WITH LOVE AND LUNCH

On Monday we drove over to our favorite walkabout garden. We forgot that everyone had the day off for Labor Day. When we arrived, we found that the barrier was down preventing us from using the parking lot (at least the staff had a day off), but the garden itself was still open to the general public.

 There were dozens and dozens of cars parked outside on our side of the barrier, and on each side of the narrow road leading down to the main road, with more cars arriving only to have to turn around. There wasn’t a spot to be had. We would have had to go a considerable distance to find a place to park, this on the busy main road without a sidewalk. Walking back between parked cars was not an option for us with all the traffic driving by. There was a long, grassy ditch to navigate also. We decided it prudent to turn around and let others enjoy the garden today. The weather was gorgeous! 

My collage shows one of the parked cars at the top of the road, where we made a tight u-turn. I saw the message on the car and of course my phone came out. A wonderfully positive message that I added to my collection of positives. I added the word 'love' on the other car to obscure the license plate for privacy. It seemed to fit in with the theme.

We had the sushi for lunch, purchased from our supermarket and made fresh shortly before. Avocado and grated carrots wrapped in seaweed, brown rice with flecks of quinoa, made for a very tasty and quick lunch. It was vegan and as we are adding more meatless dishes these days, it was perfect. Packets of soy sauce, marinated ginger slices and wasabi come with it, and when applied to the sushi, finishes it off nicely. Very tasty! And on that note...

I hope you all had a great Labor Day, 

and are having another nice one today.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - QUICHE FLORENTINE

Today's recipe came from Living Lou, hosted by Lou.  I have shared a few of her recipes before. I enjoyed it very much and made a few changes, which I have added below.

Quiche Florentine 

1 9" deep dish frozen pie crust

For the filling:

1 tablespoon salted butter

2 shallots, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

4 cups spinach (mature or baby spinach), roughly choped

3/4 cup cheddar cheese (Gruyere or Swiss will also work)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup 2% milk

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place pie crust on a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Blind bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make spinach filling. 

Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for about 2 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the spinach and 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Transfer spinach mixture into a sieve, using the back of a spatula, push and stir the mixture to draw out excess liquid. I do this about 6 to 8 times, or until barely any liquid comes out.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the crust and sprinkle cheese evenly over the spinach.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs with remaining salt and pepper. Pour over the spinach and cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated 375 deg. F. oven until quiche is golden brown and still slightly jiggly.

Lou's freezing instructions:

After baking, allow to cool completely before wrapping in aluminum foil and freezing. The quiche will last for three months in the freezer.

When ready to bake, unwrap and bake in a 375 degrees F. oven for about 50 to 60 minutes.

Louisa's notes:

You can also use your own favorite pie crust recipe.

This recipe can be easily doubled to make two quiches.

Changes I made or would make in the future:

I didn't buy or make a crust for this quiche today. Simply because I wanted something easy and nourishing to put together.  I made the filling ingredients and poured those in my pie plate that had been coated with avocado oil spray. I didn't miss the crust at all. It was very tasty. 

I added four cloves of chopped garlic, put them in for about a minute, stirring, after I had sauteed the shallots.

I'm sure you can add any of your own favorite veggies here. I thought I would add mushrooms next time and even some halved cherry tomatoes.

I used Cheddar cheese.

I also didn't use the heavy cream or 2% mixture, but in the fridge I had a carton of whole milk used in a baking recipe. There was just enough left in there to make the 1 cup.

I used Lowry's seasoned salt and pepper instead of regular. 

Next time I will use the 9" pie plate as I had a larger one handy, and the quiche came out thinner than normal. It did not detract from the taste though. 

My dear other half was out of town for a few days, so I made this for myself. Next time I will cut into single portions and freeze individually.

I served it with a simple mixed veggie salad of crispy lettuce, sliced radishes, diced sweet red pepper and a couple of sliced mushrooms. No dressing as I didn't grow up with salads and to this day, still prefer my salads without.

