Roasted cauliflower quiche with nut crust

I adapted several recipes to come up with tonight's dinner. The crust is from The Vegetarian Adventure cookbook by Rowan Bishop and Sue Carruthers. The quiche is an adaptation of something I ran across called Hippie Pie on food52.com.

There are three distinct steps in this meal. You can always make the crust and roast the cauliflower in advance.
First- start the cauliflower roasting (20 min). While it is roasting, make the nut crust and get it chilling.
Second, when the cauliflower is ready, cook the crust. While the crust is cooking (10 min), make the quiche.
Third, when the crust is ready, throw the quiche into it and bake it (35 min).

Nut pastry
1 1/2 C ground almonds
1/2 C whole meal spelt flour
1/2 C plain spelt flour
1 T parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
5 1/2 T chilled butter
1 egg

Place the nuts, flours, cheese and salt in a food processor. Cut the butter into pieces and process briefly, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and process again, using the pulse button, just until the mixture begins to 'ball'.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (if time permits).  Preheat oven to 410F.
Roll out to fit a quiche pan, prick with fork and bake at 410F for 10 minutes, then allow to cool.

Quiche

1 small cauliflower, cut into thick slices
1/2 large onion, diced
4 oz greens, chopped roughly (Swiss chard, spinach, etc.)
1 T fresh herbs (marjoram, oregano, etc.), cut
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 C milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 C grated cheese (make a mixture of three different- e.g., fontina, parmesan, romano)

Place the cauliflower on a jelly roll pan, brush with olive oil, then toss with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower roasts, saute the diced onion, add the herbs, salt and pepper and slowly cook till carmelized.

Wilt the greens, squeeze out the excess moisture and stir in the parsley.

Beat the eggs and milk together.

Mix the cheese together.

When the crust is ready, scatter the chopped greens on the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle in 1/3 of the cheese. Pile on half the cauliflower and onions and sprinkle with next 1/3 of the cheese. Put the rest of the cauliflower mixture in the quiche. Slowly pour the egg mixture over everything and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 375F for 35 minutes. Watch that the cauliflower tops don't burn- if they are getting too brown, cover with foil.

**Here it is going into the oven.

**Just out of the oven. Really nice flavors. Not your ordinary quiche.

Green Tomato Cake

The web is full of recipes for green tomato cakes. They usually have lots of sugar. I got this recipe from a friend of mine.

1/3 C softened butter
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat till incorporated.

1 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Sift above into butter mixture and beat well. Spoon batter in oiled(!) 9x9 cake pan.

Slice 2-3 green tomatoes into round slices, then chunk up the slices.
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Arrange tomato chunks on top of batter.
Sprinkle lightly with a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts.

Dot with butter (optional)

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until brown on top.

**Super easy to make. This is a picture of it before it went into the oven. Once out, it looks like a normal cake.

Zucchini and potato soup with cilantro

I found this recipe in an old magazine and it is online. It is a good end of summer soup. We'll make it in my seasonal cooking class.

3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon (or more) chopped jalapeño chile with seeds 1/4 teaspoon (generous) fennel seeds 1 (7- to 8-ounce) Yukon Gold potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 16 to 18 ounces zucchini (about 4 medium), trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch rounds 1 cup chopped green onions 2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth 1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon (or more) fresh lime juice Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chile and fennel seeds; stir 30 seconds. Add next 3 ingredients; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Purée soup in batches in blender, adding cilantro and 1 teaspoon lime juice to first batch. Return puree to same pan. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired. Rewarm, if necessary, and serve. One serving contains the following: 163.56 Calories (kcal), 48.7% Calories from Fat, 8.85 (g) Fat, 5.62 (g) Saturated Fat, 25.63 (mg) Cholesterol, 16.74 (g) Carbohydrates, 3.29 (g) Dietary Fiber, 4.10 (g) Total Sugars, 13.45 (g) Net Carbs, 4.89 (g) Protein **Really quite nice! The lime added a little kick. The picture doesn't show it with the cilantro- but I'd recommend it. We made it with green chili instead of a jalepeno. We also used 1/2 the potato.

Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Sheep's Milk Cheese

I got three butternut squash out of my garden this summer- I saw this recipe and thought my squash coupled with my mint, parsley, and tomatoes and LPO's potatoes- this was sure to be a winner! I have amended the recipe below (less mint than originally called for).

Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Sheep's Milk Cheese
Serves 6 as a side dish or 3 to 4 as a main course

2 sprigs fresh mint leaves, shredded
5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds butternut squash, quartered, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 large ripe tomato, halved, seeded and grated, or a few spoonfuls of drained, diced tomatoes from a can
2/3 cup grated hard sheep's milk cheese, like Greek mizithra or Spanish manchego
1/4 cup fresh ricotta
1 1/2 pounds red or Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the mint, parsley, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, or a little bit more to taste, and the pepper. Remove and reserve half the mixture. Add the squash to the bowl and mix well. Add the tomato, and the hard and fresh cheeses and toss to combine.

2. Toss the potatoes with the reserved garlic-herb mixture and add another 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of a generously oiled 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Taste a small bit of the squash-tomato mixture for seasoning, adjust if needed, and spread on top, covering with the remaining potatoes. Pour the milk over all, dust with the flour (preferably through a sieve) and drizzle the oil on top.

3. Bake for 40 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake for 30 minutes, or until the gratin is brown and the liquid is nearly absorbed. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

**Delicious! I would recommend using your food processor for most of the prep work-otherwise you'll be grating and slicing for a long time...

Green chile apple pie

We decided in my Seasonal Cooking class to try this recipe- perfect for the New Mexico autumn- fresh roasted green chiles and apples. I got this recipe from the Edible Santa Fe website. A great magazine and a great website of recipes divided by seasons!


6 ripe apples
2 T. butter
1/2-1 C. chopped green chile
3/4 C. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 C. cheddar cheese, grated
2 pre-made pie crusts
Preheat oven to 375. Core and slice apples 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Heat butter in a large skillet on medium heat until fragrant and sizzling. Add apples and toss to coat, cover tightly and cook, stirring frequently until they are tender but still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Stir in green chile, sugar, salt and spices, and cook on high heat about 5 more minutes, until the juices thicken. Lay the bottom crust in a 9” pie pan and sprinkle cheese over the bottom. Pour in the apple mixture. Lay the top crust over and seal by crimping the edges. Bake about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

**This pie was something, alright! What an interesting mix of flavors between the spicy chile, the sweet apples, and the buttery crust. It was hard to discern the cheese, though. Maybe a sharp cheddar next time...

Plum Tart

My friend Cindy gave me plums from her tree last week. I have canned them into a spicy sauce and decided to make the rest into a plum tart. Since these plums are sweet, I needed to find a recipe calling for more sweet than tart plums. I found it on Orangette. Please note that this recipe makes two smaller tarts unless you have a 12 inch tart pan. I followed this recipe exactly with the exception of using spelt flour.

Tarte aux Quetsches, or Prune Plum TartAdapted from Saveur

This recipe makes one 12-inch tart, or—as I found—one 9-inch and one 7-inch tart. The directions below are for the latter. 

1 recipe Martha Stewart’s pâte brisée
2 pounds prune plums, halved lengthwise and pitted
2 eggs
¼ cup sugar (I used unrefined cane sugar)
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup 2% or whole milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, positioning a rack in the top one-third of the oven.

Remove chilled pastry dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for five to ten minutes. Roll into two rounds and ease into removable-bottom tart pans. Gently press dough into the corners of pan and trim off excess, or fold it over to reinforce the side rim. Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with a fork, and set aside.

Arrange plums, cut side down, in a single layer inside pastry shells. Whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, heavy cream, and milk in a medium bowl until smooth, and then pour custard over plums.

Carefully transfer tart to the oven and bake until plums are soft and top of custard is golden, about 45 minutes to one hour. Transfer tart to a rack to let cool completely before serving.

**Beautiful, don't you think? I cut into the second one. Not too sweet, buttery flakey crust with an eggy custard. Umm.

Greek style zucchini and cheese pie

I found this recipe online at a site that is dedicated to urban gardens in the UK. It seemed to be a good way to use up the cottage cheese that I had leftover from last week. It can easily be gluten free. I have modified the recipe below, as I cooked it. Remember that zucchini is called courgette in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. plain bread crumbs
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 roasted green chile, chopped
• 2 cups grated courgette
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp. cornflour
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or teaspoon dried
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• small pinch of cinnamon
• 1 cup grated cheese

Method:

1. Grease a 9" pie plate, sprinkle it with bread crumbs and set it aside.
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick pan. Add onion and green chile and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add courgette and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
4. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350.
5. Combine eggs, cottage cheese, cornflour, oregano, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth.
6. In a large bowl, combine cooked vegetables, cottage cheese/egg mixture and cheddar. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
8. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

**As you can see, the dish I was a bit big causing the pie to be a bit flat. The flavor was good but the pie was a bit fluffy and left me wanting a bit more. Having said that, this dish could easily incorporate a lot more different kinds of vegetables and end up being a crustless quiche.

