Vegetable & Cream Cheese Quiche with Almond Crust

Quiche. I always associate it with spring - maybe it's because of the eggs (Easter Egg hunts) or the vegetables (Bye winter! Hello fresh veggies!) or because they're such an "Easter Brunch" friendly food (can be served room temperature). Either way, this quiche, made with an almond flour crust, is something I'll be serving all year long.

I've long been a fan of Elana's Pantry; her almond flour and coconut flour recipes are delicious and her cookbooks are gorgeous. I love her philosophy about food and the fact that she uses her grain-free diet as a way to treat her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. (This is especially fascinating to me because my mother has MS and I'm always looking for alternative ways to help her cope.)

If I were trying to convince anyone to try a grain-free diet (cough, cough mom), this is one dish I'd present. Elana's chocolate chip cookies are another. 

Vegetable and Cream Cheese Quiche with Elana's Pantry Almond Crust

You'll need to make one recipe of Elana's savory pie crust recipe (there's a version of it here on another favorite of mine, Spunky Coconut's blog - or a version of it here on Elana's site) but you'll have to get her book to get the recipe I used. Here's what I typically do for my quiche fillings, you need:

4 eggs, whisked

2 small heads broccoli, roughly chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons cream cheese

scallions and parmesan cheese for garnish

salt, pepper, & garlic powder, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large bowl add all of the vegetables and dollops of the cream cheese (don't try to fully blend them in with the veggies/eggs), then add the eggs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the mixture to your prebaked crust, top with some shaved parmesan and bake for about 35 minutes (it will be ready when the middle of the quiche has a wiggle to it). Let stand for at least 30 minutes before serving, garnish with scallions and more parmesan.

Fool-proof Cranberry Chicken Salad

This is my go to pot luck dish. I've made it for baby showers, pool parties and picnic lunches, and it's always a hit.

It's also kind of irresistible, well, to my husband at least.

On more than one occasion I've found him eating a bowl of chicken salad that he knew was supposed to be saved for an event. The last time I caught him it was after 9 at night. At first I thought he was eating a bowl of ice cream, then I noticed he was acting guilty.

The man loves his meat.

You can use leftover chicken of any kind for this recipe but I usually simmer chicken breast in spices. I think it creates a better texture for chicken salad. I'll bring a pot of water to a boil, add dried herbs and spices like bell's seasonings, bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme, turn down the water to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Then I leave the chicken in the broth and let it cool off before chopping (I feel like this helps keep the chicken moist).

Below is the recipe but keep in mind the measurements are pretty loose. I don't recommend messing with the ingredients much, but just about everything can be added to taste.

Cranberry Chicken Salad

1 lb cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 small grated, or finely diced onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, loosely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leafed parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Add all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until evenly coated.

Gluten-free Flatbread

Also know as gluten-free naan or gluten-free wraps.

In a moment of desperation, I managed to come up with a substitute recipe for Chebe: the popular and versatile dough mix of the gluten-free world. Chebe, in my opinion, tastes great and has a chewy, doughy texture that is difficult to achieve with most gluten-free foods. However, it's two main ingredients are tapioca and manioc flour which don't offer much in the nutrition department. So, I attempted to make a brown rice flour based mix and in place of the oil and/or eggs typically used when mixing together Chebe, I simply used applesauce and I'm happy to say I'm pleased with the results.

And Henry is too.

Gluten-free Flatbread (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

1 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour (plus more for dusting)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tablespoon xantham gum
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup water (plus or minus one tablespoon)

In a large bowl, combine the flours, xantham gum and salt. Then add in half of the water and mix, then the applesauce, then the other half a cup of water. The consistency should be much like a typical gluten bread dough and it will be sticky. Next, liberally dust a few tablespoons of the white rice flour onto a flat surface and take about 1/4 cup of the dough and start flattening with a rolling pin, making sure to put extra flour between the dough. Then add the flattened dough onto a skillet over medium heat (I used cast iron, so I didn't need oil) and "fry" both sides for about 2-3 minutes each. The dough should make between 7-8 corn tortilla sized wraps, less for larger wraps. They are best if immediately eaten but also store well in the refrigerator if kept air tight. You can warm them slightly in the microwave or on a skillet again to make them more pliable.
I see myself making a gluten-free flatbread #2 soon. Look for the addition of rice bran and other fiber-rific flours. I may even attempt to make them without xantham gum...

