Add the 2 Tbsps of butter and swirl until the butter is melted and coats the pan.  Pour in the batter.  Then sprinkle with the blueberries.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed and the edges are brown.  Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.  Cut into slices and serve immediately.

*CSA ingredients

New house, new appliances!

It's been a while since I have done any real cooking and that's partially because I just got tired of being so cramped in my tiny little kitchen.  Well, my big news here is that I have purchased a new house with a bigger kitchen AND replaced all the appliances with bright, shiny new appliances.  Including a beautiful, new GE gas range with convection oven.  I have not done a lot of cooking yet because I am living between two places until the end of the month.  But this morning, I decided it was time to "break in" my range. 

I had a beautiful head of broccoli from the farmers market.  So I decided that a broccoli quiche was in order.  It's amazing how much of a difference a farm-fresh head of broccoli makes.  So much tastier than anything you can get from the grocery store.  And of course, I had farm-fresh eggs as well, which everyone knows makes all the difference in the world!

Broccoli Bacon Quiche

• 1 head broccoli*
• 6 thin slices bacon
• 1 cup sharp cheddar
• 5 farm-fresh eggs*
• 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut broccoli into small florets.  Place in a microwave safe bowl with 2 Tbsp water.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes on HIGH.  Drain and place in prepared baking dish.  Cook the bacon and crumble.  Sprinkle bacon and cheese over broccoli.

Beat eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour carefully over fillings.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers market ingredients.

Ramps Quiche

Now that I’ve made a batch of Ramp Pesto, it’s time to make this year’s ramp quiche.  I bought baby spinach for the pesto, so I decided to cut up the ramp leaves and quickly sauté those with the spinach.   I also had an extra pie crust, so decided to make this quiche with a crust.  Add some chicken apple breakfast sausage and whole milk mozzarella, and you have this spring’s ramp quiche.  This quiche highlights how much I rely on other purchases to make them complete.  The pie crusts were purchased to make rhubarb custard pie.  The sausages are just something that I really like and had purchased for general use.  The mozzarella was leftover from making a homemade magherita pizza.  That is the glory of making quiche.  It’s a basic egg custard recipe that you pour over whatever vegetables/meats/cheeses you prefer.  Quick, easy, tasty!

Ramp & Sausage Quiche

• ·         1 bunch ramps* (leaves and stems only)
• ·         ½ bag baby spinach
• ·         4 chicken apple breakfast sausages
• ·         4 oz whole millk mozzarella, shredded
• ·         1 frozen deep dish pie crust
• ·         4 large eggs*
• ·         1 cup 1/2% milk
• ·         Salt & pepper, to taste

Wash and pat dry the ramp leaves and spinach.  Cut into bite-sized pieces.  Sauté over medium heat until just wilted. Place ½ in bottom of pie crust.  Slice the sausages and sprinkle over vegetables and then layer remaining vegetables.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  In a small bowl, beat eggs with salt & pepper.  Slowly pour in milk while continuing to beat eggs.  Once completely smooth, pour egg mixture over the fillings.  Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until knife, inserted into center, comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers market ingredients

Corn Tortillas and Eggs

I had made some pulled pork this week and wanted to make something different for breakfast this morning.  Since I also had some corn tortillas, I decided to make a chilaquilles casserole.  I fell in love with chilaquilles when I was in Cleveland.  We frequently received whole chickens from the CSA and I needed to find a new way to use the leftovers.  I love corn tortillas and they are so much easier on my stomach, so I tend to have them in my fridge.  Finding different ways to enjoy them is something I try to do every once in a while.

Since this was a first try, I kept it pretty simple.  I think I would use a sharper cheese (I have a beautiful aged gouda in the fridge that I should have shredded or I should have used my extra sharp cheddar).  It's not bad, but the cheese is more a supporting player than star in this recipe.  Not that it's bad, I just like to be able to taste all the flavors.  I also might consider adding some black beans and cook the pork southwest style instead of bbq.  But then it would be a completely different recipe, right?  That is why I love egg casseroles.  They are so versatile.

Pulled Pork Chilaquilles Casserole

• 6 corn tortillas
• 2 cups pulled pork (whatever your favorite recipe is)
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut tortillas into 1 inch strips.  Layer half of the strips in a prepared casserole.  Layer on half of the pork and cheddar.  Repeat layers.  Beat eggs with salt & pepper until smooth.  Beat in milk and continue beating until completely smooth.  Carefully pour eggs over fillings.  Bake for 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken and Eggplant

I feel like it has been an eternity since I've posted here. Part of that was recovering from getting my knee replaced. And of course, I just got back from SAP training in Houston. So today, it was time to cook. I had gotten a nice eggplant and thawed the chicken I cooked before leaving for Houston. So, I put together a casserole. It turned out quite yummy and I will make it again!

 Chicken Eggplant Casserole

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 small onion
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
•  1 (15 oz) can tomatoes with Basil, onion & oregano
•   1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
•  6 oz cheddar
•  2 eggs, beaten
•  Parmesan cheese

 Dice eggplant and onion. Heat olive oilin large skillet. Cook eggplant and onion until onion is cooked.

 Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix vegetables, tomatoes, chicken, cheddar and eggs in a large bowl. Pour into a prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 1 hour.