That's about it. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section. 

Here is the full address of the recipe, just in case you prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link above.

https://www.livinglou.com/quiche-florentine-fresh-spinach/

Thanks for looking. I hope you all have a great week and Bon Appétit.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND MUSHROOM BITES - 6 SERVINGS

Sausage, Spinach & Mushroom Egg Bites - 6 servings

This is a very nice change of pace from our usual breakfast. I found the original recipe at Eating Well at this link. The author is Craig Ruff. I always recommend visiting these blogs to see the original recipes. They have great photos, great tips and other great recipes.

Total time from prep to table: 50 minutes.

Active time: 25 minutes 

Servings: 6

Calories for 1: 232 

1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil in a spray bottle)

6 ounces pork breakfast sausage

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach

8 large eggs

2/3 cup whole milk 

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add sausage; cook, stirring often and breaking into crumbles, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the drippings in the pan. 

Reduce heat to medium.

Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned in most spots, 6 to 8 minutes. 

Add spinach; cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 30 seconds. 

Transfer the vegetable mixture to the plate with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly blended. 

Stir in the cooled sausage/mushroom mixture. 

Divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups, about 1/4 cup each. (I was a little concerned we had filled the cups too full but they didn't overflow in the oven, it worked out well.)

Bake, rotating the pan front to back once, until puffed and set, 14 to 16 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before removing the egg bites from the pan.

To make ahead:

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or wrap individually in plastic and freeze for 1 month. (We used small snap-lid containers).

To reheat, remove from packaging/container and  cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave until hot, about 1 minute. 

Full nutritional values can be found at the website.

I copied down a few of the commentors suggestions in case we want to try next time.

One substituted half and half for whole milk and added onions. Commentor said they were absolutely delicious. Also said they would make them in small Pyrex dishes instead of muffin tins as found it a little difficult to remove them. (I have a note about that at the end of my recipe.)

Another person said about having to thoroughly oil the muffin pan well or they don't come out. Now sprays muffin cups for easy removal.

Someone else added bacon as a protein source and found that delicious. They also cut the mushrooms in half, sprinkled fresh Parmesan cheese on top in the last 5 minutes of cooking, and topped with avocado and Tapatio sauce. 

Next person had no spinach, so used minced onions and thinly sliced portabella mushrooms. No pork sausage but had chicken sausage links in the freezer. Used half whole eggs and half egg whites. Added feta cheese and kalamata olives. Used small custard cups. Took a little longer due to the greater volume (1/2 cup of egg mixture). Also felt there was too much sausage for their taste. (We had no such problem and enjoyed with the pork sausage. Also felt they would have been perfect without the breakfast sausage.

What did we think? Excellent and will definitely be making these again. We both enjoyed them. 

A nice side was a few strawberries and blueberries. We thought avocado another time. 

I added about 1/2 a sweet red pepper, diced.

I bought these a couple of years back after reading very good reviews about them. 

I also have a 12-cup silicone muffin pan slightly smaller sized cups. I am very happy with the result. I sprayed the inside of the cups just in case, and the egg bites came out very easily.

The egg cups took a few minutes longer to cook, a) because our oven runs a little cooler when following usual cooking times, and b) the muffin cups were a little larger.

Here is the website address for copying and pasting.

https://www.eatingwell.com/sausage-spinach-mushroom-egg-bites-8654583

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - THE BEST EVER BEEF STEW RECIPE

I have a few other beef stew recipes on my blog, but have always enjoyed looking for others. This is our favorite so far and one we will be making from now on. We gave it a 10 out of 10.  It comes from Tatyana's Everyday Food and the original recipe is here. Tatyana has a step-by-step video on YouTube which you can find at this link. My mother always made suet dumplings with all her beef stews. The last time I went to the pasty shop I picked up a box of Atora. Their recipe is below this one.

