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.

Broccoli and Sausage

This week, I had purchased some broccoli at the farmer's market.  As I've mentioned before, I love eggs and broccoli.  I still have some of the Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage left, so this morning I decided to make a quiche with broccoli and sausage.  As you will see from the pictures, this is an especially hearty quiche, but I still prefer quiche to frittatas. 

Sausage & Broccoli Quiche

• 6 oz cooked crumbled sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage)
• 1 small crown broccoli**, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 6 farm-fresh eggs*
• 1 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place broccoli into a small casserole with 1/4 cup water.  Cover and microwave on HIGH  for 5 minutes.  Drain broccoli and place into bottom of baking dish.  Mix in crumbled sausage.  Beat eggs with milk and seasonings until very smooth. Pour over fillings.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 40 minutes or until knife, inserted into center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 6 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Simply Broccoli!

There are times when you just begin craving things and nothing will do until you fill that craving.  For me, that craving happens to be broccoli and eggs.  I know, how weird is that?  But it all started about 2 years after I started doing my postdoctoral studies at Case Western Reserve University.  I don't remember if that is when Bon Apetit took over the food serve at the school or if it was just a fluke, but they started making this breakfast sandwich that was simply eggs broccoli and cheese on an English muffin.  It was the tastiest breakfast sandwich I had ever had and I would hate to try and estimate how many of them I had that year.  It taught me how much I LOVE vegetables, and most specifically broccoli, for breakfast. 

But alas, all good things had to come to an end and after that year, they never made that sandwich again.  I suppose that is part of the reason I started to play around with making quiches.  With all the beautiful produce that I always had available through the CSA, it seemed a shame not to enjoy some of it for breakfast.  Last Saturday, at the farmers market, vendors started bringing in broccoli.  Because I didn't know what to anticipate for the CSA, I resisted picking any of it up.  Well, Amy, one of my colleagues at work, and I decided to find an excuse to escape our offices and go to the farmers market near campus on Thursday and I couldn't resist any longer.  And it turns out that there was not any broccoli at the CSA, so I don't feel guilty at all.  This morning, I took half the head of broccoli, steamed it, and put it together for this week's quiche.  I thought about using one of my candy onions or leeks that I picked up from my CSA, but then, I decided I just really wanted the broccoli and eggs (and cheese, of course).  So, today's quiche is very simple, but satisfying!

Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche

• 1/2 head farm-fresh broccoli**
• 1 cup sharp cheddar
• 6 farm-fresh eggs*
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.

Wash the broccoli and chop the florets into bite-sized pieces.  Place in a covered glass bowl with about 1/4" water.  Cover and microwave for about 4 minutes, or until the florets are bright green.  Place broccoli in bottom of prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk and seasonings until very smooth.  Carefully pour over the fillings.  Bake for 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Nutrition:
Calories       132.8
Fat                   8.4g
Cholesterol  155.4mg
Carbs               4.0g
Protein           10.5g

Broccoli Sausage Quiche

I am a little behind on posting recipes here.  Last week, when I returned from India, I needed to make some food for meals for the week.  I picked up a pack of al Fresco Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage and some broccoli.  I have this passion for broccoli and eggs that started when I was working at Case Western Reserve University.  So, I figured that I would make a quiche (always good for a few days worth of breakfasts).  I had some sharp cheddar that I figured would be a good counterpoint to the "sweet" sausage.  Btw, if you haven't tried these sausages, you should.  They have small pieces of apple in them and the contrast of spice and sweet is lovely!

Broccoli, Sausage, Cheddar Quiche

• 2 cups broccoli
• 6 al Fresco Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage, sliced
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup 1% milk
• Italian Seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste

Steam broccoli in microwave for 4 minutes.  Place in bottom of baking dish and mix in sausage (heated for 30 seconds in microwave).  Sprinkle with cheese.  Beat eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour carefully over fillings. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until top is browned.

"Green" Quiche

I felt the need to cook this morning and had broccoli and asparagus in my refrigerator.  So, I figured it was time to make a "green" quiche.  I had Swiss cheese and figured that would go nicely with asparagus, so that was the cheese of choice this morning.

