Arugula – Goat Cheese – Tomato Quiche!

Ever have one of those moments when you open up the refrigerator and realize that if you don’t do something quick, you’re going to have a bunch of rotten stuff on your hands?  Well, that’s how this little recipe came about.

1.  Oil a baking sheet and spread a cup of cherry tomatoes on it.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes start to brown.

2.  While the tomatoes are broiling, in a frying pan, saute one chopped onion until translucent

3.  Add two big handfuls of arugula and cook until wilted.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

4.  Put the onion-arugula mixture into a bowl and add a few ounces of chevre.  Stir so it all melts together.

5.  Add the roasted tomatoes to the bowl and stir.

6.  Pour the mixture into the bottom of a pre-made pie crust (I like the whole-wheat ones from Whole Foods, personally).

7.  In the now-empty-bowl, crack 4 eggs and whisk together with 1/2 cup milk (or cream if you have it!).  Add a little salt and pepper.  (Thyme might be good too!)

8.  Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.

9.  Put the crust on a baking sheet (so the bottom doesn’t burn) and cook for 30-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until quiche is cooked through.

Serve with a side salad!  Yum!

 

Kasha Varnishkes

This is really easy, quick and taaaaaaasty.  Serve with salad and a main dish like chicken or fish, or just eat it in a bowl as a meal!

1.  In a saucepan, saute a chopped onion in oil until translucent.

2.  While the onion is saute-ing, put a pot of water on to boil.  When the water boils, add two cups of dry bowtie pasta and cook until done.  Drain.

3.  Crack an egg into one cup of toasted buckwheat groats and mix until all of the groats are coated.

4.  Add the groats to the sauted onion and cook until dry, breaking up any clumps as you go.

5.  Add two cups of water (or broth) to the groats, turn down the heat, and simmer, covered, until all of the water is absorbed.  Add the bowties and salt and pepper to taste.

6.  Enjoy!

Lentil Soup #2: Dal

This is fantastic over short grain brown rice topped with raita (recipe also included below) and makes a very satisfying meal.  The soup itself only takes about 30 minutes to cook, so start the rice first.  Try it and let me know what you think!

1.  Chop an onion and fry it in a pot with about a tablespoon of oil until it is translucent.

2.  Stir in 6 cloves of chopped garlic

3.  Stir a tablespoon of chopped ginger (I always buy the bottles of pre-chopped ginger, it keeps in the refrigerator a long time once you open it and saves you the hassle of peeling and chopping)

4.   Stir in a cup of red lentils (some recipes say to soak the lentils for 20 minutes in water, I never do)

5.  Add at least 4-6 cups of water.  You will probably need to add double this as the soup cooks.

6.  Add curry powder, cumin, and garam masala to taste (about a teaspoon each – I like slightly more curry powder, slightly less garam masala).

7.  Add anywhere from 1/2 to a full can of chopped tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh ones if you have them handy)

8.  When the lentils are soft and the soup is cooked, add salt to taste and a cup or two of chopped spinach.  Adjust other seasonings to taste (curry powder, cumin, garam masala) and serve hot, hot, hot.

Note:  Make sure you keep and eye on the soup and add water as you go so that it doesn’t get too thick and stick to the bottom of the pot!  When done, the soup should be the consistency of apple sauce.  If it’s too watery, just cook it a bit longer.

Raita:

1.  Crush 2 cloves of garlic in a bowl

2.  Grate a cucumber into a bowl

3.  Stir in a cup or so of yogurt (I like Greek yogurt for this)

4.  Add salt to taste

 

 

 

Roasted Enchiladas

You’ll need a bottle/can of enchilada sauce for this recipe.  I had a bottle from Trader Joe’s and it worked marvelously.  This is SO easy to make and is super-duper yummy.  I served it with sides of brown rice, chips, salsa, and greek yogurt.  I thought it might need onions or garlic or something (which I didn’t have the time or energy to chop and add), but the broccoli and kale were so tasty, they stood out on their own.

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a baking sheet with oil and put about two cups of chopped broccoli on the sheet.  Bake until the broccoli starts to brown (about 15 minutes or so).  Add two big handfuls of chopped kale.  Bake another 10 minutes until everything is starting to look good and roasted.  Take the greens out, but leave the oven on.

2.  Pour half of the jar of enchilada sauce into a pyrex baking dish.

3.  Put a tortilla on a plate.  Top with 1/4 of your roasted broccoli/kale, 1/4 of a can of beans (I used pinto), and a handful of shredded cheese (e.g. jack, cheddar, etc.).  Roll up and place in the baking dish.

4.  Repeat four times, until you have four rolls lined up side-by-side in the pyrex dish.

5.  Top the rolls with the remaining 1/2 jar of enchilada sauce and two big handfuls of cheese.  Cover with tin foil and put the pan in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until everything is warm and melty.

Buen aprovecho!