Green Eggs and Ham Quiche

Growing up my mom made an outstanding quiche. It had a flaky, buttery crust packed full of spinach, ricotta and bacon (and a few eggs too)! With cream, whole eggs, parmesan, ricotta, bacon and a regular pie crust - this quiche was very far from healthy despite the spinach and seemingly way out of our dietary realm. I found organic whole wheat frozen pie crusts at Mother's Market and bought a few for future use.

Using a mix of wilted fresh spinach and chopped chard, cubed smoked turkey and a mix of whole eggs and egg whites, I managed to make this quiche fit within our caloric requirements! It's a little high in fat, but there's just no substitute for a pie crust. I think next time I might try using more egg whites in lieu of whole eggs and maybe just chard instead of spinach. The chard tends to have a bit more texture to it that I like. We also topped the quiche with a few slices of Applegate Farm's Yogurt Cheese (which doesn't bother my lactose intolerance even though it's milk-based).

The best thing about this quiche is that it's good hot from the oven or at room temperature the next day for lunch. Given how busy we are, it's mandatory that dinners can double as lunches the following day! Enjoy this lightened up recipe!!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole wheat organic frozen pie crust
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced smoked turkey
• 2 big bunches chard (or kale, spinach, etc...) chopped
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 4 whole eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 3 slices yogurt cheese
• cracked pepper, ground sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375'
2. Add 1 tsp olive oil to large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and turkey and saute until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove and place in large bowl.
3. Put pan back on heat, lowering heat to medium. Add greens, cover and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally  Remove from heat and squeeze excess water from greens.
4. Add to bowl with ham and onions.
5. Whisk eggs, egg whites, soy milk, basil, and a generous amount of fresh pepper and salt. 
6. Whisk egg mixture into ham mixture to combine.
7. Pour into pie crust. If it's too much filling for the crust, stop before it spills over and bake the rest separately in a greased ramekin or baking dish (sometimes you get a bonus fritatta!)
8. Top with yogurt cheese and place on baking sheet in oven and bake 45 minutes or until puffed and light golden on top.
9. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Coconut Pancakes with Grilled Pineapple

It's not often that we get to sleep in on Sundays and indulge in real pancakes. Weekends are for long runs or ocean swims and 3-4 hour bike rides. We usually have fiber and protein packed Breakfast Cakes or Protein Pancakes, but never just fun pancakes. Coconut + Pineapple + Pancake = Happy. Quickly diced pineapple turns fantastic once thrown on the grill and seared till sweet perfection. My pancakes tend to be on the fluffy side, so the coconut shreds added a nice tropical crunch! 

These pancakes are still based off a lighter recipe than usual pancakes and I do use all whole wheat flour, but they are still quite the treat! If you have a batter recipe you prefer, use it and fold in some unsweetened coconut and top with grilled pineapple. 

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons xylitol
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• small handful shredded coconut
• Cooking spray
• diced pineapple

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 250' and place baking sheet on middle rack.
2. In mixing bowl, whisk both flours, sugar, baking powder & soda, salt, and ginger to combine.
3. In separate bowl mix egg, egg white, vegetable oil & buttermilk.
4. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture stirring gently to combine. Set aside.
5. Heat cast iron or frying pan over medium high heat on stove. Coat with cooking spray.
6. Ladle pancake mix onto pan in even circles.
7. Cook pancakes for 3-5 minutes (check bottom for brownness level).
8. Gently flip and cook on other side for 2 more minutes.
9. Place on baking sheet in oven while you prepare remaining pancakes.
10. Turn heat up to high and respray cast iron pan or skillet with cooking spray. Add pineapple chunks and grill (or saute if you have no grill pan) until golden and warm.
11. Top pancakes with pineapple and serve!

