Real men eat quiche

Real men eat quiche, originally uploaded by *April*.

2 (9 inch) shallow pie crusts
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
1 large yellow onion (sweeter varieties such as 1041 or Vidalia are better)
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 c. cheese, shredded (I used a variety of cheeses, including white cheddar, parmesan, monterrey jack, etc. - just make sure the final amount is roughly 1 1/2 cups)
3 slices American cheese
1 1/2 oz. soft goat cheese (any variety)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh oregano
1 tsp. fresh basil
1 tbsp. bread crumbs per quiche
Nasturtium flowers, as garnish

Roughly chop onion into a large dice. Using a pair of kitchen shears, snip the sundried tomatoes into small pieces. Put butter into a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and caramelize until golden brown, adding 1 tbsp. water if necessary to deglaze the pan. Add two to three large handfuls of spinach. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until moisture evaporates and spinach is wilted.

Combine spinach mixture, shredded cheese, goat cheese, crumbled american cheese, eggs, milk, salt, herbs (which you can change to taste), and sundried tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Stir to mix well. Pour half into each pastry shell. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of each quiche.

Bake in hot oven (425 degrees) for 15 minutes; lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 20 more minutes or until top is puffy and center quivers when quiche is moved slightly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Can be served warm, room temperature or even chilled.

Heirloom tomato and herb galette

Heirloom tomato and herb galette, originally uploaded by *April*.

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
generous pinch (around 1/4 teaspoon) grey fleur-de-sel (sea salt - you can use regular table salt or plain sea salt if you don't have the grey variety available)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces (very cold)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup very cold water

For the filling:
1/2 pint yellow pear tomatoes
2 or 3 black krim tomatoes
3 tablespoons soft goat cheese (you can use any variety)
1/2 teaspoon grey fleur-de-sel
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh variegated basil, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. First you need to make the pastry. Using a high speed mixer combine all of the pastry ingredients except for the water and sour cream. Once the mixture makes large clumps, slowly mix in the sour cream and cold water. The dough will resemble peas in size. Be very careful not to overwork the dough. Don't be afraid to leave fairly large (sugar cube size) chunks of butter in the dough as they will give the finished galette a flakier crust. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Slice tomatoes thinly.

3. Place the dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and roll out to around a 12 inch circle.

4. Take sliced tomatoes and arrange in neat rows or another design of your choosing on top of the dough, leaving about a 2 inch gap around the edge. Obviously this is just an aesthetic step - all that matters is that the tomatoes are very thinly sliced. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and sea salt. Fold the border over the tomatoes, pleating it gently with your fingers as you go. Gently crumble goat cheese on top of the tomatoes. A galette is intended to be rustic looking, so perfection is not necessary. Leave the center of the galette open and uncovered by the dough.

5. Bake until the edges of the crust are flaky and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges with a pizza cutter.

The galette can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. The dough can alternatively be used with a wide variety of fruit fillings, and you can freeze the dough for up to two months if well wrapped. If you freeze the dough, defrost the frozen dough in the refrigerator for a day before using.

Smooth, tangy and cold.

Smooth, tangy and cold., originally uploaded by *April*.

When I was in graduate school, I dated a guy who was from Shreveport, Louisiana. Every once in a while, we'd drive from Waco all the way to Shreveport for this amazing frozen yogurt from a little hole in the wall called "counter culture" that was perfect. It was tangy, and they paired it with fresh berries and fruit. This reminded me somewhat of that perfect marriage of sweet and tartness.

Ingredients:

1 tub of greek style yogurt. I used Trader Joe's Mango Apricot, but any flavor, or just plain would be fine.
1 tsp. poppyseeds
1/2 scant cup of fresh red currants, washed and left whole
1/2 scant cup of small fresh blueberries, washed and left whole
1 tsp. agave syrup (you could also use sugar)
2 tbsp. water

Mix the yogurt, poppyseeds, syrup and water and gently fold in the berries and currants. Spoon into two ramekins and freeze for approximately 3 hours. You can either eat them directly out of the ramekins or unmold them and serve inverted on a plate with a berry coulis.

Greenwheat Freekeh

Greenwheat Freekeh, originally uploaded by *April*.

Picked up a package of Trader Joe's Greenwheat Freekeh last week and found that it was a perfect accompaniment to a mix of freshly grilled herbed summer squash.

Ingredients (two hearty portions):

olive oil (just a splash or two)
red pepper flakes
sea salt
1 large zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
cherry tomatoes, halved
goat cheese (1 oz. per portion)
fresh rosemary, greek oregano and basil
splash of balsamic vinegar

Slice the zucchini and summer squash into cubes or quartered thick slices and out into a shallow skillet with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, a tsp. or so of red pepper flakes (more or less to taste), oregano and rosemary. Saute until tender.

Cook greenwheat freekeh according to package directions, plate. Top freekeh with grilled vegetables, goat cheese and halved cherry tomatoes. Splash vegetables and goat cheese with balsamic vinegar and a pinch of fresh basil.

You can use dried herbs, but the end result will not have the same fresh taste.

The dish could easily be made vegan minus the goat cheese.

5 Fruit Salsa

No picture this time, just want to keep my recipe someplace other than this old piece of paper (that I keep losing).

Five Fruit Salsa
2 cups chopped cantaloupe
6 green onions, chopped
3 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 navel orange, peeled and chopped
1 sweet yellow pepper, chopped (seeded if preferred... I don't)
1 sweet red pepper, chopped (ditto)
8 oz pineapple (either an unsweetened can or fresh)
2 serrano peppers (can sub jalapeños), chopped

Mix all together and let sit.

Just before serving all 1 cup chopped strawberries (it's good without the strawberries too)

Enjoy!

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Cucumber Sesame Salad

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Cucumber Sesame Salad, originally uploaded by *April*.

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup vegetable broth
* 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
* 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger root
* 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
*1 tablespoon lime juice
* 3 tablespoons spicy peanut butter (I used "The Heat is On" which you can get at Whole Foods, and many other natural grocery stores or here. You could also substitute regular creamy or chunky peanut butter and a tablespoon or so of Sirracha sauce.)
* 1 1/2 tablespoons clover honey (can be vegan if you substitute stevia or blue agave syrup instead of honey)
* 1 tbsp. minced dehydrated garlic
* 8 ounces rice noodles
* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
* 8 oz. canned drained sliced water chestnuts
* 1 package frozen asian vegetable mix
* bean sprouts
* 1/4 cup bean sprouts

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil - no need to salt. Add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, combine vegetable broth, crystallized ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey and garlic in a large skillet. Add frozen asian vegetale mix and water chestnuts. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with cilantro, lime juice and bean sprouts. You can also add fried tofu, or for a non-vegetarian option include shrimp or chicken.