Upon discovering this recipe last winter for “Broccoli-Cheese Pie,” it became one of those instant classics that I’ve made over and over and over again. With only a few slight modifications, it’s a pretty easy meal to whip together that is just as good for breakfast as it is for dinner.

Shopping List

• 2 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 slice of cubed whole-wheat bread, crusts removed (this is optional- I don’t think it really adds all that much to the dish)
• 3 cups broccoli, florets and some stem
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 slices bacon, diced (about 2 1/2 ounces)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• sometimes I add in few mushrooms too, if I have them around

What & How to Do It

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray or butter, then add the breadcrumbs, tilting to coat bottom and sides.

Whisk eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add bread (if you want to) and stir to coat. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Steam broccoli until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Have an ice bath ready to dunk your colander of drained broccoli into, because you don’t want to it to get tooooo mushy. Then coarsely chop up the broccoli into bite sized chunks.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add bacon and cook until you reach your desired level of crispiness, then scoop out the pieces with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Turn the heat up to medium, and add in the onion, cooking either until they are soft and translucent, or become a little crispy if you prefer them that way.  Add the bacon, onion and broccoli to the egg mixture, then stir in cheese. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake the quiche until light golden and set, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing yourself a portion of guilt-free quiche goodness.

Cleo

PS: Be on the look out for Crustless Quiche, Part 2 to follow next week…

I could never have imagined that Quinoa would become a comfort food, but I could be hallucinating since I’m eating so many fewer calories than before and am a little light headed (just kidding).  This recipe has delicious flavor, like something your grandmother would make, if maybe she hung out at Woodstock.

*Note: you will need a deep saucepan for this recipe

Shopping List:
1 large red pepper (1 1/2 cups, finely diced)
2 cups onion, finely diced, any color
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp olive oil
flat leaf parsley, to taste, chopped finely
2 skinless chicken breasts bone in  (or whatever parts you favor)
1 cup or so chicken stock/broth
1 cup quinoa
salt & pepper to taste

What & How to do it:

Cook the quinoa first, then set it aside to cool down.  I spread it out on a flat plat so all the little granules cool.  Cooking quinoa is like cooking most grains, the ratio of water to grain is 2:1.  Boil 2 cups of water with pinch of salt, throw in the rinsed quinoa, get another boil going, turn it down to low and basically let it steam.  When you see the air holes appear it is usually very ready.  It can take around 20 minutes, but check the back of the package you buy for specific instructions.

While the quinoa is doing its own thing, get started on dicing the onions and red pepper.

Pour 2 tsp olive oil into your pan, heating it on med-low. Press the garlic into it, and then add the red pepper flakes, but don’t let anything burn or it will become bitter.  (I actually used 1 tsp of oil the first time I tried this and less onion and it was just as good.)

Add in the onions and let them cook for a good 10 minutes or so. They will release their juices and once they become really creamy looking, you’ll know that the onion flavors are fully developed . This is probably a good time to admit that this is not a fast dish.  What really gave this the grandmother flavor was that I let the flavors develop….I’ll explain that as I go along.

Next, add in the diced red pepper, parsley, salt & pepper and also let it cook for a while. You will want to get into a similar stir pattern to making risotto, where you add broth a little at a time, enough to cover everything, stir well, then let the broth reduce.  Add some more broth, reduce and add more, reduce and add more, etc…  The more you “reduce and add broth,” the richer and more “developed” the flavors will be in the end.  The reduction concentrates the flavors.  It is possible that you will need more than 1 cup of broth, maybe even 2 (!) when all is said and done.

After about 40 minutes, it is time to add in the raw chicken (you can season it with salt & pepper too). Throughout the cooking process, you will want to flip the breasts at least once, and cover the whole pot with a lid. I cook the chicken until the internal temperature is 150°-ish, and the juices run clear. The chicken will release more broth into the existing liquid, so let this broth cook down a little, but not entirely. When the chicken is ready to pull out of the pan, you will be adding the cooked quinoa into the liquid to soak up the chicken flavored broth, so you don’t want an excessive amount of liquid when you are adding the grain; you are looking for enough liquidity to toss the quinoa in to flavor it, but not to swim in.

Now, it’s time to plate up!  The chicken has had a few minutes to rest while the quinoa soaked up the delicious liquid, so everything is going to be juicy and tender.  I hope you love this experiment as much as we did.  Let me know if you taste your grandmothers cooking in every bite, the way I was reminded of mine.

Jane

Roasted White Veggie Soup

Soup is “easy to make” food because, well, it practically makes itself.

This particular recipe is hearty and filling, yet it only has 2 teaspoons of olive oil in the entire pot.  The reason it tastes so “rich” is because I made it with (homemade) beef stock.  If it was spring or summer, I would prefer a lighter version, and make this recipe with chicken or vegetable stock.

Try it both ways, it is just that easy.

Shopping List:

1 small leek, sliced
1/4 large red onion, small dice
3 skinny or 2 large celery ribs, small dice
5 medium mushrooms, small dice
1 large parsnip, small dice
1 medium-large turnip, small dice
1/2 head cauliflower, bite sized pieces
4-5 cups rich beef stock
1 can (15oz) cannellini beans
salt & pepper to taste (white & black)

What & How to do it:

Preheat your oven to 375˚, convection roast or bake.  Line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside.  Prepare all of your ingredients as described above, slicing and dicing, etc…

In a large bowl combine the parsnips, turnips and bite sized cauliflower pieces, toss in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, season with salt & pepper to taste then massage the oil into the veggies with your hands.  I say massage because there is very little oil and you want to get all the veggies coated.  Pour the mix onto the lined baking sheet and roast until edges get crispy and browned.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a soup pot, add in the leeks and onions, sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Add in the celery, sauté, add in the mushrooms, sauté, cannelini beans, sauté, and at the point which you hear a good hiss in that pot, add in enough beef stock to cover all the contents, cooking on medium low.  It should be starting to smell really good at this point.

When your roasted white veggies are golden and ready, pull them out of the oven and toss them into your soup pot.  As I have said before, roasting concentrates the inherent nautre of whatever food you are roasting. The flavors in this soup will be more intense as a result, making it rich and full bodied, instead of anemic tasting. Cover the vegetables with more of your stock, keeping in mind that you don’t need to use all the stock if the vegetables are covered and comfortably swimming in enough broth.  Cook for another 15-20 minutes.  Turn off the flame and let it sit while you get your blender ready.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the vegetables from the soup pot and put them into the blender, ading liquid as need so the blender can liquify without struggling.  Add the puree back into the soup pot and combine the ingredients all together on low heat.  The consistency should be like a New England clam chowder, thick but loose (paradoxically), just not sludgy.

That’s it.  So easy.  So little fat.  Of course a dollup of sour cream would be gorgeous in the center of your soup bowl with a sprinkle of chopped chives- but a dollup of plain, no fat thick Greek yogurt would too.  We had ours without those bells and whistles and it was great on its own!

Enjoy!

Jane