Spinach Red Pepper Quiche...Brunch-tastic, Yes - I love the weekend!

Let me preface this post by saying this is a Vegetarian and NOT Vegan recipe. I have a Vegan version, and will post that soon...


This was brunch today - received well by the kids, with a few 'kid-friendly' recommendations that I will incorporate next time I make this. I served a slice of this with a Spinach and Kumkquat Salad, topped with sliced almonds. Mmmm, mmmm. Enjoy!

CRUST:

2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 cups all purpose flour

8 ounces chilled cream cheese, cut into large pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried Dill

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl combine flour and butter

Using a fork or pastry knife cut the butter into the flour until you have a crumbly mixture

Cut in the cream cheese and add the salt, pepper and other spices

once the butter and cream cheese are cut in, using your hands bring the dough together until it forms a ball
Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour

Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness

Measure the diameter of the tart tin, cut the dough around the tin 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter than the actual size of the tin

Lay the dough round on top of the tart tin, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl

Press the dough down into the tin, making sure to use the over hang - press the over hanging dough into the sides

Trim whatever dough remains

Using a fork prick holes throughout the dough in order to prevent rising while baking

Place the pastry and tin in the freezer for 5 minutes or until firm (this will prevent shrinkage while baking)

Bake the pies for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown

Set on a cooling rack and allow the pastry to cool for about 10 minutes

FILLING:

5 eggs

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sour cream (with 1 teaspoon flour mixed into it)

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup chopped portabella mushrooms

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper

1/4 cup chopped spinach

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used shredded Parmesan)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place one egg and flour in a bowl and mix until well blended

Add remaining 4 eggs, one at a time until everything is thoroughly combined

Add the sour cream/flour mixture to the egg mixture

Whisk until smooth and the two mixtures are combined

Add the milk

Whisk until smooth and combined

Whisk in the Salt, Pepper and other spices

Place the zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper, green onions, spinach and cheese into the fully baked tart shell

Pour the egg mixture over the veggies into the tart shell

Place the tart in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

Raise temperature to 425 and bake until the filling has set in the middle, about another 20 minutes

The center of the quiche should feel slightly firm

Let the quiche cool for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set

You can serve this warm or at room temperature, tastes better the next day

(Chilled and paired with a fruit salad makes an awesome breakfast!)

Serves 6 - 8

Ginger Hoisin Glaze...Multi-Purpose

As seen in the Veg*n Ribs post, this sauce is quite amazing and can be used to glaze Tofu - Seitan - Tempeh - Old Socks - Tires...sorry, got carried away there. Really though this sauce would make year-old Fruitcake taste good.


Don't try the Fruitcake thing, please. It was a joke.

1/2 Cup Tamari soy sauce

1/4 Cup water

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Tablespoon molasses

2 Minced garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1/2 of a small Red Onion, minced

2 Tablespoons fresh lime zest

2 Teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 Teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

1/8 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon oil

Put a saucepan on the stovetop on medium heat.

Fry the ginger and garlic in the oil until aromatic (1 minute).

Add the soy sauce and the remaining ingredients.

Cook for 5 – 7 minutes, until the sauce is thick and glossy.

Try not to lick the spoon.

Enjoy!

Jarabe. All-Natural Immune Boosting, Cold Fighting Super Syrup!

As a mom, I know there that during this time of year there is always someone running around the house with a cold or the beginnings of a cold. Little does the cold know - I have a super secret weapon in my arsenal.

This recipe was passed down from my great-grandmother to my grandmother to my mom (and probably goes farther back than that). Those members of the Hispanic community all have a variation of this I think. Home remedies, such as traditional herbals and massages, account for the most popular modalities. They are administered as syrup mixtures. The most commonly used ingredients are whale oil, cod liver oil, honey/royal jelly, aloe vera juice, oregano, onion/garlic, lemon, and castor and almond oil. A commercial syrup known as Siete Jarabes is often used by Puerto Ricans to treat cough, particularly in asthmatic patients. Siete Jarabes is a honey syrup that contains a mixture of sweet almond oil, castor oil, honey, wild cherry, licorice, and cocillana.

