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.

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

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.

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.

Tomato strata

The interesting thing about strata is that to do it right, you have to have 2 days.  Unfortunately, when I thought I had two days to make this one, I really had to take 3 days.  I forgot when I started making this strata that I had a morning appointment and then ended up having a very busy day.  So, this morning, I got up early to finally get around to baking the strata.  We got all kinds of wonderful vegetables this week from the CSA: squash (summer and winter), tomatoes, eggplant, onions, peppers (green, anaheim, and poblano!), corn, etc.  Following picking up our vegetables, we then stopped at Jack's and I ended up with bacon and a pork shoulder.  So, obviously, this is going to be a cooking weekend!  The tomato was a bit on the ripe side, so I decided to use it right away.  I combined it with the bacon and a loaf of cheddar onion bread to make a wonderful strata.  This loaf of bread, as well as the asiago bread that I get from Family Faire are addicting!  I have never had loaves of cheese bread that have such a great cheesy flavor and I was sure it was perfect for this use.

Bacon Tomato Strata

• 3 slices thick-cut bacon
• 4 cups cubed cheddar onion bread
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 large tomato*, diced
• 5 farm-fresh eggs*
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Butter a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
2. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, let cool and chop. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to saute the onion and garlic until tender. Toss onion and garlic with chopped bacon and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and seasonings and whisk to combine.
4. Place 4 cups of the bread cubes in the 9 x 13 pan and pour half of the egg mixture over top. Top with 1 cup cheese, ½ of the onion mixture and half of the tomatoes. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and chill overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Remove foil and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and return to oven until the cheese melts and the center is set. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

- See more at: http://www.garnishwithlemon.com/cheese-bacon-and-tomato-strata/#sthash.VgJ3QFcy.dpuf

Instructions

1. Butter a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
2. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, let cool and chop. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to saute the onion and garlic until tender. Toss onion and garlic with chopped bacon and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and seasonings and whisk to combine.
4. Place 4 cups of the bread cubes in the 9 x 13 pan and pour half of the egg mixture over top. Top with 1 cup cheese, ½ of the onion mixture and half of the tomatoes. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and chill overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Remove foil and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and return to oven until the cheese melts and the center is set. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

- See more at: http://www.garnishwithlemon.com/cheese-bacon-and-tomato-strata/#sthash.VgJ3QFcy.dpuf

 Spray a 9" X 13" pan with cooking spray.  Cube the bread and layer it in the pan.  Cook the bacon in the microwave between paper towels for 3 minutes on HIGH or until bacon is crisp.  Cool bacon until it can be handled, then cut into bite-sized pieces.  Dice tomato and mix with bacon.  Top the bread with the tomato mixture.  Sprinkle with cheddar.  Beat eggs, milk and seasonings until very smooth.  Carefully pour over fillings.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, remove the strata from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature (about 40 minutes).  In the meantime, preheat oven to 325F.  Remove foil and bake strata for 1 hour.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients

Instructions

1. Butter a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
2. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, let cool and chop. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to saute the onion and garlic until tender. Toss onion and garlic with chopped bacon and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk and seasonings and whisk to combine.
4. Place 4 cups of the bread cubes in the 9 x 13 pan and pour half of the egg mixture over top. Top with 1 cup cheese, ½ of the onion mixture and half of the tomatoes. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and chill overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Remove foil and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and return to oven until the cheese melts and the center is set. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

- See more at: http://www.garnishwithlemon.com/cheese-bacon-and-tomato-strata/#sthash.VgJ3QFcy.dpuf

Avocado Breakfast

When we lived in Chicago, I discovered that I actually like avocados for breakfast.  We were doing a fitness challenge through he Discovery Channel and one of the breakfast ideas was an omelet with shrimp and avocado.  It was one of our favorites and I adjusted it to also use bay scallops instead of the shrimp.  I haven't thought of that recipe in a very long time, but this morning had an avocado that I needed to use before it got too ripe.  Last week, in my weekly pins from Pinterest, I got a pin that looked quite yummy.  It was a spicy tomato avocado egg bake from Kalyn's Kitchen (http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2014/07/baked-eggs-skillet-with-avocado-tomatoes.html). It was so pretty, I thought I would give it a try.  Of course, I had to add cheese to it because I need the extra protein, but it looked pretty simple and I have just recently come into a cast iron skillet, which is what she recommends to use.  Oh, and if you haven't spent any time perusing this website (www.kalynskitchen.com), you should.  She's got a lot of really yummy looking, healthy recipes on her site!

