Zucchini Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust
Posted On Thursday, July 9, 2009 at at 11:12 AM by Lori
There was a time when the egg yolk rarely made it into my diet. I hastily followed the crowd when this food made the spotlight for being high in cholesterol. The truth is I enjoy egg whites just as much as the whole egg. I also tend to enjoy just eating the white and not the yolk when eggs are hard boiled.
However, I disliked that nagging voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t be enjoying the whole egg on rare occasions. Fortunately, as seems to be happening with a lot of foods previously labeled unhealthy, the nutrition news changed and eggs came back as being a food now known for its healthy attributes which outweigh any nutritional shortcomings.
I gradually started eating the whole egg again and said good bye to that nagging voice. I knew my great grandfather couldn’t have been all wrong considering he lived into his 90s and ate almost a dozen fresh from the farm eggs a day.
The main thing that got my attention concerning health and the egg was choline. Egg yolks are one of the richest sources of choline, which is part of the B vitamin family. The most important benefit for me being that it is necessary for brain health.
I have eggs often and many times I will include one yolk and multiple egg whites when I just want the protein, but don’t want a lot of calories. The whole egg has about 70 while the white has about 17. That way I can still benefit from the choline and have a filling meal with a lot of protein.
One of the best ways to use whole eggs is in a quiche. I have always enjoyed quiche with its buttery crust and airy texture. You can also fill it with all kinds of vegetables and flavorful cheeses which is a huge bonus.
Earlier this week I had a zucchini that needed to be used up so I decided shredding it for a quiche would be a great way to enjoy it. I also had some smoked provolone cheese which is one of the better cheeses I find here and offers so much flavor to many of the things I make from pizza to a green salad.
But what about the crust? I wanted something partially healthy, but still rich and buttery. I haven’t had access to a rolling pin for two years. It is tucked away in a storage unit in the US, so I’ve become a big fan of pat-in- the-pan crusts. I decided to take the one I regularly use from the Joy of Cooking and make it whole wheat.
It turned out great! Still buttery, but with a crumbly texture and a flavor that really paired nicely with the eggs, veggies and cheese. In fact, I think I am going to attempt at making a sweet version of it soon for a pie adding some spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Zucchini Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
Milk
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
¾ cup zucchini, shredded
1/3 cup smoked provolone, shredded
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp hot paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl mix together whole wheat flour and salt, cut in the butter and mix with a fork or pastry blender until butter is incorporated and dough is crumbly. Slowly add milk, one tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms a dry, yet cohesive dough. Press the dough evenly into bottom and sides of a deep, 9 inch pie pan.
Sprinkle the onion, zucchini and cheese evenly over the crust and set aside.
In a bowl or in a blender combine the eggs, flour and milk. Mix well with a whisk or in the blender. Add the remaining seasonings and whisk or blend again until the mixture is somewhat frothy. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and cheese in the pie crust. If your pan is not deep enough you may want to cut back on the milk to make less egg mixture. Leave at least a ¼ inch of crust visible around the edge.
Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. The egg will rise a bit and the top should be slightly browned and the center set. Allow to cool for five minutes, slice and serve. Makes six to eight servings.
Becoming an In-Season Eater
Posted On Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at at 4:16 AM by Lori
I know you’ve read the advice as much as I have; in a book, a magazine article. I’ve even shared the advice a time or two. Eat in-season.
On the surface it is easy to determine what this term means. Eat foods when they are at their freshest, when they are harvested in your particular part of the country or world. Why? Well, because this is when they are at their flavor and nutritional peak. So we strive to eat asparagus and berries in the spring, squash and green beans as the summer rolls on and sweet potatoes in the autumn.
If you live in an area with access to CSAs and farmer’s markets it is easy to shoot for this goal of eating in-season, but it is likely that we eat in season in combination with eating out of season. There is likely something we pick up from the supermarket during an off season just to create a particular recipe.
However, what if one chose to eat only in-season? What exactly would this mean, and more importantly how would it affect one from a nutritional and health standpoint?
This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I really admire those people I follow who get a CSA box all summer and eat only from that box creating wonderful recipes. That is truly part of the eating in-season equation. And let me say this first off, the idea of eating in-season where I live now is a bit of a joke. While specific fruits like mangos and guava, and veggies such as corn do have a distinct season here, most everything else grows year around. Eating in-season in southern Brazil involves no sacrifice.
I’m looking at choosing this eating style when I return to the US though. I will be back in a place that has 4 seasons and the availability of fresh foods varies widely to the point of becoming non-existent in the winter. However, my belief in the importance of eating in-season is growing by the day. It is often better for the environment and honestly a bit of a challenge when it comes to cooking; one which I am up for.
As someone who cares a whole lot about nutrition though, this is where my concern lies whether it is well grounded concern or not. That is what I’m trying to figure out. In the summer, an in-season diet is obviously full of produce. Those recommendations to eat a variety of fruits and veggies in a variety of colors is easy fulfilled, but as months linger on what will happen?