The Best Ever Beef Stew Recipe - 8 servings

Preparation time: 25 minutes 

Cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Calories: approximately 373 per serving

2 lbs beef tri-tip, roast or short ribs

2 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and black pepper

3 medium carrots, diced

1 large sweet onion, diced

3 medium celery sticks, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

10 small mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup red wine

1 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 cups beef broth

2 1/2 tsp Italian herbs blend

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tbsp sugar

Ground black pepper

3 to 4 cups halved baby potatoes (you do not have to peel them)

1 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Cut the beef into 1 1/2-inch chunks. 

Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a few tablespoons of oil. 

Once the pan is hot, add the cubed beef, season generously with salt and fry for 7 to 10 minutes, until well browned all over. 

Transfer the beef into a large soup pot. 

Deglaze the frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the liquids to the soup pot.

Into the same frying pan, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and the carrots, celery and onion. 

Sauté the mixture over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Once the onion is tender, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. 

Transfer the mirepoix mixture into the soup pot. 

Into the frying pan, add the butter and allow it to melt before adding the mushrooms. 

Sauté the mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes, until well browned all over. 

Season the mushrooms with salt and then add the flour. 

Toss the mushrooms in the flour so they're evenly coated and cook for 1 minute; transfer the mushrooms into the pot.

To the soup pot, add the red wine, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, beef broth, spices and herbs. 

Season generously with black pepper and about 1-1/2 tsp salt. 

Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. 

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering the soup for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until the beef is tender.

Add the potatoes and frozen peas; if using fresh peas, add them 10 minutes later. 

Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until fork tender. 

Garnish the stew with chopped parsley and enjoy.

Optional: for a richer stew, add the potatoes and continue cooking for an additional hour, bringing the total cooking to 2 or 2-1/2 hours.

Tatyana's Italian Herbs Seasoning:

Combine 1/2 teaspoon each of the following dried herbs: basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme and rosemary. If you enjoy fennel seed, add about 4 to 5 seeds. This is a great herb blend for the stew and can also be used for other recipes!

What did we think? Our best beef stew recipe so far. 

We forgot to add the peas but this was not missed when we ate this delicious stew.

We doubled on the beef broth and used 2 cartons. We've found that there isn't enough broth in other recipes we have done, for our taste anyway, and added an extra carton, so 8 cups beef broth instead of 4.

We bought a jar of already minced garlic that came in a small glass jar, and used the equivalent 4 cloves garlic. 

I already had a container of Italian Herbs in the pantry, and used those. Making our own would be a nice way to go, next time.

Gregg is not a fan of paprika so we left that out.

The other thing he said was that although our suet dumplings were very nice and he would no doubt enjoy them again, he preferred the Bisquick dumplings. I had to admit that though I also enjoyed them and thought they were excellent, they weren’t like how I remember those my mother made. Products, such as suet, are not like the big pieces of suet she purchased from our butcher. She used to grate this herself. I, however, also enjoyed the fact that ours were made from scratch and didn’t have any of those ingredients that we may be told to avoid  I really need to investigate this further.  

The broth was the best we have ever tasted.

My thanks to Tatyana for such a great recipe.

I am including the full address of the food blog, for copying and pasting instead of using the link above.

https://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/beef-stew/

I also added suet dumplings to our stew, and used the recipe from Atora's home site:

There is also a recipe at Erren’s Kitchen that I followed for the Imperial Measurement System we use in the United States. You can see her dumpling recipe at: https://www.errenskitchen.com/suet-dumplings/.

Thanks for visiting, have a great week and...

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - POACHED EGG WITH SWEET POTATO MASH AND SCALLION PANCAKE

 

I enjoy a poached egg for breakfast, though this throw-together could be used for any meal. Made on 11-18-24. 

No recipe or link for this one and I have similar on here. It was a Trader Joe's Scallion Pancake, 1/2 cup of sweet potato mash with nothing added (I had made up a batch of sweet potatoes and froze them in 1/2 cup measured pots - I take one out whenever I feel like sweet potato and microwave them for 2 minutes.)  

