bakes eggless spring quiche

Eggless Spring Quiche

Eggless Spring Quiche… because vegetable pies are a pretty addition to any table. Offering a quiche with a creamy texture and full of vegetables can make anyone feel welcome at your table. This is a great recipe to make and take along to a pot luck gathering or family gathering. Mother’s Day is coming up!  This vegan eggless quiche would be a delightful and delicious addition to the celebration.

A gluten free crust holds this quiche and is quick to stir together and press into a pie dish. However, any crust could be substituted here, or I’ve also made the quiche into mini quiches and not used a crust at all. To make minis, add filling to greased cupcake tin and bake. You will need to watch and decrease the cook time.

For a Spring quiche, include vegetables that are in season, like asparagus, spinach and fennel. Change up the vegetable variety as the seasons progress and you’ll always have something special and in season. Instead of fresh tomatoes, try adding roasted tomatoes, one of my faves.

This quiche keeps well for several days in the refrigerator, but it can also be frozen to have on hand for easy meal planning. Make two and freeze one for later. I find when making dishes that have several steps, if I plan on doubling the recipe and freezing half, I get more out of my time in the kitchen. And dinner is done for a future meal.

Quiche can be eaten at any meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add a side salad and you will reap the benefits of all the phyto-nutrients and micro-nutrients available in the variety of green and vegetables. Enjoy the nutritional benefits and a full tummy.

Eggless Spring Quiche.

A healthy alternative to eggs bursting with Spring vegetables.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: eggless, protein, quiche, vegetables
Servings: 8
Author: Chef Kim

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1.25 cup garbanzo flour
  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • 2 T melted coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup + 1T water

Filling

  • 1 T flax meal with 3 tablespoons water mix in a small bowl and let sit to thicken.
  • ½ cup onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 4 cups of chopped vegetables you like asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, peppers, spinach, mushroom, cauliflower, fennel bulb
  • cup water or nut milk
  • ½ cup cashews optional if using water – adds richness
  • 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 T coconut aminos
  • 3 T nutritional yeast
  • ½ tsp oregano and thyme
  • ½ tsp salt and pepper
  • 1 fresh tomato (or roasted tomatoes are nice here) sliced

Instructions

Crust

  • To prepare the crust: combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
  • Roll out between sheets of plastic wrap or press into 9” pie plate.
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 350. For individual quiches, press a couple tablespoons of crust mixture into muffin tins or omit crust altogether.

Filling

  • To prepare the filling: combine flax meal and water in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Saute onions until soft and then add garlic for 1 minute, while stirring. When softened, spoon into a blender.
  • In the same pan, add your choice of vegetables and stir over medium heat to soften slightly.
  • To the blender add one cup of sauteed veggies, the milk (or water and cashews) along with the flax mixture, flour, baking powder, aminos and nutritional yeast and blend until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour back into pan with remaining vegetables, mix well.
  • Spoon filling into pie dish, place more tomato slices on top.. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until set.
  • Filling can also be made into mini quiches without crust: spray muffin tins with a little oil and fill. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
bean, orange and arugula salad

White Bean, Orange and Arugula Salad

Pile this salad into a bowl for a full meal. It’s filling and satisfyingly tasty. Adding beans to a salad, increases the protein, carbohydrate and fiber content.  White beans, oranges and arugula complement each other in flavor and texture, making a tasty bite with each forkful. Give this bean, orange and arugula salad a try!

This salad has a citrus dressing – a combination of hop pepper and lime which adds a nice acidic tang to the sweetness of the orange and spiciness of the arugula. The creaminess of the beans help to mellow some of the spice, but feel free to leave it out if you are sensitive to cayenne.

When considering the sprouts for this salad, use leafy sprouts rather than the crunchy legume sprouts. And depending on your desire for spice, radish sprouts add a kick, while pea shoots, broccoli, kale and sunflower sprouts are all mild. I decide based on whats available and freshest at the store if I haven’t sprouted any myself.

For another recipe post using leafy green sprouts and crunchy sprouts as the focus, go HERE.

Oranges add sweetness and tang along with a juiciness that  lends itself nicely to compliment the dressing. Blood oranges are available only certain times of the year. If you can find them, give them a try. But don’t shy away from the recipe if you can’t find them, navel oranges are very nice, just a little sweeter. If you are not comfortable cutting the orange as indicated, you can add segments of the peeled orange without removing the membranes.

peeled and sliced orangeorange peeled with a knife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions about this or any other recipe, please don’t hesitate to connect with me.

