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Quiche Makes Me Happy

Published on September 10, 2008 in blogs I read, Creating, food and recipes. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

Spinach Quiche

There is something wonderfully satisfying about quiches for me.  I find it hard to believe that before a year ago (or so) I had never made a quiche before.  Daunting task I suppose, until I tried it.  They are so freakin’ easy and quick and pretty much always delicious.  This one was fresh garlic, Walla Walla Sweet Onions, fresh spinach, cheddar cheese, eggs and some half and half.  I was a little worried that it wouldn’t work so well after pouring in the egg/half and half mixture and it disappeared.  But I wasn’t about to add another egg.  Oh, and I coat my pastry shells (yes, this one was from the store…I know I know), with egg white.  I bake them at 350F for about 40 minutes, but always check after 25mins and decide how much longer it needs to stay in the oven.

I am not a fan of leftovers, they are almost always hard for me to eat (except the foods that get better the next day…pizza, lasagne, quiche….), so sometimes, I toss my leftovers into a quiche and you’ll never know that they were leftovers.  I’ve done it with salsa and beans YUM!  lasagne filling, Indian food, almost anything.  And they are always a treat!

Chick Pea Salad

I think you might remember that I’m a big fan of Mark Bittman and his NYT blog Bitten.  Well he posted this lovely recipe for Chickpea Salad with Ginger.  It made my mouth water!  I learned something new: toasting cumin seeds to bring out the flavor. WOWZA that’s all I have to say.  After toasting the cumin seeds, I crushed them with a rolling pin as I am sans spice grinder.  I didn’t have any ginger and I can see how it would totally add to the dish, but it was absolutely yummy without it.  And the best part.  For those of you counting – 0 points on Weight Watchers.  I think it has just a bit too much flavor for Iz, the cumin is perhaps a bit to “sweet” for her.  But I can’t get enough of it.  The recipe makes a big batch, so we’ve been eating it for 3 days so far and I’m not tired of eating it.

I think the one thing that I’ve really learned over the past 6 months is to enjoy food. Enjoy finding it, whether it be growing it myself, picking it up at the local farm, the farmer’s market or even the produce section.  Taking the time to make things from scratch as much as possible.  Sometimes it’s just not possible (although I’m learning everyday…so it could be possible).  I take my time preparing and cooking the way needed, then once it’s on the plate, really, really enjoying each and every bite.  The other big thing I’ve learned is that if it doesn’t taste good, don’t eat it.  I’m off to make lunches…

Cleaning The Plate

Published on May 31, 2008 in food, My Road To Fitness and recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I have something to tell you. I’m on the road to fitness. To better health. To losing weight and exercising so I can feel better and fit into some of my fabulous clothes. To run and play with Iz and not get out of breath. I’ve lost 18 lbs so far (that’s 18 sticks of butter! – ew).

I’ve been learning a lot about food and working on changing what I eat and how I eat it. So, I’ve been cooking a lot of new foods. Wtih summer here, I’ll probably be posting more about food and garden than sewing (although – you can bet I’ll still be sewing).

I’ve started making these super yummy Polenta Pizzas. Here’s a recent favorite:

Zucchini Tomato Feta Polenta Pizza

Zucchini Feta Tomato Polenta Pizza
1 cup coarse corn meal
3 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
1 cup red onion finely chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped (more or less depending on your taste)
1 medium zucchini sliced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced
1 cup feta cheese (I used non-fat)
2 tsp canola or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pinch or two of Italian Seasoning
1. Heat 1 tsp oil in pan, add 1/2 garlic and onions, saute until onions and garlic are soft, add pinch of Italian Seasoning, saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
2. Make the polenta. I use my rice cooker which works well every time. Pour garlic/onion saute into rice cooker. Add the corn meal and stock. Turn on rice cooker. (If you aren’t using a rice cooker, I pour 1 cup of cold stock onto the corn meal and stir with a fork to eliminate all the lumps. Meanwhile I’;m bringing the other 2 cups of stock to a boil, then adding the polenta/stock/garlic-onion saute mix and whisking lightly (to make sure no lumps), bring it back to a boil, then remove from heat, leaving it covered.
3. While the polenta is cooking, heat up the rest of the onion-garlic saute and add the zucchini. Brown the zucchini slightly, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4 Once the polenta is done pour it into a 9 inch pie plate smoothing it around and making the sides higher. If you don’t add the onion-garlic saute to the polenta, you will need to lightly grease the pie plate. Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
5. Pour the zucchini mixture over the center of the pie, keeping the edges clear. Cover with cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with feta cheese.
6. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I think this tastes best after a few hours of letting the flavors mix together. It’s wonderful hot or cold, and even better the next day. It’s perfect for potlucks! Enjoy!