Spinach and Leek Quiche with Roasted Veggies

With leeks, a little goes a long way. I love leeks; I find them sweeter than onions and they don’t make me feel icky afterward if I eat them when they’re not cooked through. So, when I got a bodacious leek from the CSA, I was determined to use the whole thing.

Needless to say, the warm leek vinaigrette didn’t exactly do it.

I’m not typically into huge chunks of onion in my quiche, but leeks tend to be a bit more delicate (they’re also easier to chop into fine strips), so I went for it. I’m attempting to be healthy as of late, and I’m cooking for one, so I felt less inclined to load the quiche with cheese, bacon, and buttery pie crust.

(On that note, I’ve been fawning over this recipe for quiche with brie and beets. If you make this or have ever made it, please tell me all about it in graphic, vivid detail. Don’t spare a single detail.)

Aside from some heavy cream mixed in, this quiche is bread-less, bacon-less, and crust-less. I do not recommend this, but it worked for me.

Getting to business!

I sautéed a bunch of spinach in a pan. Again, because I was hoping for a healthier option, I didn't add any oil to the pan. Spinach will cook nicely on its own. 

Then leeks. These did need oil, and boy was I happy to give it to ‘em.

Meanwhile, I whisked six eggs and a squirt of heavy cream in a mixing bowl. 

I buttered a pie dish.

I’ll be honest: I singed some of my leeks. No one’s perfect. Good thing leeks are big enough that there was plenty of un-burnt leek to use.

Once I salvaged the survivors, I mixed everything together in a bowl, added some salt and pepper, and baked it for ~30 minutes.

If I was in a real hurry in the mornings, baking this in a muffin pan would have been an easy way to get some pre-portioned breakfast to go.

On the side, I roasted up some beets with olive oil + salt + pepper. Roasted potatoes are great, too! (Really, is there anything better than simple, roasted veggies?) As for that warm leek vinaigrette, I used it on some of our fresh lettuce.

Even the finished plate was pretty...

Panzanella Salad with Warm Leek Vinaigrette

When I got home from our community garden last week, I was HUNGRY. Like, ready to eat my hand hungry. Like, good-thing-I-forgot-there-was-pizza-in-the-fridge-because-I-would-have-swallowed-it-without-chewing hungry.

And my apartment was still hot, and I still don't have a grill. I needed something fast.

Luckily, fresh garden veggies taste amazing raw, and with a little prep, they can have a real “wow” factor. I mean, they’re already colorful and crispy and fresh, what else do they need?

Olive oil, balsamic, and crusty bread, that’s what.

I made this panzanella salad for a friend’s cookout last year, and it was a crowd pleaser. People love bread in their salad; I love bread in my salad (and that’s coming from someone who has a huge penchant for raw lettuce). It feels like a real compromise when, in fact, I’d rather be eating just bread.

I had some kind-of stale crusty bread from Arthur Ave in the freezer, so I was able to quickly defrost that in the toaster oven. While it became crispy and delicious, I cut up tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber, and threw the large chunks into a mixing bowl. 

I cut up the green part of a leek into small pieces and put it in a pan with some olive oil. Once the leeks got olive green and fragrant, I added in some balsamic and let the whole mixture get warm.

Bread out of the oven, chunked, into the mixing bowl.

And then I dumped the leek-balsamic heaven over everything.

Here are some things that would be very appropriate in a panzanella on a day when you’re not chomping at the bit: garlic, basil, salt, pepper, olives, mozzarella. (Onions are usually called for, but leeks were a good substitution for me.)

I ate it without any of the above. For healthiness’ sake, I did dump the whole thing on top of some of the fresh lettuce that I had gotten from the CSA. Because, you know, we’ve gotta do something about the abundance of bread on the plate.

Or not.

Truly, this is a good one to have on file for entertaining, and it makes a great addition to a picnic, too!

Chinese-Style Eggplant (Eggplant with Garlic Sauce)

c/o Recipehubs.com

Oh, eggplant. Coming from an Italian family, it’s nearly a holy food, usually prepared a la parmesan or grilled topped with melted mozzarella with an olive-oil drizzle.

