Thursday, May 21, 2009

Great Quiche Recipes

Quiche is a great dish for breakfast or brunch. It also works great for a light lunch or dinner when served with a salad or fresh fruit. Following are three quiche recipes. One of these is sure to become a favorite for you.

QUICK AND EASY CHEDDAR BROCCOLI QUICHE

1 9-inch prepared pastry crust

1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

6 large eggs

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of broccoli and cheese soup, undiluted

2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle pastry shell with 1/2 cup of the cheese. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, soup, and milk. Pour mixture into crust, over the cheese. Cover edges of pie loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted neare the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Note: Good served with fresh fruit.

BROCCOLI, POTATO AND BACON QUICHE

1 bag (19 oz) frozen roasted potatoes with broccoli and cheese sauce

1 deep-dish pastry shell

4 eggs OR 1 cup egg substitute

2/3 cup lite whipping cream

7 slices bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup finely shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp parsley flakes

1 tsp finely chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave vegetables as directed on package. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and whipping cream together with a wire whisk until well blended. Stir in cooked vegetables along with the other ingredients except chives. Pour into pastry shell and spread evenly. Sprinkle chives over top. Bake 30-40 minutes or until edge of filling is light golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Note: This recipe is adapted from a Pillsbury Bake-Off winning recipe.

BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH QUICHE

1 pastry crust for a 9-inch quiche pan
1 1/2 cups Half & Half cream
4 eggs
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to suit your taste
5 slices bacon, cooked (just until done)and drained
5 links breakfast sausages, (cooked just until done) and drained

Line the quiche pan with the pastry crust. Toss Swiss cheese with the flour. Add the onion, parsley flakes, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture on the bottom of the pastry shell in the pan. Using a whisk, mix eggs with half and half until well whisked. Pour into the pastry shell. Bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Place bacon and sausage on top of the quiche in a pinwheel fashion rotating the bacon then a sausage. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes

Enjoy! By Grandma Linda

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Artichoke Fritters With Remoulade Sauce

ARTICHOKE FRITTERS WITH REMOULADE SAUCE
Makes 40

REMOULADE SAUCE
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon minced capers
- 1 tablespoon minced cornichons (French gherkin pickles)
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

FRITTERS
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 5 large artichokes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 quart vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Step 1
Make the remoulde sauce: In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, anchovy paste, capers, cornichons, parsley, chives and lemon juice with 1/2 cup of water. Whisk to blend well. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Step 2
Make the fritters. Pour the lemon juice into a large nonreactive saucepan with about 2 quarts of water.

Step 3
Trim each artichoke by snapping off the stem; bend back and pull off the tough outer dark green leaves. Using a serrated stainless steel knife, cut off the top two thirds of the artichoke, leaving about 1.5 inches of the heart. Pare away the bases of the dark green outer leaves. As you trim each artichoke, drop immediately into the acidulated water to prevent discoloration.

Step 4
When all the artichokes are in the saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and boil until the artichoke hearts are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the hearts cool in the cooking liquid to retain their color. (The artichokes can be cooked 1 day ahead and refrigerated in their cooking liquid overnight.)

Step 5
when cool, remove the artichokes from the liquid and cut each heart into eights. Remove the hairy choke and drain well.

Step 6
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder with the ice-water. Blend thoroughly.

Step 7
In a deep-fryer or large deep saucepan, heat the oil to 400 degree celsius. One by one, dip each piece of artichoke into the batter and add to the hot oil. Fry in batches without crowding until crisp and brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve the fritters hot with the remoulde sauce for dipping.

* This article has been brought to you by Golfera Foods which is a major Italian Food Retail chain present internationally. Our website has a dedicated section for recipes.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Quick and Easy Healthy Chicken Meal

If you are among those that have decided to eat more meals at home to cut back on your food budget, you are not alone. Here is a menu that offers you a tasty, healthy and easy meal that won't break the bank or take a lot of your time. Perfect for a family meal. Healthy Oat and Sesame Chicken is a great entree. These are great recipes for the busy cook. You can prepare the chicken and pop it into the refrigerator. While it sits, prepare the vegetables and get them into the oven. As the vegetables start to roast, you have time to set the table, make a quick salad, or whatever you need to do. Then about 10 minutes before time for the vegetables to come out of the oven, fry your chicken. In less than an hour, you have prepared a delicious, healthy meal and are sitting around the table with your family and/or friends. Clean up is minimal. Now what could be easier than that?