So, here is my version of the recipe:

Baked Eggs Skillet with Spicy Tomatoes and Avocado

• 1 can (10 oz.) Ro-Tel tomatoes 
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced lengthwise into 10 slices
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 eggs*
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded  
  

 
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Break eggs into individual ramekins and let the eggs come to room temperature while you proceed with the recipe.  (This might seem a bit fussy, but if you start with cold eggs the yolks will get too done by the time the whites are cooked.)

Spray a medium-sized ovenproof frying pan with non-stick spray or brush with oil, add the tomatoes, and start to simmer over medium heat.  (I used a 10.25 inch Cast Iron Skillet, and I highly recommend using cast iron for this if you have it.)

While the tomatoes simmer, peel the avocado, cut in half, and then cut each half into 5 thin slices. When all the liquid has evaporated from the tomatoes (about 4-5 minutes), turn the heat to low and arrange the avocado slices like spokes of a wheel in the pan.  Gently put each egg between two avocado slices, spacing them evenly apart.  Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Put the skillet into the pre-heated oven and bake until whites are completely set and the yolks are done to your liking, about 6-8 minutes for runny yolks.  Add the cheese and return to oven for a minute to melt the cheese.  Serving size (for me) is one egg plus 1/2 vegetables.  

*CSA 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

Leeks and Beet Greens

I was looking through my stock of produce trying to figure out what use in this weeks quiche and realized that I had a few leeks and some more beet greens to use up.  Leeks are interesting to me because I am not much of an onion person and for years never wanted to even try them.  But then someone taught me the proper way to use them (may have been Alton Brown or some online cooking show, who knows?) and ever since then, I have bought them when they looked beautiful or taken advantage of them when available from the CSA.  The term I have often heard in conjunction with cooking leeks is "melting" and there is a reason they call it that.  These vegetables, which have a flavor reminiscent of garlic and chives, when cooked properly, do sort of "melt".  They become rather creamy and beautiful!

I decided that leeks and beet greens, with the contrast of garlic and chives and the sweetness of the beet greens would make a lovely combination for my quiche today.  Unfortunately, I was out of Swiss cheese, so I had to settle for sharp cheddar, but then I decided that sharpness would only add to the flavor profile.  Finally, I took some fresh basil from my garden and chiffonaded it and put it on top before baking the quiche.  There is a danger that the basil will turn blackish as it cooks (why you shouldn't add fresh basil to your tomato sauce until the very end), but I thought that the flavor would heighten the flavor profile.  And besides, when you have fresh basil available, why not use it?

Leek and Beet Green Quiche

• 3 small leeks*
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp butter
• 1 small bunch beet greens, stems removed*
• 1 cup sharp cheddar
• 5 farm fresh eggs*
• 1 1/4 cups 1/2% milk
• salt & pepper
• 6 basil leaves**

Cut leaves and roots off the leeks leaving only white and light green portions.  Slice leeks in half and rinse to remove sand; drain well.  Slice leeks to 1/4 inch slices; set aside.  Wash and drain the beet greens; set aside.  Wash and drain the basil leaves; set aside.

 Preheat oven to 350F.  Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat until the butter starts to bubble.  Add the leeks and saute, stirring frequently, until they start to "melt" (this is fairly easy to see as the texture seems to change).  Tear the beet greens into bite-sized pieces and add to skillet.  Cook until the greens wilt and most of the water is evaporated.  Place these vegetables into your prepared baking dish.

Beat eggs until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper, then add the milk and mix until completely smooth.  Pour eggs over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with shredded cheddar.  Roll the basil leaves and slice very thinly (known as chiffonade).  Sprinkle the chiffonaded basil over entire quiche.  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 (1/8 quiche)
Calories        136
Fat                    9g
Cholesterol   131mg
Sodium         162mg
Potassium     159mg
Carbs                6g
Protein              8g

Dutch Baby

The nice thing about having herbs growing in my flower box and all this wonderful produce around are all the possibilities.  This morning, I wanted to do something a little different for breakfast.  It's been a number of years since I have made a German pancake and since I now have a cast iron skillet, it was time to give it a try.  I always forget how easy they are to make. 