This is my version. Jarabe (Sounds like Ha-Ra-Beh) and in Spanish, literally means syrup.

INGREDIENTS:
6 Large Lemons

1 Head of garlic

1 Cup of Honey

DIRECTIONS:

Peel the lemons (Hint: you can save the peels and use them to make tea)

Place the peeled lemons in a food processor

Separate the cloves of garlic from the head, peel all of the cloves of garlic and add them to the food processor

Process on HIGH until smooth

Add the honey to the food processor

Pulse a few times to combine

Store in an air-tight container and KEEP REFRIGERATED. USE OR FREEZE WITHIN 7 DAYS.

This Jarabe is fantastic for breaking up mucus and fighting off the beginnings of a cold.

Take 1- 2 Tablespoons of Jarabe as needed.

The content on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site!
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.

Veg*n Ribs...Um, Yum!

At some point flavors just begin to take on a life of their own. Such is the case with this recipe. I was looking for a good smoky, BBQ-esque, Asian fusion kind of dish. That, of course, did not involve meat of any kind. I've seen some BBQ shaved Seitan sandwich recipes, and Hoisin Tofu recipes - neither got me too excited. I had a great starter by way of a staple seitan recipe - which can be modified many different ways. But I was still missing that magic...

Last week sometime (the day before I began my Spring fast) I picked up the April 2009 issue of Real Simple Magazine. There was a cool article about Cleaning Your House Naturally that caught my attention, but lo and behold there on p. 151 was a recipe for Ginger Hoisin sauce. Needless to say I knew exactly how to take this and make it stellar! I turned an awesome vegan rib recipe into Ginger Hoisin Glazed Veg*n Ribs.

Recipe after the jump. If you make it that far. Ok. Seriously. Stop Drooling.

2 Cups vital wheat gluten
4 Teaspoons paprika
4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 Teaspoons onion powder
2 Tablespoons Chinese five spice powder
4 Teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 cups water
4 Tablespoons Tahini
2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter
2 Teaspoons Liquid Hickory Smoke
3 Tablespoons Tamari
1 Tablespoon freshly minced ginger (optional)
2 Green onions sliced (optional)
2 Cups Ginger Hoisin Glaze

Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly grease a deep roasting pan.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, peanut butter and soy sauce (make sure there are little to no clumps) and add it to the dry ingredients.

Stir to mix well and then knead lightly by hand in the bowl for a couple of minutes, until the dough is smooth and keeps its shape.

Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut strips out of the dough and roll them out to about a 1/4 inch thickness (dough will spring back).

Place your seitan strips into your roasting pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Then set broiler on high and broil your seitan strips for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven.

Brush the Ginger Hoisin Glaze onto the seitan strips, and return to broiler for another 5 minutes or until glaze is slightly crispy.

Garnish with green onion, or freshly minced ginger.

Veg*n Andouille Sausage (See Veg*n Jambalaya)

Thank you Isa and VeganDad for this amazing recipe!

I tweaked a few things from the original recipes...

There are a hundred and one variations of this, sweet italian, smoked, spicy, breakfast maple, and on...this one is a Veg*n's take on Andouille - for use in a Veg*n Jambalaya. Profitez de vos aliments!




Ingredients
1/2 cup Cannelli beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cold vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp sage
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke

Directions
1. Before mixing your ingredients, get your steaming apparatus ready, bring water to a full boil. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.
2. Grind thyme, bay leaves and pepper flakes with a mortar and pestle. Add garlic cloves and mash with spices. Add with other spices listed above, set aside.
3. Have ready 6 sheets of tin foil. In a large bowl, mash the pinto beans until no whole ones are left. Add in the spices. Add the other ingredients in the following order:
Vegetable Broth
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Liquid Smoke
Nutritional Yeast
Vital Wheat Gluten

4. Mix with a fork, then knead for about 1 minute.
5. Divide dough into 6 even parts. Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll. Don’t worry too much about shaping it, it will take shape while it’s steaming.
4. Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes.