Quick & Simple Chickpea Patties

I had an epiphany the other day -- I don't need meat at every meal. That statement may seem silly to a lot of you, but I always thought that in order to feel adequetly full at the end of a meal, a meat-based protein was needed. You see, I was doing it all wrong before. I would create a vegetarian or vegan meal, usually some sort of large salad and I would still be hungry by the time my plate was clean. The problem was that I didn't replace my meat protein with a non-meat protein -- I just ate your typical salad vegetables. Solely eating veggies can certainly work, but for me, I would need a lot. And a lot of filling, dense veggies and so I turn to beans.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans are a big favorite of mine and my goodness are they versatile. I often use them to make homemade hummus and baked, spiced chickpeas and now I have a new favorite: chickpea patties. These little gems are so quick to put together and are quite filling. And the recipe is easy to tweak; use whatever savory spice you're craving. I wanted a little kick to mine, so red pepper and garlic powder were my spices of choice, but curry would be a nice addition as well. This basic recipe would work well with most types of beans, so I'll be trying black bean patties soon, too.

Quick & Simple Chickpea Patties, serves 2 (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian)

Adapted from a recipe found in Hannaford Supermarket's magazine

1 15 oz can of rinsed, drained chickpeas
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh chives
1 tablespoon gluten-free flour (I used brown rice flour)
1 egg, or egg substitute
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Put the first six ingredients in a small food processor and blend until a paste forms. Put the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, meanwhile, form the paste into patties and cook on both sides (should make four), about five minutes on each side.

Enjoy in a sandwich, top with salsa, chutney; they're even good plain.

TBKRT

Turkey Bacon, Kale & Roasted Tomato. It doesn't float off the tongue quite as nicely as Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato, eh? That's okay. I had a carb-filled breakfast: Nutty Flax cereal with almond milk and a corn tortilla with peanut butter, so I wanted to balance out my day a bit with a low-carb lunch, so TBKRT it is.

I can't get over how much I enjoyed these. Something about the deep flavor of the roasted plum tomato, smokey turkey bacon and hearty kale with a few dollops of equal parts horseradish and mayonaise and a side of roasted chick peas made for a satisfying lunch.

This isn't much of a recipe, but more of a recommendation. Next time you have plum tomatoes a few days from going bad, toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for forty five minutes. If you've run out of recipes for your kale, use it as a wrap. And if you're tired of the same, old BLT. Try this one.

Turkey Bacon Kale & Roasted Tomato (TBKRT)

2 slices of turkey bacon, cooked
4 roasted plum tomato halves
2 large pieces of raw, rinsed kale
1 tablespoon of light mayonaise and horseradish, mixed

Place the turkey and tomatoes on the kale and spread the mayo/horseradish mixture on top and enjoy.

*As far as the chick peas, I simply tossed some rinsed, canned chic peas in olive oil and sprinkled with paprika and chili powder and roasted for twenty minutes at 375 degrees. They're quite nice in place of chips.

The Perfect Chicken Breast

Boneless, skinless chicken breast. They're good for you: packed with protein and no fat, but often difficult to to keep moist and tender. Luckily, I've discovered a no-fail way to cook those buggers to perfection.

Meet, the perfect chicken breast:


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons gluten-free flour mix (I use Annalise Roberts' brown rice mix)
1 tablespoon of fresh or dried herbs (like sage, rosemary and thyme)
1 chicken breast, rinsed and pat dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On a plate, mix the flour and herbs together. Take the chicken and dredge in the flour -- just enough to lightly coat, you don't want it gummy. In a oven-proof 8-inch pan, heat the olive oil to a medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan a sear on both sides until light brown -- about a minute and a half per side. Now, put in the oven for about eight minutes, or until juices run clear.

Let the chicken stand for at least five minutes before serving.