Broccoli and Mushroom Crust-less Quiche

Did you know that I was a vegetarian for 8 years? I eat meat now and I appreciate a good steak but I still prefer vegetarian dishes! This is one of my absolute favorites!

I know what you’re thinking right now, this does look delicious but isn’t it very fattening?! The answer is yes. According to Paty M., a licensed dietitian and nutrition consultant, this meal is “high in saturated fats and constitutes 68% of the daily saturated fats for a 2000-calorie regimen.” So there you go, you’ve been warned!

Before I start with the recipe, I just want you to note that the ingredients that I will give make a baking dish that is 30cmx30cm and NOT the one in the photos. The one in the photo is a single portion dish that I made aside with the same exact recipe.

Broccoli and Mushroom Crust-less Quiche (serves 6)

Nutritional facts: One serving (220g) has 350 calories, 26g of fat and 20g of protein. (Provided by the licensed dietition and nutrition consultant Paty M.)

Ingredients:

- 5 small eggs

- 1.5 cup light cooking cream

- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1 cup shredded Emmental cheese

- 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 onion, chopped julien style

- 2 cups chopped fresh white mushrooms

- 3 cups broccoli florets, I used fresh but you can use frozen

- Salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder and thyme

Method

- Preheat the oven to 375F.

- In a bowl, whisk the eggs, add the cream and cheeses and mix well. Add salt and white pepper. Give it one last mix. Set aside.

- If you’re using fresh broccoli, cook them for two minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside. If you’re using frozen broccoli, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.

- Heat the butter and oil in a wok or pan. Add the onions, fry until translucent.

- Add the mushrooms and broccoli, season with salt, garlic powder, black pepper and thyme. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the mushrooms darken and start letting out their beautiful aroma. (15 minutes)

- In a 30cmx30cm baking dish, place the vegetables on the bottom and then pour over them the cream, eggs and cheese mix.

- Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes until the sides and top are golden.

Omelet with Thyme and Parmesan Cheese

After a beautiful four-day therapeutic break in Beirut, I’m back to my little world of Confetti. I was Beirut for a my friend Maria‘s wedding, which was a very intimate celebration full of dancing and good company. Maria and her husband George are now honeymooning in Italy and France!

Now back to the topic in the title, I prepared this omelet for dinner because it’s been a while that I haven’t had eggs for a meal. I also feel like a fragrant omelet that isn’t too heavy or sophisticated. So I chose thyme and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients (for 2):

- A knob of butter
- 4 eggs
- Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- Thin shavings of Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a pan while you whisk the eggs, salt, thyme and grated Parmesan in a bowl. When the butter has totally melted, pour in the egg mixture and cover the pan.

2. When the bottom is golden in color and the top is somehow dry, flip the omelet over to the other face and cover again so that both faces are golden (just like in the photo).

3. When the omelet is ready, place the shavings of Parmesan on top and turn off heat. The cheese on top will melt from the heat of the omelet.

Tomato Salad with Avocado Salsa

For this cute salad there will be no measurements, just a pinch of this and a glug of that. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

- A bunch of cherry tomatoes

- A small spoonful of Dijon mustard

- A little bit of olive oil

- A sprinkle of salt & garlic powder

- 1 avocado, mashed

- A squeeze of lemon juice

- Salt

Method:

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Add the mustard, olive oil, salt and garlic powder. Mix well.

2. In another bowl, mash the avocado with the squeeze of lemon juice and salt.

3. To prepare the salad, scoop spoonfuls of the tomato salad onto a plate and then top that with a dollop of the avocado salsa.

Linguine with Tomato Sauce, Black Olives and Feta Cheese

There isn’t a week that goes by at our house that I don’t make a pasta meal of some sort. Tonight it is this delicious vegetarian linguine dish that is based on simple ingredient that make a special mix.

Linguine with Tomato Sauce, Black Olives and Feta Cheese

Ingredients (for two):

- 250g linguine pasta

- 1 can tomatoes, peeled and chopped

- 1 small onion, cut into quarters

- 1 tsp butter

- A sprinkle of white sugar

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 tsp tomato paste

- Salt & black pepper

- 2 heaped Tbsp sliced  black olives

- Feta cheese

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instruction.

2. Put the tomatoes, onions, butter, sugar, water and tomato paste in a deep pot and bring to boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer and thicken. Near the end, add the salt and black pepper and toss in the black olives.

3. To prepare the pasta, add the linguine to the tomato sauce and give it a thorough mix.

4. To serve, garnish the pasta dishes with feta cheese crumbled on top of the pasta. The feta goes perfectly well with the tomato sauce and the black olives.

White Beans with Tomato and Coriander

Do you know the feeling when you  have had enough of meat and want to take a break? Being an ex-vegetarian, I get this feeling often and this month I really do not have the desire neither to eat nor cook meat. That’s not too bad, because I have a lot of recipes that are meatless that are healthy and easy to make.