The microwave is used for this breakfast. The scallion is frozen and I microwave it for 1 minute. Then coat a frying pan with a short spray of avocado oil (you can use what you have), sauté long enough to make it a golden brown on one side, and then flip it over to finish the other. Water is on the hob to heat and when hot enough, not boiling, I gently pop the egg in until the whites are set, coordinating the timing so that it is ready at the same time. Pop the pancake on the plate, mashed sweet potato on top of that, making a slight indentation in the potato, and add the poached egg. 

If you like these ingredients, it is a very good breakfast, or whatever the time of day you choose. 

There is a link to a recipe for Green Onion Pancakes here if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby.  You could probably cook and freeze them individually for future meals.

I am thinking this would go very nicely with naan bread as a substitute for the scallion pancake. You can also go without and just have the poached egg on top of the mashed sweet potato. Just tossing around some ideas and you might have your own, in which case I would love to see them in the comments. 

Added notes for my own info, as I need these reminders. Sweet potatoes are generally healthier than white potatoes because they are high in Vitamin A and lower on the glycemic index. This means they are less likely to cause blood sugar to spike.

Also for my own info but add just in case it is helpful to anyone out there.

Trader Joe's Scallion Pancake is 210 calories for 1 pancake.

(My wheat bread would be a better choice instead of the pancake probably, at 110 calories per slice but I need a change occasionally.)

1/2 cup mashed sweet potato is 125 calories.

1 large poached egg is 71 calories.

1 second burst of avocado spray is 25 calories.

Added glass of orange juice: 8 fl.ozs. is 110 calories

Total calories with pancake: 541 calories.

Total calories with wheat bread: 441

I missed breakfast and had this around noon while Gregg was out of the house.  Otherwise I would have had oatmeal with berries.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - POACHED EGG ON TOAST WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

I realize this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is my favorite breakfast of the moment, and I wanted to make a record of it. Not just for breakfast either, it would make a nice light lunch or supper. Also, I have enjoyed pumpkin seeds for a long time but putting a few over my poached egg on toast is a new thing for me. I also didn't know at the time all the health benefits they provide. After those delicious fish and chips we had the other day, I wanted to go light this week. So, no recipe today, just a simple breakfast put-together. It's a bit convoluted so you might want to skip a lot of the info. That's something else I do for my own memory jogger, but at the same time hoping you might find some of this interesting.

Poached Egg on Toast with Pumpkin Seeds

1 large egg

1 slice whole-grain bread, any favorite

1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds (there are approximately 47 calories in 1 tablespoon)

Poach your egg. I boil my water first, once it's bubbling I start toasting my bread (and it took a few tries to get it in sync with the finished egg), crack the egg and carefully put contents into the water. Toast pops up, put on plate, take egg carefully out of the water with a slotted spoon (whites should be set), place poached egg on toast. Sprinkle the tablespoon of pumpkin seeds over everything and that's it.

If you have any techniques or tips here, would love to read them in the comment section.

I don't have an egg poacher, it would probably look prettier if I had but figured it tastes great to me so no problem. However, I read at this link - host Lisa at Downshiftology, she notes, "Fine mesh sieve: this is the one tip that consistently produced the best poached egg. When you crack an egg you'll notice that there's a firmer white and a more liquidy white. Well, that liquidy white is what creates all those white wispies. So, add the egg to a fine mesh sieve/strainer, and the thinner, more liquid white is removed, leaving only the firmer white which will envelope the yolk." I will try this. The blog host has several other tips, yays and nays.

There is another recipe with interesting tips here also. Link is Natasha's Kitchen. 

I must admit that I have always put my eggs in the water and have tried various ways in the past, but my go-to is just to go for it and they seem to work out. However, these tips do make a lot of sense.

