My very first (almond flour crust) Quiche.

QUICHE- (kēsh): an oven-baked dish made with eggs and/or milk or cream in a pastry crust. Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, the word quiche is from the German Kuchen, meaning cake.where German Kuchen, "cake", was first altered to "küche", resulting in "kische", which in standard French orthography became spelled "quiche." (there ya go. more than you EVER really needed to know about quiche) ...what can i say, im addicted to "googling"! ha



Sun-dried tomatoes.
mushrooms.
shallots.
chives.

...cute lil quiche pan with fluted sides and all :)

Brought this dish to a coworker's birthday brunch (such a brunchy thing to make :) and it was a huge success. nomnomnom!

ps. and I quote from male coworker "whoever said quiche isnt a man food, hasnt tried this!"....or somthing like that. lol.

Ingredients – serves 8
(taken & crust slightly modified from cosmopolitanprimalgirl.wordpress.com)

Crust
- 1 Cup almond flour
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt

For the crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix Melted butter, almond flour, egg, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
3. Take crust and form in pie pan. Push up edges edges of plate
and form even layer.( hint, hint: Plastic wrap between your hand and the crust may
help) Poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.
4. Place crust in oven until you have a lightly browned crust.
5. Remove crust from oven and set aside. No need to refrigerate overnight.

Filling
- 16 eggs
- 6 shallots – chopped
- 3-4 Cups mushrooms – sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives – chopped
- 1 cup sun dried tomato
- 1/2 cup Broccoli florets (or any other veggies you fancy!)

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. In a small bowl mix together ingredients
3. While crust is baking, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and add the shallots, Once shallots have softened, add mushrooms and cook through
4. Add chives for the last 2 minutes of cooking the mushrooms. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, whisk together eggs
6. Pour the mushrooms/shallots into the bowl with the eggs and stir together.
7. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish.
8. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes – or until the eggs are cooked (test with a fork..)

9. CONSUME/devour.

dih-zurt

des·sert
/dɪˈzɜrt/ [dih-zurt]
NOUN- 1. A usually {SWEET} course or dish.

Lately, my blog might be easily mistaken as a cooking blog, and I suppose now-a-days, it has been. But cooking techniques & recipes is not solely what its about, and is not by any means the heart of the premise.

But has become, and has been, a beautiful metaphor. to represent something else, something bigger. beyond food, beyond cooking.

Living life, taking the things we are given (ingredients) and making something delicious out of it.

Savoring each meal.
sa·vor. [sey-ver] VERB-To take in each distinctive quality, through all the senses, taste, smell, sight, touch. give oneself to the enjoyment of: to savor the best (and sometimes worst) in life.

Someone once said, "Every meal is a sensual experience!"
... and why not live each moment of life that way??? Make love to the world through our existence.


For me it has also been taking the time to do a thing I enjoy. regardless of how hectic/crazy life gets, making it a priority to stop and take ten minutes to capture a good image of a vegetable, half chopped (minced or sliced!) on my counter top. Or taking the time to wait for things to ripen, season, marinate... infuse perfectly....without rushing. never settling for anything less then a dam good thing. My expectations, excellence, as a standard. for yes my meals, but more importantly, my life.

Trying new recipes.


"Anyone who has never made a mistake is someone who has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein

some (recipes... things in life...) you try and mess up, but may learn what you'd do to make it better the next time. Some you try and discover something uh-mazing! have it many times after, again and again, having found something you love. others you try, and you just dont like at all.
main point is: try.
Because to DISCOVER, one must explore.


the analogies could go on and on. The metaphors and their meanings are there to be found. a simple matter of paying attention, gratitude and appreciation.

With that said, (lets) enjoy the sweet things in life:


Baked Apples
(modified from simplyrecipes.com using stevia as a natural alternative for sugar)


Ingredients

* 4 large good baking apples, such as Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold

* STEVIA -6 packets OR 1/2 tsp liquid
(conversions for 1/4 cup sugar. see conversion table & more stevia info @ cookingwithstevia.com)

* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
* 1 Tbsp butter
* 3/4 cup boiling water


1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.

2 In a small bowl, combine the stevia, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with mixture. Top with a dot of butter (~1/4 of the Tbps).

3 Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.

Serve warm.

ENJOY.

Chicken Pesto [no] Pasta!

Spaghetti Squash is the new black.

Cauliflower rice, the new pink.

....and they have become staples in my freezer. Make large batch, separate servings into freezer baggies and take them out whenever to accompany with stir fry's, fish, chicken, sauces....whatever!

Spaghetti Squash how to video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1dcMKCaXWw&feature=related

Cauliflower rice how to video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM7DB4eUj78


Farmgirl's Full Flavor Pesto ( slighty modified from: www.farmgirlfare.com)

Makes about 1½ cups pesto

1/2 cup (about 2½ ounces) raw or roasted whole almonds
4 ounces fresh basil leaves (about 4 cups packed. but it's best if you weigh it)
3 to 6 large cloves garlic, peeled
10 ounces fresh tomatoes (about 3 smallish) any kind, quartered
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more if desired
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast (precooked and cut in bite size pieces)
**1 cup mushrooms (optional)


Process almonds and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the basil, tomatoes, and salt and process until thoroughly combined and the consistency you like.

With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil through the chute. Add more salt to taste if necessary and more olive oil if desired.