The following recipe is a quick-fix meal that has lots of flavor and nutrients. Its main ingredients are white beans (also known as white kidney beans), tomatoes and fresh coriander. 100g of white beans has 6.7g of protein and 2.8mg of iron, which is not bad at all, so if you have a can of white beans in your kitchen cupboard, you might want to try this recipe for lunch tomorrow.

White Beans with Tomato and Coriander

Ingredients:

- 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil

- 1 small onion, thinly sliced

- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

- A handful of fresh coriander, chopped

- 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

- 1/2 tsp of dried coriander

- 1 can of white beans (380g), washed and drained

- Salt

- 1/2 cup of water

- 1 tsp of tomato paste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and fry the onions, garlic and fresh coriander.

2. When the onions turn translucent, add the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and dried coriander.

3. When the tomatoes start letting out their water, add the beans and give everything a gentle stir.

4. Add the water and the tomato paste and stir well. Bring to boil. Lower the heat to medium and let everything boil for ten minutes.

5. Serve with white rice and garnish with fresh coriander if desired.

Guest Post by SABINE

The following beautiful post is by Sabine, a fellow tweep (@babinette) who  graciously provided the post, recipe and photographs! Thank you Sabine for your guest post, I’ve been waiting for several promised posts by other friends, but you were the first to send a post. Thanks!

MY MUSTARD BRINGS ALL THE BOYS TO THE YARD, DAMN RIGHT! by Sabine

If you know me even remotely well, you would know that I have passion for 3 things: Good food, good music, and earrings. But you would also know that I have a bit of an obsession with mustard! I can’t even remember how it started, but all of a sudden I started buying mustard jars everywhere I went, collecting random flavours from foodie markets or far away towns, and at any one point I could have about 10 different mustards in the cupboard. Yes, really! Then one day, I had an idea which seemed very obvious for some, and a total waste of time for others… I decided I would try making mustard at home.

My first batch was a total adventure! My home made mustard turned out to have a much stronger flavour than jars bought at the supermarket, and a much different texture. But what I also discovered is that it’s such an easy process, I couldn’t believe how quick the whole thing was, you should try it too! I have so far used recipes from books and modified them slightly to suit my own taste buds, below are the ones I’ve used during my last experimentation. I ended up with some honey mustard and a bit of herbs mustard. Both turned out to be delicious, though I’ll admit I am especially proud of the herbs flavoured batch.

(The recipes below are from a book called 400 sauces by Catherine Atkinson, Christine France and Maggie Mayhew)

Herbs mustard

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white mustard seeds (they’re actually yellow)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2/3 cup distilled malt vinegar (basically clear coloured malt vinegar)

4 tbsp chopped fresh mixed herbs (I used rosemary, sage and lemon thyme)

Method of preparation:

1- Add the mustard seeds, sugar, salt, pepper and turmeric in a blender or food processor and blend for about 1 minute.

2- Gradually add the vinegar to the mixture, blending in between additions. (This is the part that I found to be a little tricky. The original recipe called for 1 cup of vinegar, but I stopped at 2/3 of the way as I thought it was already the right consistency. I think it would’ve also ended up a bit too strong.)

3- Add chopped herbs to the mustard, mix well and let it stand for 10-15 mins until the mustard thickens slightly.

4- Store the mustard in well sealed jars and keep in the fridge.

This goes really well with cheese and ham sandwiches, and delicious in a burger!

********************

Honey mustard

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mustard seeds

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2/3 cups white wine vinegar

3 tbsp dark clear honey

Method of preparation:

1- Put mustard seeds, cinnamon, ginger and vinegar in a bowl and let it soak overnight. (I’ll admit I did cheat and didn’t let it soak for that long, the result was still good!)

2- The next day, add the mixture to a blender and add the honey gradually while blending until the mustard resembles a stiff paste. If needed, add a little bit of extra vinegar for a looser consistency.

4- Store the mustard in well sealed jars and keep in the fridge.

Please note I found this mustard needs to sit for a few days before you can eat it. Goes really well with steak or a meat pie.

Baked Rolled Lasagna Stuffed with Spinach in White Sauce

I have several bags of frozen spinach and here’s another great recipe using spinach and two of my favorite ingredients: cheese and cream. If you use frozen spinach then this recipe won’t take longer than half an hour.

Ingredients (for 4)

- 350g frozen spinach
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- A pinch of salt

- 250ml cooking cream
- Salt, white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
- Half of a handful of shredded mozzarella

- 8 sheets of lasagna, cooked

- Shredded mozzarella and Gruyère cheese, separate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

1. Thaw the spinach in a bath of hot water for five minute. Drain and with your hands squeeze out the water from the spinach. Sauté the spinach in olive oil until they’re soft and cooked. Add a little bit of salt and set aside.

2. Pour the cream in a saucepan, season it and add the little bit of mozzarella cheese. Bring to boil and then lower the heat to the minimum and leave it simmering while you roll the lasagna pasta sheets.

