Spinach from the Container Garden... and Yummy Quesadillas!

Pin It Woo Hooo!  This year's container garden is in full swing and better than ever... well better than last year, but that isn't saying much.  It's a learning process.  This year we did a little research and at least got the right sized pots.  It looks like things are working out... so far.  I better knock on wood (I'm superstitious like that), before we end up with only one edible pepper (like last year).

Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Pea Pods, Spinach, Peppers and Strawberries! 

 Picked fresh spinach for tonight's dinner.  As sad as it is I don't think I have ever had fresh spinach before, but it was so delicate compared to the store bought kind.

I made these little herb garden labels with wine corks as I saw on recylart.org.  As you can see, the mint plant has difficult keeping up with my mojito addiction.  Good thing we are going to Alsace Wine Region this weekend so it will have time to catch up.  We are staying in the cute little town of Colmar.   Read a lovely little article about about Colmar from Alison at Cheeseweb, a Brussels blogger,  here. Note to self:  Do more wine cork art! 

The patio is ready for long Belgian summer evenings.  It stays light until past 10 in the middle of summer...best parts of Belgian summers.  Okay, so now onto Chicken Mushroom Spinach Quesadillas.  I think this is one of my favorite meals.  It is one of the first meals I made following a recipe and I didn't mess it up, so anyone can do it.   I have also tried substituting black beans for the chicken, which was pretty good and a perfectly fine substitue if you are a veg.  If you aren't though... Chicken is the way to go.  

Chop onions, mushrooms, spinach & mince garlic.

Heat a large skillet to medium with a little Olive Oil.  Sauteé onions and mushrooms for a few minutes.  Add garlic, sauteé until mushrooms are cooked through and most of the excess water has evaporated.  Add the chicken, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro and squeeze of half a lime (save the other half for lazy girl pico).  Mix and cook for about 2 minutes. 

Add spinach and cook until wilted.  Remove from heat.

Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Heat to medium.  Set in a tortilla, layer with some cheese, filling a little more cheese and top with another tortilla.  Cook for about 3 minutes, until tortilla had browned and flip.  Cook other side for 2 minutes or until browned.  Repeat.

Quarter and serve with a dallop of sour cream and some lazy girl pico.  The toppings bring these flavorful quesadillas to a whole 'notha level.  So just do it.

Chicken Mushroom Spinach Quesadillas
adapted from Ellie Krieger at the foodnetwork

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 organic baked and chopped chicken boobs (I seasoned mine with a little paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper and cumin)  
1 c mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
a dash of cayenne pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1 tbsp)
squeeze of half a lime
1 cup cheddar 
4 tortillas (preferably whole wheat, but I can only find them at one store nearby and didn't get the chance!)

Garnish:
sour cream 
Lazy girl pico (as follows)

Lazy girl pico: 2 -3 chopped tomatoes, 1 scallion sliced, half a lime squeezed, small drizzle of Olive oil, Dash of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt and cracked pepper.  Mix.

Directions:

Heat a large skillet with a little olive oil to medium.  Sauteé onions and mushrooms for a few minutes.  Add garlic.  Once mushrooms are softened and most of the water has evaporated, add chicken, cumin, chili powder, oregano, cayenne, cilantro, and squeeze the juice of half of a lime over the top.  Mix and cook for about two minutes.  Add spinach and cook until wilted.  Remove from heat.  Heat another large skillet sprayed with non-stick.  Layer in a tortilla.  Top with a little cheese, the chicken mixture and a little more cheese.  Place another tortilla on top.  Cook for about 3 minutes, until tortilla has browned.  Flip.  Cook for about 2 more minutes or until browned.  Repeat.  Quarter and serve with sour cream and lazy girl pico (or the real thing if you aren't lazy)! 

 I enjoyed it, solitary on the patio.  

Oooooohhh it was sooo gooood. 

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Veg Out Detox: Take I - Strawberry & Grapefruit Salad with Mint

Pin It I can't help but think of what a great barbecue side dish tonight's dinner would be.  Speaking of...what happened to the nice weather?  Feels like February all over again, and the dreary weather is supposed to continue through out the week. Blah. Sounds like someones got a case of the Mondays.  Well, I certainly do.  Anyway, as I mentioned, after  last week's heavy (but delicious) eating, it is time to veg out.  Veg out we did, with tonight's light and refreshing, Strawberry & Grapefruit Salad with Mint.  The mint and the vinaigrette give it the perfect amount of zip.  This salad would be great with any fruit combination, any nut topping, or topped with a nice goat or feta cheese.  As with most throw together dishes, almost any combination will do.  I think this will be the first post of a few good detoxifying salads and we need it!

For April, the strawberries have been surprisingly good, and on sale!  This weekend I plan on going to a farmer's market and start getting more into cooking with what's in season.  In addition, it looks like I just found a great web site about eating organic and sustainable in Brussels.  Might be useful for my Brussels friends: Click here to go to tebiki.be, "An English Guide to a Sustainable Life in Brussels."  This could have been useful a long time ago!

