Spring recipe:: Asparagus quiche

Baby Shower

If you ask me, quiche is perfect anytime of day. It makes a lovely breakfast, especially for a crowd, but it also makes an incredible dinner. Serve it with a light salad for a complete meal.

This asparagus quiche recipe would be a great addition to any Easter menu, too. You can easily make it ahead of time and pop it into the oven before heading out the door or before people arrive! There’s nothing better that a simple dish that packs a lot of punch. Enjoy this seasonal spring dish!

Asparagus Quiche
Makes 1- 8″ round Quiche serves 8-10
For the filling you will need:

– 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus
– 8 eggs
– 1 cup shredded mozzarella
– 1 cup half and half
– 1/2 teaspoon salt


To prepare:

In a large bowl whisk eggs and cream and cheese and salt. Reserve 5 spears of asparagus for the top of the quiche. Cut the remainder into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the egg mixture. Combine and set aside make the crust.

For the crust you will need:

– 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
– 1 stick of butter chilled and cut into 1/2 cubes
– 1/4 cup chilled water
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, place the flour and the butter and salt. Using the paddle attachment on medium speed, combine the butter and flour until it resembles pebble size crumbs. Next add water until mixture comes together into a ball. *(note you may need to add more water to combine)

Roll the ball of dough out on a floured board into a 10″ disk about 1/8 thick. Place into an 8 inch ceramic quiche pan. With a paring knife, cut the overhanging dough edge around the perimeter of the dish so there is a clean edge all the way around. Use the excess dough you cut off the edge to make the make the decorative scallop border. Use a 1 inch round scallop cutter, place the scallop rounds on the edge of the shell, over-lapping all the way around the outer edge.

Once you have finished the decorative edge, place the egg mixture into the shell. Add the reserved whole asparagus spears on top and place into the oven. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Photographs by: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

Prop and food styling by: Me

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Roberto’s Fresh Artichoke Salad from Cocktail Italiano

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It’s the last week of Juice January, so I’m giving it an incredible, celebratory send-off with this recipe from Cocktail Italiano.

When I found baby artichokes at Fresh Market in my neighborhood, I thought it was a fluke. Maybe a food stylist had special ordered them? But much to surprise they have appeared more regularly over the past few weeks this winter.

I had taken a photo and posted them on an Instagram story, and Nicole, my web manager, messaged me asking what they were. I told her they were baby artichokes. She asked what I was going to do with them, and I told her that I was going to make Roberto’s fresh artichoke salad, using the baby artichokes fresh. I explained that the recipe was in Cocktail Italiano and that she should try it. She suggested I put it here on the blog, so I listened to her, and here it is!

I had never eaten a raw artichoke until about twelve years ago—and, of course, it was in Italy.

We were visiting our best friends in Genova, Forrest and Roberto, chatting away in the kitchen, when Roberto (who’s actually an Italian Prince from the region of Savona on the Riviera) grabbed a few baby artichokes, and began running them under cold water. He patted them dry and quickly ran them through a mandolin, slicing them paper-thin. He put them in a bowl, and proceeded to douse them in Ligurian olive oil, added salt and a flourish of lemon juice, and finished it all off with shaved Parmesan. While Forrest poured a lovely chilled Verimentivo, we snacked on raw artichokes and sipped vino. For me, this was for me a whole new way of enjoying artichokes.

Let me know if you give this recipe a try. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Here’s Roberto’s recipe for fresh artichoke salad. Tip: make sure that the artichokes are very fresh and tender.

Roberto’s Fresh Artichoke Salad
Serves 8

You will need:
– 2 pounds (about 20) tender baby artichokes Note: you may substitute the interior soft leaves and heart of larger artichokes, but do not use the tough outer leaves
– 2 lemons, halved
– 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons salt
– 2 ounces Parmesan

To prepare:

Trim away any tough outer leaves of the artichokes to expose their tender pale green interior. Using a knife with a serrated-blade, cut off the spiky top 1/3 of the artichokes. (Note: baby artichokes will not have the spikes.) Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layers around the base and stem.

Using a mandolin, slice the artichokes paper-thin and transfer to medium bowl.

Squeeze the lemon halves over the artichokes, and toss with the oil. Sprinkle with salt, and use a potato peeler to shave the Parmesan over the salad. Serve in small bowls.

 

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Savory Mushroom Soup

Can you believe this week wraps-up Juice January? Congratulations for cleaning-up your routine and getting a great start on 2019! You did it!

Over the years, I’ve gone from a strict juice regime to incorporating healthier meals. I hope you’ve enjoyed all of the recipes this month and that you’ve found a few favorites to add to your repertoire. This savory mushroom soup might be another great recipe to add!

It’s a fantastic recipe for chilly winter nights. You will love it. It’s hearty and homey. I like to add a dollop of plain yogurt and chopped chives to top off this rich luscious soup.