White Bean, Orange and Arugula Salad

Prep Time15 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: arugula, citrus, orange, salad, white bean
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • knife
  • large serving bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 small hot red chili thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 T fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • Sea salt ground black pepper
  • 3 cups cooked white beans navy, cannellini, great northern (or 2 cans)
  • 3 navel or blood oranges sliced or supremed
  • 2 stalks celery very thinly sliced on a diagonal
  • 1 cup sprouts pea, radish, or broccoli, divided
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves divided
  • 4 cups arugula

Instructions

  • Combine the chili, oil, lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.
  • Add the beans and let them marinate in the dressing while preparing the vegetables.
  • Use a knife to peel the oranges by cutting the peel off each end of the orange, set the orange on the cut end to stabilize and cut the peel from the flesh from top to bottom all around the orange. Once the peel and outer membrane is removed, slice thinly crosswise.
  • Add the oranges, celery, half the sprouts, cilantro and arugula to the beans and dressing, toss to coat and serve.
  • Garnish with more spouts.

Roasted Carrot Hummus

Ooh My! You will adore this recipe roasted carrot hummus if you like savory snacks and creamy spreads that can be topped off with a variety of veggies and sprouts. This savory hummus recipe is is quick and easy to blend together and if you don’t have tie to roast the carrots, just shred some raw carrots and add a little sprinkling of dried herbs to ramp up the flavors.  For traditional hummus flavor keep the Mediterranean spices, but for a creative edge, try garlic with rosemary and thyme.

When roasting carrots, if you cut the carrots into similar size pieces, they will cook evenly within a set time. when I roast vegetables I will typically roast a large quantity to have ready to use in other dishes or as sides. So fill up your baking sheet and get roasting, use a portion for this recipe.

To roast carrots, cut and toss with a little olive oil or to be oil-free, use broth or coconut aminos to coat the carrots. Sprinkle with salt and dried herbs and roast at 375-400 for 20-30 minutes. Length of cooking time will depend on the size of your pieces and the temperature.

When they are fork tender, they are ready. Use some in this recipe and save the remaining pieces for adding to a grain wellness bowl or even blended with some broth into a rich and creamy soup.

Roasted Carrot Hummus

A perfect dip or spread, packed with a nutritional punch and gentle sweetness.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: carrots, chickpeas, dip, hummus, spread, tahini, white bean
Servings: 4
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup roasted carrots mashed
  • 1 ½ cups or 1 can cooked chickpeas
  • 3 T tahini
  • 3 T lemon juice
  • 1 T cumin
  • 2-6 T water
  • 1 T olive oil optional
  • ½ tsp sea salt

Instructions

  • Carrots can be roasted or raw in this hummus.
  • To roast, cut carrots in half or in large chunks, toss with some olive oil or broth and place on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 for 20-30 minutes. (Roast a big batch to eat and keep out ½ cup for this recipe)
  • If using raw, shred the carrots before continuing.
  • Combine carrots, chickpeas and remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Start with the least amount of water and add more water if needed, to reach the smoothness and consistency desired.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl to use as a dip or spread onto toast, tortillas or collard leaves and pile high with chopped vegetables and avocado and roll up to make wraps.
  • Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Three Ways to Use Your Canned or Dry Beans

We have been under stay-at-home orders for about four weeks now. Did you stock up on canned items or dried beans?  I ended up getting the last 2 pound bag of navy beans on the shelf when I was shopping a couple weeks ago.  I have since batch-cooked them all, giving me a large quantity of white beans to incorporate into snacks and meals. I froze a few bags, used some in this SOUP and came up with the following three ways to use your canned or dry beans. For a primer on cooking dry beans go HERE.For each of these recipes you can use canned beans or some you’ve cooked yourself. Any white bean will do.

The first recipe is for a snack dip or lunch spread and one of the favorites in my house, Roasted Carrot Hummus, where we load it on flatbread crackers or pita bread and pile on chopped veggies or raw kraut or kimchi.

