Crustless Smoked Turkey and Spinach Quiche

Let's just be honest from the start -- I am not a big fan of quiche. It's usually just so eggy and bland.

Adam usually isn't a fan either. Or my sister. Or my brother-in-law.

But. For some reason, the two times I made this we either fought over the leftovers, or there weren't any leftovers to speak of.

Something about the mixture of swiss and spinach with the smoked turkey-ham made this quiche very flavorful and extra edible. Even my sister (who is not the biggest fan of swiss) loved this.

And it's really not just for breakfast -- the first time I made this was for dinner (and I won the leftover argument and had it again for lunch).

Crustless Smoked Turkey and Spinach Quiche

From: Cooking Light, June 2008

Cooking spray
3/4 cup (4 ounces) cubed smoked turkey ham (such as Jennie-0)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham, onion, and pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until ham is lightly browned.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese in a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with ham mixture.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, spinach, and next 5 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of quiche comes out clean.

Serves: 8

I did use much more swiss on the bottom of the pan than the recipe called for -- I just didn't feel the amount really covered the bottom enough. And I love cheese.

Between Adan, myself, my sister, my brother-in-law, and a couple of our friends, we all rated this:

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 163	Calories from fat 59
% Daily Value
Total Fat 6.6g	10%
Saturated Fat 3.5g	17%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 78mg	26%
Sodium 338mg	14%
Total Carbs 11.1g	4%
Sugars 2.7g
Protein 14.5g
Vitamin A 12%	Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 21%	Iron 6%

Spicy Peanut chicken Over Rice

I've come to the realization that I am so very far behind in my blogging. Well at least with this post I'm moving on to my new September recipes... Horrible, I know. And I still have about 8 or so more recipes to post before I finally catch up. Eeee.

And, I left my camera at my sister's last weekend, which won't be helping the "catch-up" cause as a couple of those recipes we did at her place. I am trying to catch-up though, it's much easier to blog about a recipe I just tried tonight (or maybe last night) than remembering how it tasted a month ago.

I do remember this recipe, however. I am definitely a lover of most things peanut butter. (I would say "all", but then someone will throw some seafood dish out there involving peanut butter and I'll just have to turn it down.) And spicy peanut butter dishes are even better. :) Yum.

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice

From: Cooking Light, August 2008

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 cups chopped plum tomato (about 6 tomatoes)
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
8 cups hot cooked brown rice
3/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently. Stir in peanut butter and next 5 ingredients (through tomato paste); cook 1 minute. Add tomato and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve chicken mixture over rice; top each serving with yogurt.

I did change a few things up in this recipe. I used vegetable oil instead of peanut oil, diced tomatoes instead of plum tomatoes, white rice instead of brown, and creamy peanut butter instead of chunky (although in my defense I did throw in some dry roasted peanuts). Nothing that would drastically change the taste of this dish.

Overall it turned out pretty good, although it was a lot more "soup-ier" than I expected. The hubs and I rated it:

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 647	Calories from fat 97
% Daily Value
Total Fat 10.8g	17%
Saturated Fat 2.1g	11%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 56mg	19%
Sodium 537mg	22%
Total Carbs 106.0g	35%
Dietary Fiber 6.5g	26%
Sugars 5.8g
Protein 33.7g
Vitamin A 14%	Vitamin C 31%
Calcium 7%	Iron 18%

Herbed Chicken Rolls

Much like I never really knew what chickpeas were, I was pretty much in the dark as to what Chicken Cordon Bleu was, too. It always sounds like something very difficult and very French, so I never really gave it much thought.

It took me discovering this recipe to realize what it actually is. According to Wiktionary.com (don't ask me where these weird dictionary/encyclopedias pop up from) Chicken Cordon Bleu is "thin slices of chicken pressed together and breaded, with a filling of cheese and a ham slice inside, and baked or sauteed."

Well, lo and behold, while trying to use up some prosciutto, I discovered Herbed Chicken Rolls from Cooking Light. And of course, I had no idea it was pretty much just Chicken Cordon Bleu. Either way, I found a new recipe that was fairly easy to make and turned out pretty good.

Herbed Chicken Rolls

From: Cooking Light, April 1995

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
5 (1-ounce) slices whole-wheat bread
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water
12 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
12 very thin slices prosciutto (about 3 ounces)
6 (3/4-ounce) slices Swiss cheese, halved
Vegetable cooking spray
Basil sprigs (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in food processor, and process until crumbs are fine; place crumbs in a shallow dish, and set aside. Combine egg whites and water in a shallow bowl; stir well, and set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Top each with a slice of prosciutto and a half piece of cheese. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides; secure each roll with wooden picks. Dip each roll in egg white mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam sides down, in a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until done. Discard wooden picks. Cut each roll into thin slices. Garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.

