Quick and Easy Quiche

When I think of quiche, I would hardly think to describe it as “quick and easy”. Mainly because the only times that I’ve ever made quiche, it’s taken me most of the day. I make the crust from scratch and use a million ingredients that need to be prepared different ways and end up with a final product somewhere around the mid-afternoon and a sink full of more dirty dishes than should be necessary.

Hence why I don’t make quiche very often.

However, today Matt and I had the day off so in addition to sleeping in and lazing around the house all day, I wanted to make something nice for breakfast. Pancakes were out of the question (for obvious reasons) and I didn’t have bread to make French toast. I wanted something a little fancier than plain old scrambled/fried/poached eggs and when I absent-mindedly suggested quiche, Matt got very excited. Not wanting to disappoint him, I quickly searched for a “quick and easy quiche recipe”.

Apparently, they aren’t as rare as I thought…

I had lots of broccoli and a fair variety of different cheeses in my fridge so I figured broccoli cheese was the way to go.

As for the crust…I rarely buy frozen pie crust and my usual pie crust is a bit of a lengthy process so I found a quick 4-ingredient quiche crust, however I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how it turned out. The flavor and texture of it was fine however it stuck pretty badly to the bottom of the pie plate so it’s probably best to just use your favorite pie crust recipe or a frozen crust instead.

But enough yacking, on to the recipe!

Broccoli and Cheese Quiche
(Recipe adapted from Cajun Chef Ryan’s recipe)
I still can’t get over how well this quiche turned out. It’s amazingly delicious and now one of my new staples. Plus, Matt almost ate the entire thing himself…and he’s a tough critic.

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell
6 large eggs, cracked (I only had 5 eggs and it still turned out fine)
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or any combination of cheeses you want)
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed and cooled
salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Using a fork, prick the shell dough a few times to prevent air bubbles from forming. Brown the pie shell in the oven for about 10 minutes.

While the pie shell crust is browning, beat the eggs then add the milk and about half of the cheese in a medium bowl.


Fold in the broccoli florets and then add the spices to the egg mixture.

When the pie shell has browned, removed from the oven. Pour the egg, cheese and broccoli filling into the browned pie shell and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.


Return the filled pie shell to the oven. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the quiche is puffed up and set. (You may want to put it on a cookies sheet as it apparently prevents burning. I didn’t however, and it was fine.)


Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into portions.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

I love pancakes. Unfortunately, Matt does not. This is a constant struggle in our relationship.

However…I guess if that’s the biggest issue we have, we’re not doing too bad.

This is my absolute favorite pancake recipe right now. I’ve made these pancakes at least 3 times in this past week alone…I’m kind of in love with them.

They are just fluffy enough, just sweet enough and partially whole wheat (so kind of healthy…?). You should go make some.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes
(Adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner’s recipe for Whole Wheat Sour Cream Pancakes)
I didn’t have any sour cream so I used plain, full-fat yogurt in these instead…and they were just as divine.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (I used vanilla soymilk)
1 egg
3 tablespoons plain yogurt

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the egg into the milk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Add the yogurt and give the batter one final stir.

Spoon a quarter cup of batter onto a griddle or skillet set over medium heat that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray (or butter…I used butter…I like butter). Flip after 3-4 minutes, just as you notice bubbles forming around the edges of each pancake, and cook a few minutes more.

Serve with a pat of butter and lots of maple syrup.

The Green Monster

Ok…so I know you probably came here for sweet things. Butter, sugar, sprinkles and cookies and cakes galore. The last thing you probably want to see is a nutrient-packed, green smoothie.

Well, too bad.

I had heard about the Green Monster Movement through Simply Scrumptious awhile back. And as much as I thought it was a pretty-looking smoothie, the fact that there was a whole whackload of spinach in it turned me off a little. However, this morning I decided to be brave and give it a try. As part of my own personal movement to start eating healthier again.

The result? AMAZING. Seriously. You honestly cannot even taste the spinach – the banana disguises it completely.

This is a fantastic way to start off your day. It’s packed with all good things, and it tastes surprisingly delicious.

So, go give the Green Monster a try…you might be surprised ;)

The Green Monster
(Recipe from Green Monster Movement)

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 cup milk (cow’s milk, soy, almond…anything is good)
1 banana
ice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into your blender. Blend well.

