Crustless Mushroom, Spinach, and Tomato Quiche

Is it a quiche or a frittata? I don't know. All I know is it's yummy!

I love quiche, mostly for the flakey and buttery crust and cheesy goodness inside. But since we've been cutting back on carbs (to shed a few pounds) it's not the best option. That's where this crustless quiche recipe comes into play. It's low-carb and BONUS is so good! It has all the yumminess of a regular quiche. Ok, almost all (you know, the whole crust thing.) So grab your cast-iron pan and whip up this yummy quiche for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. I think you'll love it. 

Crustless Mushroom, Spinach, and Tomato Quiche

1 T butter

1/2 onion sliced thin

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes quartered

1 cup mushrooms sliced thin

4-8 oz frozen spinach thawed and water squeezed out (I used 8oz, but 4oz would be ok)

4 eggs

2/3 cup half n half

1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese

dash of nutmeg

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat add onion and cook until translucent. About 5 minutes. 

2. Stir in cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Cook 2 more minutes. 

3. Whisk cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl. 

4. Layer 1/2 cup cheese over vegetables in the pan. Add egg mixture. Add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. 

5. Bake in the oven until eggs are set and the top is golden brown. About 25 minutes. 

Recipe alternatives: here are some ingredients you could add if you have them on hand: bacon would be delicious, so would diced ham, sun-dried tomatoes, different cheeses, or sausage. Hate mushrooms? Leave them out. Add what you like!

Don't have a cast-iron pan.? Go buy one. They're awesome. You can also use an oven-friendly pan. But really, you need a cast-iron pan. Just make sure your pan doesn't have a plastic handle and don't forget your oven mitts when the pan is out of the oven. Don't touch the handle!!

Enjoy!

Yellow Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe

I love a steamy bowl of curry filled with chicken and veggies over sticky rice. It's such a yummy comfort food on a cold winter night. (Or any night, lol.) I've nicknamed this recipe "Sunshine Curry" because it looks like sunshine in a bowl! 

Sunshine Curry

We never ate curry when I was a kid. In fact, the only type of ethnic food we ate was Chinese, Italian, or Mexican food. It wasn't until I was an adult and out of college that I tried other types of foods - Indian, Thai, Greek, Cuban, and Japanese. Back then my mom was timid to try new things so we kept to the basics. Plus, I don't recall seeing restaurants like this in our neighborhoods. There are so many more options now it's amazing. 

Our diet was pretty bland and definitely all-American. Nothing wrong with that. There were four kids to feed and kids can be so picky! But it certainly wasn't adventurous with new flavors or recipes. We ate a lot of casseroles (blech!) They were one-pot wonders but they were mushy. Everything was the same texture.

It wasn't until I started eating out with friends or clients in new restaurants that I really got exposure to new flavors. If you're open to trying new things you'll find your palate will just explode with curiosity. It took me a while to start cooking different things because I honestly didn't even know where to begin or where to find ingredients. Today our grocery stores have so many amazing options it's incredible. And specialty stores are everywhere. 

The great thing about this curry recipe is all the ingredients are from Trader Joe's and it's so easy. If you can buy veggies pre-chopped do it! It will save you time for an easy weeknight meal. You can also substitute any of the veggies with what you have on hand (sweet potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots - add what you like!) You should be able to get this prepped and on the table in about 40 minutes. 

"Sunshine Curry" Yellow Coconut Chicken Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips

3 T extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 yellow onion sliced

1 yellow or red pepper into slices then bite-size pieces

1/2 bag of fingerling potatoes (1/2 pound). Cut potatoes into thirds so you have bite-sized pieces.

1/2 container of zig-zag butternut squash (6 oz)

One 11 oz jar Trader Joe's yellow curry sauce

One 13.5 oz  can Trader Joe's coconut milk

Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Serve with white or brown rice.

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan add 2 T of olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the pan is hot. 

2. Add chicken, saute for 3 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from pan and place in a bowl while you cook the vegetables.

3. Add a little more evoo to the pan and saute the garlic and onions for ~3 minutes until tender. 

4. Add fingerling potatoes and butternut squash and saute for about 5 minutes.

5. Add bell pepper and cooked chicken to the pan, saute for 2 minutes. 

6. Add curry sauce and coconut milk and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 

7. Cook until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through about 10-15 minutes. 

8. Garnish with cilantro and serve with fluffy rice.

Cornbread Muffins and Honey Butter

There is nothing like a warm, moist cornbread muffin. Add a little honey butter to it and oh my. That is one delicious bite. 

These muffins are so easy to make with just a few ingredients. I really like this Trader Joe's cornbread mix because - surprise! - there are whole kernels of corn in the mix. I was totally surprised by this! These muffins do have a little sweetness to them and when you add the honey butter you might want to save them for dessert. So good!

We spiced them up with some diced jalapeno and added about 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese - but that's totally optional. 

Cornbread Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 box of Trader Joe's cornbread mix

6 slices of Jalapeno's chopped (optional)

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Directions:

1. Mix egg, milk, and oil in a medium-size bowl. 

2. Add cornbread mix. Stir until combined. 

3. Add jalapeno and cheese. Stir. 

4. Pour into cupcake liners. I used a 1/4 measure to fill the liners evenly.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes until firm and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Honey Butter

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 T Honey

1. Soften butter in a small pyrex dish in the microwave 20 seconds.

2. Add the honey and mix until combined. Taste for flavor. Add more honey if needed. 

3. Smooth out butter in the dish or transfer to a ramekin and refrigerate. 

4. Serve at room temperature on muffins or toast.

Spicy Turkey Chili Recipe

Cold winter days always make me think of eating chili. It's so warm and filling. It feeds a crowd, or in our case just three people for days. It freezes well (if you don't feel like eating it for days.) And tastes great with cornbread muffins. 

I've had some bad luck with chili in the past. For some reason, I had issues getting the seasoning right so I usually buy the Carroll Shelby Chili seasoning packet. It's ridiculous. I know I can make my own seasoning mix. I have all the spices. I just need to try a little harder. 

Trader Joe's had a chili seasoning jar so I picked that up too (just in case!) If you shop at Trader Joe's you're in luck. A lot of the ingredients are from TJs! Of course, you can also find most items at your local grocery store. 

Spicy Turkey Chili Recipe

Ingredients: 

1 T olive oil

1 large yellow onion diced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 red bell pepper diced

2 lb ground turkey

1 tsp Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch (optional)

1 (15oz) can Trader Joe's organic pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

1 (14.5oz) can Trader Joe's organic diced and fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles

1 (15oz) can Trader Joe's organic tomato sauce

1 T tomato paste (the tube of tomato paste is great when you only need 1T!)

3 cups of water

3 T Trader Joe's chili seasoning

2 T chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Thickener: 2 tsp corn starch + 3 T of water

Chili topping: grated sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and cook your onions for a few minutes before you add the diced bell pepper, garlic, and ground turkey. 

2. Once the turkey is cooked through add in all the other ingredients (except the beans!)

3. Simmer covered on low for an hour or so.

4. Add the beans in the last 15 minutes of cooking. 

5. To thicken the chili, mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl. Gradually stir the mixture into the pot of chili. Let simmer 15 minutes more. 

6. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, and green onions (optional)

I hope you enjoy it!

Click here for the EASY cornbread muffin recipe.