The last time I made one of these, it was a sweet apple pancake.  But at some point in time, we had gone out to breakfast and had a savory version that I really enjoyed.  So, this morning, I decided to make a savory one myself.  I need to use up some of the basil I've been growing (the plants are probably 3 times bigger than they were when I planted them).  And I have a bunch of beet greens to use up as well.  Combined with sharp cheddar, I was hoping for a very tasty combination.  I was not wrong! As an added bonus, I used almond flour, so this is a gluten-free dish.  I will have to pass it along to my uncle who is allergic to gluten.

Savory Dutch Baby Pancake

• 1/2 C unsalted butter, sliced
• 3/4 C almond flour
• 3/4 C skim milk
• 3 large farm-fresh eggs*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 handful beet greens*
• 1 heaping Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2/3 C sharp cheddar

Place cast iron skillet into oven and preheat oven to 425F.

Wash and dry basil and beet greens.  Chiffonade the basil and cut beet greens into bite sized pieces.  Set aside.

Blend eggs in a blender.  Add flour, milk and salt and process until very smooth.  Scrape down sides, if needed, until all flour is incorporated.  Add basil and greens and pulse until incorporated (do not worry about chopping, the pieces are fine).

Place butter into skillet and return to oven until melted.  Pour pancake mixture into hot pan and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake about 15 minutes or until edges are browned and the center is set.  Remove from oven and allow to further set 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 2-4 servings.

*CSA 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

Chard, Ramps & Sun-dried Tomatoes

I  picked up Swiss chard and ramps this past weekend at the farmers market.  I knew I wanted to use them in this week's quiche, but wasn't sure what else I wanted to include.  I went to the local bulk foods store, Beyond Measure, to get some almond flour and I noticed they had sun-dried tomatoes.  It's been a long time since I've had those, so I bought a small container.  I also had some thick-cut bacon and the remaining feta cheese from last week's quiche.  So, this week's quiche is a summer vegetable quiche with bacon.  I love to use young spinach or chard because you can put it into the quiche fresh and it cooks perfectly.  Saves a lot of time and tends to taste a lot fresher.

Chard & Ramp Quiche with Sun-dried Tomatoes

• 1 small bunch young Swiss Chard*, chopped
• 1 small bunch ramp leaves*, chopped
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes**, chopped
• 6 slices thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 2 oz feta cheese crumbled
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 6 farm fresh eggs+
• 1 1/2 cups 1/2% milk
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning; to taste

Wash the greens and chop into bite-sized pieces.  Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes.  Cook the bacon in the microwave, 3 slices at a time, between double layers of paper towels for 3 minutes.  Allow to cool and then chop into bite-sized pieces.  Mix all of these ingredients and place in a prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle with cheeses.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until smooth.  Add seasonings and milk and beat until well mixed.  Carefully pour over fillings.  Bake in a 350F oven for 45 minutes or until a knife, inserted into the center, comes out clean. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers market ingrdients
**From Beyond Measure bulk foods store
+CSA ingredients

Ramp Quiche

Before my parents head to Minnesota for the weekend to attend my niece's graduation from St. Olaf College, it was time to make another quiche.  Last weekend, I actually was able to find ramps at the farmer's market and just knew that I needed to use them in a quiche.  We gathered other ingredients, including a caramelized onion cheddar I had purchased from Eastman Party Store, and I threw together the next variation.

Spinach Ramp Quiche

• bunch of ramps, leaves only
• small bunch of baby spinach
• 3 slices genoa salami
• 2 oz caramelized onion cheddar
• 2 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
• 5 large eggs*
• 1 1/4 cup 1/2% milk
• garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper, to taste

Remove leaves from ramps and save bulbs for other use.  Thoroughly wash ramp leaves and spinach.  Chop both leaves to bite-sized pieces.  Cut salami into bite-sized pieces.  Combine vegetables and salami in bottom of prepared 9-inch round baking pan.  Crumble the caramelized onion cheddar over these fillings and then sprinkle with sharp cheddar.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs.  Add seasonings; mix well.  Slowly add milk while continuing to beat eggs.  Pour carefully over the filling and bake quiche in a preheated 350F oven.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA Ingredients

