Zucchini and Onion Quiche

Since we eat vegetarian Monday through Friday, it sometimes can be difficult to not get stuck in a routine of eating the same things for dinner all the time. (I can only eat so many bean burritos and veggie stir fry's). 

This prompted me to try and find something totally different to make for dinner, which proved to be more challenging than I anticipated. 

Anyhoo- I decided to make a quiche for dinner tonight! I've made them before for brunches, but usually Quiche Lorraine, which sadly would not work for my meatless meal on account of the bacon. 

So I adapted my dads quiche Lorraine recipe into a all veggie one! 

(I also need to figure out a few other things along the way since he some how left out baking times and had very few measurements...)

The recipe is as follows! Hope you try it! 

Ingredients:

-1 frozen pie crust 

-1/2 a small white onion

- 2 small zucchini 

-3 eggs

-3/4 cup whole milk

-1 clove garlic 

-~1 cup cheese (mozzarella or other)

-a pinch each of: salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, paprika. 

Directions:

-Let pie crust thaw while oven preheats to 325 degrees. Poke holes in crust with a fork to prevent bubbles. Bake crust for 10 minutes. 

-Chop onion and slice zucchini. Sauté in a pan until cooked. Add garlic. 

-In a bowl mix together eggs, milk and spices. Set aside. 

-Let crust cool 5-10 minutes. Fill with zucchini and onion about half way. 

-Cover veggies with shredded cheese the rest of the way. 

-Pour egg mixture over everything in crust. 

-Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet (in case of spills), for about 40 minutes. 

-Let cool for 10 minutes. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

This morning I got up early to make muffins to go along with cappuccinos made with our new espresso machine. I couldn't find a recipe I loved so I mixed and matched a few and came up with this one, that I LOVE. 

I'm literally writing this entry so I don't forget this recipe. I'll definitely be making it again. 

Here's the recipe and some photos. Hope you try it! 

Ingredients: (Yields 1 dozen muffins) 

-1 egg

- 2/3 cup sugar 

- 1 banana (about 2/3 cup mashed)

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1 and 1/2 cups flour 

- 3/4 tsp. Baking soda 

- 3/4 tsp. baking powder 

- 1 tsp. vanilla 

- 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon 

- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 5 tablespoons coconut oil

- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tray with papers. 

Combine wet ingredients. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. 

Easy-peasy Lemon-squeezy Bars

Just a short recipe post for Lemon Bars. This is an old recipe I used to make all the time because it's very easy and we almost always had all the ingredients. 

Here's my original recipe!

If you need something quick and easy to make, that's hard to mess up, this is for you. The bars came out great, but I'm sure there are more complex recipes that would make them a little lighter and fluffier. 

Here are some photos of the process and final results! 

Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

I'm going to do my best to guess-timate my measuring for this recipe, since you might know that I rarely measure my ingredients when cooking. (Baking is another story).

I made this for dinner again the other night, and it comes out a little better each time I make it. (Practice makes perfect?)

It's definitely cheaper and healthier than getting take-out, but has a similar flavor. I obviously like it way more than take-out now too.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
-1lb. organic chicken breast or tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
-1 bag of frozen organic broccoli 
-1 1/2 cups cooked rice

-Secret Sauce: (here's where the measurement guessing comes in)
  - about 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  - 1/4 cup warm water mixed with a 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
  - about a tablespoon of ginger (I buy a jar to keep in the fridge)
  - a teaspoon of sugar
  - a teaspoon of ketchup
  - 1/2 tsp. mustard
  - 1 large clove of garlic (minced)
  - a dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Cook the chicken in sesame or coconut oil. Add the broccoli to the pan once the chicken is browned. 
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. 
When chicken and broccoli is done cooking, turn heat to low and add the sauce. Let it mingle for a few minutes before removing from heat and serving with rice. 
Top with sesame seeds if you're feeling fancy, and definitely use chopsticks. 

Enjoy!

Vegan Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

Yes, yes, I know...but the important part is that I update at all, right? Even if it's twice a year...

Anyway, now that we're living in a state where autumn exists, the kitchen seems like a cozier place and I've been spending more time there.

I also got tired of paying $5 for a box of 6 granola bars, so I decided to make my own. This recipe is similar to my cinnamon raisin granola bar recipe, except pumpkin flavored and accidentally vegan!

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
7.5 oz. organic pumpkin (1/2 a can)
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup  all-purpose flour
2-1/4 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. chia seeds

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 (or similar size) pan with cooking spray.
Combine the wet ingredients and sugar by hand or with a hand mixer.
Add the dry ingredients. Mix again.
Stir in the raisins.
Pour mixture into the pan and spread evenly with the  wooden spoon.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are brown and top is golden. 

I'm considering printing these recipes (since they're mostly for myself anyway) after reading one of those articles about old websites everyone used to use like Xanga and Webshots that are now gone forever with along with all our photos and journal entries. Maybe I'll make a little book out of them some day.

For now, if anyone tries this recipe, I hope you enjoy it! 

Mallory :) 

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Hi out there! 

I made chocolate syrup/sauce from scratch the other night and it was so easy and delicious I wanted to share the recipe. You can use it the same way you'd use Hershey's chocolate syrup or any similar brand, but it will be a million times better because you'll know it has just 3 simple main ingredients. 😊 

Here they are:

Ingredients: 

-1 cup organic cocoa powder 

-1 cup organic sugar 

-1 cup water 

- a dash of additional flavoring (optional), such as cinnamon, vanilla, or peppermint. (I used a little cinnamon). 

And here are the super easy directions!:

Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring to remove lumps and thicken, for about 5-10 minutes. Pour into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. That's it! 

So far I have used this syrup to make chocolate milk and added it to my iced coffee the last 2 mornings. If we had ice cream I would have gladly poured it over that by now. 

Bon Apetite! 

Snack Attack

I would definitely be okay with living off of appetizers.
Everything tastes better when it's mini and made into a dip anyway, right?

Which leads me to the reason for this post: Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Jalapeño Poppers.

Before I get into the recipes, I have a confession to make...
Although I made these for us to enjoy on Superbowl Sunday, we didn't actually watch the Superbowl, per se... whoops. In my defense, the food is the best part anyway and we had a lot of shows on the DVR to catch up on! I know, I know...next year for sure.

Whatever the occasion, both of these recipes are sure to please and easy to make!

For the Jalapeño Poppers, you will need:

- WHOLE jalapeños (as many as you want, I had 6 wish made 12 poppers)
-cream cheese
-bread crumbs

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Wearing gloves, cut the top (stem) off each jalapeño and then cut each in half lengthwise. Next, filled each half with cream cheese and rolled them in breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes. That's it!

Warning: These turned out too spicy for me to eat more than one :( but the BF loved them! It depends on how spicy the jalapeños you buy are, but you may want to try this with a slightly milder pepper if you're a wuss like me.


For the Spinach and Artichoke Dip, you will need:

-1 8oz. container of cream cheese
-1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
-1/2 block of sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 oz.) + another 1/4 of the block (about 2 oz.)
-1/2 tsp. black pepper
-1 tsp. garlic powder
1 can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
-1 cup of packed frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients in a bowl (except the extra 2 oz. of cheese - that's for the top). Spread the mixture in a pie pan or other shallow baking dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, or crackers.

Side Note: We basically ate this entire dish of dip in one sitting...it's that good. Also we're gluttons for snack foods.