3. Lay out a lasagna sheet on a wooden chopping board. With a small spoon, scoop spinach and make a row on the lasagna sheet across the width. Roll the lasagna around the spinach to form a thick finger, much similar to a cannelloni. Repeat with the rest 7 sheets.

4. Spread two spoonfuls of the cream all over the bottom of the baking dish. Line the lasagna rolls side by side to cover the area of the baking dish. Pour over the white sauce, it will not cover the pasta, it will just coat them a little. The pasta is cooked so there’s no need for any liquid to completely cover the pasta. Now sprinkle some Gruyère cheese on top and another final layer of mozzarella cheese.

5. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. For a golden effect, place the dish under the broiler for a few minutes.

 

Mini Spinach Frittatas

I’ve been wanting to use spinach in an untraditional way more often in my cooking. I like spinach stew cooked the Lebanese way, but I also love spinach in quiches, frittatas, casseroles and on pizzas. For the following recipe I used frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach just for the convenience, but frankly you wouldn’t tell the difference. Frozen spinach is just as good and nutritional as fresh spinach and if you can incorporate it in your daily cooking then you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Spinach is very rich in iron, antioxidants, and vitamins A & C. When using spinach try to steam it or microwave it instead of boiling it. Boiling spinach will reduce its nutritional value (especially the folic acid it contains) by half.

Ingredients (will make 10 mini frittatas)

- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- A pinch of nutmeg
- 75g of spinach
- 1 cup of shredded cheese (I used Gruyère)
- A bunch of fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. If using fresh spinach, wash it well and either steam it or boil for a few minutes, just enough to soften the leaves. If using frozen, soak the spinach in hot water for a few  minutes and then drain and use as cooked spinach.

3. Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl.

4. Spray a cupcake or muffin tray with oil and then scoop the mixture into the molds almost 3/4 of the way.

5. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes and for a golden top, broil for an extra few minutes.

Enjoy with a green rucola salad or green lettuce salad.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

I can hear you going “yummmmmmy!”

Ingredients for a 22cmx33cm baking dish (9inchx13inch)

- 450g broccoli

- 1/3 cup short grain rice

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 2 cups grated cheese, as usual I use a mix of mozzarella and Emmental

- 4 eggs

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

- 1 cup cooking cream

- 1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs

- A handful of fresh thyme leaves

- Olive oil for drizzling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and brush the bottom of the baking dish you’re using with olive oil.

2. In a pot of boiling water, let the broccoli florets boil for 2 minutes, just to soften a little. Drain and keep aside.

3. In the same pot of water (or a fresh new one), boil the rice for ten minutes and then drain and set aside too.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt, nutmeg and black pepper.

5. In a  large bowl, mix the broccoli, 1 Tbsp of olive oil and rice. Add the cheese and mix. Add the eggs and then stir in the cream. Pour the mixture in the baking dish.

6. To prepare the bread crumb topping,  in a food processor whiz together the breadcrumbs with the thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil, and then sprinkle over the mixture in the baking dish.

7. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Check every now and then to see if any air bubbles are forming and if so, simply poke with a knife.

8. Let cool for 5 minutes  before serving.

Burghul with Lentils – VEGAN

Another easy and flavorsome vegan recipe. Follow the easy steps and you will not go wrong!

This dish is typical village food. My grandma used to tell us that burghul (known in the West as bulgur) and lentils are the healthiest things you could eat. Mind you, my grandma barely knew how to read or write, but she was from the village, she grew her vegetables and milked the cows for milk, so she knew what she was talking about.

There are several kinds of burghul, there’s the fine kind that you might have seen in tabbouleh, and there’s the coarser kind that is usually cooked the same way as rice and often replaces rice as a side dish for stews. This recipe uses coarse burghul.

Burghul with Lentils

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 1 cup coarse burghul
- 1/2 cup of green lentils
- 3 cups water
- 1 onion, finely chopped
-  2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt

Method

1. Wash the burghul and soak it in lukewarm water while you fry the onions and boil the lentils.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until they’re translucent or even half burned. Set aside.

3. Put the lentils in a pot and add the water. Bring to boil and let the lentils cook, the same way you’d cook pasta (minus the salt).

4. When the lentils are cooked, add the burghul (that you have drained), add salt and add the cooked onions that you’ve saved aside. Check the water, it should cover the ingredients by 2.5 cm. If it doesn’t, add water. Bring to boil, lower the heat to the minimum possible, cover and let the burghul slowly cook. It should take around 25 to 30 minutes. The burghul should absorb all the water and you’ll see that it has almost doubled in size.

5. Turn off the heat when you see that there is no more water at the bottom of the pot. Give it a gentle mix with a wooden spoon and serve warm. My favorite thing to eat with it is yogurt, but a green salad should also be a great companion.

Bon appetit!