Eating in season for me, in my area, will likely mean berries as a major fruit source in the spring and summer followed by lots of apples in the autumn. In addition, through autumn and winter long lasting potatoes, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, cranberries and squash will be the main produce sources, in addition to anything frozen from fresh throughout the summer. Yes, I do feel that self- frozen from fresh is an option with in-season eating, but even then you don’t have access to all of summer’s produce selection.
Can the body sustain itself nutritionally on only what is offered in-season? Well, I’m not sure what science would say with all its recommendations, but my gut tells me yes. I’m beginning to believe that this is what we were meant to do, and while I don’t believe that all advancements when it comes to food (regarding its growth and distribution) has been bad, maybe I’d be better off sticking to an in-season schedule.
I’m not saying I won’t ever buy a bland tasting strawberry in autumn again for a recipe, but it will not happen very often. This idea of true in-season eating and only in-seasoning is becoming more appealing to me. I’m not sure if it is an issue of the environment, health or just a challenge, but it is something I’m planning to focus on in a few months when we leave Brazil and return to the US.
How do you feel about only in-season eating?
Guest Post at 5 Star Foodie
Posted On Monday, July 6, 2009 at at 5:53 AM by Lori
Happy Monday!
I'm honored to have a guest post up at 5 Star Foodie today! Head on over to learn more about about Brazilian desserts and candy!
July 4th Links to a Healthy Weekend
Posted On Saturday, July 4, 2009 at at 10:42 AM by LoriWell, I still didn’t get many posts up this week, but I couldn’t bear to leave you without any links for two weekends in a row. Although, I expect many of you are out enjoying summer fun on this 4th of July.
Last night we went to an English school in the small town where my husband works and helped host a bingo party. Last year we did a 4th of July party so it was fun to do something a little different.
We had hotdogs (cachorro quente) which around here means tomatoes and onions cooked down into a thick stew and sliced hotdogs mixed in. Another option you can find is the whole hotdog with this stew on top. It is then served on a bun (much bigger and sweeter than buns in the US) and topped with batata palha, or matchstick potatoes, as we used to call them. Not exactly health on a bun, but there were some veggies in there somewhere.
Here are a few great recipes, ideas and reads from the week.
Kahakai Kitchen featured a recipe for Thai-Flavored Ratatouille. Tasty veggies in a sauce made with almond butter! You know I love peanut sauces and I’m excited to branch out to almond butter sauces as well.
Meringue Bake Shop celebrates the 4th with the cutest cupcake creation ever – Cupcake Kabobs! What a creative idea!
A new position stand on the health benefits of a vegetarian diet was released by the American Dietetic Association this week. I found the recap interesting because it seems they’ve taken a closer look at the details of this type of diet. I'm looking forward to reading the entire position stand.
I think most of us would agree that we already knew vegetarian diets can be healthy, but I appreciated the fact that they emphasized the term well-planned. I met way too many girls in high school and college who would eat boxed macaroni and cheese while the rest of us ate meat and made it a point to announce themselves as a vegetarian.
In my opinion, just because it is vegetarian doesn’t mean it is healthy. Similarly just because it has meat doesn’t mean it is unhealthy. Both eating lifestyles can promote health and wellness if food source, nutrients and portions are taken into consideration.
Tropical Wheat Berry Salad
Posted On Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at at 5:38 AM by Lori
I’m still on a bit of a wheat berry kick. I brought some back with me when I returned to Brazil and lately I’ve been thinking about what I could do with them. After picking up a pineapple and then splurging on a pomegranate at the market the other day, I finally had my answer.
I wanted something sweet, not savory, for this experiment and I thought I could pull it off with a wheat berry fruit salad using tropical flavors.
I simply combined honey, lime and coconut for a dressing. Tossed some diced pineapple with cooked and cooled wheat berries. Pomegranate arils came about for color.
I really enjoyed this sweet twist on a healthy grain. It’s great for a cool, but hearty breakfast on a hot morning or maybe a new salad to take to a picnic.
Tropical Wheat Berry Salad
½ cup dry wheat berries
1 ¾ cup water
1/3 cup pineapple, finely chopped
2 tbsp honey
Juice of two limes
2 tbsp finely ground coconut
¼ cup pomegranate arils
I cooked the wheat berries according to package directions which was ½ cup in 1 ¾ cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour until tender. Drain them if necessary and let them cool.
Once cool, toss the pineapple with the wheat berries. Whisk together the honey and lime juice. Taste to determine if you need more sweet or sour depending on your preferences. Whisk in the coconut.
Pour dressing over the wheat berries and toss to coat. Garnish with the pomegranate.
Tangerine Cake and Travel News!
Posted On Monday, June 29, 2009 at at 6:17 PM by Lori
I wasn’t around much at all this weekend and I even missed a links post. However, I return to you bearing dessert and some great news!
First things first, let’s talk dessert. A couple weekends ago I had a craving for a good pound cake, something with a bit of a citrus flavor. I had purchased a whole bag of tangerines at the farmer’s market planning to juice them. However, I haven’t been in the mood for cold juice.