HEALTHY OAT 'N' SESAME CHICKEN

1 cup uncooked oat bran

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup buttermilk

6 skinned and boned chicken breast halves

4 tbsp olive oil

Put oat bran, sesame seeds, paprika, salt and pepper in a clean brown paper bag. Place bag inside another bag--double bagging will keep mixture from leaking out. Set bag aside. Beat egg whites and buttermilk in a pie plate until well blended. Dip chicken into egg/buttermilk mixture, gently shake off excess and drop chicken, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, into the brown bag. Fold down top of bag 2 to 3 times to seal. Shake chicken in bag to coat evenly. Remove chicken pieces and set in refrigerator for 10 minutes to several hours to allow coating to adhere. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Turn chicken, add remaining oil, and continue cooking another 3 to 4 minutes or until done. Chicken is done when juices run clear and it is no longer pink in the center. It should feel springy to the touch.

Each piece = 436 calories, 53 g pro, 11 g carbs

LEMON-CHIVE ROASTED VEGETABLES

1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, halved

1 1/2 lbs small fingerling potatoes, halved

1 lb baby carrots

2 medium sweet onions, each cut into 8 wedges

1 tbsp olive oil

Cooking spray

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the vegetables and olive oil in a large mixing bowl; toss well to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on two jelly-roll pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. Combine the vegetables, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

Yields 12 servings of about 1 cup each. Per serving: Calories 129, Fat 1.3g, Protein 3.1g, Carbs 26.3, Fiber 3.2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Iron 1.3mg, Sodium 139mg, Calcium 23mg.

NOTE: I got this recipe from a 'Cooking Light' magazine.

Enjoy! By Linda Wilson

Friday, May 1, 2009

Some Minor Changes Can Improve Your Cooking Room

Many families have understood the value of spending time together and a bonding between the members. All the members of the family meet each other on the dinning table. The members spend a lot of valued time together in the kitchen. Therefore, people felt the need to maintain this corner of the house in a creative way; then a simple kitchen improvement project can accomplish your needs. For more help visit to: www.delicious-candy-recipes.com.Some minor changes in the outlook of the kitchen can bring an innovative design in the space. One can consider changing the color of the cabinets. Painting the cabinets can bring an instant make over to the kitchen. Change the bright colors to the bark or vice-versa. Changing the color of cabinets prove to be a most simple, easiest and cost effective way to bring the whole new look to the kitchen. This change is the most recommended option available to the user as by spending a minute amount you can give it a look of complete new renovation. However, you can also consider brightening up your kitchen with some decorative designer lighting. A change in the lighting can bring a drastic change in to the small space. These are also cheap in rates. Without breaking your annual budget one can easily access the instant makeover of the kitchen.

Kitchen improvement project could prove to be an expensive and challenging task; if the proper planning and selection of the things is not made. There are many things in the kitchen that could be changed. The color of the walls, furniture and countertops help in improving the look of the kitchen. Use the combination of two or three colors in designing the kitchen walls and furniture. For more detail go to: www.camping-outdoors-recipes.com.An interesting color combination can make your kitchen look much warmer and welcoming. Even if your budget do not allow you to do much investment in the renovation work, then one can make some variations in the placement settings of the kitchen appliances.

A change in the placement and sitting arrangement also brings a feel of modification in the environment. It is also recommended to give an extensive cleaning to the appliances, cabinets and countertop of the kitchen. In a low budget renovation, these minor alterations may prove to be very effective in bringing a modified look to the kitchen. Apart from al these verifications, the placement of some decorative items and designer accessories is another effective alternate for kitchen improvement. In some of the cases the kitchen improvement project becomes a headache and tension for the user. this happens in the case of no planning and improper execution of the project. At times, the wrong selection of accessories and products can spoil the whole idea of renovation. By SMITH BLINT