Asparagus Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust

I got the idea for this recipe from Pinterest, but I ended up tweaking it a little bit and have an idea for what I will do differently next time already.  I love quiche, but never make it because the one time I tried before was a disaster!  If I'm being completely honest, I was really nervous about this because really, my favorite part of quiche is the crust.  It's buttery, flaky and oh so delicious...  I'm getting side-tracked!  So, when I decided to try this quiche, I realized that I was just going to go into it with different expectations.  

So, yesterday I roasted my squash.  I used all the muscle I have in order to chop it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds, and then roasted it cut side down for about 45 minutes on 400 degrees.  

 I did this step a day ahead because I had the time.  Quiche itself is time consuming, so getting the first step done and out of the way made the whole process go more smoothly. 

So, because I cooked the squash ahead of time, it was scooped out (just scrape it all out with a fork) and cooled by the time I needed to press it into my pie plate.  I pre-heated the oven to 400 and then pressed the squash into it.  I then sprinkled about a handful of grated Parmesan cheese over the squash and then put it in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Now, I did this in hopes that it would help it harden and crisp up a little before I added all the filling stuff, but I'm pretty sure it didn't do anything.  Next time, I'm going to pat it all dry with a paper towel before baking it.  Maybe that will help with the browning.  

Anyway, while that was baking, I peeled a big shallot and threw it in my mini food processor.  I heated a medium skillet with a little olive oil in it and then started the shallots going over medium to medium low heat.  While they are softening up, I cut the ends off of the asparagus (snap one to see where the natural break is, then cut the rest at that same length) and then cut them into 1 inch pieces.  Once you have them ready, toss them into your pan and cook them for just a few minutes.  Don't get them get too soft, just till the green pops and they are tender. Once you get those in the pan, take your "crust" out of the oven.
 
While the asparagus is cooking, mix together 5 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of cheese (I grated Gruyere, but Swiss would be good, too, salt, and pepper.  Whisk that all together and then put the shallots and asparagus into the crust and pour the egg mixture over top.  Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 45 minutes.

 Here it is out of the oven.  Notice my beautiful new butcher block counter tops in the background.  Ahh, so pretty!

Overall, I think the quiche is good.  I didn't even really miss the crust.  It was a little sweet, which surprised me, but I did enjoy it very much and would definitely make it again.  Hopefully patting the squash down will help control some of the excess moisture.  Let me know what you think!

 I enjoyed this delicious quiche with a little salad that my friend Adam introduced me to a few weeks ago. I modified it slightly because I don't love feta, but here is what you see pictured here.  I mixed a little spinach and arugula with some chopped fresh mint, some toasted pine nuts, and a little Panela cheese.  Dress it with just a little rice vinegar and black pepper.  It is so yummy! 

Salsa Soup and Cheese Quesadillas

I have to start this post by giving credit to Rachel Ray for coming up with the base for this recipe.  I only alter it a little, so I definitely can't take credit for it.  I do, however love how flavorful, healthy, easy, and quick it is to make!  

I started by chopping a large green bell pepper, and get a large pot heated over medium heat with a few trips around the bottom with olive oil.  Throw in your pepper, and then I used my mini food processor to chop two shallots, three cloves of garlic, two jalapeno peppers, and a small onion.  If you don't have a little food processor, by all means, chop away, but I hate crying through onions, and smelling like garlic, and I inevitably touch my eyes after peppers, so I am loving my newest kitchen toy!  Also, I usually leave my veggies pretty chunky in this, but I don't love biting into a big chunk of any of those, so I dice them pretty small, more for flavor than texture.  Throw those all in the pot and season them with salt and pepper.  

Let those cook for a few minutes and then add two cans of tomatoes, one crushed, and one stewed.  Top this off with some chicken stock to thin it out.  I use about a cup and a half, but thin it to the consistency you like, I prefer thicker soups.  Let this bubble away while you make your quesadillas. Before you serve the soup, stir in a handful of freshly chopped parsley. 

