Food Photo of the Day ~ Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Quiche

 

Another classic and another comfort food classic at that... Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Quiche. Whether it's breakfast, a light lunch, brunch perhaps or light dinner, quiche can be interrupted many ways with a variety of different satisfying ingredients.  Making it so easy to tuck into regardless of the temperature outside. 

- JD 

Cheesy Herb Bread

This savoury bread may be enjoyed anytime with pretty much anything. Different herbs and different cheeses will change the deliciousness of this loaf however it is all for the better.   

Cheesy Herb Bread

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1 2/3 cups self - rising flour 

1 teaspoon English mustard powder

2 tablespoons fresh or dried chives

1 teaspoon fresh or dried summer savoury

1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme

2 teaspoons fresh or dried parsley 

2 cups strong Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) of butter

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF. 

Grease and flour a loaf tin. Line the prepared loaf tin with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, mustard, herbs and cheese. Melt the butter, add it to the mixture and add the egg and water as well. Mix to a soft, wet, cake-like dough.

Turn into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter. 

Notes: Oven vary so baking time may vary. 

Hope everyone had a lovely relaxing long weekend. We did! - JD 

Cheddar - Sage Biscuits

I did make those biscuits from the, Muffin Tin Chef cookbook, I posted about the other day. They turned out great and they are made without eggs! The recipe is pretty simple and straight forward, with plenty of substitution options. 

Cheddar - Sage Biscuits

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Serves 5

Biscuits are best consumed within a day of baking, or you can freeze them in an airtight container for several weeks.  

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (preferably not pastry)

1 cup all - purpose flour or bread flour

1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar or other granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried sage

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 

In a food processor, pulse together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or bread flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and garlic powder. Pulse in the butter until mixture looks like coarse meal and the butter is no larger than small pebbles. You can also do this in a bowl with a pastry cutter. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and fold in the cheddar cheese and sage. Add the buttermilk and combine gently until a dough forms.

Divide the mixture among 10 medium muffin cups and bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes. Let cool several minutes before unmoulding. Serve warm with honey or butter.

Notes: I do not have a food processor so I did everything by hand. I mixed all the dry ingredients together, including the sage, then added the butter and used a pastry cutter. I then folded in the shredded cheese, once combine then added the milk. I used 2% milk. I baked for the full 15 minutes and they were perfect. I got 12  Oh, I did add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed to the dry ingredients.

*This recipe could be made vegan by using soy milk, vegan butter, and vegan cheese. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Leftovers #18 ~ Bean Dip

What to do with leftover black beans in the refrigerator... make bean dip. It is rare that I have leftover beans because they are usually used in salads, stir-fry and most casseroles.  

To make this easy bean dip you will need just a few ingredients and a blender. 

Place what ever leftover beans you have in a blender. Then add a little bit of low sodium  vegetable or chicken stock, just enough to moisten, about 2 tablespoons, adjust accordingly to the amount of beans. Add a favourite seasoning, like Cajun or Roasted Red Pepper. Blend everything until smooth. If need be you may have to add a bit more chicken stock. You want the bean mixture to be firm and smooth with a bit of fluidity but not watery.

Once smooth... pour it into an oven proof baking dish and bake in a pre-heated 350ºF oven until hot and bubbly, roughly 20 to 30 minutes. A good indicator that the dip is done is when the top has lost it's gloss and is matte and starts to pull away from the sides. Chances are the dip is ready and hot! I like to dress it up a bit. I add grated cheese on top and pop it back into the oven until the cheese melts. I carefully remove it from the oven adding sliced green onions. Olives and fresh chopped tomatoes are great to!     

You don't have to wait until you have leftover beans to make this dip. It can be made at any time with most canned beans.    

Leftovers #9 - Chili Con Carne Pizza

Things have definitely warmed up in the half cut cook's kitchen. Last night I made chili and there were leftovers. Considering that I was making pizza for tonight's dinner I decided to make it a chili con carne one. Green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and freshly dried parsley were added on top of the homemade chili and homemade pizza dough. There was enough spice to give this pizza warmth and a festive kick however I did add a dash or two of hot sauce on my slice. - JW   

Potato and Veggie Cakes

Remember the veggie strudel I posted about the other day. The lovely filling of onions, potatoes, carrots, peas, cheddar cheese and curry powder. There was enough filling left over for me to make these potato and veggie cakes. In a blender I added the filling and some chicken stock. I added enough stock just to smooth the consistency a bit. Making sure not to add too much stock. Stopping the blender every now and again and with a spoon scrapping the sides of the blender. Not worrying if the filling wasn't completely smooth. I then transfered the blended filling into a large bowl. Added some cornmeal until the consistency thicken up and held well together. I didn't measure exactly how much cornmeal. I just eyeballed it. You want it so that the filling doesn't fall off a spoon. Then I fried in a pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Until they have browned on both sides.

This was a great way to use up leftovers. I dressed them with chives and sour cream and served them with sausages and steamed string green beans. -JW 

Veggie Strudel

I am just plowing through that 10 pound bag of potatoes. A veggie strudel I have made before using chickpeas instead of potatoes. I managed to pre-boil the potatoes and chop the veggies which saved me a bit of time. You may be thinking cheddar cheese and curry? They are actually very quite tasty together. Don't let this delicious combination fool you. Give it a try. The recipe goes as follows...

5 potatoes - boiled with the skins and chopped
1 onion - chopped
1-2 tablespoon of no salt butter or low sodium margarine
3 teaspoons of curry powder
1 carrot - chopped
1/2 cup of peas  *frozen peas will do nicely too*
3/4 cup low sodium organic chicken or vegetable stock
juice of half a lemon
1 cup cheddar cheese - grated
pinch of salt
pepper
10 sheets of phyllo pastry 
melted butter


1) Pre-heat oven to 350º. Line a baking try with parchment paper. Making sure that the parchment paper goes a bit up the sides. To catch any runny liquid. 

2) Boil the potatoes in their skins until done. Firm so that a fork can pierce. When the potatoes are done, drain and rinse under cold water. Set them aside. 

3) Melt the butter in a hot pan. Add the onions and cook until slightly transparent. Then add the curry powder. Stir. Coating all of the onion bits. Cook for a few more minutes.

4 Add the chopped carrot and peas. Stir. Cooking until veggies are slightly soft. Then add the chicken stock. Stir and let the liquid reduce a bit. Remove from heat. If you are concerned about the liquid or as I like to call it gravy being to runny. Just take a bit of cornstarch in a small bowl and mix it with a bit of water. Then add that to the veggie mixture and stir. The liquid should thicken up a bit. 

5) Chop the potatoes and place them into a large mixing bowl. Pour the curried veggies over the chopped potatoes. Stir. Mixing well. Then add the grated cheddar cheese and the the freshly squeezed lemon juice. 

6) On a clean surface place one phyllo pastry sheet. Narrow edge towards you. Brush with butter than place another sheet of phyllo pastry on top, brush that one with butter and repeat this, layering all 10 phyllo pastry sheets. Brushing each with melted butter or margarine. Then spread the veggie mixture about an inch or two from the narrow edge. Not spreading the veggie filling completely to either ends. Once all the filling has been placed roll once then tuck in the sides all the way down the length of the prepared sheets of phyllo pastry. Then continue to gently roll until you have reached the other end. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Brush with melted butter or margarine. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Checking after 20 minutes. Serve with a green leafy salad.

You can change this dish up by adding different veggies to suit your taste. You can omit the curry powder if you wish and add other herbs to season. 
Have a good weekend everyone! - JW