Spinach Quiche

I was disappointed by this recipe; mainly because of the crust. This was in the healthy makeover section of the magazine. The crust was thick and hard, not flaky at all. I liked the filling, but it took about 20 minutes extra in the oven to set, for some reason. I felt like I was working on it all day, and I don't think it was worth it. Next time, I'll buy a pre-made crust.

Good Housekeeping, September 2010

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus chilling and cooling

Makes 6 main-dish servings

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

salt and pepper

4 tbsp cold trans-fat free margarine, cut up

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

3 large egg whites

1 leek (6 to 8 oz) white and light green parts only, cut into thin half-moons

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

6 oz baby spinach (about 6 cups)

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 oz. goat cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 400. In food processor, pulse fours and 1/4 tsp salt until combined. Add margarine; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add buttermilk; pulse until just blended. If dough does not stay together when pinched, add ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing after each addition. Shape into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 20 minutes or overnight. (If chilled overnight, let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling.)

Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough into 12-inch round; place in pie plate. Gently press against bottom and up side without stretching; trim edge. Prick holes in crust with fork. Line with foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove 1 tbsp egg white from rest of whites; set remaining aside. Remove foil with weights; brush bottom of crust with tbsp white. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown and dry to the touch. Cool completely on wire rack.

Meanwhile, coat 12-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium. Add leek, thyme, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cook 5 minutes or until mixture is very soft and dry, stirring frequently. Let cool.

In large bowl, whisk whole eggs, milk, and remaining egg whites. Stir in Parmesan, mustard, leek mixture, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Spread bottom of crust with goat cheese; place in jelly-roll pan. With strips of foil, cover crust edges to prevent overbrowning. Pour egg mixture into crust; bake 32 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes to serve.

Chocolate Chip Marble Cake

Really pretty and easy to make. Make sure you use mini-chips not the regular size.

Betty Crocker's Ultimate Cake Mix Cookbook, pg 46

Prep: 15 minutes

Bake: 40 minutes

Cool: 1 hour

15 Servings

1 package Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 egg whites

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup chocolate-flavor syrup

1 tub Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

Additional chocolate-flavor syrup, if desired

Heat oven to 350. Generously grease bottom only of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches, with shortening.

Make cake mix as directed on package, using water, oil and egg whites. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Reserve 1 cup of the batter. Pour remaining batter into pan.

Stir 1/4 cup chocolate syrup into reserved batter. Drop by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 6 to 8 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with spatula or knife in 2-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pan 1/4 turn, and repeat cutting for swirled design.

Bake about 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Stir remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips into frosting. Spread frosting over top of cake; drizzle with additional chocolate syrup. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Chard and Salami Frittata

A great, easy dish. It's basically a fancy omelet. I used thinly sliced Chorizo sausage instead of salami. I would think any kind of cured meat would work well. The chard was a nice addition.

Bon Appetit, August 2007

6 to 8 Appetizer or 4 Main-Course Servings

6 large eggs

3 tbsp freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 oz), stems and center ribs cut away, leaves coarsely chopped

2 oz thinly sliced Italian Genoa salami, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2/3 cup)

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat broiler. Whisk all the eggs, 1 1/2 tbsp cheese, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in large bowl.

Heat olive oil in medium nonstick broilerproof skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 6 minutes. Add Swiss chard in 3 batches; toss until each begins to wilt before adding next. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until any liquid in skillet evaporates. Increase heat to medium-high; add salami and garlic to skillet and stir 1 minute. Add eggs to skillet; stir to distribute evenly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until eggs are almost set but still moist in center, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 tbsp cheese over top.

Transfer frittata to broiler and cook just until set in center and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Using flexible spatula, loosen frittata around edges. Slide frittata out onto platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Creamy Maple Polenta

Yummy. I served this with the pecan and panko crusted chicken and it made a surprisingly good side dish. It is also just as good as a hot breakfast dish (similar to farina).