Squash Quiche

Mom and Dad have a busy weekend, so we decided to make another quiche (after all, when you have farm fresh eggs, you should use them, right?).  This time, Mom brought out a summer squash, bacon, bleu cheese and more mushrooms and onion.  Okay, challange accepted.  I decided to slice the squash very thin while Mom cooked up bacon, onion and mushroom.  Then I layered the squash with the sauteed items, sprinkled on the cheese and went from there.  Here's the recipe:

Bleu Squash Quiche

• 6 farm-fresh eggs* (note, several were smaller than normal, so I added one)
• 1 1/4 cups 1/2% milk
• 1 med yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
• 2 strips bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup mushroom, diced
• 1 cup sharp cheddar
• 1 oz Bleu cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper

Sautee the bacon, onions and mushrooms over medium heat.  Layer the squash slices with the sauteed items.  Sprinkle cheddar and crumbled Bleu cheese over filling.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs, then add milk and beat until very smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour carefully over filling.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA items

Gearing Up For CSA!

I know it's been forever since I have regularly posted here.  You should know that a lot has happened in the last year.  I started my first year as assistant professor of accounting at Saginaw Valley State University and it was so much more than I could have asked for.  Not only did I have a successful year teaching, but I managed to get a paper submitted for publication and was written up in the Interior newsletter.  They only highlight a couple professors/staff member a month, so I am humbled by this and happy that this wonderful honor will appear in my PPC folder for my first year of being faculty.  I have been to India and a meeting in New Orleans.  I have worked on important committees and just had a really great year.

Last week, they replaced my left knee, so I am in the process of recuperating from that.  It is going very, very well. I am already graduated from walker to cane.  My range of motion is already better than it was before surgery.  I couldn't be happier with my progress.

I did cook the other morning, making a quiche, but did not get a photograph of the finished quiche.  But I don't think that means I shouldn't post the recipe, so I will do that now.  Mom had spinach, mushrooms and onions in the refrigerator, as well as a selections of meats.  I chose ham for my protein and used sharp cheddar for the cheese.  Mom helped a lot because I am still restricted in my movements, but I put it all together for them to bake.  Here's the recipe:

Cheddar Ham Spinach Quiche

• 5 large farm fresh eggs*
• 1 1/4 cup 1/2% milk
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach, torn
• 4 oz thinly sliced ham, torn
• 1/2 cup button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 tsp freeze-dried basil
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Dice onions and mushrooms and saute them until onions begin to become translucent. Tear spinach and ham and put in bottom of prepared baking pan (9" round baking pan).  Sprinkle with mushrooms and onions.  Then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs; add milk and continue to beat until mixed well.  Add seasonings; pour carefully over the filling.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 35 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.


I didn't mention that my egg CSA has started.  Each week, I will received 1 dozen farm-fresh eggs.  It was interesting that the range of sizes were great within the dozen and some were white while others were brown.  It doesn't matter that there is such a difference, but I found it fascinating because the eggs that I received from my CSA in Cleveland were always uniform in size and the same color.  I am guessing that the farm we received them from in Cleveland was a much bigger farm that my current CSA.

So, now, it is time for me to give a shout-out to my new CSA.  I finally decided to go with Middleton Farm CSA out of Coleman, MI.  I have gotten to know them over the last year because I bought much of my meat from them each week when I went to the farmers market last summer.  I purchased the egg CSA, which started at the beginning of may and a quarter share of the Harvest Share CSA, which will start sometime in June.  I think the beginning is up in the air because of the cold wet weather we have been having this spring.  However, they did send an email last week saying that they were starting planting, so hopefully, we will start close to the scheduled time.  This group also offers several meat CSA plans, which, at some point I should be able to afford.  But for now, I will continue to buy my meats from them at the market as needed.  Oh, the interesting thing about how they do their Harvest Share CSA is that you go to the market and they hand you the proper size container for your share.  You then can fill that container with whatever you would like from the produce available that week.  Both my mom and I really like this idea as we will get what we want and will use.  I hope I am brave enough to try different things as they are available (one of the reasons I was attracted to CSAs in the first place), however, I will enjoy being able to control the amount of greens and items like turnips that I receive.

