Bacon, Spinach, Mushroom, and Onion Quiche

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 frozen pie crusts, thawed

8 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach

1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 red onion, diced

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

12 slices bacon, partially browned, drained, and cut into 1'' pieces (bacon will continue to cook on top of quiche)

1 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese

1 8 ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil until softened. Turn off heat and place 3/4 of the spinach on top of the onion mushroom mixture to wilt for a few minutes.

Gently combine spinach, mushrooms, onion, and Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and feta cheese in a separate bowl. Stir in red pepper flakes.

 Place pie crusts on a baking sheet. Loosely pile spinach-mushroom mixture in the center of the thawed pie crusts.

Whisk eggs, cream, and black pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over the filling, swirling carefully to evenly spread eggs. Top with remaining spinach.

Top both of the quiches with bacon pieces.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 35 minutes, until top of quiche is puffy and begins to turn brown.

Remove quiches and cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Freezes well.

Parmesan Vegetable Side Dish

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large yellow onion, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 medium baking potato, thinly sliced
2 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a round pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium pan, heat olive oil. Once hot, add chopped onion and garlic, cooking until soft and fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Spread the onion and garlic mixture on the bottom of pan. Evenly arrange the sliced vegetables on top, alternating as you go. Once you get all the way around, continue layering to fill the middle until no open space remains.

Drizzle all over with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake covered for 30 minutes.

Remove aluminum foil and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Return to oven and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.

TIPS

The vegetables should be sliced into 1/8”-thick rounds. You can use a mandolin, just make sure the blade thickness is 1/8”, otherwise you may end up with too-thin slices.

Try to layer vegetable slices of the same diameter with each other, as this makes layering easier.

Adapted from The Blond Cook

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

2 cups dried black beans   (Save time and use canned beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped red bell peppers
2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 cups diced carrots
10 cups water
3 bay leaves
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried cilantro

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight; drain.
2. In a large soup pot, heat oil. Add in garlic, onion, red peppers, celery, celery leaves and carrots. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until veggies start to soften.
3. Add water, bay leaves, canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Add drained black beans.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours or until beans are tender.
5. Discard bay leaves and serve.

Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup portobello mushrooms, stem and ribs removed, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup chopped fresh asparagus 1 (8 inch) unbaked pie shell 1 egg white, lightly beaten (optional) 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 2 eggs 3/4 cup half-and-half cream 1/2 teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.	Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until evenly brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.
3.	Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until translucent. Reduce the heat to medium and add the portobello mushrooms. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender. Set aside.
4.	Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook asparagus in boiling water until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately drain and run under cold water to cool.
5.	Brush the pie shell with the beaten egg white, if using. Place the onion and mushroom mixture, asparagus, and bacon into the bottom of the pie shell. Sprinkle the Cheddar and feta cheeses over the vegetables. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper until smooth. Pour this mixture over the vegetable and cheese filling.
6.	Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned on top. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Easy White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 5 1/4 cups chicken broth 3 (15 ounce) cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chiles 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 pinches cayenne pepper, or to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or to taste salt to taste

Directions:

1.	Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chicken, onion, and garlic in hot oil until the chicken is browned completely, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
2.	Remove the chicken to a cutting board, cut into 1-inch pieces, and return to the Dutch oven; add chicken broth, cannellini, green chilies, oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes.
3.	Divide cilantro among 4 bowls. Ladle chili over cilantro and top with cheese. Season with salt to serve.

Southwest Chicken & Rice Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 medium ears sweet corn
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 2 medium ripe California Avocados, peeled and cubed

Directions

• Remove and discard corn husks and silk. Brush 1 tablespoon oil over ears of corn. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Cut corn from cobs.
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, red pepper, jalapenos, cilantro and corn.
• In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper and remaining oil; pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
• Cook rice according to package directions; cool. Just before serving, stir rice and avocados into salad. Yield: 10 servings.

Tostadas with Calabacitas, Black Beans and Queso Fresco

Calabacitas

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup zucchini, diced

1 cup yellow squash, diced

1 cup corn kernals

Several tablespoons of chopped green chilies
salt to taste

Heat oil. Saute onion. Add red pepper, zucchini, squash, and salt and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add corn and cook until heated through.

Tostadas

1 dozen Tostada shells

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup diced avocado

1 cup shredded lettuce

8 ounces queso fresco

½ cup cilantro, chopped

Salsa

Prepare Calabacitas.  Arrange other ingredients buffet style.  Make your own tostadas.

Back again....again.

Feeling a bit melancholy, this evening, I decided to revisit my blog.  What lovely memories.  My love of food and cooking has, yet again, taken a backseat to my life.  This makes me very sad. 

When I lose focus on cooking, my family does not eat well, we feel physically unwell, and we gain weight.

I long to get back to fresh vegetables,  tasty meats, and fruits to take care of the sweet cravings. 
  
Fall is approaching - this is a perfect time to start a new habit.

Since I work in the afternoons, I must pre-plan  meals and have them prepared or mostly prepared so that they can cook on time-bake while I am at work.  It is such a warm and welcoming feeling when I drive into the garage and can smell our dinner nearly ready to hit the table.

Since I blogged last, we have had another life change - Mom and Dad have settled into their new home.  The Senior Living Housing Community has two on-site restaurants. 

The Market Place is basically a grill that offers burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, grilled cheese, fries, and fast food-type items. The food is cooked well and tastes good, but there is a serious lack of fresh vegetables and fruits.  Not the healthiest of food choices.

The Highland is a high end, fancy restaurant.  We have not visited The Highland.  Too expensive, according to Mom and Dad.

Mom and Dad typically have one meal at The Market Place each day, and eat in their small kitchen for the other meals.    When  I cook, I take a portion to them.  They are rather picky, so again with the pre-planning.  It is nice to bring something to them and to hear later that they enjoyed the meal.

So, here I go again.  Planning.  Thinking ahead.