foodie: tofu-egg quiche

last night, i came home from the csa with a slew of gorgeous tomatoes.  so, obviously i wanted to include them in our dinner.  i decided to try making a tofu and egg crustless quiche, despite never having made one before.  luckily, it turned out well (hence why i'm sharing it with you all :-)  it was hearty, yet fluffy and had great flavor -- a winner all around!

here's what you'll need...

1/2 block firm tofu
4 eggs
1/2 medium onion
2 shallots
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
1/4 cup fresh herbs (i used basil and parsley)
3-4 garlic cloves
1/3-1/2 cup cheese (i used bleu and mozzarella)
olive oil
salt & pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. chop onions and shallots and saute in a bit of olive oil until translucent and lightely caramelized.  season with salt and pepper.

2. while the veggies saute, put the tofu, eggs, herbs and garlic in a blender.  blend until a smooth liquid is formed.  season with salt and pepper and pulse once more.

3. oil your pie plate well with olive oil and then pour in egg/tofu mixture.  top with onions and shallots, tomato slices and sprinkle with cheese.

4. bake for approximately 40 minutes until the quiche puffs up a bit and the edges are lightly brown.  check the center with a knife to ensure it's cooked through before removing it from the oven.

those gigantic green things are slices of (fully-ripe) heirloom tomato

enjoy with a large side salad and even more delicious, heirloom tomatoes!!!  serves 4 for dinner or 6 for brunch.

bon appetit

.

foodie: bruschetta potato salad

i got back from a trip to the csa with heirloom tomatoes, a pint of potatoes, a bunch of fresh basil and a head of garlic (among other things).  inspired by the spoils of my trip, i decided to create a bruschetta potato salad -- it was delicious, super simple to make and craig told me afterwards that it's one of his new favorite dishes!  this one's a winner all around :-)

here's what you'll need for 4-6 servings...

1 pint potatoes, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 pint tomatoes, chopped
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 cup basil, cut into a chiffonade (long, skinny ribbons)
1/8 cup olive oil, plus a tad more for roasting the potatoes
salt & cracked pepper

preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

1. put the cleaned, cubed potatoes on a baking sheet, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  roast for 30 min or until fork tender.

2. while the potatoes cook, prep the rest of the food.  toss the tomatoes, garlic and basil together.  season with salt and pepper.

3. once the potatoes are done, mix them into the tomato mixture and drizzle everything with olive oil.  season with more salt and pepper to taste.

adding the warm potatoes to the bruschetta enables them to soak up all the goodness, and the final drizzle of olive oil really seals the deal.

this dish makes for a fabulous summer side dish or works well as an entree salad over chopped romaine.

bon appetit!

.

foodie: squash "pizzas"

inspired by this recipe and with a gorgeously round summer squash in need of use, i set out to make my very own version of squash "pizza".  the buttery squash made for a delicious (though not so stable) crust, and the fresh marinara, parmigiano reggiano cheese and garden basil, made it all the better!  the result was quite tasty, if i do say so myself.

here's what you'll need for pizza for two...

1 round summer squash
marinara
cheese of your choosing
olive oil
salt
fresh basil

preheat oven to 400

1. cut the squash into 1/2 inch thick rounds, and place on an oiled baking sheet. drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once, until both sides are lightly browned and the edges begin to curl up.

2. remove from the oven and top as you see fit!  caramelized onions, chopped kalamata olives and homemade pesto could be delicious, too.

3. bake for another 10 min or so, until the cheese begins to melt.

enjoy with a side salad and a glass of wine :-)

.

foodie: homemade "ice cream" (and you don't need an ice cream maker!)

whenever i see recipes for ice cream on other blogs or on foodgawker, i always pass them over because (1) they often are labor-intensive, and (2) i don't have an ice cream maker.  so, you can imagine how excited i was when i found a recipe for "ice cream" with just one ingredient...yes, just one!  and, to top it off, it's healthy.  go figure.

if you're craving the cold, creamy goodness of ice cream, it's only a few simple steps away.  and, you don't even have to feel guilty about it.

here's what you'll need for one bowl of homemade ice cream...

1 banana

cut the banana into 1 inch coin, put on a plate covered with plastic wrap and put into the freezer for at least 2 hours.

put the cut, frozen banana into your food processor and blend until it magically begins to resemble a scoop of hard ice cream.  amazing!

(i jazzed mine up by adding 1 tbsp peanut butter into the food processor with the banana, and also topping my finished ice cream with another tbsp of melted pb.  delicious!  did i mention that i ate this for breakfast?!)

after getting bit by the "ice cream" bug, i decided to try another combo.

1/2 banana (i used fresh, which gave it a more sorbet-like consistency, but you could use frozen, too)
1/2 cup cherries, frozen

same deal.

and again, peanut butter makes everything better!

.