Note: You can substitute 6 (3/4-ounce) slices of 97% fat-free ham, halved, for the prosciutto.

Serves: 12

Unfortunately, I did not have the required toothpicks, so a bit of my cheese leaked out during the cooking process and they ended up a little bit on the dry side. Overall though, the rolls ended up pretty decent.

We didn't feel that these were "oh wow, amazing", but they were still pretty good. Therefore, we rated them:

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 300	Calories from fat 110
% Daily Value
Total Fat 12.2g	19%
Saturated Fat 4.4g	22%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Cholesterol 114mg	38%
Sodium 269mg	11%
Total Carbs 5.9g	2%
Dietary Fiber 1.0g	4%
Sugars 0.9g
Protein 39.4g
Vitamin A 6%	Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 12%	Iron 12%

Happy 50th Birthday to Me!!

Okay, well, not to me, but to my blog. I just hit the 50th post mark!

I realize that 50 posts is still a fairly "young" blog, and that's really not that many posts, as this blog has been around since January. However, I am still thrilled that I've stuck with it, and am continuing to try new recipes.

As I am relatively new to this cooking business, I have had my fair share of mishaps and whoopies along the way. One of the most memorable was definitely back in August.

Right after Adam and I had somewhat enjoyed the fondue I made in August, we left for a three day weekend to visit my sister. Upong returning, we found that the apartment didn't just smell -- it reeked. Like horrible stinky feet mixed with who knows what. Yet we could not figure out where it was coming from.

We opened up the windows and doors, there was no trash to be taken out as we had done that prior to leaving, but it still smelled. A couple days pass and it still smells. We finally agreed it had to be some chicken scrap or something of the sort in the sink drain. We bought bleach to pour down the drain, which helped a little. But in no time at all, the stench was back.

The following week, it was still smelling, so we figured something had slipped down the tiny crack between the countertop and the oven, as the odor seemed the strongest in that general area. We had to find the source of the stinky feet grossness as both of our parents were coming to visit that coming weekend.

Lo and behold, on Thursday, the day before the parents are going to arrive, I open the microwave to reheat something, and lying there was an open moldy bag of broccoli I had used part of for the fondue. Apparently I had forgotten that I had left the other half of the bag in the microwave to keep warm while we were eating.

D.i.s.gu.s.t.i.n.g.

So, how to remove such a horrendous, foul-smelling thing from one's microwave?

Step one:

Arm yourself with proper face and hand protection. Ziploc bags and socks work just fine.

Step two:

Transfer moldy object to a plastic bag and tie as fast as possible.

Step three:

Dispose of plastic bag as soon as possible. Wipe down microwave and lysol the entire kitchen, repeatedly.

Mac and Cheese with Pancetta

Mac and cheese -- one of my absolute favorite things to eat as a kid. You know, the stuff from the blue box? Yes, I was definitely a Kraft Mac n' Cheese kid, not Velveeta. Velveeta is just way too thick and sticky for me.

I always made my sister make it too. For some reason, most likely unfounded, it always tasted better when she made it. I never could seem to perfect the creamy cheese art from the blue box the way she did.

Well, years later, I still love me some Mac and Cheese, but I wanted to search for something a little outside the "box". Preferrably something with meat -- for Adam, of course. While flipping through last month's Bon Appetit, I came across this scrumptious sounding dish. Which, of course, included meat.

Mac and Cheese with Pancetta

From: Bon Appetit, September 2008

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided

4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped (I used proscuitto)

1 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups (or more) whole milk (I used 2%)

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 8- to 8.8-ounce container mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cups panko

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 pound orecchiette or large elbow macaroni

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; saute until crisp, about 6 minutes. Add onion; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in 3 tablespoons butter; allow to melt, then add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 3 1/2 cups milk; simmer until thick enough to coat spoon thickly, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cheeses. Whisk in more milk by 1/4 cupfuls until sauce is thick but pourable. Season with salt and pepper. Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool; cover and chill. Rewarm, stirring over medium heat.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and stir until very light golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley. Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Return pasta to pot. Add warm cheese sauce; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over. Bake mac and cheese until heated through and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serves: 8

This dish was definitely tasty. The proscuitto definitely added the right bit of flavor to all the cheesey goodness. Both Adam and I were very happy with this dish, however my sister made it as well, and gave it a "just okay..."

I would for sure make this again, and give it an:

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 534	Calories from fat 251
% Daily Value
Total Fat 27.9g	43%
Saturated Fat 15.7g	79%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 80mg	27%
Sodium 694mg	29%
Total Carbs 45.7g	15%
Dietary Fiber 2.2g	9%
Sugars 6.3g
Protein 24.3g
Vitamin A 19%	Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 42%	Iron 15%

Gruyere Fondue with Caramelized Shallots

Right about a year before I made this dish, Adam whisked me away to an overlook of Pittsburgh and proposed to me. After I finished crying, and saying yes (of course), he then proceeded to treat me to my first trip to the Melting Pot. Mmm mmm. So delicious.

