Easy Veggie Quiche

This recipe spawned from one of my mother's which she calls "A Tale of Two Quiches." My recipe is more like "A Tale of ∞ Quiches," because the possibilities are endless. Personally, I've made this quiche with spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower so far, all of which are packed with nutrients.

Notes: I make this quiche with swiss cheese because it melts without too much fuss or oil-- I tried it once with cheddar and got an excessively moist product. As to the question of whether eggs are healthy or not, my aunt is on the Egg Board, and she touts them as a healthy source of protein, but you can make up your own mind, and opt to use egg beaters or egg whites only.

6 large eggs
1 1/4 cup milk (I use almond milk)
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic and onion powder (optional)
2 cups (approx.) vegetable of your choice (spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower work well)
8 oz. shredded swiss cheese
1 9-inch pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Beat eggs and milk vigorously until uniform. Add seasonings.
3. Meanwhile, layer pie crust, vegetable, and cheese in the bottom of a 9" pie pan.
4. Pour egg mixture over the top.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the egg mixture has set.
6. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serves four.

You're going to have to fight me for a slice.

Fruit Smoothies in a Snap

It's July. Beat the heat: grab your blender/food processor and make a delicious, healthy fruit smoothie in around a minute. Warning: they are addictive. Tessa even requested one for breakfast this morning. However, they are 100% healthy-- fruit, fruit juice, and yogurt.

Tessa is partial to strawberry and raspberry; I'm a fan of strawberry, mango, and strango (see what I did, there?). Use whatever fruit you like-- just freeze it first. Alternately, you can use fresh fruit and around 5 ice cubes. Vegan? Sub in half a banana instead of yogurt for creamy without dairy.

Want an extra boost? Add in half a teaspoon of finely ground flax seed. You can't taste it, and it's a super food.

1 cup frozen fruit of your choice (if using fresh fruit, add 4 ice cubes)

1/2 fresh orange, peel and seeds removed or 1/2 cup fruit juice

1/4 cup low fat yogurt

1. Toss all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

2. Blend until smooth.

BAM! Serves one.

EDIT 10/11/11: In light of this news, I have changed the recipe above to include half an orange instead of 1/2 cup orange juice. I made it today with a Valencia orange, and it was delicious. Alternately, you can use 1/2 cup of another fruit juice; I made it once with apple cider and Tessa loved it.

Ahh... purrrfect.

Incredibly Healthy Chocolate Avocado Pudding

My girlfriend actually found this recipe here and asked me to make it for her because she is a huge fan of pudding. (She's even eating some as I type this.) I am, admittedly, not a pudding fan, but this recipe is so amazingly healthy that I've even taken a liking to it myself. It's also a cinch to whip up if you have a food processor.

Cocoa powder is being touted as a superfood for its antioxidant/flavonoid benefits, avocados are the good kind of fat with health benefits galore, and organic honey is a freakishly-good-for-you alternative to other sweeteners. And, well, those are the only ingredients in this recipe.

2 small avocados or 1 large
1 tbs cocoa
1 tsp raw, organic honey (start with one, anyway... I add more)

1. Halve avocados; remove pit and scoop the flesh from skin with a spoon. Cut into a few chunks.
2. Toss all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until creamy.
3. Taste, and adjust cocoa and honey amounts as desired.

It's a completely delicious alternative to an unhealthy, sweet snack, and oh yeah-- it's completely vegan, too.

Serves two.

I can has a tasty pudding snack?

Nestle "Pure" Life Lies

Read more here.

I hate the Nestle Foul Life commercials and their lies. I've never liked any of them, but this one is a new low. Yeah, let's ignore the fact that you can die of thirst even if you're drinking gallons of water, because you're also losing the sodium and other electrolytes your body needs to be able to absorb said water. That's why several people, including athletes, have died from treating dehydration with water. So, go Nestle, for telling parents and coaches to forgo sports drinks for Nestle Foul Life bottled water alternatives that don't adequately treat dehydration and are just bottled municipal tap water, increasing costs to consumers, hurting underfunded and under-appreciated public (tap) water, and causing environmental damage.