I use flour tortillas, but you could use whole wheat.  They were just what I had on hand.  I also had shredded sharp cheddar, and a block of pepper jack, or something spicy, I forget what exactly it was, but use your favorite melting cheese!  You can make them in oven, like 10 minutes on 300 degrees, but I like to make mine in a pan on the stove.  (You will find, if you follow my blog, that I rarely use the oven.  I think it goes back to some control issues, but who really knows!)  So, I spray a pan with non-stick spray, put a tortilla down, cover it with cheese, top it with the other one, and cook it over medium heat until it is golden brown and the cheese is melty, then flip and repeat.  

Ok, the last thing I added was a mix of half an avocado, two spoonfuls of sour cream, a little lemon juice, some fresh parsley, and a pinch of salt.  I spoon a dollop on my soup, and it adds a refreshing coolness to a more acidic, spicy soup.  Yum.  

    
Ingredients list:

olive oil
1 bell pepper
2 jalapenos
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 small onion
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
1.5 cups chicken stock (ps. Use veggie stock to make it vegetarian)
chopped parsley
flour tortillas, 2 per person
2 cups shredded cheese
sour cream
.5 avocado
lemon juice
salt and pepper
 

Sweet potato and white bean burger

Ok, I'm starting by saying, you will love this "burger."  You may be thinking, "I don't like sweet potato!" or "Beans, yuck!" but seriously, this is so. good.  I got the base for my recipe from another blog I stumbled upon on Pinterest, but it made way too many and I made a few changes so below was my first go at these and there are only a few changes I would make, so I'll note them as I go :)

Before I even start, this got messy.  I have very few pictures of the process because I was a mess.  There was sweet potato everywhere, I used half the tools in my kitchen, and definitely got to a point where I was asking, "What have I gotten myself into?!"  But I learned a lot tonight, and I will pass along my new found wisdom, which should keep your kitchen, hands, and life a little neater, at least for this meal.

So, first you need to cook a sweet potato.  I did this by piercing the skin and roasting it at 375 for like 25 minutes.  Next time I will poke it and microwave it for sure.  Next, you need to drain and rinse a can of white beans.  Now, my first mistake was thinking, I should totally use my mini food processor!  (Mostly because I thought it would be faster, but also because it's my newest kitchen toy and I wanted to use it) but I will tell you that it wasn't going to give me the texture I wanted, so halfway through the processing, I took it out, transferred it to a bowl, and mashed it with my potato masher. (Mess #1)  So, take my advice, and just use a bowl and a masher.  

Once the sweet potato is cooked, you can put your beans and the potato (not the skin) into a bowl, add an egg, about 4 tbsp of wheat flour, salt, pepper, and I used cajun seasoning.  I wish I had used more salt and more seasoning.  I think you could use whatever seasoning you like, I thought about lemon pepper, but thought the little spice and heat would balance the sweetness of the sweet potato.  (It did!) Ok, so mash all of that together and set it aside for a minute.  Now you need to heat a large skillet over medium heat and cover the bottom in olive oil.  In a shallow dish, put about 3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs.  

Are you ready for tip for avoiding mess number two?  Ok good, it's coming up!  Once the pan/oil are hot, get your hands wet, and make a ball and then flatten it into a patty in your wet hands.  Press the patty into the bread crumbs, and CAREFULLY flip it over and get the other side.  Once they are both coated, place it into the hot pan, and if it got all screwy, you can reform it a bit with a spatula.  Repeat three more times and then let them cook a few minutes on each side.  

I served my "burger" on a toasted wheat bun with a little romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, and a little mix of brown mustard and mayo.  I also baked off some onion rings and made a little creamed spinach with red pepper flakes. 

 

This burger is crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and the only burger I have ever had that didn't need cheese.  Although, I did buy some goat cheese that I may try on one of the leftovers.  Please do yourself a favor and make these.  They are perfectly delicious.