I am fortunate that poached eggs on toast are enjoyed by my family. Our dear son grew up having these. When he comes over for breakfast after dropping off our dear daughter-in-law (their work hours are different at times), poached eggs are still a favorite choice.

I have been reading up a lot on various food items and the health benefits. Pumpkin seeds are way up there and here's a list.

Rich in zinc and other beneficial minerals.

Improvement in HDL (Good) Cholesterol.

Fights intestinal parasites - yes, ewww, but still.

Reduces Arthritic inflammation.

Anti-diabetic.

Promotes good sleep.

Rich Omega-3 source.

High levels of magnesium.

Hair restoration.

Cardioprotective.

Alkaline forming.

Only an interesting guideline and of course you should always check with your doctor to see what their knowledge/opinions are on these things. I just found it interesting for me to add this so I could look at it every now and again. I have made a note to ask on my next doctor's appointment.

Do you enjoy pumpkin seeds? Do you have any of your own health tips to share? I am always curious to learn regarding anyone’s first-hand experience.  

This won't be a regular posting on such things. My normal Monday Morning Recipes will be resuming next week. 

Thanks so much for looking and I wish you all a great week.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - TOFU PEANUT SATAY

 This was made several weeks ago and was in my draft folder. I originally found it on Instagram and if you are a member and would like to take a look, you can see a quick version of the recipe in motion at this link. An excellent dish, the first Thai meal we had fixed for a while, and looking forward to trying it again.

3 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter

2/3 cup of coconut milk

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 to 2 tablespoons of sriracha 

(the amount depends on how spicy you like it 

you could leave it off if you prefer)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce (we used low sodium)

2 tablespoons grated garlic

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 limes, one juiced to add to the cooking process,

and 1 lime sectioned for garnish

1 block extra or super firm Tofu, 

drained, dried and cut into 16 evenly sized cubes

Oil, salt and pepper as needed (we left the salt out, tasted great)

1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped

2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced on the bias

1/2 cup crushed peanuts

1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds

1 tablespoon chili oil crisp

Rice for serving

4 Skewers for Tofu Cubes

In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, maple syrup, sriracha, sesame oil, soy sauce, 1 large pinch salt, black pepper to taste, garlic, ginger and juice of 1 lime. Set aside until needed.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat and allow to heat up for 2-3 minutes.

Place 4 cubes tofu on each small skewer.

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of neutral oil (we used avocado oil and just enough to cover the bottom of the pan). 

Sear the tofu cubes in the oil.

Season the tofu in the pan with a large pinch of salt (we left this out) and pepper to taste. 

Sear on all four sides of the tofu for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until each side is golden brown.

Pour half the peanut sauce over the tofu in the pan. 

Continue to flip the tofu searing for another 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until it has reached the color and texture you like.

Serve tofu skewers over rice and garnish with the remaining peanut sauce, cilantro, green onions/scallions, crushed peanuts, sesame seeds and chili crisp.  Squeeze juice from the remaining lime sections on top. 

We don't have skewers and instead cubed the tofu and cooked in the pan separately, searing on all sides like we normally do. We followed the recipe exactly after these changes.

There were enough for four servings and we will have the other two tomorrow for lunch or dinner.

I think that's about it. 

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - SCALLION PANCAKES FROM TRADER JOE’S

 

Definitely nothing fancy today. There were no new recipes as colds, sore throats and coughs were running rampant through the house last week, plus walk-in appointments at the local medical center.

So, after making sure the dear man had all he needed, I fixed myself an easy and fast meal as he didn’t feel like eating. We both normally enjoy green onion pancakes from Trader Joe’s and more often than not keep a packet in the freezer. There are four to a packet, 210 calories for one, very tasty. They make a great snack on their own, or with additions if you want more of a meal. TJ’s also sells Taiwanese pancakes, and one called green onion pancakes. As green onion and scallion are the same thing, I wonder what the list of ingredients is in all three. 