Veg*n Jambalaya

Today, we had a team luncheon at my place of work. Everyone brought in delicious home-cooked dishes to share. There were yummy Turkish-spiced vegetables, Field Greens Salad with Walnuts, Strawberries and Gorgonzola, Stuffed Shells with Meat sauce, BBQ Beef, Chili, Stewed Lamb and Jollof Rice...YUM.

I was undecided as to what I would bring....until. It came to me like a bolt of lightning - Veg*nized Jambalaya. It was a little labor intensive, only because I was making enough to feed 20 people (I always cook more than is necessary - leftovers for next day lunch). A regular human-sized portion really isn't that much work, and the results are certainly much better tasting, and better for your body than a certain packaged, horn-tooting man brand. *I'm not naming any names*

Please feel free to alter the spice content (amounts or flavor variations). I made this with a medium spice and tons of flavor. This recipe is budget and family-friendly. My fav.

Buen Provecho!

Ingredients
extra-virgin olive oil, enough to coat a skillet
5 vegan Andouille sausages use this recipe, sliced and pan seared until crisp on both sides
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 green peppers, julienne
2 red peppers, julienne
3 bay leaves
1 15 oz can pinto or kidney beans
4 stalks celery, chopped
8 fresh okra pods, sliced
¼ cup cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1 large red onion
1 tablespoon oregano
4 tablespoons parsley flakes
2 tablespoons paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, Cajun seasoning
1 Chipotle pepper in juice, diced (optional)
1 28 oz can diced tomato
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons liquid smoke
3 cups long-grain rice or medium grain rice
4 cups vegetable stock (You can use water if you don’t have stock, make sure to increase your seasoning if you use water as you won’t get as much flavor out of it as you would the stock)
1 bunch green onion, rinsed and sliced
1 bunch fresh parsley, for garnish

Stovetop Directions
1. Coat a large, deep skillet with olive oil and keep on medium high heat until oil sizzles.
2. Add garlic, peppers, celery and red onion and cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add beans with liquid, all seasonings, diced tomato, bay leaves, Worcestershire and liquid smoke (add Chipotle for heat).
4. Lower heat to medium and allow the beans and tomato mixture to cook for 5 – 10 minutes so the flavors can be well incorporated.
5. Add uncooked rice and vegan Andouille sausage, and with a large slotted spoon mix well so that the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.
6. Add stock or water and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes, taking care to stir to prevent sticking.
7. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook until rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes), add okra, cilantro and green onion – stir well. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Serve in a deep bowl and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Oven Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 475°F
2. Coat a large, deep roasting pan with olive oil.
3. Add garlic, peppers, celery and red onion to roasting pan, and place pan into preheated oven on the lowest rack. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Remove pan from the oven and add beans with liquid, all seasonings, diced tomato, bay leaves, Worcestershire and liquid smoke to roasting pan. Stir well.

5. Return the pan to the oven and allow the beans and tomato mixture to cook for about 10 minutes so the flavors can be well incorporated.

6. Remove the pan from the oven, add uncooked rice, vegan Andouille sausage, okra and green onion and with a large slotted spoon mix well so that the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.
7. Add stock or water (gently mix ingredients together)
8. Cover the roasting pan with two sheets of tightly fitting aluminum foil. Cook until rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed (about 40 - 45 minutes) You can add more water if you like your rice a little stickier.
9. Serve in a deep bowl and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Serves 6 - 8


Remember it's NICE to share!

Love and Light

Nira

Not-Too-Sweet, Sweet Treats

Dessert around our house is usually something like Fig Newtons, Fruit, Ice Cream or a home-made treat (cookies, pudding, cake, tart...). Last Sunday I decided to try my hand at an old-time favorite, Zucchini Carrot Bread.

For those of you not familiar with the old-school church bake sale staple, this 'bread' actually tastes more like cake and is so moist it sticks to the roof your mouth. It is best served with an ice cold glass of almond milk (coming soon).