Savory Mushroom Soup
serves 4-6

You will need:
– 3 tablespoons olive oil
– 1 teaspoon of sea salt
– 1 shallot chopped fine
– 3 stalks of celery chopped
– 2 large carrots cut into coins
– 3 small zucchinis cut into bite sized pieces
– 2 pints mixed mushrooms, like shitake, and portabellas, enoki
– 2 bulbs of garlic roasted whole
– 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
– 1 quart chicken broth or vegetable broth
– 1/3 cup chopped parsley
– 1/4 cup of plain yogurt
– chopped chives
– roasted garlic*

To prepare:
Chop vegetables, shallot, celery, carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms. Place in a large cast iron stock pot. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and saute over medium heat until transparent and wilted. Add the roasted garlic by squeezing the roasted garlic cloves into the pot and stir to combine all the ingredients. Add parsley, lentils and broth. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours. Serve.

I like to add a dollop of plain yogurt and chopped chives to top off this rich luscious soup.

*To prepare roasted garlic: place whole bulbs of garlic wrapped in aluminum foil in the oven on 325 for 1 hour until garlic is soft and fragrant.

Photo by me

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Cauliflower Week:: Cauliflower Rice Tofu Bowls

Rice Bowl

Welcome to another installment of Cauliflower Week! I hope you’ve been inspired to give this veggie a try. There are so many recipes out there to completely transform cauliflower, and here is another.

Today’s recipe was created by Sydney, my son’s girlfriend. When I told her about Juice January, we had a long discussion about nutrition and the benefits of eating clean. Sydney and I wound up in the kitchen making lunch. Full disclosure, I had no idea how to prepare tofu. Sydney said she would show me how to make a cauliflower rice topped with curried tofu. Of course I took her up on her offer. We had a fun morning putting together these Cauliflower Rice Tofu bowls. What a perfect recipe to share during Juice January. Thanks Sydney for sharing this recipe; I finally feel like I know how to work with tofu.

Cauliflower Rice Tofu Bowls
Serves 2

Preheat oven to 375 F

You will need:
– 1 block of firm tofu
– 3 tablespoons of olive oil
– 1 cup carrots
– 4 cups cauliflower
– 1 1/2 cups snow peas
– 1/2 small onion finely diced
– 1 large garlic clove minced
– 1 tsp tumeric
– 1 tsp ginger
– 1/2  tsp ginger
– 1/2  tsp chili powder
– 1/2  tsp salt

To prepare:

To prepare tofu: Place tofu on a paper towel or dish towel, wrap and then place a heavy book on top of the tofu and press gently, Allow to drain liquid for 15 minutes. Set aside.

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In a food processor fitted with a blade, place cauliflower into the bowl and pulse until cauliflower becomes the consistency of rice.

Once the tofu is drained, cut into 1 inch cubes. In a medium frying pan, add oil and toss the tofu cubes with the curry powder and fry on both sides about 10 minutes. Place the cubes on a parchment lined cookie sheet and place into a 375F oven. Bake for 10 minutes until tofu is crispy. While the tofu bakes, in the same pan, saute the onion, garlic, carrots and snow peas, about 10 minutes. Set aside veggies and in the same pan, toss the cauliflower rice with spices and saute for 10 minutes until cauliflower is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

To Finish:

Place rice in a bowl top with tofu, veggies and serve.

Optional toppings*

*Fresh Basil
Sriracha

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Cauliflower Week:: Quick Cauliflower Tacos

These cauliflower tacos are the perfect way to shake-up Taco Tuesday or this week's Cinco di Mayo celebrations. You'll love the flavors!

After Yaniv’s post last week, I was inspired to pull together a few of my other favorite cauliflower-forward foods for Juice January. Welcome to Cauliflower Week on the blog!

I am a huge fan of cauliflower. It’s really a flavor chameleon because any spice that you toss into cauliflower is absorbed. Because of that, cauliflower tacos are a great way to get some veggies without sacrificing Mexican flavors.

These quick cauliflower tacos are the perfect way to shake-up Taco Tuesday. Let me know if you give it a try!

xx Annette

Quick Cauliflower Tacos
Serves 4

You will need:
– 8 corn tortillas
– 1 cup water
– 1 head of Cauliflower
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 2 teaspoons cumin
– 2 cloves garlic minced
– 2 radishes sliced
– 1/2 cup shredded mild cheese like Colby or Mexican cheese mix
– 2 avocados sliced
– Salsa
– Plain yogurt

To prepare:

Clean and steam cauliflower in a cup of water on medium heat for about 15 minutes until soft.

Drain cauliflower. In a bowl break apart the cauliflower toss with salt, cumin, garlic, and oil.

In a pan, saute the cauliflower over medium heat until browned.

In another pan, heat the tortillas until soft and top with cheese until cheese is melted.

To assemble:

Place tortilla on a plate, top with cauliflower, avocado slices, radish slices, salsa, and a dollop of plain yogurt. Serve warm.

For another tasty veggie taco, check out these Crispy Quinoa ones.

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