Since we were celebrating, we went for the whole kit and caboodle. We did the appetizer cheese dip, then the entree with the cooking broth, following it up with the wonderful chocolate fondue. And, we discovered an excellent sparkling beverage -- "Rosa Regale", which we loved so much, Adam and I toasted with it for our wedding. :)

However, such extravagant meals come with the corresponding price tag -- not one of which is in our day-to-day budget. Oddly enough, I decided to somewhat replicate a fondue dinner almost a year to the date after his proposal. As much as I wanted to enjoy gooey cheese slathered on top of an assortment of different foods, I really couldn't get into this dish.

Not only did my cheese fondue fall flat, but we also discovered that our fondue pot (which we were so graciously given as a wedding present) did not work. And of course, we had already threw away the box and all packaging items... so no returning said pot. Sucky way to learn that lesson...

Gruyere Fondue with Caramelized Shallots

From: Bon Appetit, March 2000

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 6 ounces)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups (or more) dry white wine
14 ounces grated Gruyere cheese (about 3 1/2 cups packed)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Generous pinch of ground nutmeg

1 sourdough baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes

Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add thinly sliced shallots and sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle shallots with sugar, salt and pepper. Sauté until shallots are caramelized, about 15 minutes. Transfer shallots to small bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups wine to skillet; boil 1 minute.

Pour wine into heavy medium saucepan; set over medium-low heat. Toss cheese with flour in medium bowl to coat. Add half of caramelized shallots to wine; add cheese mixture by handfuls, stirring until cheese melts and is smooth before adding more. Thin with more wine if mixture is too thick. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot. Set pot over candle or canned heat burner. Top fondue with remaining caramelized shallots. Serve with bread cubes.

Well, I will admit that I did not have all the shallots that the recipe called for, or the nutmeg. This dish definitely needed a little kick in it -- I was tired of the taste after about half way through. It wasn't begging me to keep going until I was way past full. Thus, I rate it:

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 686	Calories from fat 323
% Daily Value
Total Fat 35.9g	55%
Saturated Fat 20.8g	104%
Cholesterol 117mg	39%
Sodium 641mg	27%
Total Carbs 39.2g	13%
Dietary Fiber 1.1g	5%
Sugars 3.2g
Protein 36.3g
Vitamin A 32%	Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 105%	Iron 16%

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika

I have to admit, a year ago, I was pretty much in the stone age when it came to new and different food. I thought the Food Network was full of boring straight-forward cooking shows, and my cooking experiences were severely limited to very basic recipes with very average ingredients. Or frozen dinners.

Now, I will watch the Food Network with interest, and actually have gone outside my comfort zone with recipes. And I'm pretty sure my spice collection is several times bigger than I ever thought I needed.

I must admit, prior to moving in with my sister last year, I didn't really know what a chickpea was, much less what to do with it. However, good ol' sis introduced wonderful hummus to me, and I have garbanzo beans in a few recipes, and am always looking for more. Adam has yet to get used to their texture, but this recipe is winning him over. :)

Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika

From: Bon Appetit, May 2008

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon smoked paprika*

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt

4 chicken breast halves with bones

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Preheat oven to 450°. Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour 1 teaspoon spiced oil mixture into small bowl; whisk in yogurt and set aside for sauce. Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. Rub 2 tablespoons spiced oil mixture over chicken. Add beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cilantro to remaining spiced oil mixture; toss to coat. Pour bean mixture around chicken. Sprinkle everything generously with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro. Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon bean mixture over. Serve with yogurt sauce.

*Sometimes labeled Pimentón Dulce or Pimentón de La Vera Dulce; available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores, and from tienda.com.

I did make a couple adjustments to the recipe -- I used diced tomatoes rather than the cherry tomatoes (I'm not a fan), and I used just regular yogurt, as I have yet to run across the Greek version.

I would definitely recommend using the smoked paprika rather than adding more of regular paprika since the dish's whole flavor is based around this spice. (Check the fancy McCormick spices in the glass bottles at your supermarket.)

This dish is really easy to put together and doesn't take that long to make, which just an added bonus to it's deliciousness. However, much like the chicken and grapes, this dish has a very unique flavor, so it's one of those dishes I have to be in the mood for. Thus, I rate it:

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 769	Calories from fat 264
% Daily Value
Total Fat 29.4g	45%
Saturated Fat 5.2g	26%
Cholesterol 103mg	34%
Sodium 153mg	6%
Total Carbs 72.4g	24%
Dietary Fiber 20.5g	82%
Sugars 16.1g
Protein 56.4g
Vitamin A 43%	Vitamin C 31%
Calcium 21%	Iron 51%