Enjoy!

Baked French Toast

So my new “eat healthier” resolution from yesterday? Went right out the window this morning. I was browsing The Pioneer Woman’s blog (one of my absolute favs) and I stumbled across her Cinnamon Baked French Toast recipe…and the pictures alone were pure food porn and I knew my life would not be complete unless I made that delicious delicacy as fast as possible. So I did.

Omg. Quite possibly one of the BEST things I have ever made. And it was so simple. Bread, milk, eggs and cinnamon streusel baked in the oven? Why have I not thought of this already!

It basically combines everything I love. It’s like if French toast and coffee cake had a baby…it would be this. And I would gladly baby-sit whenever they wanted.

…not really sure if that metaphor worked.

Regardless, this is amazingly delicious. Please make it. Just go. Do it. You won’t be disappointed.

Cinnamon Baked French Toast
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s recipe)
I had to make a few alterations due to the fact that I had no cream…I figured that made it healthier. I also used a whole wheat baguette...however, let’s face it. This really isn’t that good for you.

Ingredients:

French Toast
1 baguette
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla

Topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

*Matt thought that there was too much streusel topping on this…but I disagree. So if you’re a fan of streusel, use it all, however if you’re not – you might want to half it.

Directions:

Grease a baking pan with butter (I used a pie plate as I broke my shallow casserole dish while pulling it out of the cupboard…). Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.


Mix together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight (I omitted this step and it still turned out fine).

In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter pieces and but into the dry mixture until mixture resembles fine pebbles.


When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from oven and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.


Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

Basic French Toast

French toast. I don’t crave it very often – I’m more of a pancake kind of girl – but when I do get a hankering for that sweet, eggy bread…I usually have to satisfy it right away.

This weekend, I had it twice. I went for brunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Padmanadi, and had the most delicious coconut banana French toast. It inspired me to start making variations on French toast more often, as it’s like a pancake in the sense that it takes well to experimentation.

Today however, I’m just gonna share my basic French toast recipe. It’s kind of a no-fail, guaranteed delicious kind of thing. It’s also a great way to use up stale bread. I used some leftover whole wheat bread I made last week, but French bread is also really great and one of my favorite breads to use is actually rye bread.

P.S. Cinnamon raisin is pretty awesome too… in a heavenly I-can’t-believe-this-even-exists kind of way.

French Toast

Ingredients:

4-6 slices of bread
2 eggs
1 cup milk - vanilla soy milk is really nice too
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch cinnamon (optional)

butter (for the pan)

Directions:

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl and slowly mix in the milk and vanilla (and cinnamon, if you’re using it).

Over medium heat, heat a frying pan coated with a thin layer of butter.

While the frying pan is heating up, place the bread slices into the bowl one at a time, letting them soak up the egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn them to coat the other side. Only soak as many slices as you will be cooking, as they can get too soggy otherwise.



Transfer the bread slices to your frying pan, heating slowly until the bottoms are golden brown. Turn and brown the other sides as well.



Serve hot with butter, syrup, icing sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruit and anything else your little heart desires!

Festive Breakfast - Egg Nog Pancakes

I have a confession to make…I don’t like eggnog. I never really have. I tried it once when I was younger and didn’t like it and ever since then, that memory in combination with the fact that it’s a drink made from eggs has turned me off of it every Christmas.

I do like pancakes though. Mainly because they are an excuse to have “cake” for breakfast. Naturally, Matt isn’t a huge fan but that doesn’t stop me from making them every opportunity I get. I especially love variations on pancakes. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I had just plain buttermilk pancakes.

So, I was hunting for a new pancake recipe this morning, and I stumbled upon Joy the Baker’s Egg Nog (without the Egg Nog) Pancakes. The “without the Egg Nog” part intrigued me and I discovered that they really are just normal buttermilk pancakes with the addition of browned butter, spices and whiskey.

Whiskey? At breakfast?! I’m in.