With a sweet, slightly crisp 'crust' and two servings of vegetables in each slice, this is a perfect afternoon snack for the kids I had to make two loaves, just to be sure I had enough on hand for the kids and DH. Also makes a great compromise for parents who are keeping a close eye on their child's sugar intake. The prep is simple, and the cooking is only setting the oven and the timer. *Snap*

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
* 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
* 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
* 2 large eggs (You can substitute using flax egg: 2 tablespoons spoon ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoons spoons water)
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2/3 cup Agave Nectar (1 cup Sucanat can also be used)
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* zest of one lemon
* 1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini
* 1-1/2 cups shredded carrot

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a loaf pan with butter. Sprinkle coated loaf pan with all purpose flour. Shake off excess.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together first 6 ingredients. Use a whisk to make sure everything is well incorporated.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Stir in zucchini and carrot.

4. Stir flour mixture into zucchini carrot mixture. Pour into prepared pan.

5. Bake 40-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.


Serves 6 - 8

Slices of this make for a totally rad midnight snack. Just ask my husband. <3>

Adventures in Dinner

Like many mothers I know, there are two things I don't get enough of: Sleep and Time.
My weekday evening schedule goes something like this: Red...Yellow...Green...GO! I leave work and jet 30-40 minutes across 'town' to pick up the first treasure, then 30-40 minutes to stop #2 for the other two treasures, then to the library or Lacrosse practice, the grocery store (last minute ingredients) and home. On a good night, that scavenger hunt ends at my front door at around 7:00 pm. Which means I have about an hour to review homework, supervise reading time, connect with my children and allow them to download their day to me, feed and water the dog and the plants, make dinner, get the kids bathed and in bed, read them a story and put them to sleep. Dear husband doesn't get home in time for dinner most nights, so he is lucky enough to get the morning shift of running our house.

The dinner part for me is sometimes tricky. We're new veg*n's so that means no meat and eventually no animal products at all. Recipe approval is subject to a 9 year-old aspiring food snob, a 7 year-old who does not allow me a lot of wiggle room with taste and texture and a 4 year-old who goes from asking for sushi for dinner, to only wanting what her brother (the 7 year-old) will eat. Talk about 'Dinner Impossible' (I love that show!).

Enough blabbering, here's last night's dinner. Veg*n Tostadas with Roasted Tomatillo and Pineapple Salsa and Sweet Corn Tamales. Recipe after the jump.


Ingredients:

6 - 8 Flour Tortillas (whole grain or corn will work just fine)
Tostada toppings: Lettuce, Red Onion, Tomato, Green Onion, Cheese, Cilantro and Sour Cream

(Refried Beans)

2 (15 oz) Cans of Cannelli Beans (with liquid) pulsed until coarsely processed
1 Tblsp Garlic Powder
1 Tblsp Onion Powder
1 Tblsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tblsp Chili Powder
2 Tblsp Olive Oil (Canola or other cooking oil can substitute)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tblsp Tomato Paste
3 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)
1/4 Cup Diced Red Onion
Salt (To Taste)

Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Drizzle with Oilve oil. Add the Onions, garlic and cook them until they become translucent. Add the tomato paste to the onion and garlic. using a spoon, mix the onions, garlic and tomato paste until they are all incorporated. Add the pulsed Cannelli beans and the remaining ingredients. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 mins, until thickened. Stir frqeuently as the beans will stick to the bottom of your pan. That's okay! Just scrape up the stuck-on goodies and stir them into the beans. It adds to the texture and flavor dimensions.

(Tostada Filling)
1 lb Gimme Lean 'Fake Meat' Crumbles or 1 Recipe Baked Seitan cubed and pulsed in a food processor until it resembles cooked ground 'meat'
1 Tblsp Garlic Powder
1 Tblsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tblsp Paprika
1 Tblsp Chili Powder
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 Tblsp Olive Oil (Canola or other cooking oil can substitute)
1 tsp Black Pepper
8 oz. Can tomato paste
3 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)
1/4 Cup Diced Red Onion
Salt (To Taste)
1/2 Cup of Water
1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro
1 tsp Butter (optional)

Heat a deep pan on medium-high. Drizzle the pan with Olive Oil. Brown ground seitan (or Gimme Lean crumbles), onion, and garlic in the pan. Add tomato sauce. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer mixture for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally, until thickened. Towards the end, I like to add a pat of butter (1 tsp or so) to help bind the flavors of the ingredients together. You can leave it out if you'd like.