This next recipe is a hearty salad with White Beans, Oranges and Arugula. I love fresh greens with beans. Another combination to consider is: roasted chickpeas with garlic and back pepper, or plain tossed with shredded kale, bell peppers and tomatoes with a balsamic dressing

The third bean-based recipe is a Mediterranean Skillet Meal. It’s easy to make with staples on hand. Again canned beans work just as nicely as your own cooked beans. I had artichokes and canned tomatoes in the pantry, so this came together quickly. If you make this during the summer when the tomatoes are at their peek, slow roasted tomatoes substituted for the canned tomatoes are lovely!

Try one of these recipes or all of them and make beans a common ingredient in your meals. Not only do beans taste good and have a nice supply of vitamins, minerals and fiber, they actually improve the gut microbiome, which is an important part of the immune system. At this time, during this pandemic, the immune system is vitally important. (Actually it is all the time.)

Mediterranean Pantry Skillet Meal

The Mediterranean flavors in this skillet recipe are traditional and the combination is comforting. The creaminess of the beans marries with the tang of the artichokes and tomatoes, and bursts of bitter from the olives and herbs, all make it a completely satisfying bite. This Mediterranean pantry recipe comes together with items you likely have on hand. I typically keep beans, tomatoes, and artichokes in my cupboard for several easy throw together recipes. If you batch-cook beans and have frozen cooked beans, pull them out for this recipe. If not, canned beans work great.

If you want an easy midweek meal, here it is, because it doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to get it on the table. It just takes a quick saute of the onions, garlic, mushrooms and zucchini, then you add the pantry and canned ingredients and let it cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors. You may want to double he recipe and have it for lunch a couple days during the week. I enjoy it with a slice or two of crusty bread, toasted and drizzled with olive oil and garlic powder.

In the summer when the tomatoes are booming and plentiful, replacing the canned tomatoes in this recipe with slow roasted tomatoes, the flavors will be more intense.

While we are hunkered down during the quarantine, this Mediterranean meal is comfort food and so satisfying. I hope you’ll find it easy and delicious. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

Mediterranean Skillet

quick pantry recipe with 5 star flavor.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: artichokes, kalamata olives, mushrooms, pantry, tomatoes, white beans, zucchini
Author: Chef Kim

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups white beans or 1 can drained
  • 1 cup artichokes, canned drained and pressed to release water
  • 1 cup zucchini chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 cup onion chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1.5 cup tomatoes, canned or roasted diced
  • 1/3 cup Kalamata olives sliced
  • 1 lemon, squeezed or 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp thyme

Instructions

  • Prepare the vegetables.
  • In a large skillet, saute the onion in a little oil until soft, then add the garlic, zucchini and mushrooms, stir and cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms have softened.
  • Add the beans, artichokes, tomatoes and herbs. Stir to combine and cook for about 10 minutes until heated through completely. Add the olives.
  • Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together and pour over the skillet mixture, tossing to coat.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a crusty bread and fresh green salad. Enjoy!

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Have you ever tried slow roasted tomatoes? Do you know how easy it is to do yourself?  I tried it for the first time in 2014 and now will roast tomatoes whenever I find an abundance of vine ripened tomatoes during the summer. However, this technique will also bring out flavor that is often lacking in tomatoes during the winter months and makes a big difference if using tomatoes in the off season.

I’m not a huge fresh tomato fan, would never eat them as a child, and now put them sparingly on salads. My husband will eat them like an apple and loves tomato sandwiches. However, I LOVE dehydrated tomatoes and roasted tomatoes. The slow roasting and drying really brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes and reduces the gel like texture of the seeds. Raw tomatoes are quite acidic but the roasting process, concentrates the natural sugars and reduces that acidic quality. bringing a depth of flavor and umami to your dishes.

For roasting tomatoes, pick tomatoes that are more fleshy like the Romas, Plumb or San Marzano. Once you have your tomatoes, wash and dry them and cut each tomato in half lengthwise. On a baking sheet, place the tomato halves, cut side facing up. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt, died thyme and oregano.

Then place the pan in a 300 degree oven on the middle rack. Bake for 90 minutes. If you’d like to continue cooking to dry out the tomatoes even more, turn down the heat to 250 degrees and cook for another hour. Roasted tomatoes will last for a week refrigerated or can be frozen and used later in soups, sauces and sautes for added flavor and umami.

