Broccoli Quiche

Broccoli Quiche
Original Recipe by Miss Jolie Ann

Quiche is good. There's something so yummy and satisfying about it. You can eat it for dinner, lunch or brunch. I make a veggie quiche for every season. Spring & Fall: broccoli or spinach; Summer: tomato or summer squash; Winter: mushroom. They are all delicious and relatively quick & simple when I use frozen pie crust. Yes, sometimes I feel like making homemade pie crust from scratch. Which really isn't that difficult except I don't own a mixer or food processor so sometimes I want things to just be quicker. So I stock up on frozen pie crusts from Trader Joe's. They only carry them during the winter holiday season so you have to get them then. Come late January you are out of luck. I buy several and they freeze well. That being said, with pre-made pie crust you can focus on whipping up the quiche fillings. While the quiche bakes you can make a salad and clean up your dishes. Voila! Beautiful quiche in under an hour. This week I used broccoli, swiss cheese and fresh marjoram because that's what I had. Once you have mastered the simple formula of crust, cheese, filling & custard (which I learned from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest) I encourage you to experiment to your heart's content. Enjoy!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Broccoli Quiche

6 Servings

Pre-made or Home-made Pie Crust

1 cup grated organic swiss cheese

1 large organic broccoli crown

1/2 of an organic lemon

4 organic brown eggs

1 cup organic unsweetened soymilk

Fresh organic marjoram, chopped about 1 tsp

Sea salt & black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Wash the broccoli crown and chop it into small pieces.

3. Place a small amount of water in the bottom of a sauce pan and insert metal steamer basket. Bring water to boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and lightly steam for approximately 3 minutes. I like my broccoli to be bright green and still firm. Remove broccoli, still in the steamer basket, from the heat and plunge in cold water to stop it from cooking. Place drained broccoli in a large bowl. Squeeze lemon half over broccoli and set aside.

4. In another bowl place eggs and soymilk and beat with a metal whisk until fluffy. Add broccoli and marjoram and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Place cheese in the prepared pie crust. Pour egg broccoli mixture over cheese.

6. Bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Swiss Cheese & Onion Soup with Homemade Croutons Recipe

Swiss Cheese & Onion Soup with Homemade Croutons Recipe
Adapted from Moosewood Cookbook (2nd edition 1992)
by Mollie Katzen

Mmm-Mmm! This is one of my favorite winter soup recipes. It sounds plain but it's thick and the texture and flavor are awesome. I cook it at least once a month. If I cook it the same week as Spinach Rice Casserole then I can use the same block of Swiss Cheese for both recipes. The homemade croutons can be a little decadent when you are on a food stamps budget but I splurged this week and loved every bite! The only thing I omitted from the original recipe was the 2 tbsp of sherry because I don't consume alcohol of any kind-even with cooking. Serve this rich soup with a big green salad loaded with beans, nuts and winter's storage crops like beets, carrots, and parsnips.

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Swiss Cheese & Onion Soup

Yields: 4 main dish servings

2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil

2 medium organic yellow onions-thinly sliced

2 medium cloves organic garlic-minced

1 tsp organic sea salt

2 tsp organic dry mustard

2 tbsp organic whole wheat flour

2 cups water

2 tsp organic prepared horseradish

2 cups organic unsweetened plain soymilk

1.5 cups organic Swiss Cheese-grated/shredded

black pepper

1. Add the olive oil to a large soup pot/dutch oven on medium heat. Add the onions and saute over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until the onions are very soft and beginning to brown.

2. Add the garlic, salt, and dry mustard to onions. Continue to cook about 5 more minutes.

3. Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Then add the water and horseradish. Stir thoroughly to incorporate everything. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cook about 5 minutes more.

4. Add the swiss cheese and soymilk. Stir well and let continue cooking covered for another 10 mintues until the cheese is well melted.

5. Add black pepper to taste and serve with plain or with homemade croutons.

Homemade Crouton Recipe

Loaf of any type bread you fancy-I've used multi-grain baguette, ciabatta, and sourdough.

About 6 tbsp of organic butter or extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. I wait for the bread to be several days old rather than fresh from the bakery. Slice it into small cubes.

3. Warm butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the bread cubes and saute for about 10 minutes.

4. Place the sauteed bread cubes on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 minutes. Check for browing color. Turn over bread cubes with a spatula and return to the oven to bake approximately 5 minutes more.

5. Serve toasty from the oven or they store well for several days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Spinach-Rice Casserole Recipe

Spinach Rice Casserole Recipe
Adapted from Moosewood Cookbook (2nd Edition 1992) by Mollie Katzen

I'm always looking for filling and delicious healthy casseroles. I found this one in the Moosewood Cookbook which I frequently cook from. I adjusted, added and deleted ingredients here and there with a delicious result. This casserole makes TONS of servings. I ate it for dinner 5 nights in a row and at one point started stuffing it inside buritos and still I didn't even eat half of it. So if you are cooking for a family it's a great size. If you are cooking for one, like I am, I'd chop this recipe in half!

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Spinach Rice Casserole

Yield: 10 servings

2 cups organic short-grain brown rice--Uncooked

1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil

1 medium organic yellow onion-chopped

2 lbs. organic spinach-chopped

1 tsp organic sea salt

5 medium cloves organic garlic-minced

1/4 tsp organic nutmeg

1/4 tsp organic dry mustard

1/8 tsp organic cayenne pepper

black pepper, to taste

2 organic brown eggs-beaten

1 cup organic unsweetened plain soymilk

1 cup organic swiss cheese-grated/shredded

1. To cook the rice: place rice in a medium-sized saucepan with 4 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat to the lowest possible simmer. Cook covered and undisturbed for 50 minutes. Place cooked rice in a large mixing bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a large casserole dish.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and saute over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until soft and slightly browned. Add spinach, salt, garlic, nutmeg, mustard and cayenne pepper to the pan with onions. Cook about 5 more minutes until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Combine onion & spinach mixture with cooked rice in the large mixing bowl.

4. Add eggs, soymilk and swiss cheese to the bowl and mix well until combined. Add black pepper to your liking.

5. Spread mixture into the greased casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until heated through and lightly browned on top.