Egg Nog Pancakes
(From Joy the Baker)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
heaping 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I just used ground)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3 tablespoons butter melted until browned
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon whiskey or spiced rum or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used whiskey)

butter or a lightly coloured oil for cooking pancakes

maple syrup for serving

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, melt butter until much of the water has evaporated and little brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan. Remove from the flame and add the nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the buttermilk. Add the melted butter, being to sure to scrape all the browned bits and spices into the buttermilk and egg. If the butter seizes up a bit in the cold milk, that’s ok. Add the whiskey/rum or vanilla extract and just whisk it all together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Don’t overmix. It’s ok if there are a few lumps.

Let the batter rest, untouched for 5 minutes while you heat a griddle or skillet. Add a tablespoon of canola oil or butter to the hot skillet. Dollop heaping tablespoonfuls onto heated and oiled skillet and cook until evenly browned, flipping once. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.


These pancakes aren’t very sweet, so maple syrup is a must! I also had some whipped cream on mine…’tis the season ;)

Gingerbread Frenzy

I went back to work last week…and that, in combination with meetings, rehearsals and seeing a show left me with very little time to bake. Consequently, I started getting a little restless.

So, I went on a bit of a gingerbread frenzy this weekend. I tend to get hooked on a certain flavour and do whatever I can with it for as long as I can...or at least until I get sick of it. You’ll learn this about me.

It all started when I made gingerbread men yesterday for me and the boyfriend’s annual Christmas card pictures…then all I wanted was dark, gingery, spicy molasses-filled goodness. All the time.

This morning I made gingerbread pancakes…and they were kind of amazing. They screamed Christmas all over the place.

And so…I have thus begun my Christmas baking. It’s happening. I hope you’re ready.

Gingerbread Men
(Taken from my Better Homes and Gardens 2007 Christmas Cookies magazine)
These cookies are pretty standard, I like how soft they are, however I’m hoping to tweak the recipe and make some with fresh ginger sometime before Christmas and see how they turn out!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and ground cloves; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds with an electric mixer. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add molasses and egg, beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Cover; chill dough about 3 hours, or overnight, or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 F (the original recipe called for 375 F but they burned in my oven on that temp so I turned it down). On a lightly floured surface roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough using 5-inch gingerbread people cookie cutters. Arrange the cutouts about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

I threw together a basic icing (water, icing sugar, vanilla, butter) to pipe on these cookies however royal icing works best.

Royal Icing: In a small bowl combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons meringue powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Stir in 1/4 cup warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, then on high speed 7 to 10 minutes or until very stiff. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until of glazing consistency.

Gingerbread Pancakes
(Adapted from Joy the Baker’s Gingerbread Pancakes)
The original recipe called for 1 cup of sour cream but I did have any so I decided to use plain yogurt…which I just barely had a full cup left of so I filled the rest with buttermilk. Thankfully, it all still turned out alright.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons melted butter, plus additional for brushing the griddle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk together molasses, egg, yogurt, buttermilk, milk and butter in a small bowl, then add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Heat griddle or 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over the surface. Brush with butter. Working in batches of 4 to 6 (depending on the size of the griddle), drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer pancakes to a heatproof plate and keep warm in oven while you cook remaining batches.


Serve with more butter and syrup – or anything your heart desires! (Joy recommends sour cream)

Note: The batter is very soft and delicate, so make sure you let them cook for at least a full minute, before you attempt to flip them for the first time.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Quick Bread

I love homemade bread. Unfortunately, I kind of suck at making it. I’ve made both yeasted and quick breads and they always seem to have this uncanny habit of either not cooking all the way through (gummy on the inside, burnt on the outside) or just tasting like crap. Needless to say, I’ve been frustrated.

I even made bread yesterday and was going to blog about it…but it sucked. A lot.

However, today something magical happened. I toyed around with a new quick bread recipe and it actually turned out alright! Scratch that – BETTER than alright. It’s so yummy, in fact, that I’ve had to move it into the downstairs fridge to avoid from eating the whole thing.

I’m kind of in love with this recipe now. And this bread. Today, after countless homemade bread fails, I finally had a bread win!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Quick Bread
(Adapted from Eating Well’s Honey Oat Quick Bread)
The buttermilk in this recipe gives it a really nice, almost biscuit-like quality. It’s brown and crumbly on the outsides, and soft and moist on the inside. However, make sure you cut big slices – it’s almost too crumbly for thin ones.

