Chicken and Rosemary Quiche

It’s quiche-stastic!!  😀

(or so I’ve heard :P)

This was a two minute google search to find a recipe with what I had left in the fridge.  I had already planned to make Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche Cups for Myles and myself, but forgot that the hubby was going to be home!  So, after a quick scan of the contents of my kitchen, I went for this 🙂

It looked really nice, smelled lovely and was greatly appreciated by the man.

Chicken and Rosemary Quiche

Ingredients:

1 short crust pastry

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 chicken breast, cubed

1 cup of diced onion

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of half and half (milk + double cream for y’all in the UK)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1-2 sprigs of  rosemary

Method:

1. Make short crust pastry; bake until half done in a 400* F (200* C) oven. (approximately 10 minutes)

2. Meanwhile,  heat oil in a medium pan over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until white on all sides.  Add onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until soft (not browned).

3. While the chicken is cooking, make the quiche filling by beating the eggs in a medium bowl until lemon colored.  Add half and half, season with salt and pepper and whisk until mixed.

4. Assemble quiche: place chicken mixture into pie crust, top with  egg mixture and sprinkle the rosemary leaves over the top.

5. Bake until the quiche is set (about 30-35 minutes); sprinkle the cheese on top and continue to cook until melted and browned.

 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.grouprecipes.com/80842/chicken-and-rosemary-quiche.html

Nutella Brownie Bites

😀

Found this recipe yesterday and had to make them that night.  Ooh!!! And they are just as good as they sound!

Yum.

Nutella Brownie Bites

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

1/2 cup Nutella

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla

5 Tbsp flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (160* C).

2. Combine butter, chocolate syrup and Nutella in a medium bowl. Stir until well mixed.

3. Add the egg and the vanilla; mix.

4. One Tbsp at a time, incorporate the flour.

5. Pour batter into individual cups of a  lightly greased muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

Recipe from the fabulous: http://onehungrymama.com/2011/02/nutella-brownies-brownie-bites-nutella-hot-chocolate/

 

 

 

 

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Honestly, I never would have even looked for this recipe, except that it was called for in the Nutella Brownie Bites. (yum)

But, anytime you can make a product as opposed to buying it, you are guaranteed a food that is free of preservatives and additives.  Always a good thing, ’cause who wants a product that has a shelf life of years?!

This little gem is a great sweet accompaniment to ice cream and crepes, or use just a small spoonful to make chocolate milk or hot chocolate!

Once cooled, keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two months.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Method:

1. Place cocoa powder and water in a medium saucepan; mix until cocoa is dissolved.

2. Add sugar and bring to a boil.  Whisk for 3 minutes, keeping an eye as it can bubble over VERY fast.

3. Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.

4. Let cool; store in an airtight, glass container.

Recipe taken from: http://smallnotebook.org/2009/07/10/homemade-chocolate-syrup/

Fish Pie

Never heard of this dish until I moved to the UK, but apparently it’s been around for donkey’s years. And, since it involves a Bechemal sauce I figured I would give it a try, as my kid will eat ANYTHING if it involves a white sauce.

While, I am always one for a substitute or two if you have it on hand, you really must use butter as the sauce base.  Margarine and oil just won’t thicken the sauce the way that you need it to. (Believe me)

It’s kinda an in depth recipe, as it takes a good hour + to make, but it is well worth it!

Fish Pie

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 pint of milk

4 filets of fish (I used cod and salmon)

1 bay leaf

a pinch of ground cloves

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of nutmeg

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup each carrots, onions, peas, corn

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Boil potatoes in water for 10-12 minutes.  Drain water and mash with a bit of milk, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 pint of milk over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add bay leaf, cloves and fish.

3. Once fish is cooked, remove to a cutting board and flake. Strain milk into a bowl and reserve.

4. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour until mixed.

5. Add milk and whisk continuously until thickened.  Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Meanwhile, cook vegetables in a small pot of boiling water until carrots are soft. Drain.

7. Assemble pie by mixing together fish and veg in a casserole dish.  Pour sauce over top until just covered. Seal top with mashed potatoes; flaking the top with a fork to create a rough edge.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

8. Place pie under a broiler (grill) until the cheese is melted and browned.

 

Ultimate Breakfast Burrito

🙂  I feel so American naming this one!  ULTIMATE!!!  🙂

But, seriously, this thing is epic!  I am labeling it as a breakfast dish, yet we had them for lunch today.  Thanks to an extra helping of beans and rice, you could have them for any meal and your belly will be full for hours.

I created this recipe in a moment of genius (maybe the only one that I’ll get in this lifetime).  What makes this meal is the fact that the torilla is sandwiched in egg, french toast style.  Make sure that you remove the pan from the heat before you add the eggs so that you can dip the wrap on both sides.

P.S.–A good salsa takes this burrito to another plane.  I highly (highly) recommend Goya’s salsa verde.  Unfortunately, it is unavailable in the UK, so if someone can send me a care package full of ’em, I would appreciate it!!!  😀

Ultimate Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients (per burrito):

olive oil

1 cup of mixed veg or meat of your choice (I used onions, mushrooms, yellow pepper and zucchini)

2 Tbsp each of cooked rice and black beans

salt and pepper to taste

torilla

2 eggs + splash of milk

cheddar cheese, to taste

Method:

1. Saute veg/meat in olive oil until soft and cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the two eggs and the splash of milk in a small bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Put egg mix into a lightly greased, large non-stick skillet; dip torilla on both sides, then place over medium high heat.