"Green" Quiche

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• salt & pepper, to taste

Steam broccoli and asparagus in microwave for 5 minutes. Place in bottom of baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Beat eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour egg mixture over vegetables.  Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until top is browned.

Strata

Last night, as I was trying to decide what to do with a bag of frozen broccoli florets, I came across a strata recipe.  I had a half a loaf of Spatz bread that I needed to use up and some chicken sausage links.  I decided to adapt the recipe and make a Broccoli Sausage strata.  Of course, because of the size, much of it will travel with me to Troy tomorrow for my husband to enjoy.  But I get to enjoy some myself!

Broccoli Sausage Strata
Adapted from: http://culinarilycourtney.blogspot.com/2012/01/broccoli-and-bacon-strata.html

• 6 slices dry Spatz bread 
• 1 16-oz bag frozen broccoli florets
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup colby jack cheese
• 3 links chicken sausage (I used Aidells Roasted garlic & Gruyere cheese smoked chicken sausage)
• 7 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups 1% milk
• salt, garlic powder, onion powder and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Grease a small roasting pan (or 9" x 13" x 2" pan).  Place broccoli florets in a steamer and steam in microwave for 6 minutes.  Drain broccoli and set aside.

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place in pan.  Sprinkle with half the cheeses.  Cut sausage links into 1/4-inch rounds; sprinkle sausage and broccoli florets over bread. 

Whip eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour over fillings; sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours (or overnight).

Allow pan to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes, until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Local Broccoli and Tomatoes

This week's quiche is one of my new favorite combinations! I'm not sure exactly when I fell in love with broccoli and eggs, but I know that right now I prefer that combination to any other. Having locally-grown broccoli just makes it all that much better! Add to that some delicious local tomatoes from the Midland Farmer's Market and I am in heaven!

 Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with Tomatoes

•  1 small head broccoli*, chopped
•  1 medium local tomato, sliced
•  1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
•  5 farm-fresh eggs*
•  1 cup 1% milk
•  salt and pepper

 Preheat oven to 350F. Sprinkle broccoli into a prepared pie plate. Arrange tomato wedges over broccoli and then sprinkle cheddar on top. Mix eggs, milk and seasonings until smooth. Pour evenly over fillings. Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Broccoli and Eggs

This morning, when I got up, I really wanted something with eggs. At first, I was looking for something with quinoa, but during my search, I ran across a recipe for a crustless broccoli cheddar quiche. Iam pretty much a sucker for broccoli and eggs. They used to make broccoli egg breakfast sandwiches at work and I adored them. It's been about a year since they've made them, so when I saw the recipe, I had to make it! Now, I do not have the right sizes ramekins, or enough smaller ones, so I chose to make it in a pie plate. Although, in hindsight, I suppose I could have used muffin tins. I also didn't have enough cheddar, so this became a 3-cheese broccoli quiche. It really hit the spot!

3-Cheese Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Adapted from: http://www.marthastewart.com/318409/crustless-broccoli-cheddar-quiches

• Coarse salt
• fresh-ground pepper
• 1 oz broccoli florets*
• 6 large eggs*
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• Ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Place broccoli florets into microwave steamer with about 1/4 inch of water. Cook on HIGH for 6 minutes. Spread florets on cutting board to cool; coarsely chop.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and milk until will blended. Stir in cheddar and Swiss.

In a prepared pie plate, layer broccoli. Pour egg and cheese mixture over broccoli. Sprinkle with Romano cheese. Bake at 400°F for 35 minutes, or until a knife, inserted into the center, comes out clean. Serves 4 (or 8 if you've had gastric surgery).

*CSA ingredients

Broccoli

Today did not go as planned, but I had a productive day. This week, Renee is off celebrating her anniversary, so the share is all mine. Of course, it would be a bag full of green vegetables. That includes a huge head of broccoli. Since I know that can go bad quickly, I decided to use that first. I have never made broccoli soup before, but I know it's easy to sneak protein into that versatile soup, so that's where I started.

