Spanish quiche torta- for non-quiche lovers!

We have a ton of eggs from our little chickens and can't believe they are still laying through the winter. We even got a double yoked giant the other day!

I decided what better use of these yummy eggs then to make a quiche torta. It's similar to the one's I've made in the past, but I added a few different ingredients.

This recipe makes 2 and freezes beautifully..

2 pie crusts
3 yukon gold potatoes
1 C. shredded cheese
1 1/2 C. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 C. frozen sliced roasted peppers (I bought these from Trader Joe's)
1 package of thick cut bacon
1 c. sliced mushrooms (crimini work well, but use whatever you've got)
1 diced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
8 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 pie plates with a pie crust. Bring a pot of water to a boil, while the water boils, peel and dice potatoes in the Vidalia chopper on the small dice, and boil potatoes for 4 minutes. Remove from water and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Set aside. Add frozen spinach, peppers and shredded cheese.

Using kitchen shears, cut bacon into small pieces and cook in a pan on medium high heat until crisp, this should take about 8 minutes. Drain and add to the potatoes. Remove bacon drippings from the pan, leaving about 1 Tbs. remaining. Saute onion in pan for 2 minutes and add mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms have browned, about 3 more minutes. Remove and add to bowl.

Crack eggs into a separate bowl and season with salt, pepper and a little Italian seasoning. Whisk until well combined and add to vegetable mixture. Stir gently to combine, and pour equal amounts of mixture into each pie plate.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is set and feels firm to the touch.

I love this torta because I am not a big fan of very eggy quiches, this one is full of vegetables and the finely diced potatoes add body to the dish. We ate it with a side of fruit salad.

This dish could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon.

Greek shrimp with rice pilaf and green beans

My kids love shrimp so I made a recipe I did last month when I did What's Cooking on News 12. The kids devoured the shrimp and we had to claim a few for ourselves before they ate the all!

Here's my recipe for easy and delicious Greek Shrimp.

1 bag frozen, peeled, cleaned and deveined uncooked shrimp
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. Greek seasoning
3 tbs. olive oil
3 cubes frozen garlic
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to broil. Move an oven rack to the top third of the oven.

Defrost shrimp in a bowl of hot water for 2 minutes. While shrimp defrost, combine lemon juice, Greek seasoning, 2 tbs. olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add shrimp to bowl and toss to coat. Add shrimp to an aluminum lined cookie sheet and broil 2 minutes per side.

Stuffed chicken tacos with cilantro salsa

We had eaten these from Trader Joe's a while back and I figured they would be fairly easy to make. Here's my recipe for stuffed chicken tacos.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (diced)
3 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 C. finely diced onion
1 C. shredded cabbage
1/4 c. water

1/2 C. shredded cheese
8-10 small corn tortillas
1 C. vegetable oil

Finely chopped lettuce
diced tomato

For Salsa:
2 cubes frozen cilantro
1 cube frozen garlic
juice from 1 lime
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 C. olive oil

Heat a large nonstick pan with a lid on medium high heat. Add diced chicken and onions and saute for 1 minute. Add taco seasoning and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes until beginning to brown and add cabbage. Add water, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add chicken to a cuisinart and pulse a few times until chicken is finely chopped but not pureed. Remove chicken into a bowl and add shredded cheese. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, add oil to another nonstick pan and heat on medium high heat. Heat oven to 350 and line a plate with a few sheets of paper towels to place tacos.

Add a few tablespoons to 1 side of each corn tortilla. Gently place in pan and fold other side over to cover. Press down with a spatula and turn after about 20 seconds, each side should be nicely browned. Remove from oil, dry on paper towels, then keep warm on a cookie sheet in the oven.

To make cilantro salsa. Add all ingredients to a jar, shake to combine.

Serve tacos with a big handful of shredded lettuce, tomato and a drizzle of the cilantro salsa on top.

You could also serve with a dollop of sour cream and or guacamole.

Enjoy!

Homemade (low fat) granola

We are a granola loving family, however we don't eat it frequently as 1-it's generally very high in fat and calories and 2- it's very expensive.

I have a friend who makes it often and it was a lousy day yesterday, so I decided I too shall make granola. I was amazed at how easy it is. Basically mix the stuff in a bowl and let it bake slowly in the oven until it dries out. Cool and enjoy!

Here's my recipe for basic granola with a whole mess of optional mix-ins.

Let me know what you add.

Enjoy!

4 C. old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
¼ C. sweetened shredded coconut
½ C. sliced or slivered almonds, pecans or walnuts
2 tsp. apple pie spice
pinch of salt
¼ C. maple syrup
¼ C. dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. apple juice or water
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
Optional add-ins:
¼ C. sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
¼ C. wheat germ
1 tsp. vanilla, orange or almond extract
To be added in after baking:
½ C. dried: cranberries, cherries, blueberries, dates, apricots, apples, mango
¼ C. finely diced candied ginger


Preheat oven to 300 F.

Stir together oatmeal, almonds, coconut, apple pie spice and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, apple juice and vegetable oil; pour over oatmeal mixture and stir to coat thoroughly. Any other optional ingredients except dried fruit and ginger should be added in now.

Spread mixture in an even layer onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Granola should be tan, but not dark.

Cool mixture before adding dried fruit or ginger. Store granola in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.