Not to mention the chemicals that can be released from plastic bottles when they get hot, or that bottled water is often no better than tap water anyway, or the amount of waste plastic water bottles produce.

So fresh and so clean!

Potato and Spinach Hash

This next recipe, to my chagrin, was born from a Rachel Ray cookbook that belonged to my mother. We made the original recipe first, and then I began editing, first for my own preferences (onions -> leeks), then for the dietary needs of others (- ham), until it became this, which I make once or twice a month. It's vegetarian, it's delicious, and it's filling. My version can alternately be used as a delicious and nutritious side dish, alongside some lovely roasted chicken, perhaps.

Recently everyone (including my girlfriend) has been making a fuss about potatoes being nutritionally void. If you're worried about that, here's a few tips: 1) Skin on. The nutrients are in the skin. It follows, then, that the smaller the potatoes, the more nutritional bang you get for your buck. 2) If you're still worried, though, try a colored-flesh variety, like Yukon Gold or Peruvian Purple. They contain more nutrients than their white-skinned kin. Google it if you don't believe me.

Health notes: Vegan? Double the olive oil, lose the butter and cheese.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
8-10 small potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp fresh thyme*
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
1 leek, chopped
8 oz of ham, diced (optional)
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
10 leaves fresh basil
parmesan cheese, to taste

1. Add olive oil and butter to a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add sliced potatoes. Season with cayenne pepper, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and browned (approx. 10 minutes).
2. Add the chopped leek (and ham, if you're doing this non-veggie style) and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
3. Reduce heat, and add chopped basil and spinach. Stir until spinach has wilted; remove from heat. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

*Note: These spice amounts are from the original recipe; I don't measure.

Serves two to three.

Mmmm... leeks

Chicken Pot Pie

One of my favorite recipes, chicken pot pie, was given to me by my friend Jessica, who shares my intense love for the succulent, crusted wonder that is the pot pie. I made it my own by converting the onions to leeks-- I so love leeks-- and make them one at a time, two at a time... They're best fresh, but also delicious reheated.

Health Notes: Trying to health it up? Skip the pie crust at the bottom of the dish, and just cover it up. To increase the healthiness of your pie crusts, try making them yourself to avoid unhealthy ingredients like shortening. Or, Whole Foods also has organic whole grain pie crusts. (If you don't already know, whole grains are about a zillion times better for you, and are well worth nomming.) Additionally, using whole grain pastry flour, which is ground more finely than regular whole wheat flour, adds nutritional value without being grainy or course.

1 1/3 c chopped carrots and peas (frozen, unthawed peas work fine)
2 Tb butter (at least; I use 4)
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 medium leek, chopped (or 1/3 c onion)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 c chicken broth or stock
2/3 c milk (I use almond milk)
2 1/2 - 3 c cooked, cut up chicken (I cook and shred 2 medium-sized breasts)
2 pie crusts

1. Melt butter. Add flour, salt, pepper, and leeks. Cook stirring occasionally over medium until bubbly and/or beginning to brown. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil/stir 1 minute. Add chicken, peas, and carrots. Remove from heat.
3. Heat oven to 425.
4. Put one pastry crust in a 9" pie pan or quiche pan. Pour chicken mixture into crust. Add second pie crust on top.
5. Bake about 35 minutes, until golden.

Serves four.

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Introduction

As a child, I was a picky eater. As I've grown, so has my taste in food, spreading to envelop new foods and new genres. While I'm still a little picky, I become more adventurous every day, and you could definitely say I have a love affair with food. Throughout my journey, I've even developed some food obsessions, such as garlic, leeks, dark chocolate, and potatoes, which you will no doubt see reflected here.

Significantly, my taste in consumables has also evolved to become significantly more healthful, as well. My girlfriend, Tessa, doesn't eat red meat or pork, and is intolerant of raw soy, so most of my cooking has been adapted to suit her dietary needs, as well as my severe peanut allergy and slight lactose intolerance.

This blog is meant to chronicle my culinary explorations as both a home cook and an eater, and as a means of sharing some of my favorite recipes with cyberspace.

Disclaimer: I own none of the adorable kitten pictures seen here.

Hey, I thought you said this was food!