Spinach and Ham Quiche

After Christmas and Easter, many families are left with the quandary of what to do with the extra ham.  I think I solved this problem - at least at our house.  I have made vegetarian quiches in the past, and adapted them to include some ham.  I loved the way it came out - and it is making for a nice addition to my collection of quiche recipes.  Who knew that I would ever be excited about making quiches.  We have always had this for dinner - but it would be great anytime, especially for brunch.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
1 Frozen deep dish pie crust
1 tbsp Olive oil
8oz Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Ham, diced
2/3 cup Skim milk
5 Large eggs
10oz. package Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup Swiss cheese (around 8 oz)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)

Directions
1. Bake pie crust per directions.  Then change the temperature to 400°F for the quiche.
2. In non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook mushrooms for around 4 minutes.  Add diced ham and cook for an additional 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, mix sautéed mushrooms with ham, skim milk, eggs, spinach, swiss cheese, black pepper and Kosher salt until well blended.
4. Place the pie crust on a Jelly Roll pan.  Pour egg mixture into deep dish pie crust.  Bake quiche 55-60 minutes until filling and crust are golden and knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let sit 5 minutes and then serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Sesame Broccoli Slaw

OK...so I made a great new dish tonight.  This was great - really great.  It will be a regular on our table for a few reasons.  First things first, this was adapted from a Cooking Light recipe for Chicken Cutlets with Sesame Broccoli Slaw.  This was in a recent Cooking Light and it just looked like something that I had to make.  I am so glad I did!

So we are trying to eat healthier in the new year....sure, everyone is.  This recipe just spoke to me.  Normally, we have been doing stir-fry dishes and service it with rice or noddles.  In a way to scale back carbs a bit, I had the idea that we could double the veggies with each meal and then scale back carbs.  This dish works perfectly for that approach.  The original recipe calls for four portions, we made this work for two.  So you get one lovely piece of chicken a lots of veggies!  This is fantastic!

The other benefit of this recipe is that it uses Broccoli Cole Slaw.  I wanted to try using this - and loved the way it tastes.  Everyone needs Broccoli - it is so good for you.  So this wonderful tasting dish is going to be a regular at our house and I hope you like it as much as we do.

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

4 tbsp Rice vinegar
3 tbsp Soy sauce (lower-sodium if available)
2 tbsp Sesame oil
2 tsp Ginger, minced
1 tsp Brown sugar
3 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
2 tbsp Olive oil, divided
2 (4-ounce) Chicken breast cutlets
1/4 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
8 oz White mushrooms, sliced
1 Red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
1/2 cup Carrots, matchstick-cut
1 (12-oz) bag Broccoli cole slaw mix
1 tsp Sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar, and garlic in a mixing bowl.  Stir with a whisk.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with kosher salt and pepper.  Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes each side. Remove from pan and place under foil to keep warm.
3. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan.  Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add carrots and broccoli cole slaw to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
4. Serve a large portion of vegetables with one chicken cutlet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over dish before serving.

Enjoy!

Field Greens with Salmon and Citrus-Dijon Vinaigrette

Here is a long overdue recipe for a great dinner salad.  This was adapted from a recipe for Field Greens with Shrimp and Mustard-Balsamic Vinaigrette that was great.  We want to have a few different salads on our regular rotation, and love the idea of having more salmon.  This was very easy to make, but we would like to have salads a few nights a week - so having different  that we created   We want to make more salads for dinner and this will definitely be on a quick rotation.  Very easy (even with making your own dressing).  The best part is that it is pretty healthy, so great for those weight loss resolutions!

Ingredients (2 dinner portions)

Salad
1 lbs Salmon fillets, skinless
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp Lemon grass (dried)
5-7 oz Field Greens (or any salad mixture) - enough for two salad plates.
1/2 cup Edamame, shelled
1 Cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 Red Onion (small), sliced (take the finely chopped red onion
Cooking spray

Dressing
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Lemon juice
1 tsp Garlic, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tbsp Red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

NOTE: you can add any vegetables as you see fit or desire.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a cooking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil.  Place the salmon on the sheet.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt, black pepper, and lemon grass.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.
2. Prepare dressing by adding olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, brown sugar, white wine vinegar, finely chopped red onion, Kosher salt and black pepper into a mixing bowl.  Whisk until well blended.  Set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over low heat.  Add the pine nuts and toast for 7-10 minutes until lightly brown.  Set aside and remove from the heat.
3. Prepare the salads with field greens, edamame, cucumbers, and red onions.
4. Remove the salmon from the oven.  Slice and place over the salad. Spoon the dressing atop the salad.

