Have time for a quick Quiche?

Tomorrow this little break wraps up. I go back to work at Hunter and then the following day the kids return to Lexington. Since I've been at Lexington I've been secretly jealous of the ladies who bring in good meals to reheat. Never thought I would jealous of reheated microwaved meal, but after the umpteenth peanut butter, egg salad, or humus sandwich w/ a side of yogurt feelings start to change. So I'm preparing this quickie quiche to have lunch materials for Hunter and Lex.

This is my old stand-by recipe. I'm glad I'm blogging it b/c the paper the recipe is on is so stained and tattered. I also think this is a great recipe for when you find out last minute that people are coming over for a bite. This usually happens after a very long day when all you can think about is a hot bath, a glass of wine and a good book, but good company and good conversations wait for no one. This recipe is no fuss, real quick and delicious.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche
8 ounces of mushrooms sliced (I use a little less than this)
1/4 cup chopped onion
10 inch pie shell
1 cup shredded swiss (don't go mixin' up your cheeses...it will mess up the recipe)
4 eggs
1 cup cream (i use light cream...some people just use milk)
10 ounce package frozen spinach
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of nutmeg
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Saute mushrooms and onion in oil. Sprinkle bottom of pie shell with the swiss cheese. Beat the cream and eggs. Add the spinach, mushrooms, onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour mixture over pie crust. Sprinkle parmesan on top. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then reduce hat to 350 and bake for another 40 min or until a knife in the center of the pie comes out clean when inserted. Let quiche cool for a good 20 minutes or so before serving.
I think this dish can be served hot or cold. Either way you'll be wanting seconds.

I do hope you enjoy this treat and remember...
Keep real on the home skillet kids!

Eggplant and Potatoes

My first year at Hunter is finished. I now have a few days off from both Lexington and Hunter. Jack is on another shoot. Therefore I have had the opportunity to catch up on reading, relax...I've learned that I much prefer to be busy. With this knowledge I set out on this gloriously sunny day in Sunnyside to the local market to find the makings for potato salad, eggplant and garlic dip, and a quiche. Good thing that tomorrow brings good weather and hopefully a bike ride with 5bbc.org , so all these yummy treats won't force me to wear only clothing with an elastic nature.

I have posted an eggplant dip recipe in the past, but this one is slightly different. It's currently cooling in the fridge. Preliminary tasting makes me think it might turn out to be a decent dip. If it's utterly distasteful...I'll post a warning.

1 eggplant
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
2 tbsp minced onion (i used more..we'll see how that turns out)
Salt and pepper

-Place eggplant on baking sheet. Cut off stem and cut some slashes on the sides. Broil for about 20 minutes or once skin is charred.
-Once cooked discard skin and mash.
-Add all other ingredients and cool in refridgeorator for at least a few hours.

The potato salad is delicious. I am planning on taking some of it with me for my packed lunch tomorrow, but I'm having a difficult time leaving it alone. I subscribe to weekly veggie recipes from peta. I am not vegan and therefore adapt some of the recipes to my lacto-ovo veggie prefrences.

2 1/4 lbs. red potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. mayo
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup chopped red onion

Scrub and quarter the potatoes. Cook in salted water until just tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Whisk together the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, vegan mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
In a large bowl, gently fold the chopped vegetables into the potatoes. Add the dressing, tossing to coat. Season to taste.

I will post the quiche recipe at another time.

Oh sweet ginger!

It's been a long time since a Tasty recipe has been posted. The house in Providence is officially rented, I have one final and a paper left before I complete my first year of grad school and Jack has been busy with shoots and the New York Photo Festival. 
As Jack attends the closing day of the festival, I have stayed behind to enjoy a day of cooking, cleaning and maybe even some studying. 

I saw this recipe in a magazine. Jack loves my carrot ginger soup, so I thought that I couldn't go wrong with ginger bread and ginger honey butter.I've run into a lot of people recently who claim to hate ginger. I too have not always been a fan, but this recipe and the carrot soup recipe have a sweet taste to them and not the bite that ginger haters seem to fear.