Last week, though, neither of those were going to work for me because 1. It’s freaking hot in my apartment (I will starve before I turn on my oven ), 2. I don't have a grill, and

3. I was craving Chinese eggplant. 

The last time I had this deliciousness was on vacation in the Adirondacks at a wine bar. It was melty and sweet and spicy and flavorful and sublime. I’m surprised I hadn’t craved it sooner.

I found a recipe on AllRecipes and got to work.

1. Cut up eggplants. Praise God, you don’t have to skin them. That alone is a reason to make this recipe, am I right?

2. Put them in a pan with some olive oil to cook a bit.

3. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic powder and chili flakes. I’m lazy, so I added everything into the pan without whisking it first. Worked fine for me.

4. Cook into deliciousness.

When you take it off of the stove, it’s this soft, melty, sweet, spicy wonderful creation. It’s comfort food that you don’t have to simmer on low for five hours, and it also isn’t full of MSG, corn syrup, or whatever else our local dining establishments use to jack up our food.

On that note, this might be the easiest recipe ever. And, aside from fish sauce, which you can find at any Asian supermarket, you probably already have most of the ingredients in your house! It ’s so flavorful and heavy that I found it totally satisfying as the main dish. If you’re hoping to eat more than just eggplant (and, really, why would you be???) I’d pair it with something super light in flavor, maybe grilled chicken. Grilled chicken made on the stove because, you know, summer. Or you could cut up the chicken into strips and cook it in the same pan as the eggplant…

Oh, baby.

Suffice it to say that this hit the spot so much that I ended up taking the leftovers with me on a beach vacation. Sure, boardwalk fries are good, but they’re not this.

*I couldn’t get any decent photos from cooking. Here's a blurry photo to prove it:

Happy cooking!

Looking at the nice bowl of veggies again this weekend.  What to do with those lovely small tomatoes, besides chop them into a salad?  Here's a favorite recipe from Sonoma Diet Cookbook, that tops small tomatoes with whole wheat bread crumbs and fresh herbs.  I can stand over the pan after I remove them from the oven and eat about half of them in one fell swoop!  Let me know if anybody tries to do the same with the tomatillos.  I've never tried that...

Sometimes, simple is best!

If you grabbed the Napa cabbage last week but are puzzled what to do with it, this post is for you.  Yes, Napa cabbage is different than a traditional American garden cabbage, so it calls for a different dressing if you want to eat it raw.  I never use it for cole slaw, personally.  I just chop it up finely on a cutting board, toss with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a handful of peanuts.  That's the simplest, crunchiest use for it.  If you have some lovely fresh cilantro on hand, chop up a few tablespoons and add it, as well.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add some beet recipes, given the bounty of this unusual veggie that inspires passionate views.  Either you love beets, or you hate them.  There's no in-between!  If you haven't learned to love them yet try one or both of these suggestions:

Take your beets, trim off any spots, but don't peel.  Cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size.  Cover with water and boil (turn heat low once it comes to a boil), for about an hour. When they are done, let them cool enough to handle.  Peel them at this time. Then slice or julienne (cut into matchsticks), whichever you prefer.  Two sauces to try (from the Jane Brody cookbook):

Mustard sauce: beat with a whisk:  2T lemon juice, 2T Dijon mustard, 1T cider vinegar, 1T oil, 1 tsp sugar. Season with some fresh dill, fresh parsley, and cracked black pepper a salt to taste.  About 1 T of each herb if it's fresh, or about 1 tsp if it's dried.  Top the beets with enough sauce to your taste.  Refrigerate for at least an hour. This is enough sauce for about a pound of cooked beets.  

Horseradish sauce: beat with a whisk:  1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 T drained bottled horseradish, 1/4 tsp caraway seed, salt to taste.  Top the cooked beets with enough sauce to your taste. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.  This is a larger portion of sauce, enough for a couple pounds of cooked beets.
 


 

Answer to your prayers, Nick.  Here's one of my favorite kohlrabi recipes from Jane Brody's book.
Sorry I don't have a nice picture to go with it, like your cabbage recipe.  It doesn't look pretty, but it tastes great!