Potato Crusted Spinach Quiche

This is a healthy twist on quiche... instead of using those very fattening pie crusts (although they are sooo tasty), we use slices of potato - the secret is to give the potatoes a head start in the microwave so they won't be crunchy when you're eating the quiche. Also, can I please ask you to repent of buying frozen spinach and make you promise never to buy it again! Any recipe that calls for frozen spinach can be made with fresh spinach just as easily and with a much better tasting result. I just pack the spinach leaves in my food processor and chop them until I can't see any leaves left and use that where a recipe calls for frozen spinach. Below is the recipe I use....

2 medium baking potatoes

4 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

2 cups packed spinach leaves, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Microwave the potatoes 3-4 minutes, until mostly cooked but still firm enough to slice. Slice the potatoes in 1/4" slices (we like to leave the skins on, but you could certainly peel them if that suits your fancy). Spray a 9" pie dish with non-stick cooking spray and layer the potato slices on the sides and bottom of the dish to form a crust. (There will be spaces, but don't worry about them as the egg will fill in the gaps.)

Beat the eggs and yogurt together until well blended. Add salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach, onions, and cheese and mix well. Pour the egg mixture in the potato crust. Spray the uncovered potato with butter or cooking spray to keep it from getting dried out. Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Broccoli Stir Fry

This recipe is easily adaptable for whatever meat or veggies your family will eat. I happened to have only broccoli and onions on hand so that's what I used. The thing that makes the dish work is the sauce:

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp cooking wine (can also use grape juice or apple juice)

2 Tbsp water

2 tsp cornstarch

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Blend the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. If you are using meat, cut into bite size pieces and cook until brown. Remove to a plate. Add veggies, cut into small pieces, to the skillet (you may need to heat a bit more oil first). Cook until firm tender - you still want them to have a good crunch. If using multiple vegetables, add the crispier ones first (like broccoli or carrots) and the softer ones (like snow peas or scallions) after the other vegetables have been cooking for a few minutes. Return the meat to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. When the vegetables are cooked to the desired crispness, move them towards the outside of the skillet. Mix the sauce and pour in the middle of the skillet. Stir it around until it begins to thicken and then toss with the meat and vegetables. Serve over rice.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Loin with Roasted Cauliflower

I decided to just roast the pork loin, so I used my food processor to make a paste out of rosemary, garlic and olive oil and slathered that all over the roast, threw some carrots, celery and onions in the pan and stuck it in the oven for awhile. Everyone seemed to like it, but the surprise hit of the night was the roasted cauliflower! Finally a cauliflower recipe that I can enjoy! And it was surprisingly easy... so check it out.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Can I just tell you how shocked I was when we sat down to eat and my kids LOVED these! I thought for sure the lettuce would put them off, but I have finally discovered the reason that iceberg lettuce exists... to get kids used to eating salad. We're all about baby steps here folks - the good stuff can come later, I'm just thrilled they're eating any kind of lettuce! This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks - Minutemeals: Quick & Healthy. Here it is with my alterations:

Brown 1 pound ground turkey. Add 3 scallions (sliced), 1 large garlic clove (minced), 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Saute for about 2 more minutes then cover and simmer on low/warm to let flavors soak into meat. Serve wrapped in leaves of lettuce along with chopped cilantro.

Cukes & Onions

We love to eat cucumbers this way - this is a secret family recipe, so don't tell my grandma that I'm sharing it ;)

Combine 1 part apple cider vinegar with 1 part water and add about 1/4 cup sugar per cup of vinegar. Stir until dissolved and add salt and pepper as desired. Slice 1/2 sweet onion and add to the vinegar solution. This will cover about 2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced. For the best flavor, refrigerate this at least one day before eating, but it tastes pretty good right away as well.

These last for quite a while in the fridge, so it's a good way to use up those cucumbers that you don't think you'll get to before they go bad.

Curried Chickpeas with Herbed Barley

We usually eat Indian curry, which isn't really my favorite, but this recipe calls for Thai curry - and I loved it! It's definitely spicier though, so I have to tone it down for the kids.

I used the meat that was leftover from the lettuce wraps, added a can of chickpeas, 1 tbsp red curry paste, and 1/2 cup water. Saute for a couple of minutes to mix in the curry and let simmer for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Wilt a bag of baby spinach and mix in with the bean/meat mixture. Serve over barley.

Herbed Barley

Heat 2 cups chicken broth, 1 tsp oregano, 1/4 teaspoon thyme until boiling. Add 1 cup quick cooking barley. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender.

Caramel Popcorn

Did you know you can microwave conventional popcorn?

Just place about 1/3 cup in a paper lunch sack. Fold down the top of the sack two times (about 1/4 inch each time) and tape it closed. Shake the bag on its side to settle the popcorn in one layer and place in the microwave as you would a bag of microwave popcorn. Stop the microwave when the popping slows down and you have a bag of delicious popcorn without all the butter and salt and chemicals of the storebought stuff! Now you can flavor it to your tastes :)

To make the caramel, combine 2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup light corn syrup in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until it boils. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over 5 quarts of unsalted popcorn. Spread out on wax paper to cool, then break into pieces.