Veggie Quiche

My mom came to visit this weekend, and I decided that I wanted to try out a new recipe for her.  What to cook?  I needed something easy.  I decided upon a quiche recipe that looked really tasty and that was fairly easy to prepare.  

I have had a long love of quiche, but I've never made it myself.  I have on many occasions bought mini quiche at the store for parties and showers, and they were always savory and delicious.

I switched up the recipe by removing the bacon (obviously) and adding even more tasty veggies.  I think the sun-dried tomatoes really packed a punch!  I also "skinnied" this recipe by using lower fat milk and cheese.  I was a little bit worried that it wouldn't come out firm, but it turned out perfectly.  So perfectly, in fact, that mom and I both went back for seconds.

This dish is perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

adapted from Sugar & Spice by Celeste

Here's What You Need:

1 frozen pie crust (or make your own, but I went the easy route)

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 cups baby spinach, stems removed

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups part-skin mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tbsp flour

salt and pepper, to taste

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 325F.

In large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Saute onions and mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, or until onions begin to caramelize.  Add spinach and continue cooking until spinach is wilted.  

In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, onion, mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Slowly mix in cheese, and then stir in flour.  

Pour into the pie crust and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until set (check with toothpick).  Let it sit for about 20 minutes to cool.

Enjoy the awesomeness.

Vidalia Onion Tart

Ok, so the hubby and I are planning a cruise in September.  Crazy planner as I am, I've even gone as far as to find the cruise ship's dinner menus online.  One of the appetizers that everyone raves about is a Vidalia Onion Tart.  Being the Georgia girl that I am, and living in a place where Vidalia onions are plentiful (and trust me, they taste different than other onions), I figured it was something I should try.

This was so good that I ate the entire piece standing at the kitchen counter because I didn't want to waste time to sit down!  Some of the flavors remind me of a good southern squash casserole, but of course with onions!  I had to go back for a second piece.  I am going to add this to the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner menu for sure.

I changed up the soup mix and cheese in this recipe from the original source.

Adapted from Allrecipes

Here's What You Need:

3 tablespoons butter

1 large Vidalia onion, diced

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

12 oz fat free evaporated milk

1 packet dry onion soup mix

3 eggs

1 cup Mozzarella cheese 

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

1 9" deep dish frozen pie crust

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large skillet, saute onion in the butter until onions caramelize.

Remove from heat.  Whisk in sour cream, followed by evaporated milk, soup mix, eggs, and cheese, one at at time.

Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust.  Place pie crust on cookie sheet and place in oven.

Bake for 40 minutes.  Ensure it is done by checking with a toothpick until toothpick comes out clean.

Vegetarian Mexican "Lasagna"

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Mexican food.  I do mean love.  I make it a point to fix at least one Mexican dish per week.  There is just something about the spicy flavors!  

This was a new dish for me, and it turned out amazingly.  Probably one of the best Mexican dishes I've ever prepared, and I've made a LOT.   I got the idea from a true Mexican "lasagna" made with noodles, but I think noodles takes the Mexican out of it.  It is pretty easy to prepare, and it makes enough for a large family (or enough for me to eat off of all week)!

adapted greatly from Annie's Eats

Here's What You Need:

10 small corn tortillas, cut into fourths

1 can black beans

1/2 can yellow corn

2 large tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

3 jalapeno peppers, diced

4oz enchilada sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups Mexican blend (or Cheddar) cheese

Here's What You Do:

In a bowl, mixed the diced tomato and diced jalapeno peppers.  Mix in half of the enchilada sauce.

In a second bowl, mix the black beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano.  Add remaining enchilada sauce.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly coat baking dish with cooking spray and then spread 1/3 of tomato mixture on bottom of dish.  Top with a layer of the cut tortillas.

Top with 1/3 of veggie mixture, and then top with 1/4 of cheese.

Continue to repeat with two more layers of everything.

Top the dish with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Top it with sour cream and guacamole!

Hint of Chocolate Summer Salad

Chocolate?  In a salad?  The hint of chocolate comes from cocoa roasted almonds.  I've eaten salads before topped with candied pecans, and when I saw the almonds in my cabinet, I thought it might make a tasty addition to my salad.  This is also my first time adding blueberries to a salad.  I've had one before with the strawberries, and I thought blueberries might be a nice addition (plus I have been trying to figure out what to do with the half pint in my fridge)!  The fruit, cheese, and slight cocoa taste go really well together for a light, yet sweet, meal.  I find that with the sweetness of the fruit, you don't need a lot of vinaigrette...just enough for a light coating.

Here's What You Need:

2 cups fresh spinach

4 grape tomatoes, sliced in half

3 strawberries, cut in half

1/8 cup blueberries

1/8 cup feta

4 tsp raspberry vinaigrette (I used a fat free type)

12 cocoa roasted almonds (I used Emerald brand)

Here's What You Do:

Toss all of the ingredients together!  Eat!

Roasted Potatoes

I've been making these tasty roasted potatoes for years.  They are one of my favorite side dishes to make and probably my number one "go to" recipe to make for the holidays or when we have friends over for dinner.  

Here's What You Need:

2 large Russet potatoes

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut the potatoes into small, bite-sized pieces.  Put into a bowl and add olive oil and spices.  Coat the potatoes well.  Pour potatoes into baking pan and sprinkle with mozzarella.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Test potatoes with fork to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

Fresh and Fruity 4th of July Pudding

The Fourth of July is coming up this week, and my home state of Georgia is going through a sweltering heat wave (it was 108 yesterday!).  I figured it was time for something cool, refreshing, and patriotic!  It is in no way fancy or creative on my part, but is sure is tasty!  This was my lunch on this HOT afternoon.

Here's What You Need:

1 pint strawberries, sliced into fourths

1/2 pint blueberries

1 package of French vanilla instant pudding mix

2 cups skim milk

Here's What You Do:

Make the pudding according to package directions (mine just had me add two cups of milk and stir).  Set aside to thicken.

On the bottom of a 2 quart dish, make a layer of strawberries and blueberries.  

Pour pudding on top of fruit.

Create another layer of strawberries and blueberries on top.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

I love jalapeno poppers, but I don't love how much fat and calories they contain.  Plus, fried food just always makes me feel blah afterwards.  I've made these baked jalapeno poppers a few times, and they are just enough to fulfill that craving.

adapted from Skinny Taste

Here's What You Need:

5 jalapeno peppers

4 oz fat free cream cheese

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

Here's What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut the stem off of each jalapeno, and slice them in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds and membrane. (Remember to wear gloves or wash your hands well when handling peppers.)

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and cheddar cheese.  Fill each jalapeno half with mixture.

In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, cumin, and chipotle.  Dip each popper into the beaten egg and then dip into bread crumb mixture, coating it well.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.  You may also want to lightly spray each popper with olive oil before cooking to help breadcrumbs get nice and toasty.