4. Flip to set both sides; add cheese and veg/meat filling to inside and roll very carefully.

5. Transfer to a plate and serve with salsa.

 

Hummus Wraps

I almost feel guilty posting this, as it is so simple.  But the taste is big, even if the effort is minimal.

When I worked at a cafe, we used to have this on our menu.  It’s pretty simple to make your own hummus, and the variations are limitless.  Whether you are making lemon, roasted red pepper, garlic or just plain hummus, they will all take just about 10 minutes. If you are interested in making your own hummus, visit this site for a wealth of different recipes.

For these wraps, I just used a plain hummus.  Worked a charm 🙂  Serve with kale chips for a healthy lunch.

Hummus Wraps

Ingredients:

torilla wrap

hummus

a small handful of cheddar cheese, grated

1/8 cup each of tomatoes, cucumber, carrots

romaine lettuce, washed and shedded

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Spread hummus onto tortilla wrap.

2. Sprinkle on cheddar cheese and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

3. Fill with veg and fold.

Kale Chips

Greens are a hard one to get little kids to eat, for some reason.  Which is a shame, as they are extremely nutrient dense!  Some of the benefits of kale is that is provides an excellent source of vitamin A, iron, fiber, calcium and B vitamins. While I prefer my kale to be lightly steamed, Myles won’t go near ’em unless they are baked as chips.

It’s quick, easy and delicious.   🙂

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

Kale, washed and trimmed

a drizzle of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 350*F (160*C).

2. Place kale on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper, then use your hands to spread the love.

3. Bake on the middle rack for 7-10 minutes.  They should be crisp, yet not brown.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Oooh….it just reminds me of home!  Pretty much every restaurant that you go to in the states has this on the appetizers menu, but here in the UK it just doesn’t exist.  I made this dip for our friend’s Christmas party a couple of years ago, and now it is required that I bring it to all of our get togethers.  It is ridiculously simple, and while not exactly low in fat, it does provide a good amount of vitamins A, C, and K, iron, folate, fiber and antioxidants from the veggies.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. jar of alfredo sauce (or any white pasta sauce)

1 cup frozen spinach

1 can of artichoke hearts, quartered

2-3 cups of mozzarella cheese

seasoning to taste

1 tomato, chopped for garnish

Method:

1. Combine sauce, spinach and artichokes in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook until spinach is thawed.

2. Add cheese and seasoning; cook, stirring frequently, until bubbling.

3. Pour into a dish, garnish with tomato and serve.

Low-Fat Risotto with Parmesan and Peas

I used to always cook risotto out of a box.  Shocking, I know 🙂 I loved the taste but had always heard that it was hard to make.  Last year, when we had some friends over for dinner, I decided to tackle my fears and found that, though it is time consuming, making risotto from scratch is actually very simple!

While that original recipe was easy to create, it wasn’t exactly a healthy meal; using a half of a cup of butter and a load of cheese, I knew that this couldn’t be a regular meal for our family.  Bummer.

So, I did some experimenting and found that by using olive oil and just a small amount of parmesan, I could still achieve a very tasty dish.  Which is good, as Myles LOVES this and we literally eat it every single week.

Meat it up with a grilled chicken breast on top; or veg it out with some sautéed mushrooms or spinach.

Low-Fat Risotto with Parmesan and Peas

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup risotto rice

1 veggie stock cube

3-4 cups of boiled water

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup parmesan

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

juice of 1 lemon, optional

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.

2. Add onion, garlic and risotto rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft. (not brown!)

3. Meanwhile, boil water in a kettle.  Keep handy.

4. Add stock cube and 1 1/2 cups of boiled water, stirring constantly.

5. Once water is absorbed, add another 1/2 cup and continue to stir constantly; repeat until rice is cooked al dente. (approximately 15-20 minutes) and water is absorbed.

6. Add peas and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

7. Add parmesan; season with salt and pepper and lemon, if desired.

Cinnamon Raisin Granola

My two year old Myles is like a dog – he needs a walk every day or he goes crazy.  So, I have been on the hunt for a healthy snack that we could take on the go. This started out as a granola bar recipe, but it was just too sweet for us! (Add a cup of brown sugar to the below recipe and press firmly into all corners of a lightly greased baking sheet for bars) So, I started experimenting with making the bars sans sugar. They taste great but just don’t stick together the way that they should.  Rather than throw away the failed attempts, I stored them for later use as granola!

Add this to a cup of plain yoghurt, a handful of fresh berries or bananas, and some crushed nuts.  It makes for a delicious breakfast, a nice mid morning snack or a healthy dessert.    🙂

Cinnamon Raisin Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups porridge oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup honey

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (160*C)

2.Mix together all ingredients.  Use your hands to make sure that the honey covers everything.  ( the texture is crumbly and dry)

3. Crumble mix onto lightly greased baking sheets.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.superhealthykids.com/granolabars.html