 Broccoli Soup with White Cheddar
 Adapted from: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1848,152190-246196,00.html

•  1 large head broccoli*
• 2 c. water 
• 3 cups homemade vegetable stock*
• 1 tsp. dried whole marjoram 
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1/8 tsp. pepper 
• 2 lg. carrots*, scraped & sliced 
• 1 med. candy onion*, quartered
• 2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 c. skim milk

 Trim leaves and tough ends of lower stalks from broccoli. Cut into 1" pieces; set aside.

Combine broccoli and remaining ingredients except cheddar and milk in a Dutch oven; cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove 2 cups broccoli flowerets from soup mixture with a slotted spoon; set aside. Spoon half of soup mixture into container of an electric blender; process until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup mixture.

Return soup mixture to Dutch oven; stir in cheddar and heat until cheese melts. Stir in milk and reserved flowerets.

Cook soup over low heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.

*CSA ingredients

Greens galore

Our CSA is getting a lot of greenhouse greens this time of year. In this bag alone, I have mixed braising greens (top left), spinach (top right), leaf lettuce (bottom right) and baby bok choy (bottom left). Because I am in the midst of holiday baking and concert season, I will probably blanch most of them and freeze them for later use.  Then there's the broccoli, squash,  onions and carrots as well. Being in a CSA certainly keeps me on my toes!

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Broccoli & Asparagus Breakfast

This morning I decided to make eggs with vegetables:

Eggs with Broccoli & Asparagus

• 2 large eggs*
• 4 large egg whites*
• garlic powder
• cayenne
• 3 broccoli crowns
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Wash broccoli and asparagus.  Chop broccoli.  Remove woody stems from asparagus (hold either end and bend the stalk.  The woody part will break off).  Cut into 1-inch pieces.  Place both broccoli and asparagus in microwave steamer with 1/2 cup water in the bottom.  Cover and microwave for 6 minutes.

In the meantime, beat eggs, egg whites and spices in a small bowl.  Coat a 12-inch frypan with cooking spray.  Heat over medium heat.  Place cooked vegetables in pan, pour eggs over vegetables and sprinkle with feta.  Allow bottom of eggs to cook, then continue cooking stirring with a silicon spatula until eggs are barely wet.  Allow to set 1 minute before serving.

The item on the side is a potato cheese pub pie we purchased at the Shaker Heights Farmers Market.  They were made by a company called Gray House Pies, located at 22560 Lorain Rd, Fairview Park, OH 44126.  We bought those along with BBQ chicken and Daal pub pies and brownies as well.  For more information, you can follow them on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gray-House-Pies/128120697377?sk=wall.

To finish breakfast, I made smoothies:

Mixed Berry Smoothies

• 1 1/2 cups Fresh Yogurt*
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup fresh blackberries
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Place all ingredients into mug from Bullet Blender.  Attach cross blades and blend 10 seconds.  Shake to mix further and blen another 10 seconds or until smooth.

*CSA ingredients

Happy Thanksgiving: A combined CSA breakfast

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We are up very early this morning because we have a 5 hour drive ahead of us.  The weather was bad last night, so we decided to stay here last night and then just drive in the morning.  But for that long drive, we need a good breakfast and this morning I used items from both CSA packages to make our scrambled eggs:

 

Broccoli Bacon Scrambled Eggs 

• 2 slices fresh bacon, chopped
• 1 cup broccoli crowns, finely chopped
• 2 whole fresh eggs
• 4 fresh egg whites
• 1 tsp garlic & herb mix
• 1/2 cup 4 cheese Italian mix

 

Chop the bacon and broccoli.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon to pan and saute until bacon is slightly browned.  Add broccoli and continue sauteeing until the broccoli is bright green.  While the bacon and broccoli is cooking, scramble the eggs with garlic & herbs.  Pour eggs over the broccoli and bacon.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are just barely wet.  Makes 2 servings.

 

 

So, now that we've had that beautiful breakfast, it's time to get dressed, load up the car and hit the road.  We are taking the Cider Vinegar Pickled Beets with us, but my brother, Bob is the chef for the day.  Can't wait to see what's for dinner!  He usually gets a fresh turkey and it's always so good!!!!