Mix Chicken, mushrooms, and pesto into saucepan to marinate/warm.

SERVE over spaghetti squash!

Presto! Pesto.



Pesto will keep several days in the fridge, or you can freeze it. (Brenda= big fan of freezing in ready to heat serving size zip-loc bags)

hint: Cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it from discoloring.


Its health benefits: (taken from everynutrient.com)

.."winter squash group includes pumpkin, acorn, butternut, and SPAGHETTI SQUASH. Winter squash, like other richly colored vegetables, provide excellent sources of carotenes. Generally, the richer the color, the richer
the concentration. They also offer a very good source of vitamins B1 and C, folic acid, pantothenic acid, fiber, and potassium. Winter squash are also a good source of vitamin B6 and niacin. Studies have shown that, due to their carotene properties, winter squash exert a protective effect against many cancers. Diets that are rich in carotenes (especially pumpkins) offer protection against cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes."

soooo.... eat up bitches! :)

FAUX PHO (Foh-Fah)

FAUX- /foʊ/[foh]–adjective: artificial or imitation; fake.

PHO- /fəʊ/ [fah]— noun: a Vietnamese noodle soup.

(LINK: audio for correct PHO pronunciation. HAHAHAHA!
http://www.lovingpho.com/pho-opinion-editorial/how-to-pronounce-pho/)


Spotlight veggies:
-SPAGHETTI SQUASH
-Garlic
-Ginger
-Shitake Mushrooms
-Celery
-Carrots

Recipe modified from recipe book:
PRETTY DELICIOUS.
Soba Noodle Soup
by Candice Kumai http://www.stilettochef.com/
(took a cooking class from this chic @ sur la tabla. so much fun! Plus a great way to learn new cooking techniques, expand cooking repertoire/new ideas, meet people, mix it up on a tuesday night, and..... eat good food!)


In a CROCK POT (which I recently have discovered as AMAZING! throw shit in (well, preferably veggies, meats, etc ;) and walk away. For this recipe I threw in:
-Chicken Broth (4 cups)
-Garlic (3 cloves finely minced)
-Ginger (2-3 teaspoons grated)
-Shitake Mushrooms (~7 shitake mushrooms chopped)
-Celery (~2-3 stalks sliced)
-Carrots (1 large sliced)
-Salt (1 teaspoon)
-Soy Sauce (optional-low sodium-2 tablespoons)

ALSO PRE MAKE:
*Boiled eggs (1 for each serving, ~4)
*Bake Spaghetti Squash (for noodles)

***AFTER soup is cooked, @ serving time, add in (all options):
-Fresh Spinach leaves
-EGG (Preboiled, cut in half, for added protein
-Sprinkle with chopped scallions

LAST BUT NOT LEAST what make it fAUX pHO is:
1/2- 1 cup of cooked SPAGHETTI SQUASH as noodles.


Faux noodles, but NOT faux taste; taste is Legit.

Legit- [luh-jit].
1. (adj.) A modern synonym for words such as "cool," "ill," "tight," or "dope." Used to describe a noun that is of a particularly excellent quality. The slang use of this term is slowly but steadily increasing in popularity.

2. (adj.) Authentic. see legitimate ;)

oh! ps. Ginger and Garlic have incredibly healing properties :)

GINGER- Aids in Digestion, (perhaps the best herb for digestion). breaks down proteins + "aids in the digestion of fatty foods". Also, Alleviates High Blood Pressure. Ginger’s "warming quality improves and stimulates circulation and relaxes the muscles surrounding blood vessels, facilitating the flow of blood throughout the body".

GARLIC- has been attributed with "healing and health-giving powers. scientifically proven that garlic "lowers the levels of cholesterol; strengthens the immune system; prevents arteriosclerosis; purifies the blood; has strong antibiotic and anti-fungal properties".

BONUS:
ginger+garlic=
the "exceptionally complementary flavors of sweet ginger and pungency of garlic" not only add rich taste, but their combined anti-viral qualities= "excellent cure for colds and flu".

so... Bon appetite, buen provecho,

...Y Buena Salud!

Wednesdays. Produce box day @crossfit. yey. {Butternut Squash}

wednesdays, blahhhhh, sometimes on that middle of the week-day, its picking up my organic produce box that gets me to crossfit... :) Yes, I know Im a dork for being so excited...but its like a surprise each week...hmmm what will be in the box today?!??

Well, last week it was butternut squash. Which I always had seen at the grocery store, especially during the fall,thanksgiving, holidays...but never actually picked one up and took it home. Well, there it was now, sitting on my counter, and I wasnt quite sure the correct way to peel it, to get started on the recipe, so here's the video:

HOW TO PEEL BUTTERNUT SQUASH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbecyb7TgDE

This recipe has been one of the most delicious so far. yum yum yum!
(put together after reviewing a variety of online recipes)


Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash cut and peeled
1 Med Sweet Potatoe/Yam
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
**Cinammon & Sea salt (to taste)
4 tablespoons dried cranberries (I used golden raisins)
1/4 cup Blueberries

Optional
2 tablespoons chopped sage
1 onion

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Peel squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds from the center and discard. Cut squash into large chunks. Cut and Peel yam/sweet potato. Coat with ~2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and Cinnamon to taste (sage optional)and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet with raisins and blueberries. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until well caramelized.

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