Mixed Bean and Tofu Curry

In my ongoing research into the field of nutrition one food that keeps cropping up under every nutritional benefit field is legumes. Beans, lentils, peas, and alfalfa are just a few types of legumes. Even within the 'bean' category there are tons of choices - black beans, pinto, adzuki, fava, garbanzo (or chickpea), black eyed peas, cannellini, soy beans... on and on! So what's the big deal?? The biggest thing legumes have going for them is that they have a combination of high protein and high fiber. This magic mixture means that they promote digestive tract health and regulate blood sugar by moving through your system at a moderate pace. We all know sugar goes too fast through the digestive system causing spikes and crashes. Fat moves so slowly that it clogs up the body. Legumes with this protein/fiber mix move just right, providing your body with a steady rate of energy and helping to keep your guts clean from funk.

While canned beans are convenient, there's no real substitute for cooked dried beans - the texture, flavor and richness are unmatched by their canned counterparts. We found a unique dried heirloom bean mixture at Whole Foods and built this recipe around it. Beans rightfully deserve the spotlight - they don't have to play second fiddle to a protein source! They are packed with folate, fiber, protein, omega-3s, tryptophan, and phytonutrients! 

How do you cook dried beans? Start the night before by sorting through the beans for any pebbles and then place beans in a large bowl. Cover with about 3-4 inches of water. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the water. Put the beans in a large pot. Cover with 1" of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook partially covered for 40-60 minutes stirring occasionally. 40-60 minutes is the perfect amount of time to do all your other chopping or things to do after work!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dried beans (look for a mix or mix your own - navy, pinto, adzuki, chickpea, fava...)
• 1 package medium tofu cut into cubes
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red chili, minced (or less if super hot chilis are used!)
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 Tbsp curry paste
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce* (veggies - use vegetarian fish sauce, a light soy sauce or salty water)
• 2 Tbsp xylitol or fine sugar
• handful cilantro stems/roots chopped
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
• 3/4 c light coconut milk
• 1 bunch green onions, green parts sliced into long strips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook beans as per directions in last paragraph above, drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Add onions, garlic, chili, cilantro and curry powder. Saute over medium-high heat about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add lime, sugar and fish sauce. Stir and cook 4 more minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and curry paste stir to mix well and cook for 10 minutes. Add beans and coconut milk and cook 15-20 minutes over medium low.
5. Stir in green onions and cook just until wilted.
6. Spoon into bowls and serve. Ideally with a side of delicious naan!

Baked Rolled Tacos: Spinach, Mushroom, Tofu

I've made spinach, mushroom and tofu enchiladas for a few years now, and they are pretty good. The other night I got a wild and crazy idea to make rolled tacos since the enchiladas lose something by being soggy. The result? TOTAL WIN! These were so good! 

Healthy, easy, vegetarian, and full of nutrition. 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 block extra firm tofu (drained, pressed, and crumbled with your hands)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 3-4 tsp chili powder
• cracked sea salt + pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 6-8 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 6-8 cups fresh spinach
• about 8oz salsa verde (green salsa) - we used Mrs.Renfro's Jalapeno Salsa which was HOT (but good)!
• 1/2 cup Daiya (vegan cheese, optional)
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 12 corn tortillas (these are freaking mind-blowing if you can find them! We buy @ Mother's Market)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425' and spray 9x13" glass pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat large pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil, onions and garlic. Saute until fragrant about 3 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms and tofu. Saute 3-5 minutes until mushrooms are slightly tender. If pan is too dry, add 1 Tbsp water.
4. Add spices and 1/4 cup salsa verde. Stir to combine. Add spinach and stir. Cover with lid and wilt spinach, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Once spinach is lightly wilted, stir in nutritional yeast and Daiya (if using). 
6. Warm tortillas until pliable (can be done in microwave for 10-30 seconds or in pan). 
7. Spoon filling in center of tortilla and "pin" closed with wooden toothpick (make sure there's no plastic tassels on your toothpicks!). Place in baking pan upright. Continue with rest of tortillas.
8. If there's extra "stuffing" place alongside tacos in pan. Mist tacos with cooking spray and bake until golden brown and lightly crispy on the edges about 10-15 minutes (depending on your oven!)
9. Remove toothpicks and serve, spooning extra filling on plate. Serve with extra salsa.

Nutrition per serving (3 tacos with extra stuffing):

Calories: 460   Fat: 14g   Carbs: 42g   Fiber: 4g    Protein: 26g