Spinach and Smoked Gouda Quiche

 After a lot of contemplation, my husband and I have concluded that we eat enough eggs in this house to make it worth owning a few chickens.  Seriously, if the end of days were to come, we will have to be sure to have a cellar packed with nothing but eggs, and perhaps a bit of chocolate, and we would be just fine.  Every single morning all of us enjoy eggs, cooked a variety of different ways.  My son relies on them so much that if for whatever reason he misses them in the morning, he will insist on eating them for lunch.

So when I sat this savory pie in front of them and told them it was "egg pie," there was rejoicing around the table, and everyone ate happily ever after.

The flavors in this are just lovely, slightly smoky, and ever so creamy with the smoked Gouda.  The spinach gives it a perfect pop of color and texture that really brings it all together.  I served this with a salad and sauteed veggies for a delicious meatless meal.

Spinach and Smoked Gouda Quiche
From The New Way to Cook Light
(Be sure to either start the crust early in the day so it can chill, or make the night before)

Ingredients

CRUST:
6 tablespoons butter softened
2 tablespoons 1% milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup flour

FILLING:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash of grated nutmeg
3 large eggs

Ingredients

1.  To prepare crust, place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Combine 2 tablespoons milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and egg yolk in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk.  Add milk mixture to butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition.  Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Add flour to milk mixture; beat just until combined.  Press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap cover.  Chill for 1 hour.

2.  Preheat oven to 350�.

3.  Unwrap and place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface.  Roll dough into a 10-inch circle.  Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate.  Freeze 15 minutes.  Bake at 350� for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool.

4.  To prepare filling, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onions; saute 5 minutes or until tender.  Add spinach, saute 2 minutes.

5.  Combine 1 cup milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  Stir in spinach mixture.  Pour filling into crust.  Bake at 350� for 35 minutes.

Serves 10

Per Serving: 205 cal, 12.9g fat, 7.3g prot, 15.4g car, 11g fiber

Linked with Taste and Tell Thursdays

Egg Food Yong

Do you ever feel like you have a personal style of food that you gravitate to? Just like I'm drawn to certain colors, or clothes on a rack, I feel like there are recipes that I'm more likely to pick. And while it's nice to have a good artillery of regulars that you can always fall back on, it's also nice to break out of your "food box."

That's what I decided to do when I found this recipe on Cathy's website Wives with Knives. I was never a big fan of Egg Foo Yong growing up, but I remember my mom always ordering it when we went out. It turns out that Egg Foo Yong is insanely delicious, especially when you make it the way Cathy does. Since I made this while doing the LiveFit trainer, I swapped half of the eggs for egg whites only, but it was still so tasty, and packed with protein. Definitely make the mushroom gravy too, it's delicious on the Egg Foo Yong as well as the rice you should serve with it. :)


Check out the original recipe here, and don't be afraid to try something new, you might discover a whole new world of food.

What I'm reading...

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but to be honest, I haven't read anything that was especially noteworthy in a while. However, I thought I'd tap into the world of HS literature and pick up To Kill A Mockingbird from the library. I know most people read this one as teenagers, but either I totally missed that one, or was way too mentally checked out to realize it (would not be surprised). Turns out, this just might make it to my top ten list alongside such favorites as The Help, Cutting For Stone, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

I really don't want to give anything away, but there is the most beautiful segment when Atticus is teaching his son Jem about doing the right thing, even when it's difficult, by making him read to his mean old neighbor lady, who, unbeknownst to Jem, was dying of a morphine addiction withdrawal...

"...She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her--I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew..."

SO touching. If you've never read this book, you MUST pick it up. And if you have, read it again :)

Skillet Eggs with Squash

For a person who doesn't care much for breakfast, I sure have been posting a lot of breakfast dishes. Maybe it's growing on me!

When I was home for the summer, I must have been infected with the Crazy Virus, which is the only way I can explain the 5:30 AM workouts I had with my mom. NUTS! And on vacation too!

But, as you would expect there were a lot of benefits to exercising that early (besides the obvious exercise benefits), even while on vacation. I loved coming home at 7:00, oftentimes before the kids were awake, and getting ready for the day. And I loved having all the time in the world to prepare a decent breakfast to sit down and enjoy. Normally our mornings are rushed and frantic, which is perhaps another reason I'm not crazy about breakfast.

I LOVED eating this dish for breakfast. Vegetables aren't something you see often first thing in the morning, but I think they're so good with eggs. This dish is savory, salty, slightly spicy, and full of vitamins and protein. I enjoyed this with a slice of whole wheat toast and a cup of tea, a fabulous start to the day!




Skillet Eggs with Squash
Food Network Magazine July/August 2011

Ingredients

3 pounds (6 medium) summer squash, and/or zucchini
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts, separated
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup cup grated pepper jack or sharp white cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Grate the squash into a colander using the large holes of a box grater (or use a large food processor fitted with the shredding attachment). Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then let drain in the sink, 30 to 40 minutes. Squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as possible.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside 3 tablespoons scallion greens. Add the remaining scallions (white and green parts), the jalapeno, and salt to taste and cook until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes.

3. Spread the squash evenly in the skillet. Make six 2 1/2 inch wide indentations in the mixture with the back of a spoon; put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each one. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour into an indentation. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cheese.

4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes. Scatter the reserved scallion greens on top.

What's your favorite breakfast food?

Mini Quiches

I always think about quiche this time of year. Maybe it's the eggs, representing Easter. Maybe it's the bright yellow color representing spring. Either way, I'm not complaining because quiche is awesome!

I made these sweeties for a baby shower. I have a thing about turning food mini and these little quiches are much easier to make then you think. A store bought pie crust helps a lot, just line your mini muffin tins with a cut out piece of pastry, fill and bake! They're the best warm, but also taste great at room temp, making them perfect for say an upcoming Easter Egg hunt, or brunch you have coming up!



Mini Quiches
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

2 sheets store-bought pie crust
6 slices bacon, diced
1 onions, finely diced
6 eggs
1 cup cream
1 cup grated cheese, I used sharp cheddar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used fresh)
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the onion and bacon over a low heat until the onion is softened.

2. Allow to cool a little.

3. Mix together with the eggs, cream, cheese, parsley and salt and pepper.

4. Unroll pie pastry, dish with flour and roll with rolling pin until it's increased in size by about a third. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut 12 circles from each pastry sheet.

5. Use these to line a greased mini muffin pan.

6. Place about 2 teaspoons of the egg and bacon mix in each pastry base.

7. Bake in a moderate oven for about 12 minutes per tray (or until puffed, golden and set).

8. repeat with remaining pastry sheets and mix.

My kids made paper crowns for their little bunnies, they're so dang cute!