Crustless Spinach Quiche

I've never made a quiche before in my life so this should be interesting. I'm excited to see how it tastes!    

Suggested total time: 1 hour
Recipe: Crustless Spinach Quiche (via www.tasteofhome.com)
Ingredients:

• 3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
• 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 fresh mushrooms, sliced

Preparation:

• In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese.
• Add milk, egg substitute and pepper; beat until smooth.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Transfer to a 10-inch quiche pan coated with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out cleanly.

The recipe was easy to follow and I substituted a lot of different things for some of the ingredients. I used Tofutti cream cheese - the flavor was “Herbs & Chives.” It added an extra kick to the recipe. I did not use an egg substitute - my local grocery store did not have any in stock so I used 4 eggs instead. I used fresh broccoli instead of frozen and shredded four baby carrots to add more flavor and nutrients to the recipe. Instead of reduced-fat cheese, I used Veggie Shreds lactose-free cheddar cheese and I opted to add Tone’s minced onion (1/4 of a cup) instead of spending time crying while cutting the onion.

I don’t own a quiche pan so I used a glass pie pan instead. There was too much to fit into the pan so I made mini crustless spinach quiche in a cupcake pan. I would say that the cook time was about 10 minutes longer than the suggested time and I don’t know if that was because I used a different pan or not. It smelled so good while it was cooking and it tasted delicious too!

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Cornmeal Pancakes

Cornmeal Catfish Fingers

Suggested total time: Not Available
Recipe: Cornmeal Catfish Fingers (via www.wholefoodsmarket.com)
Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons medium-grind yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika) or paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 (5- to 6-ounce) catfish fillets, cut into thick strips
• 2 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
• Lemon wedges

Preparation:

• In a wide, shallow dish: mix the cornmeal, pimentón, thyme, salt and pepper together.
• Working with a few pieces at a time, dredge catfish in cornmeal mixture - turning to coat evenly.
• Heat oil in a large non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Working in batches, arrange catfish in the skillet in a single layer and cook.
• Flip once, until golden brown and cooked through (about 5 minutes total)
• Transfer to plate when done, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

This recipe was so easy to follow. I’ve never cooked catfish in the kitchen before (over a campfire, yes) so I wasn’t sure how well I would do. I used a non-stick frying pan as I don’t have a cast iron skillet. I had trouble at first because my strips were too thick. The fish wasn’t turning a golden brown until I tried smaller and thinner strips. After that I had no problem cooking up a storm! It tasted delicious. I used the juice from the lemon wedges to give the fish even more pizzazz. I also cooked up some yellow green beans from the garden as a side to go along with the catfish. The only downside is that my kitchen smelled bad after cooking the fish. Also, it took me a bit longer than five minutes total for the cooking time. I’d say closer to ten minutes per pan of fish.

Photo of the finished product:


Next week’s recipe: Crustless Quiche

Linguine with Gorgonzola, Green Beans, Potatoes & Sage

This Saturday’s recipe was linguine with veggies and bleu cheese. I’m not a huge fan of bleu cheese, but thought I’d still give it a try.

Suggested total time: 30 minutes
Recipe: Linguine with Gorgonzola, Potatoes, Green Beans, and Sage (via www.myrecipes.com)
Ingredients:

• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 pound linguine
• 10 ounce green beans, cut into 2-in. lengths, or 1 bag (10 oz.) frozen cut green beans
• 6 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
• 8 ounces gorgonzola dolce or other soft blue cheese, such as Fourme d’Ambert
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish

Preparation:
Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4-in. pieces. Put in a large pot, add 2 qts. water, cover, and bring to a boil. Add salt and linguine. Stir, cover, and return to a vigorous boil. Add green beans, cover, and bring back to a boil. Uncover and cook until linguine is tender to the bite, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop sage leaves. In a large serving bowl, mash cheese, butter, sage, and pepper together. Set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and vegetables, shaking off as much water as possible. Pour pasta and vegetables on top of cheese-butter mixture. Toss to combine until cheese melts and coats pasta. If resulting sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water, 1 tbsp. at a time. Serve hot, garnished with additional sage or pepper if you like.

This recipe was really easy to follow. I used 12 oz of linguine instead of a pound. I also used fresh green and yellow beans from my grandmother’s garden and added in about 12 oz of them instead of 10. I used fresh sage and basil leaves from the garden as well. I couldn’t find 8 oz of gorgonzola cheese at any of the grocery stores I went to, so I opted to use 5 ounces of crumbled gorgonzola cheese. I then added in one more ounce of butter to make up for not having as much cheese as the recipe called for. It tasted really good! I was surprised; I thought the gorgonzola cheese wouldn’t taste very good with the vegetables. I was wrong!

Also, it took me about forty minutes all together. I’m not sure if the recipe allowed time for the peeling of the potatoes or not.

Photo of the finished product:

Next week’s recipe: a surprise recipe!