Quiche me quick

best quiche evah, a la Natalie

- cover the bottom of a 9-10 round dish (or equivalent) with whatever you want in your quiche. veggies should be raw. meats should be cooked.  I use mushrooms and asparagus, sometimes spinach.

Secret ingredient:  FRESH DILL.  This is what kicks it up to "Oh my god" status.

- cover that with grated cheese, mix it all up if you want, then spread it out evenly.

- mix well in a blender:

     - 3 eggs

     - 3/4 cups bisquick (google tells you how to easily make your own with stuff i'm sure you have)

     - a little salt depending on saltiness of fillers

     - pepper

     - 1.5 cups milk

     - 1 stick melted butter

     - **tip!** if you mix the wet stuff first, then add the bisquick to the center of the mid-blending liquid funnel, it keeps you from having weird goopy flour stuff on the sides of the blender to deal with.

- pour the blender goo over the dish 'o stuff. use the back of a spoon to make sure the top layer is coated with goo.

- bake 45 mins - 1 hour at 350 until golden brown on top. cool for 20-30 minutes before serving.

I have to start using this again, Zucchini Muffins

I keep modifying recipes I like and then losing them.  I have to start posting them here so I can find them.

Today's recipe is a modification of the zucchini muffin recipe found here.  Less sugar (applesauce added) and whole wheat flour.

Zucchini Muffins

Yield: approximately 24 muffins

3 large eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 cups grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in oil and sugar and applesauce, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Fill muffin tins (greased or with paper liners).

Bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Vegetarian/Vegan Monster Mash

This green and orange mash-up certainly doesn't look as good as it tastes.  It could be made vegan by substituting oil for butter.  It is also a magnificent side dish for bratwurst (for the carnivores in the audience).

It has two superfoods:  sweet potatoes and lentils!  This low-fat, tasty mashed dish provides a ton of fiber, vitamins A and C, and beta-carotene, as well as a bunch of things I don't really understand but I know are healthy like manganese and folate.

Monster Mash Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils, rinsed

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 1/2 to 3 cups water

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/8 to 1/4 cup white wine

1 Tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Veggie Soup Preparation:

Add lentils, garlic, potatoes and water to a pot.  (remember you can always add more, but you can't take the water out.  I used three cups, so I think that's safe.)

Cover and simmer 30 mins or until the lentils are cooked through.  (potatoes will be mushy).

Add the remaining ingredients.  Stirring gently should reduce the potatoes to mush without damaging the beans.  The lentils will be about half-mashed.

DON'T skip the butter.  Besides adding slightly more richness, it apparently helps with the absorption of beta-carotene.  Or so I've heard.  

Vegan Hearty chili stew

I started to make chili before realizing I didn't have all of the ingredients at hand.  This was the creation that came out.  It got rave reviews from my favorite critic.

Hearty chili stew Ingredients:

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, not drained

1 small can of corn, drained

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium summer squash, halved lengthwise and chopped roughly into 1/2" pieces

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and chopped roughly into 1/2" pieces

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 package chili seasoning
1 package Badia sazon.
2 cups of cooked brown rice

Hearty chili stew Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients except rice in a large pot
2. Add a water to barely cover.
3. Simmer until squash starts to be tender.
4. Add rice. Continue to simmer just until rice is heated through.

Crock-Pot veggie soup - veganized

I know that this sounds like the most boring thing I have ever posted.  But honestly, this soup is spectacular.

My partner likes to have vegetable soup when she's sick.  My someday-mother-in-law told me the secret is to use beef bouillon.  Obviously this requires some modification.

Be forewarned: Cut out sodium wherever you can.  The bouillon makes this dish a bit salty.  Low sodium ingredients help.

Veggie Soup Ingredients:

1 small can corn
1 small can sweet or baby peas
1 can navy beans
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes (trust me, the bouillon adds enough salt)
1 can green beans (low sodium if you can find them)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 stalks of celery, chopped up.
Black pepper to taste

1/2 diced sweet onion

2-3 cubes of fake beef bouillon (like "Not-Beef" by Edwards and Sons)
1 cube of fake chicken bouilon (like "Not-Chick'n" by Edwards and Son)
1 cup peeled and chopped winter squash (butternut, buttercup, acorn, etc.)
1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato and/or yukon gold potatoes
Enough water to cover all ingredients.

Veggie Soup Preparation:
So easy.  Put all ingredients into a crock pot.  Simmer for 4-6 hours.
Note:  the squash and potatoes fall apart, so you could add those later if you plan to stick around while it's cooking.  If you add them at the beginning, they still taste great but lose their texture.

Serving suggestion for leftovers:
For the non-vegans, you can liven up the leftovers by adding some spinach cheese tortellini. 

Chili

I totally ruin the "veganness" of this by adding sour cream and cheese.  But it's good without, too.

Chili Ingredients:

1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, not drained

1/2 of a small can of corn, drained

1 sprig basil chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 package chili seasoning
1 package Badia sazon.
1/2 package Boca crumbles

Chili Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients except boca crumbles in a large pot (or a crock pot). 
2. Add enough water to cover entirely.
3. Cook until squash starts to be tender.
4. Add Boca.  
5. SImmer uncovered to let water reduce.

Vegan Potato Leek Soup

This just allowed me to turn an old favorite recipe into something that's actually healthy and vegan-friendly!  I once again rely on the creamy cauliflower base from a Post Punk Kitchen recipe.

Potato Leek Soup Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florettes
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch fresh rosemary
Black pepper to taste

3 to 4 leeks - just the white parts, diced

4 - 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 diced sweet onion

Potato Leek Soup Preparation:

1. Preheat a 4 quart stock pot over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil for about a minute, being careful not to let it burn. 
2. Add cauliflower, 3 cups of broth (alert! only 3 of the cups! you’ll be adding the last cup in a bit), salt, rosemary and several dashes fresh black pepper. Cover pot and bring to a boil, stirring every now and again for about 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.
3. While the cauliflower is cooking, saute the leeks and onions in olive oil in a separate pot.  When onions are starting to become see-through, add the potatoes and the last cup of broth. 
4. Add potato mixture to cauliflower, lower heat a bit so that the soup is at a slow boil. Cook uncovered until potatoes are cooked through, stirring regularly. 
5. Remove from heat. Use a blender to puree until smooth. Taste for salt and seasoning.