(Sweet Corn Tamales)

1-1/2 Cups Frozen Sweet Corn

1/2 Cup Butter, (1 stick) softened

3 Tblsp Granulated Sugar

1/8 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Corn Masa (corn flour)

2 Tblsp All-purpose Flour
2 Green Onions sliced
1 Tblsp Red Onion minced
1 Egg (You can substitute a flax egg: 1 tablespoon spoon ground flax seeds + 3 tablespoons spoon water)
Oil for fyring

Add 1 cup of the frozen corn to a food processor and pulse until coarsely pureed. In a medium bowl, combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar, and salt. Mix well until smooth. Add masa and flour and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined (if the mixture is too think, add a splash of water, if it's too thin a sprinkle of AP flour). Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of frozen whole corn kernels, the egg, along with the minced red onion and sliced green onion. Mix well until all ingredients are combined. Heat a well-oiled frying pan to medium high heat. Spoon corn mixture into the pan. Flatten the mixture with the back of your spoon. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 - 7 minutes.

(Tomatillo Pineapple Salsa - Kid friendly, Not Spicy)

3 Medium-sized Tomatillos (remove the papery skin and rinse)

1 Red Bell Pepper

3 Tblsp fresh cilantro
1 Poblano Chile

1 Can Pineapple Chunks (Fresh Pineapple is better if you have it)

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roast the Tomatillos, Bell Pepper, Poblano Chile, and Pineapple in a roasting pan until everything is nicely charred (about 15-20 minutes). Set the Tomatillos, Chile, Pineapple and Bell Pepper on a plate until cool. Remove the skin from the Tomatillos. Remove the stem, skin and seeds from the Bell Pepper and Chile. Place the Tomatillos, Bell Pepper, Chile, Pineapple and Cilantro into a food processor. Pulse for 1 - 2 minutes until coarsely pureed. Add salt, cumin and pepper, mix and adjust to taste.

Now for the real fun!

Assemble the tostadas. Warm the tortillas in the oven, or on the stove. Layer 'meat', refried beans, lettuce, tomato, red onion, green onion, cheese, sour cream and salsa. Serve with corn cakes on the side (or as part of your tostada tower!).




Feeds 6 -8 people. With enough left over for two small lunches. I doubled the recipe so that the kids and DH (along with some of his very lucky co-workers) could all have lunch. The salsa gets even more amazing the next day!

Love and Light

Nira

Food, Glorious Food!

Seems like the Universe has a memo out for me. "Hey! Girl with the whisk! There's only 2,392 marbles left in your jar. When do you think you're going to be ready to step out there?"
The first step is always the hardest, they say. So after several weeks of encouraging words, some fantastic and some less than stellar food pics, rave recipe reviews, and the like - here I go. I'm finally going to blog about food. My husband is the comedian in our family, so please don't expect stand-up grade banter - I will try to amuse as well as inform (as life does best) but please be gentle with your criticism, I'm merely a student just like you.

I have been trying in vain for the last three years to breathe life into my natural-foods start up. Let me just say, I would rather go through 32 hours of non-medicated labor again than try to lift this monumental stone alone. I know that it will happen, it's the when part that has got my yarn all spun. Luckily, my four-year-old is the Headmaster at Life's School of Patience. I'm learning that everything is going to happen exactly according to its season. Not a day slower, not a minute quicker.

We are newly vegetarian, which has sparked a renewed interest in food. Ingredients, Vitamins, Minerals, Taste, Texture, Place of Origin, History, etc. all have a new dimension. I'll post some of the meals I prepare for my four first-rate taste testers, and will try to narrate a bit about the experience of putting it together.

Look for cooking classes, coming soon to your local Anne Arundel and Howard County Libraries!

Thank you for the light and the love. You keep me going.