Spinach and Feta No-Crust Quiche

This quiche has been a long time favorite of mine. It is inspired from a recipe in a wonderful old family cook book, titled 'Bakey Lane Soup Bowl', purchased many years ago by my grandparents at a little restaurant in Middlebury, VT.

In a large bowl, mix together 3 eggs + 3 egg whites into 1 pound of ricotta cheese. I prefer to use my hands to fully blend the two together.

In a pot, boil 14 oz of fresh, chopped spinach. Make sure to drain the spinach VERY well, then add it to your egg and ricotta mix. Blend thoroughly.

Chop up a medley of your favorite veggies. I used: 

3 white mushrooms, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 head fresh broccoli and 1 medium sized zucchini.

Now, stir fry the veggies in 2 tbsp olive oil until just cooked and softened.

Add cooked veggies to the spinach mixture, then add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese. Stir all ingredients together well and pour into a greased pie plate. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until edges of quiche are slightly browned and knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Asian Inspired Salad with Marbled Tea Eggs

This is a simple salad recipe I came up with recently. It is refreshing and delicious, but requires a few steps.

Begin by making traditional Chinese tea eggs. You will need: 

4-5 whole eggs, 8 bags of black tea, 3 tbsp Chinese 5-spice, and 1/4 cup soy sauce.

Add enough water to a medium saucepan to plunge your eggs into. Now add all ingredients to the water and bring to a roaring boil. 

When the eggs have hard-boiled, remove from saucepan then crumble the shells by carefully rolling them around on all sides. Return the eggs to the tea sauce, reduce flame and let simmer for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare a colorful medley of choice for your salad. I used purple cabbage, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, apple and toasted, ground almonds.

Once the tea eggs have cooked, remove them from the pan and carefully peel the shells way  (take care not to leave any broken shells behind). The eggs will have a gorgeous marbled look. Slice to your liking.

In a separate bowl, stir together a simple ginger-honey-soy dressing:
1/4 cup honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp ginger paste,  1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil.

Over a bed of mixed greens, add your medley of veggies, nuts and fruits and the sliced tea eggs. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with dressing on the side.

Orange Couscous

I came upon a version of this lovely recipe in a macrobiotics book a few years ago (this version is not truly macro but it is truly delicious!) This simple dish has become a go-to favorite. It is incredibly quick and easy to make and the result is elegant!

You will need:

1 cup whole-wheat couscous
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup light olive oil
4 1/2 teaspoons Umeboshi Plum Vinegar
2 pinches pink Hawaiian Sea salt  
8 dried apricots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dried currants or raisins
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/4 medium-sized onion, finely diced 
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts ( I sometimes sub with slivered almonds)

Preparation:

Measure couscous and put aside in a medium-sized bowl. 
In a pot, combine water, orange juice, oil, 4 teaspoons of the vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil then add the dried fruit and ginger. Let simmer for about 1 minute. Pour this liquid mixture over the dry couscous. After a quick stir, cover the concoction with a plate to hold in the heat.
The couscous will absorb the liquid in about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile,  using a smaller pot, bring about a cup of water to a boil and drop in the diced red onion. Let it boil for 20 seconds. Take the onion out with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and put aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the umeboshi vinegar to the onion and mix. 
When the couscous is ready, fluff it with a fork, and then add the onion and pine nuts.

Yiayia's Aubergine with Tomato and Garlic

My Cypriot grandmother has always cooked the most amazing health conscious and delicious dishes. One of my favorites has always been a very simple aubergine and tomato dish.

 Start with 2 medium sized aubergines, 8 ripe tomatoes (of your choice) and  about 10 cloves of garlic (the more garlic the better!)

 Slice the aubergine to make 1/2 inch strips, then rub with salt on all sides and set aside to cure. Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes using a blender or food mill.

Mince approximately half of the garlic and thinly slice the rest.

 Cover the bottom of a large cooking pot with olive oil, then add the pureed tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add 1/2 cup chopped parsley and the chopped garlic.

 Now add the aubergines and the sliced garlic to the sauce (try to insert garlic in between the pieces) Add a little water to fully cover the mixture. Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until aubergines are soft and liquid has cooked down.

Serve and enjoy with rice pilaf, and a dollop of plain Greek yoghurt!

Yia Sas (Health to You)

I've been wanting to get started with this cooking blog for some time now and I have finally found time to put a few ideas into action. It's been a lot of fun, already.
I cook a lot of healthy, vegetarian fare but also sometimes poultry, fish and pork. I love both discovering new recipes, and sharing my own recipes with others.

I've been very inspired through following my favorite cooking websites (some of which I've linked to this page), all of my creative family and friends and my best friend and partner, Jacob, who will occasionally contribute some of his culinary creations to the site.

 So Voila! Enjoy!