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats
1 1/3 cups whole-wheat bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk

additional flour
additional oats (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray (or the oil of your choice). Sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour into the pan and tip the pan back and forth to coat the sides and bottom with it.

Thoroughly stir together oats, flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk the egg, yogurt, oil, sugar and buttermilk in a medium bowl until well blended.
Add the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined (don’t over mix). Scrape the batter into the pan, spreading evenly to the edges. Sprinkle oats over the top.

Bake the loaf for about 40 to 50 minutes (until well browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around and under the loaf to loosen it and turn it out onto the rack. Let cool until barely warm, about 45 minutes.

*Note: Because there aren’t any preservatives and such in the bread, it will keep longer if you store it in the refrigerator.


ENJOY! It makes great toast…or you can just have it plain with butter. That’s what happened to most of mine.

Quinoa Breakfast

In case you didn’t know, I love breakfast. It is undeniably my most favourite meal of the day. I can’t even remember the last time I didn’t eat breakfast. I love everything from eggs and toast to pancakes and waffles…I even love breakfast for dinner, which was and still is a staple at my parents’ house. I grew up with it and sometimes, there is nothing I love more than cereal for dinner. Or crepes and wine…if I’m feeling indulgent.

Anyways, when I discovered the website, Simply Breakfast, I fell in love with the simple, rustic and beautiful photos of the blogger’s daily breakfasts. She has inspired me to embark on a similar project…sharing yummy breakfast recipes!

Today: breakfast quinoa w/ blackberries and coffee.



Recipe:
(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Breakfast Quinoa Recipe)

Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
handful fresh blackberries

Directions:

Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Stir in syrup and cinnamon. Cook, covered, until almost all the milk has been absorbed (about 8 minutes).

Serve with berries and any additional fix-ins you desire (milk, sugar, cinnamon etc.)

*Note: This makes too much for one person, so I refrigerate the left-overs and heat up single servings throughout the week.

Quinoa is an amazing little grain and a staple in vegetarian diets as it contains a balanced set of amino acids making it a complete protein. It’s also gluten-free :). It makes a really nice substitute for oatmeal in the morning or even rice or couscous as a side dish. Go out and get some!! You’ll be happy you did.

Mostly Vegan Banana Berry Bran Muffins

Today, I decided to make muffins. I was craving something sweet - yet wholesome, as I wanted something that I could quickly scarf down before heading to my torturous 9 AM boot camps this week. I hadn’t made muffins in awhile and with a few browning bananas on my counter and a couple pints of blackberries in my fridge (picked up on sale from H&W Produce - LOVE that place!), I decided on Banana Berry muffins…with bran. Because I’m a firm believer that muffins are nothing more than ugly cupcakes and hold very little nutritional value for the most part. So, with the addition of bran and substituting maple syrup for sugar, I convinced myself that these muffins would be more or less healthy.

Well, healthy-ish.

I also ended up making them almost entirely vegan…mainly because I had no eggs. I did add a couple dollops of yogurt however, which killed the intention of dairy-free muffins but added some lovely moisture. I think all muffins need yogurt.

Plus, I just love yogurt. Especially good, old-fashioned, full-fat yogurt. I could never be vegan for that reason alone.

Anywho, they turned out pretty good! Especially considering I came up with the recipe almost entirely from scratch. I researched a number of banana bran muffin recipes and put this one together…it may be a keeper!

90% Vegan Banana Berry Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bran (I used wheat bran but oat bran would be better)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 medium bananas
1/4 cup soy milk (or any dairy-free milk alternative)
1/4 cup maple syrup (honey would work nicely too)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons yogurt (Wanna go all-vegan? Use soygurt!)
1 handful blackberries (or any berries you have on hand…walnuts would be nice too)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400º F.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, mash the bananas and then add the milk, syrup, oil, vanilla, water and yogurt.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until it just comes together – don’t overmix! Fold in the berries. Spoon batter into a standard 12-cup muffin tin (I lined mine with paper liners to avoid sticking…especially because my berries were huge).

Bake at 400º F for about 15-20 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes about 12 big muffins.


Enjoy!! Feel free to slather these in peanut butter…I did. And it was awesome.