I found that these were in the scallion pancakes. 

I will eventually try the others but right now these are my go-to-fast-on-the-table meal, for ease and yumminess. As at the time of writing this post, they retail in price from $2.49 to about $4.50, depending on the location. We buy ours for $4.50, which is still a reasonable price considering we only eat one at a time. We get ours from the actual TJ store, and although it’s only our once-in-a-while shopping place (our local supermarket is closer), it isn’t that much further away.

This was a late breakfast/early lunch so I thawed the pancake a bit (they are already cooked).  All that needs to be done is to finish it off in a preheated frying pan until a nice golden brown on each side. A few minutes is all. In the same pan I sautéed the sliced tomato. (I coated the pan with a spray of avocado oil first and did the same in a small frying pan just big enough to cook the egg.) Flipped both pancake and sliced tomatoes over to brown. If you had an even bigger frying pan you could include the egg and sautée all three to serve up at the same time. I put the pancake in a few minutes before, and then when I turned it over, I added the other ingredients.  Just keep checking so they don’t burn. I enjoyed this combination for a quick brunch, and thought a poached egg would be nice another time.

The possibilities for your own favorite combination idea would be fun to know if you care to share.  We have placed a spoonful of sour cream on top when we had the pancake on its own and that was delicious.

There is a blog I found who does a copy cat version here. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s on my list. It doesn’t seem to have every ingredient mentioned above but I expect it is still an excellent version and additions could be added..

Thanks for stopping by 

and I wish you all a great week!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - AVOCADO TOAST

No link this week, as this is very simple. I wanted something light for supper. I have seen avocado toast with various toppings for a while now. This is what I have been putting together lately. 

1/2 to 1 avocado

1 scant teaspoon olive oil

1 slice of wheat bread 

(or another favorite) 

1 small sliced tomato

Toasted Sesame Seeds

In a small bowl scoop out the avocado with a spoon and mash with a fork.  Meanwhile, toast your bread.  Spread the avocado over toast. Drizzle with olive oil.  Add the sliced tomato on the top. Sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds.  

Serve immediately and enjoy!

🥑 

I have only just started eating avocado toast.  We usually share an avocado, putting half in a small dish, removing the seed and adding a dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce to each avocado half in the well left by the seed.  

The other way we enjoy is to peel and cube the avocado and add to a salad.  

For the toast I used Dave's Killer Bread - 21 Whole Grain. My son suggested it.  I had a visceral reaction to the name, but he said I shouldn't let that put me off, that it was excellent bread.  There is an interesting story of how this company came to be, as I found out later.  You can read all about it at their website here. They are called a second-chance company and give jobs to people who have served time in prison.  As you read the info you will see how that came about too.

Toppings could be varied and I thought a sliced, hard-boiled egg, or a poached egg, would be nice on the top.

Maybe a drop or two of lemon juice mixed either into the avocado or on top.

A sprinkle of chili flakes would give them a bit of a zip.

If you have any other ideas, perhaps you can leave them in a comment.  

That's about it for this one.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - CRUSTLESS QUICHE WITH BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER - SERVES 6

 I didn't take a proper plated photo for this one, having forgotten before we sat down to eat, and already having finished our meal.  I have Gregg to thank for taking this.  The recipe came from a food blog called Clean and Delicious hosted by Dani, and you can get the original recipe here.  We gave it a 10 out of 10, an excellent quiche.

Described as "healthy, easy, loaded with veggies and high in protein."  Tasty and low in calories at 219 calories per slice.  From prep to table, 55 minutes.

Crustless Quiche with Broccoli and Cauliflower 

Servings: 6

2-1/2 to 3 cups broccoli florets (8 ounces)

2-1/2 to 3 cups cauliflower florets (8 ounces)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

6 eggs 

6 egg whites

1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt

1/4 cup scallions chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray, butter, or coconut oil. Set aside. 

