I love quiche.

I love quiche. It's versatile, cheap, delicious, and quite pretty. Quiche is typically a higher fat food especially when using whole eggs and a truck load of cheese, but even this can be tailored to fit any dietary restrictions to create a delicious and low fat meal. The glory of quiche is that the "toppings" can be what ever you want! Ham or sausage and cheese, roasted eggplant and garlic, etc. This particular quiche has assorted heirloom tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese.

1 pie crust - thawed

7 whole eggs or 10 egg whites

3/4 cup milk - 2% or skim

toppings - experiment!

Bake at 350º for ~ 45 minutes. Test by sticking a knife or toothpick in the center. When it comes out clean your quiche is done! enjoy!

'Cause baby it's cold outside.

It's been absolutely freezing here lately. This can only lead to two things. Boiled peanuts and chili. I pride myself on my chili recipe. I have spent years perfecting it and I'll be darned if it's not the best chili I've ever had. As stated in an earlier post, I really love cheese and I can't think of a better vehicle for it than piping hot chili.

2 cans each: diced tomatoes, black beans (drained), large dark red kidney beans (drained), sweet corn (drained)

1 can tomato paste

1 minced poblano pepper (de-skinned and seeded)
1 minced jalapeño pepper (seeded) - 2 if you're feelin' sassy
5 minced garlic gloves
1 minced purple onion
1 lb ground turkey - brown in frying pan before adding
1 mexican beer
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp each black pepper, salt

Throw all of that in a crock pot and let it cook on High for ~4 hours. If you are sans crockery, bring ingredients to a boil in a large pot, simmer for ~2 hours.

Stay warm and enjoy!

I would do anything for meatloaf.

'Tis the season where it is quite cold outside and my mind starts to wander to the land of heavy, protein rich meals. Yesterday was freezing here and all I could think about was delicious, delicious meatloaf. The first thing that you should know about me is that I rarely measure things when I cook but, for the sake of this blog, I will do my best to give accurate measurements. The second thing you should know is that I love cheese. That said, italian turkey meatloaf is on the menu:

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey

1.5 cups chopped baby portobello mushrooms

5 garlic cloves minced

3/4 cup shaved parmesan

1 egg

1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup ketchup

1.5 tsp italian seasoning blend (oregano, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt, pepper

Additional ketchup for coating on the top

Several things should be noted: I used the 97% fat-free turkey here. It makes me feel less guilty about adding so much cheese. That said, a slightly higher fat turkey, say, 85% fat-free would have a bit higher binding capacity but, I've found with the addition of the egg and just the right amount of bread crumbs that nothing is lacking in that department. Also, limit the ketchup to just 1/4 cup for the same reason. Meat soup is nothing to mess with.

I also prefer to used shaved parmesan rather than grated. I've found that this allows for little cheese-pocket-surprises™ to appear. It also makes for a juicier product when using the low fat meat. On to preparation!

And you guessed it! Throw everything in a bowl and mix it together thoroughly. Form a loaf (or what ever shape you'd like as long as the thickness is even throughout) and place it in a slightly greased baking pan. At this point I like to top the meatloaf with a hearty sprinkling of spices. This forms a delicious crust when baking. Bake at 375ºF for approximately 40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165º. About 10 minutes before it is done, top with additional ketchup, spreading evenly.

Voila!

Can't be bothered...

Sometimes I'm lazy, but all the time I like delicious things. For example, I couldn't even be bothered to cook anything for this lunch.

1 mango, chunked
1 avocado, chunked
handful of cilantro, chopped
flax seeds
sriracha, drizzled

put it on a multi-grain tortilla if you feel like it.

LUNCH!

You say faheetah, I say fahightah.

Veggie fajitas are delicious. There really is no point in arguing with me. Super cheap, colorful, fast, and it sticks with my motto of "throw some stuff in a pan and cook it". I am aware that grilling season is beyond us, but this is something that you could do on a grill pan inside if you're so inclined (and you will be inclined). Forgive the photos, I took these before I got my snazzy new camera.

Procure the following items:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 each type of pepper: red bell, yellow bell, orange bell, poblano, anaheim, and jalapeno

1 spanish onion

1 package baby portobello mushrooms

1 small eggplant (some people don't like eggplant, if you are some people then fine, but when eggplant is grilled it provides a nice meaty texture that you won't get if you leave it out)

salt and pepper

* Clean and cut all ingredients into strips.

* toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place into a fajita pan on the grill over medium-high heat

* stir occasionally until onions are transparent.

* Place onto a small flour or corn tortilla and enjoy!

NOM NOM NOM.

CRAWFISH DINNA!

Hey y'all,

This is my inaugural post. Like the rest of America™, I like to cook. [Really, I like to get drunk, throw a bunch of stuff in a pan and hope it tastes good (and usually it does)]. Today, after a long hard evening of chugging Mike's Hard Lemonade® and writing a research paper on enzymatic browning, I decided to do exactly that.

BEHOLD, CRAWFISH DINNA!:

1 pound crawfish tails (sub shrimp or crab here if you'd like, but you'd be forfeiting the right to say "CRAWFISH DINNA!" at the top of your lungs)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

1 cup frozen spinach

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (the fresher, the better)

a shit ton (technical term) of ground italian spices (Kroger brand includes rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt, garlic, etc)

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

pinch salt

pinch pepper

pinch cayenne (optional)

Put white wine, olive oil and crawfish in a pan over medium-high heat until liquid is boiling. Add everything else. Cover and simmer for 2-5 minutes. Ladle into a bowl. Super easy, super good!

Happy Holidays!