First things first, let’s talk dessert. A couple weekends ago I had a craving for a good pound cake, something with a bit of a citrus flavor. I had purchased a whole bag of tangerines at the farmer’s market planning to juice them. However, I haven’t been in the mood for cold juice.
Turns out, cake was their destiny.
I found this recipe for Tangerine Pound Cake from Betty Crocker. It produced a dense cake full of tangerine flavor. The glaze sealed the deal, made of tangerine juice and rum. It is a recipe I will definitely make again and plan to experiment with. I’m thinking lime will be next.
As many of you know, our two years (actually a little over that) in Brazil will soon be coming to an end in October. Since we made the decision to move here, we’ve had on our minds the idea of a long trip to close out the end of this adventure.
South America was the logical choice, but unfortunately the cost of traveling here is expensive. Not so much once you get to a place, but the act of getting there, as in the flight costs. We had big plans to see a lot of Brazil and South America while here.
Boy, were we wrong. Going to other countries from the small town we live in costs about the same as going there from the U.S. There are still a couple places we want to visit and we hope we stumble upon some fare sales, but as far as an around SA trip, well, it became much less appealing. Considering we want to see pretty much every country in this world, however, we were not left without options.
Europe came to mind because we still have so much to see there, but we have been there the past few years. I was actually planning to go back to Ireland with my husband while he worked this year and then both of us go on to Italy this year, but once again, plans changed.
Hmmm…so where else could we go? Maybe an area overflowing with foods made of coconut milk, curries, noodles and seafood where street food and food courts are the place to be. Places with lots of culture, beautiful beaches and some unbelievably inexpensive travel prices.
Yeah, that sounds good.
Ready? We’re going to Southeast Asia and I can hardly stand the excitement!
The month of October, before we settle back into the US and all the reverse culture shock that is sure to go with it, we will be traveling to – Hong Kong, Bangkok-Thailand, Chiang Mai-Thailand, Krabi-Thailand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia and Bali-Indonesia.
Oh and don’t worry, you are going with me. The blog will, of course, turn into more of a food travel blog for that month, but I plan to share my food adventures with you as much as possible. In fact, I’ll be spending my 31st birthday at a Thai cooking class complete with a trip to the market!
To top off this already fantastic news our flight just happens to come back into San Francisco a few days before the big Foodbuzz event which I am anxiously awaiting details for. I’m planning to stay on a bit longer and attend. If you are going, let me know!
Have you been to the places we’re planning to go? I’ll gladly take any advice you want to share.
Cauliflower & Mandioquinha Soup
Posted On Friday, June 26, 2009 at at 1:02 PM by Lori
I’ve been trying to find a bit of balance lately. I’m talking about the fact that it is winter here. Well, more like a Kentucky October, but they call it winter. Despite the fact that temperatures aren’t plummeting into the 30s, I’m still having overwhelming cravings for cold weather foods. At the same time for many of you, it is summer and a darn hot one from all info I’m getting.
So as you can imagine, staying in-season with cooking and food posts is a bit impossible. Or is it?
This week I’ve been trying to think about my favorite recipes (or ideas for new ones) that may comfort me, but use all that wonderful produce that many people are harvesting from the garden. So yesterday this Golden Potato-Cauliflower Soup came to mind. I’ve been making it often ever since I found it in Health Magazine in 2004.
The good news is that it uses garden favorites, but is suitable for winter-warming. I’ve changed it a bit over the years and yesterday I decided to use it with some mandioquinha I picked up at the market last weekend.
You remember it, right? That golden, sweet root vegetable native to South America also called the Peruvian parsnip, batata baroa or arracacha. I’ve decided I need to overdose on it for the next three months while I’m still here, by the way.
The substitution worked wonderfully. It was the potato version taken up a notch, smooth and creamy, comforting yet still light. While I know most of you don’t have access to it, I started thinking about all the other root veggies that might work well in this recipe. Turnips, red potatoes, parsnips? I don’t know. It may be worth a try.
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion, diced
1/3 cup celery, diced
2 cups mandioquinha, chopped (or your root veggie substitute)
1 medium cauliflower with broken into small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups chicken stock
½ to 1 cup milk
Chives and grated parmesan for garnish
Heat olive oil in a soup pot and saute garlic, onion and celery for 2 to 3 minutes. Add madioquinha and cook for about 3 more minutes. Add in cauliflower and cook and additional 7 minutes. Veggies should be starting to brown a bit at this point, or at least getting tender. Salt and pepper to taste now or you can wait until the soup is combined.
Add three cups of chicken stock. This should almost cover the veggies, but not completely. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about fifteen minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.
Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender (or transfer to a standard blender) and blend all ingredients well, leaving no lumps. Turn the heat back on and stir in ½ to one cup of milk depending on desired consistency and heat through.
Transfer to bowls and garnish with chives and cheese. Take pictures. Oh, wait. You don’t have to do that one. Silly me.
Serves about 4.