It taste great, but it's a little too cake like for me. I need to figure out a way to make it more bread-like. 

Bread:
8 tbsp. unsalted melted butter
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 buttermilk
1/4 cup hot water

Butter:
a little over half a stick of unsalted butter
2 tbsp honey
1 one inch piece of fresh ginger grated (about a tsp)
1 tsp cinnamon

Bread
-heat oven to 350
-stir together dry ingredients
-stir in melted butter
-add all remaining ingredients
-pour batter into 8 inch greased square pan
-bake 45-50 mins

Butter:
-combine all ingredients
-using handheld mixer mix ingredients well
-refrigerate at least half and hour

C is for cookie...

Things have been very busy for us, thus the lack of blogging. We have been back and forth between Providence and the city trying to set up the new place and pack up our loved place in Providence. With all the shuffle we haven't really had the chance to cook. I've missed it!
Today was the first beautiful day of spring. That got me thinking of things that make me feel good. Cooking...and more specifically my favorite cookie recipe.
Try it out and let me know any tweaks you can think of to make these cookies taste even better.

2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups granola (I use the granola varieties found at Whole Foods. I like the mixes with berries in them.)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt

Indian Extravaganza

"When we no longer have good cooking in the world, we will have no literature, nor high and sharp intelligence, nor friendly gatherings, no social harmony."
Marie-Antoine Carême

The best thing about food is that it magically brings people together. This weekend we had the pleasure of cooking up a meal with friends from Rhode Island, New York and New Hampshire. There were various chutneys and many amazing dishes with our own special ingredients and touches added. I can't think of a better way to spend a day than starting with a walk around our Sunnyside neighborhood, taking a stroll through Little India in Jackson Heights for supplies and then spending an evening cooking, eating and enjoying good company. 

CUBED POTATO with FENUGREEK

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
3 green chilies finely chopped
salt
1/2 pound of potatoes
1/2 cup water
2-3 tbsp of dried fenugreek leaves (to be ground prior to adding)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground corriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 bunch of cilanto chopped finely

1) Heat oil, cumin seeds, yellow mustard seeds, ginger, chilies and salt in a heavy-based pan Add potatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for approx. 5 minutes. Add water cover and cook over low heat for 5 more minutes, or until potatoes are half cooked

2)Stir in fenugreek, ground cumin, ground corriander and turmeric and cook for 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked. Prior to serving sprinkle with cilantro.

Serves 6 portions.

This ain't yo mama's Rice 'n Beans!

I know the picture looks like slop but trust me - you'll be asking for seconds. Being a culinary warrior requires not only sophistication but also the ability to get down and dirty. When I feel the good ghetto flava wellin' up in my soul I go for this tried and true satisfaction:

1/2 cup rice
1 can black beans
6-8 baby bella mushrooms
8-10 sundried tomatoes
1 corn on the cob (or half a can)
1 small onion, cut small
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin (can be whole too)

Boil up the rice while you cook the rest. Also, rehydrate the sundried tomatoes by simmering them in boiling water to cover in a small sauce pan (just 3 minutes is enough, then set aside to cool).

Fry up the onion, garlic and ginger together with the corriander and cumin in a bit of oil. Rinse the black beans and add them to the pan after 3 minutes. Fry for another 3 minutes, adding the water from the tomatoes when the mixture starts to look dry.

Cut the corn off the cob, chop up the mushrooms and sundried tomatoes, and add to the beans. Sprinkle some salt 'n peppa to taste. Fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, dump into large serving bowl, mix in the rice and garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4 portions.

World Changing ~ food politics

A quick browse of food related articles on worldchanging.org reveals a wealth of stories the politics of food culture. Here are a couple articles by Erica Barnett that caught my eye. BTW, this is a site well worth exploring when you havet a moment for inspiring and empowering information.

Creative Strategies for Reducing Food Waste

From Food Stamps to Farmers Markets: US Food Subsidies Evolve