Get creative and serve in various ways: on sandwiches or toast; in Eggless Quiche; chopped and stirred into hummus; sauteed with onion, garlic and peppers and added to pasta, as a topping for flatbread pizza or just as they are. I will often grab one as a snack right out of the fridge.

I hope you try it and let me know how you use them. It’s definitely a favorite when the tomatoes are abundant in summer.

2 Weeks of Meals under $99

After writing the meal planning post earlier this month, the c-virus ramped-up and the closings, cancellations and run on toilet paper are now in full swing. As everyone is getting creative while in quarantine, with kids who are now off from school for at least a month, and adjusting to the different work environment, I thought I’d share some recipes you might like to add to your list of creative activities because you’ll actually be home and have a little more time to cook. These recipes really don’t take much time, just a little planning.

I planned a two week menu. I chose 8 meals because I like flexibility and sometimes just having a salad is enough and allowing for a take out meal to support the local restaurants is important to me. I did have a couple things in my pantry or freezer already, but most of the ingredients were purchased for a total of less than $70. That’s pretty good for 8 dinner meals and some leftovers for lunch. I typically cook for two people now, but most of these recipes are for four servings, some serving six.  Follow the links to the actual recipes.

BBQ Shrimp & Tahini Greens is a quick meal that comes together in under 30 minutes, if your shrimp is thawed.  (I eat an occasional meal with clean/wild caught animal protein, maybe once or twice a month.)

Chickpea Hot Pot and the Ginger Carrot Soup are recipes that are quick to put together because everything can go into one pot and allow time to cook. These two recipes hold well when frozen and can be made in larger batches to have one for the week and another to freeze for a later time.

Peanut Soba & Broccoli and Pad Thai take a bit of chopping and preparing vegetables, but once that’s done the cook time is minimal.

Veggie Enchilada Bake, Curry Red Lentils and Walnut Falafels take a little time but not difficult and definitely worth the time. These are great dishes to make a head and freeze as well, or double the recipes and make one meal for you and another to bless a neighbor.

If you want to limit your trips to the store during this time, pick up enough greens and salad veggies that you can eat in a week, kale lasts for more than a week if wrapped well and kept cold. Then rely on frozen vegetables: chopped spinach and kale, broccoli and cauliflower for sauteed sides or in the above recipes. Root vegetables and cabbage will last well and can be made into soups, roasted and served over boiled grains. Think about having canned tomatoes and beans on hand as well as dried lentils, rice and quinoa. Those things could carry you for two weeks at least, before having to shop again.

For breakfast, having oats and fruit combined with plant milk is delicious, or freeze or buy frozen berries and spinach to make green smoothies. If green is a turnoff, be sure to blend any greens with blueberries or cherries, for a beautiful purple shake. Check out the recipe page for more ideas.

For lunches, eat any leftovers from dinner, try different kinds of toasts, salads or even smoothies.

I know you don’t want to be spending more time in the kitchen than you need to. But I hope while you have some extra time at home, you’ll take a look at the recipes and try a few. They don’t take long, just a little planning. If you want more info about meal planning, check out THIS post.

Let me know how you like the recipes!

 

 

Pad Thai

This recipe is a variation of one I learned in Thailand at a cooking class in Bangkok.

The tangy sauce is lovely and fresh with a squeeze of lime. I’ve substituted the fish sauce in the original recipe with coconut aminos, so there is a bit of taste difference from original Thai, but I like the flavor of both.  Using more or less variety of vegetables is totally okay. Go with what you have in the fridge.

Pad Thai

vegan version, super tasty!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: bean sprouts, carrots, ginger, onion, peppers, plant-based, radish, rice noodles, tofu
Servings: 4
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • Wok or large skillet
  • knife

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp coconut aminos or tamari soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 package rice noodles
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp ginger minced
  • 1 carrot julienne or shred
  • 1 bell pepper julienne
  • 1/4 cup red onion sliced
  • 4 oz mushrooms, crimini or shiitake sliced
  • 1 cup snap peas or bean sprouts optional or both
  • 4 oz firm tofu, press between towels and dice sub egg if you want
  • 1 Tbsp tamarind paste or fresh lime juice

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the coconut aminos, sugar, tomato paste, water and chili flakes. Set a side.
  • Follow package directions for soaking the rice noodles.
  • Prepare the ingredients and have them all minced, sliced, julienned or chopped. If using egg instead of tofu, mix it together with 2 Tbsp of water in a small bowl.
  • Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Drizzle one teaspoon of sesame oil over the pan, swirl and add the egg or tofu. Scramble or sear the tofu lightly, tossing to brown the sides. remove from pan and set aside.
  • Return pan to heat, drizzle with remaining teaspoon of oil, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, but not browned.
  • Add the vegetables and the aminos mixture. toss well and cook until warmed through and vegetables are still crispy. Add the tamarind or lime juice, tofu or egg and the softened rice noodles at this time and toss well. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately.