Bring a couple inches of water in a small-medium sized pot and bring to a boil. 

Place a steamer basket in the pot and add the broccoli and cauliflower florets and steam for six minutes or until tender but not mushy.

Transfer the chopped broccoli and cauliflower to a medium bowl and season with salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Gently toss so the veggies are coated with the spices.

Combine the eggs, egg whites and Greek yogurt in a separate large bowl and whisk until well combined.

Add the seasoned vegetables to the prepared pie plate. 

Sprinkle the scallions and shredded cheese over top. 

Pour the egg mixture over the cheese making sure all the veggies and cheese are covered with the egg mixture.

Cook for 45 minutes or until set and the top is lightly browned. Let rest for a while until you can eat comfortably.  Serve and enjoy!

 

I have included a few of Dani's Notes:

The quiche can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature for a healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner.  

It is low in carbs and loaded in protein, tasty, filling and nutritious.  And healthy as this recipe is super nutritious.  It is packed with veggies and protein for tons of vitamins and minerals. The perfect way to start a day! 

It can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Greek yogurt gives this meal a boost of protein, and also add richness and a lovely tang.

Cheddar cheese was used but other cheese varieties would work as well, and you could use your favorite.

It’s important to steam the vegetables before adding them to the quiche. If they cook in the egg mixture, they’ll leach water and make the quiche watery and soggy.

If you have time, skip the bagged pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store. The store-bought shredded cheese is often coated in anti-caking agents and preservatives and will not melt smoothly.

For best results, we recommend chopping the broccoli and cauliflower into small bite-sized pieces. The vegetables will be better dispersed through the quiche and it will be easier to eat.

You can use any fresh herbs you have on hand to garnish your quiche. We used green onions (scallions), but other options include basil, parsley, chives or dill.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. You can eat the leftovers cold or reheat them.

Make this quiche a day ahead of time, store it in the fridge (covered with a lid or plastic wrap), and then bake it just before you’re ready to eat!

Reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through. If you’re heating it in the oven, you can also cover it with aluminum foil to retain the moisture.

To freeze: Let it completely cool, then transfer individual slices to freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the entire quiche at once if you have a large enough freezer-safe bag or container.

To reheat frozen: Either let the slices thaw in the refrigerator before reheating them in the microwave, or you can simply place them straight into the microwave and heat them for about 1 minute. To reheat an entire frozen quiche, place it back in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until warm in the middle.

A quiche usually contains cream or milk. However, you will notice that my recipe subs Greek yogurt for the cream to add more protein while still creating a rich creamy texture!

What did Gregg and I think of this recipe?  Excellent!  Gregg and I have different tastes in some foods, as do most people.  He is not a big fan of broccoli, but I cut into even smaller pieces, cauliflower also for them to cook uniformly.  With the other ingredients he had no problem, and still gave it a 10 out of 10.  He enjoyed it enough to have seconds.  

The only reason I mention this not liking broccoli, is that if you have someone in the family who might feel the same way, it would be a good meal for them to try.  We all know how healthy broccoli is but not everyone enjoys it.

I didn't use the 6 egg whites as I only had a certain number of eggs before going to the store, and I seem to not have much of a planning stage these days. I use what I have in the fridge or the pantry.  Instead of the 6 egg whites I used 2 extra whole eggs instead, for a total of 8 eggs.  This was more than enough for us.  One of the commentors at the original recipe didn't want to use egg whites, so Dani replied that one whole egg equals 2 egg whites.

I was pleasantly surprised using the Greek yogurt instead of the cream.  It gave it a lovely flavor.

I pre-cooked the veggies but don't have a steamer, so I put them in a pot of water, brought them to a boil and continued for six minutes.  I drained them thoroughly before proceeding.  They still had a bit of a bite when I finished cooking the quiche, which was just how we like it.

That's about all I can think of.  If I remember anything else I will add it later.  If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them in the comment section.