Serve and enjoy!

Slow-cooker Pork with Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Cranberries

Part of my New Year's Resolution was to get some of my recipes online.  This one has been in my folder of recipes to upload for some time.  I wanted to create a crockpot/slow-cooker meal that would be inspired by my Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries (that is a staple at Thanksgiving).  Adding Port Tenderloin makes for a great one pot meal that will be welcome in the kitchen at the end of a cold winter's day.

Ingredients (serves 6)
2 - 2 1/2 lbs Pork tenderloin
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 1/2 cup Cranberries, fresh
2 Apples, peeled & cut into 1/4" slices
3 Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" slices
1 cup Brown sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 cup Apple cider

Directions

1. Place the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker and sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker in the order that they appear in the ingredients.  Place the apples and sweet potatoes around the pork for starters and then on top as the slow cooker is filled up.
3. Cook on LOW setting for 10-12 hours

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Three-Bean Chili

I have been trying to come up with good vegetarian entries to make at home.  These are great for my son, who is a vegetarian, as well as a dish for meatless Mondays or for lunch.  I think I definitely found one with this recipe!  I adapted it from one in Everyday with Rachael Ray called Three-Bean Chili.  I played with this a bit and made it more mild (without the jalapeno pepper). With the three different types of beans, this is dish is protein rich and very tasty.  I was thinking that it would be great over rice, but it does not need anything.  The beans, especially the Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), give it great body.  I will be bringing this for lunch often in the new year, especially in the Winter!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Green bell pepper, chopped
1 Red bell pepper, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped (or 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp Tomato paste
2 tbsp Chili powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 28 ounce can Tomatoes (crushed)
1 15 oz can Chickpeas, rinsed
1 15 oz can Black beans, rinsed
1 15 oz can Pinto beans, rinsed

NOTE: The beans can be mixed - anything in the 15-16oz canned range will work.

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green and red bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Season with Kosher salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens, around 25 to 27 minutes.

Enjoy!

Berry Peach Fruit Crisp

We have a great program at the University of Michigan (where I work) called MHealthy.  They are focused on improving the health and well-being of the University's staff, faculty, students and their families.  Periodically, they offer cooking demonstrations where they showcase healthy recipes that are easy to make at home.  They also have recipes available to everyone over the web.  I adapted the recipe for this great dessert from their Peach Blueberry Crisp recipe.  This dish is a new favorite.  Its very easy to make and it tastes fantastic!  Did I mention it is healthy...really healthy!

Ingredients (makes 9" x 13" pan - serves 6-8)
12 oz-16 oz Frozen peach slices
12 oz-16 oz Frozen cherries or mixed berries
12 oz Frozen blueberries
2/3 cup Brown sugar, divided
3 tbsp Instant tapioca
1 1/2 cup Old fashioned oats
1/2 cup Almonds, sliced
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
2 Egg whites

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the frozen fruit, 1/3 cup brown sugar and tapioca in a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Spread fruit mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish.
4. In a bowl (the same one that you used for the fruit is fine), mix 1/3 brown sugar, oats, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and egg whites. Distribute topping evenly over the fruit in the baking dish.
5. Place dish in the middle of the oven and bake 45-50 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Let sit for 10 minutes before enjoying!

NOTE: You want to have around 2 1/2 to 3 lbs of frozen fruit - mix and match as you like!

Crab Cakes

This recipe was adapted from Emalee Chapman's Fresh 15-minute meals. The original recipe was for crab cakes. This is an easy recipe and it makes a great dish.

Ingredients (makes 8 small crab cakes - serves 3-4)
2 6 oz can Crabmeat, drained
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp Celery seed
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp Olive oil (add more if needed)

Directions
1. Drain the crab meat and place in mixing bowl.  Add lemon or lime juice and eggs. Mix until well blended
2. Add breadcrumbs, salt and pepper (to taste) and celery seeds.  Mix to combine.
3. Form small patties (around 1 1/2 to 2" round). Sprinkle patties with flour on both sides.
4. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook 4 patties at a time. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on the first side, and then 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Use more oil if needed.

Drain over paper towel and enjoy!