No time to make cannoli from scratch? Make this (unbelievably delicious) cannoli dip instead.
Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
What's For Dinner: Broccoli Quiche with a Puff Pastry Crust
When you have a whole lot of laying hens (we have 20 at the moment), quiche becomes a popular item on the dinner menu. I usually make a crustless quiche, but the other night I was feeling fancy, so I opted to use a puff pastry crust.
This quiche is chock full of vegetables, just how I like it. In addition to mushrooms, scallions, and broccoli, I also added in a handful of chopped bacon that I had leftover from another meal. But if you're vegetarian, or don't happen to have leftover bacon (typically an anomaly in our household!) on hand, feel free to omit it.
Since the puff pastry crust gets pre-baked before adding in the rest of the ingredients, this quiche takes a little longer to cook than others I have showcased on this blog, but I think the extra time is worth it. Sometimes you just need a little puff pastry in your life, you know?
Broccoli Cheese Quiche with a Puff Pastry Crust (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms
1 cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon [optional]
3 eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry slightly to fit in a 9-inch pie dish. Carefully place the crust into the pie dish and fold over the edges, cutting off any excess. (You can use the excess to fill any edges that are sparse.) Use a fork to prick the crust all over, including the sides. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
2. While the pastry is baking, prep the filling. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broccoli florets and cook until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pre-cooked chopped bacon, if using.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, and half-and-half. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, and herbes de Provence. Then stir in the shredded cheese.
4. Carefully transfer the cooked vegetables to the pre-baked crust. Then top with the egg mixture, covering the vegetables evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top has set.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
makes 6-8 servings
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms
1 cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon [optional]
3 eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry slightly to fit in a 9-inch pie dish. Carefully place the crust into the pie dish and fold over the edges, cutting off any excess. (You can use the excess to fill any edges that are sparse.) Use a fork to prick the crust all over, including the sides. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
2. While the pastry is baking, prep the filling. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broccoli florets and cook until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pre-cooked chopped bacon, if using.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, and half-and-half. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, and herbes de Provence. Then stir in the shredded cheese.
4. Carefully transfer the cooked vegetables to the pre-baked crust. Then top with the egg mixture, covering the vegetables evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top has set.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
What's For Dinner: Quesafajita with a Taco on the Side
Tonight D and I met at the Y for a core/TRX class -- let's just say that I may not be able to move tomorrow. Given our evening workout, neither of us wanted to slave over the kitchen stove for dinner. So, after getting our workout on, I headed to Trig's (the local grocery chain) to pick up a few items to make tacos/quesadillas/fajitas. My dinner plate consisted of a taco filled with rice, black beans, cheese, lettuce, and salsa. I also made an easy-peasy quesadilla filled with more cheese and black beans that I topped with fajita veggies, aka pan-sauteed red and yellow pepper strips, white onion strips, and a few random pea pods from the garden. A bit of a mess on the plate, but quite tasty.
Black Bean and Cheese Quesadilla (printer-friendly version)
makes one serving
2 flour tortillas
1/4 cup cooked black beans
1 tablespoon shredded cheese
olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a flour tortilla on a baking sheet. Spread cheese and black beans over top of the tortilla.
3. Top with the second tortilla.
4. Brush with a light coating of olive oil.
5. Bake in the oven for five minutes, or until the cheese is melty. (Is that a word?)
makes one serving
2 flour tortillas
1/4 cup cooked black beans
1 tablespoon shredded cheese
olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place a flour tortilla on a baking sheet. Spread cheese and black beans over top of the tortilla.
3. Top with the second tortilla.
4. Brush with a light coating of olive oil.
5. Bake in the oven for five minutes, or until the cheese is melty. (Is that a word?)
What's For Dinner: Aunt Denise's Tortellini Soup
For tonight's dinner, I headed to my favorite resource -- the cookbook of recipes from family and friends that my Mom gave to us as a wedding gift. Tonight's recipe comes from D's Aunt Denise. I first had this soup last autumn when D's Mom cooked up a batch when we were all up at the family cottage in northern Michigan. This is the perfect soup to accompany a cold winter's night. I highly recommend serving it alongside some crusty bread so that you can sop up any of the tasty leftover broth in your bowl.
Aunt Denise's Tortellini Soup (printer-friendly version)
makes 8 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic
1 10-oz package of frozen spinach
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 package cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is transparent.
2. Put the sauteed onion and garlic into a 4-quart slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes, frozen spinach, and veggie broth.
3. Stir in the crushed red pepper, rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.
5. Just before serving, cook the tortellini according to the directions on the packaging.
6. Place a few cooked tortellini in the bottom of each bowl and pour the broth over it.
7. Sprinkle freshly-grated Parmesan cheese over the top of each bowl of soup and serve.
Note: Refrigerate the leftover tortellini and broth separately, as the tortellini will become too soft if left in the broth.
makes 8 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic
1 10-oz package of frozen spinach
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 package cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is transparent.
2. Put the sauteed onion and garlic into a 4-quart slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes, frozen spinach, and veggie broth.
3. Stir in the crushed red pepper, rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.
5. Just before serving, cook the tortellini according to the directions on the packaging.
6. Place a few cooked tortellini in the bottom of each bowl and pour the broth over it.
7. Sprinkle freshly-grated Parmesan cheese over the top of each bowl of soup and serve.
Note: Refrigerate the leftover tortellini and broth separately, as the tortellini will become too soft if left in the broth.
Afternoon Snack
Mid-afternoon is when the munchies (no, not those kind of munchies) tend to strike for me. I'm always looking for something new to snack on, and I think I've found a winner with this recent find -- a handful of Kashi crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. The cheese was another score at Costco -- a pack of three tubs for under $8. Thus far I've tried both the 7 grain and honey sesame cracker flavors and think both taste great. And you gotta love the whole grain ingredients!
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