Hearty Green Autumn Bowl

What a great way to eat autumn greens! I used the swiss chard from the harvest box for this dish. I couldn't find dry cannelini beans so I substituted northern whites instead. I didn't build the toast on top, but instead used slices of hearty country bread. You can find the recipe online here. I modified it below.

Serves 4

• 1 bunch Kale (or mix Kale and Swiss Chard) stems removed and leaves shredded
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for bread
• 1 Onion (medium) chopped finely
• 1 Carrot (Medium) chopped finely
• 1 Celery Stick chopped finely
• 1 Clove of Garlic minced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 3 cups Cooked Cannellini Beans (canned is fine but rinse well - 2 cans)
• 1 Lemon, cut in wedges
• 4 Slices Chunky Wholesome Bread 
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Chili Flakes or more if you like
• 2 tablespoons Rosemary finely chopped
• 1 liter Chicken Stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Vine Ripe Tomato Medium chopped finely

1. Finely chop onion, carrot and celery and put in a pot with oil and fry over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic, bay leaf and wine. Reduce until no wine is left in the pot. Add Salt, pepper and chili flakes. Now add tomatoes, beans and rosemary. Mix well. Now add stock.
2. Once the stew comes to a gentle boil add the kale and/or Swiss Chard and cook until wilted (about 3-5 minutes) 
3. When ready, serve soup in large bowls and add a squeeze of lemon juice. 

**This picture is from thespicegirl from the food blog Food52. It shows the dish with pine nuts and lemon peel- I didn't do that. Nevertheless, you get the idea. The recipe is delicious.

Thai eggplant and sweet potato curry

What an interesting idea of pairing eggplant and sweet potatoes. I found this recipe online. I have modified it below (after cooking it).


1 1/2 C pearl or hulled barley OR brown rice
2 tsp oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 tbsp green curry paste (depending on your paste- you may need to add more chili)
2 eggplants (cut into small chunks)
1 1/2 C light coconut milk
2 C vegetable stock
6 kaffir lime (leaves)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 tsp brown sugar (soft)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp lime zest (grated)


Rinse & drain the barley. Fill a large saucepan with 5 cups water and add barley. Bring to the boil then
reduce heat. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Drain.OR cook in pressure cooker for 13 minutes.

While barley is cooking, heat oil in large wok (or frying pan) then add curry paste and onion. Cook, stirring,
over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Pour in stock. Add sweet potatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until starting to get soft.

Add coconut milk and eggplant. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the lime leaves and simmer for 5 more minutes or until the eggplant and sweet potatoes have reached the consistency you like.

Finally, mix in the sugar, lime juice and lime zest. Combine well. Season with salt & pepper, to taste, then serve over barley or rice.

**Such an interesting melding of flavors! I thought this dish was very tasty! I forgot to take the picture until we were almost finished! Sorry. This photo comes from http://www.juliegoodwin.com.au and looks pretty similar to this recipe.

Quinoa Burgers

Always on the look out for a great veggie burger! I saw this online- modified it by not adding the sugar originally called for and adding a scallion and bumping up the cumin a notch.

2 cups cooked quinoa

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 medium carrot, finely grated (OR 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed)

3 eggs ( 4 eggs if using zucchini instead of carrot)

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 green onions, including white parts

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Olive oil for frying

.

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, Splenda, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  Measure 1/4 cup and form into patties about 1/2 inch thick  - mixture will be slightly sticky.  Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.   Makes approx. 10 burgers.

Making the burgers...

**Delicious! I'll be making these again!

Carrot Ginger Soup- Indian spices

For those of you who have been reading this blog, you know that I have been looking for a great carrot soup. I think this just might be it! Super easy to make (in my food processor). Here is the recipe online. Below is with my modifications (green chile and vegemite).

Carrot ginger soup:
It makes about 20 ladlefuls.

One giant onion or two medium, chopped
1-3 roasted green chiles, chopped
3″ chunk of ginger, peeled, grated
Three garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp curry powder
10 carrots, peeled and cut into medallions.
One huge potato, peeled, chopped
Vegetable stock to cover (about 6 cups)
1 tsp vegemite

Chop everything.
Sauté onion garlic and ginger in vegetable oil until tender. Add spices.
Cook one minute until aromatic. Add carrot and potato. Coat in spices and oil.
Add stock. Bring to a boil. Simmer until veggies are tender. Maybe 20 minutes. Allow to cool a bit then blend to a puree.                                                                                                                                                         Top with sour cream or yogurt.

**Delicious and so easy to make. The yogurt was perfect with it. I made GF cheesy buns to go with it.