Middleton Farms CSA delivers in Midland and Mt. Pleasant and has pick up at the Midland Farmer's Market as well.  The shares include being able to go to the farm to pick up additional items as well.  It looks to be the beginning of a great relationship!  For information on the CSA, you can go to their website: http://www.middletonfarmcsa.com/.

*CSA ingredients

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.

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.

First Chili of the Season

It has been somewhere between 13 and 25 degrees for the past couple days, so I got a taste for chili.  I had to sing this morning at church and then we had our last class for our India students, so I wasn't able to make it until after I got done with all of that.  On the way home from school, I stopped at Jack's and picked up a sweet onion and 2 lbs of ground round.  From that, I used what I had in my pantry and put together a 2-bean chili.  Since I roasted a spaghetti squash last night, I decided to serve it Cincinnati-style in the only way that I can eat it these days (pasta and I are not friends anymore).

2-Bean "Cincinnati" Chili

• 2 lbs ground round
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes with chiles
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh sweet corn
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• Roasted spaghetti squash
• cheddar cheese

 Heat EVOO in a heavy Dutch oven.  Add onions and saute until they start turning translucent; add ground round and cook until meat is no longer pink.  Add next 9 ingredients, bring to a boil.  cover and lower heat until simmering.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Heat squash, spoon chili over squash and sprinkle with cheese.

Labor Day Quiche

So, today I will start out with what I cooked for breakfast.  I will be posting other recipes, but I will do them one at a time to make it easier to look them up.  This morning, I had some roasted vegetables that my mom made this week.  She roasted eggplant, potatoes, onions, red, yellow and green peppers, brussels sprouts (yep, brussels sprouts!  Yum!!!) and zucchini.  So, I picked some up thinking I could make a quiche out of it.  So, that's what I did this morning.  If I haven't mentioned this yet, I am quickly falling in love with including bleu cheese in my quiches.  I guess it's time to try Gruyere.

Roasted Vegetable Quiche

• 1 cup roasted vegetables
• 2 oz bleu cheese
• 2 oz sharp cheddar
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• cayenne
• Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare round baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread roasted vegetables in bottom of pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Whip eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour over fillings.  Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Farmers' Market Finds

Mom and I went down to the Midland Farmers' Market this morning and I was surprised how the produce selection has expanded.  It took everything in me not to just buy all of the beautiful vegetables available this morning, but since I head out on Wednesday next week, I resisted.  But there was everything from beets to zucchini and yellow squash to eggplant to cucumbers to tomatoes and so on.  Yes, did you see that they had almost everything for ratatouille?  Oh, I so wanted to get everything and make a batch, but then I would have to leave it for Mom and Dad to eat and that wouldn't be fair.  I settled for beets with beautiful beet greens and blueberries.  Mom got tomatoes, pickle cukes, rhubarb and cherries.

When we got home, I quizzed them on whether they would like to try quiche with the beet greens.  Mom said she usually gave the greens to Lyn (she's actually never tried them before!).  They agreed to try it, so I cooked up the greens, cut up one of the riper tomatoes and then added ham and sharp cheddar.  They thoroughly enjoyed the quiche for lunch and we have leftovers for breakfasts.

Beet Green with Ham Quiche

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 small bunch beet greens with stems*
• 1 medium tomato*
• 6 oz Michigan picnic ham
• 3 oz extra sharp cheddar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• salt, pepper, dried basil, garlic powder

Wash beet greens, dry and cut off stems.  Cut stems into thin slices; set aside.  Cut beet leaves into bite-sized pieces; set aside.  In a large skillet, heat oil.  Add stems and cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add leaves and cook, stirring, until the leaves begin to wilt.  Cut tomato into thin wedges and arrange in bottom of prepared pan (I used a round cake pan this time).  Sprinkle greens evenly over the tomatoes.  Finely dice the ham and cheddar and sprinkle evenly over the vegetables.  In a medium bowl, whip eggs with milk and seasonings until smooth and slightly bubbly.  Pour over the fillings.  Bake in preheated 350F oven for approx 35 minutes, or until a knife, inserted into the center, comes out clean.  Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers' Market ingredients