Notes

Adjust the vegetables to your liking and the amounts. You can definitely add more or less and even omit the noodles and just have a veggie filled stir fry. I hope you enjoy it.
The picture for this recipe was taken of the original shrimp pad Thai we made in the Bangkok cooking class. 
carrot soup

Ginger Carrot Soup

This creamy satisfying soup is really easy to pull together.

Cook everything in one pot, when the carrots are nice and soft, blend using an immersion blender or transfer the soup in batches to a blender. To get a super smooth soup, you need to blend a little longer than you think, usually a full minute, scrape the container sides and another 30 seconds of blending. Using the immersion blender does not get as smooth a texture as a blender. Just FYI.

To change the flavor a little, sometimes I’ll add a sweet potato and/or a cup of orange juice or both. But it’s delicious without!

Ginger Carrot Soup

Creamy with a little kick!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot, ginger, plant-based, vegan
Servings: 6
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • dutch oven
  • knife
  • blender or immersion stick blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 T fresh ginger diced (adjust to liking)
  • 2 pounds carrots sliced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk

Instructions

  • Dry sauté or use a little oil to sauté onions until soft but not brown.
  • Add garlic and ginger and cook stirring for 1 minute.
  • Add carrots and just enough broth to cover the vegetables.
  • Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes, until carrots are tender.
  • Add the coconut milk and stir to incorporate.
  • In batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until completely smooth. If desired, add more broth to reach consistency you like. Or use an immersion blender in the pot.
  • Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Veggie Enchilada Bake

Ooh the flavors that pop in this dish are soo good!

I love the combination of sweet potatoes, black beans and spinach. If I don’t have time do this this whole recipe, I just make quesadillas in my skillet with seasoned sweet potatoes, black beans and spinach and serve with guacamole.  If I do have time to put the enchiladas together, I go for it!

You can roll or you can stack layers. the layers are faster, the rolls are traditional.

Veggie Enchilada Bake

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: back beans, red sauce, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, tortillas
Servings: 6
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • knife
  • skillet
  • baking dish

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 bell peppers chopped
  • 2 cups sweet potato bite size
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 2 cans black beans or three bean blend rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
  • 8-12 tortillas organic corn or flour

Red Sauce

  • 1 15oz can tomato puree or crushed
  • 11/2 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp flour or GF flour
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne

Instructions

Prepare the sauce:

  • In a small pot, heat the oil over medium and add the flour, stirring into a paste.
  • Add the spices and stir to combine. Then add the water and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the tomato puree and stir to combine well. Allow to cook for 10 minutes at a simmer until thickened. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Prepare Enchiladas:

  • Saute onion until softened, then add the chopped sweet potato with a 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan to cook the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes.
  • When potato is fork tender, add the peppers and beans. If your skillet is not large enough for all ingredients, transfer the potatoes and onions to a bowl, then continue to saute the peppers and beans.
  • Add the spinach in batches, stirring until it wilts, adding more as the spinach cooks.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the red sauce to the bean mixture and combine with the sweet potatoes and onion. Stir in the cilantro.
  • Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil the baking pan you're going to use. Add 1/3 cup of the red sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread evenly.
  • For traditional rolls: Add 1/3 cup of the vegetable mixture to a tortilla, roll and place seam side down. Repeat this until your pan is full. Cover with red sauce.
  • To make a layered bake: overlap tortillas slightly to line the bottom of the pan. Scoop half of the vegetable mixture over the tortillas, cover with another layer of tortillas and half of the red sauce. Repeat with the remaining vegetable mixture, layer with tortillas and remaining red sauce. You will likely need more tortillas for this method.
  • Bake 20-30 minutes at 350.
  • Serve with non dairy sour cream and / or guacamole