Bon Appetit, August 2006

Prep: 15 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

4 Servings

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup water

3 cups whole milk

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter

Whisk cornmeal and water in medium bowl to blend. Bring milk and salt to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually add cornmeal mixture, whisking constantly until polenta comes to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until polenta is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in maple syrup and butter. Season to taste with pepper and transfer to bowl.

Pecan- and Panko-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Very good. I used chicken strips that I had and because they were much skinnier than breast halves, I baked them for about 10 minutes and they were perfect and moist. I substituted onion in place of shallots for the sauce. This would be a good weekday dinner.

Bon Appetit, August 2006

Prep: 20 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

4 Servings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 cup finely chopped pecans

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) butter, divided

1/4 cup minced shallots

3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Mix panko and pecans in dish. Melt 4 tbsp butter in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Remove skillet from heat; brush some of melted butter onto chicken, then coat chicken in panko mixture. Place skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until brown on bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn chicken over. Place skillet in oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter.

Using slotted spoon, remove any crumbs from skillet. Add remaining 2 tbsp butter and shallots; saute over medium-high heat 1 minute. Add broth and simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Mix in parsley. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper; drizzle over chicken.

Pasta with Grilled Vegetables and Feta

Delicious. My one suggestion would be to grill the peppers in halves and then cut up when you take them off the grill. I lost a lot between the grill grates. The tomatoes worked very well on the skewers (makes sure you soak them if they are wooden). I couldn't find the feta in oil, so I bought feta with herbs and used olive oil to coat the vegetables.

Bon Appetit, July 2006

Prep: 30 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

6 Servings

1 10 1/2-oz jar feta cheese cubes in oil with herbs and spices

3 bell peppers (1 yellow, 1 orange, and 1 red), seeded, cut into 3/4-inch-thick strips

1 large red onion, halved through root end, cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges with some root left intact

1 12 oz package cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, divided

1 lb castellane (long oval shells) or penne pasta

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Drain all marinade from feta cheese into large bowl. Add bell pepper strips, onion wedges, and cherry tomatoes to marinade in bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Thread cherry tomatoes on skewers. Grill all vegetables until tender and slightly charred, about 15 minutes for onion wedges, 10 minutes for bell pepper strips, and 5 minutes for cherry tomatoes. Return vegetables to same bowl. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tbsp oregano; toss to blend.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain.

Add pasta and feta cheese to bowl with grilled vegetables; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tbsp oregano and serve.

Veggie Burgers

These tasted great. Travis said that they would be great to eat if you were a vegetarian. The one problem about them was that they were mushy when you're eating them on a bun. I froze half of the batch and I will write again when I make those. They might be firmer than when they were just refrigerated. ***After eating the frozen patties, they are just as mushy. I was disappointed.

Good Housekeeping, August 2010

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Makes 8 burgers

1 cup water

1/2 c. bulgur

3/4 c. old-fashioned oats

1 tbsp olive oil

1 med. onion (6 to 8 oz), finely chopped

10 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 c. walnuts, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed with press

1 carrot, cut up

1 stalk celery, cut up

1/4 cup packed fresh parsley

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1 large egg white

3 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

Salt and pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

Hamburger buns, lettuce, tomato, and red onion (optional)

In microwave-safe medium bowl, microwave water and bulgur on High 5 to 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, toast oats on medium 3 minutes. Transfer to food processor.

In skillet, heat oil on medium. Add onion; cook 7 minutes, stirring. Add mushrooms, nuts, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring.

In food processor with oats, pulse carrot, celery, parsley, and thyme until finely chopped. Add egg white, Cheddar, bulgur, mushroom mixture, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined.

Scoop 1/2 cup mixture; pat into 3 1/2 inch round. Place on waxed paper. Repeat. (Wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Do not thaw before cooking.)

Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium 1 minute. Add burgers in 2 batches; cook 10 to 12 minutes or until browned, turning once. Serve with buns, lettuce, tomato, and onion, if you like.