 
Strawberry & Grapefruit Salad with Mint
Adapted from kraft foods

Ingredients:

Salad:
2 c washed and dried baby spinach (or your choice of greens) 
1  1/2 c strawberries, washed and sliced
1 grapefruit, sectioned and peeled 
1/2 c almonds toasted
2 Tbs freshly chopped mint leaves

Raspberry Vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic diced
1/4 c raspberry vinegar
1/8 c olive oil
1/8 c water
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
and a squeeze of lemon if you are feeling zesty (I normally am)

Directions:
Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and shake.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, mix the spinach, strawberries, grapefruit sections and mint.  Pour vinaigrette over salad.  Top with toasted almonds.  Serve immediately.

Bon Appétit! 

I just love the raspberry vinaigrette!  Who knew it is so easy to make fast, healthy salad dressings at home?  I will definitely be using this vinaigrette when I make my all time favorite goat cheese salad (a new favorite I never knew I liked until moving to Belgium!).  Do you have any great detoxifying salad recipes?  I am on the hunt! 

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Artichoke Spinach Sundried Chicken Pasta Bake

Pin It Long name for a pasta bake, but when it was time to name this dish, there wasn't a main ingredient I could leave out.  Artichokes?  The dish wouldn't be the same without!  Spinach?  Maybe some would say sure, but I am passionate about spinach in a way Popeye is.   Sundrieds?  Nope.  They bring the perfect pop of flavor, and Sundrieds from Italy put this dish over the top!   Chicken?  Those juicy tender chunks of white meat were a must in my book.  So you see, every ingredient adds a special something to this one, it just wouldn't be right so give one ingredient more credit than the next.  I was looking for a make ahead dish to have with Paul's parents when they got to town on Sunday evening, and was inspired by a make ahead casserole from Iowa Girl Eats (love her blog!).  I like make ahead dishes for guests, then you don't have to worry about what's going on with the food, but can "visit" with your company.  Even though we didn't end up eating it until Monday (which maybe made it even better, I will never know) because a little dish by the name of Belgian Beef Stew or more appropriately, Carbonnade à la Flammande (in French) or Stoofvlees (in Dutch) got in the way (I'm not complaining).  Only the best Belgian dish ever... more on that later.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, make ahead dish!  I came across this fabulous Artichoke Spinach Sundried Chicken Pasta Bake.  I know I say fabulous, amazing, the best, etc. a lot, but this flavor packed pasta bake was by far the best one I have ever made.  Okay, so I also use superlatives in excess, but this was really the BEST!!  Was it the sundrieds or the mix of melty gooey cheeses or the artichokes?  I have no idea, but this dish came together perfectly.  Only regret: ran out of camera battery and had to use the point and shoot, for the final pics and they didn't turn out that great.  This one is definitely going in the rotation, so I will get another pic next time.

A little purple, green, red and ... beige?  Either way, looks appetizing. 

Mmmmmm. And we aren't done yet.  (Although, the pre-dish looks better than the done dish.)  

 Artichoke Spinach Sundried Chicken Pasta Bake
adapted from Iowa Girl Eats (great blog!) and BHG

 Ingredients:
4 small Chicken Breast, cooked and cut into cubes (I used the same method as I did in Chicken Broccoli Casserole with Rice, including rubbing them with a little paprika)
8 oz. (dry) bow tie pasta, cooked (it doesn't look like much, but you don't need more!)
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs butter
1 can of artichokes, drained
1 1/3 c fresh spinach
1/2 c sundried tomatoes
 2 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Paprika
3/4 c shredded gouda
3/4 c shredded gruyere
2 Tbs grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan, I had Pecorino on hand)
Freshly ground pepper
1 piece whole wheat bread, dried
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  
 
Start by rubbing paprika on the chicken breasts.  Once covered with paprika, put a dash of cracked pepper on the top.  Bake in oven until internal temperature is 165 degrees.

While chicken is baking, chop the shallots and mince the garlic.  Saute them with 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat until softened.  Chop spinach, sundrieds, and quarter the artichokes.

Cut cooked chicken into cubes.  

Mix 2 eggs, milk, spices, cheeses, noodles, spinach, sundrieds, artichokes, chicken and softened onions and garlic in a large bowl.  Layer mixture into a greased baking dish.  Refrigerated up to one day until ready to bake or bake immediately.

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.  While baking, use a food processor to make your bread crumbs.  Combine the bread and paprika and blend.  Mix the crumbs with 1 Tbsp melted butter.  Top your pasta with bread crumbs and shredded Pecorino Romano.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve right away and save some for leftovers, please!!!!

Bon Apetit!  Refer to the photos from Iowa Girl Eats and BHG if this photo isn't appetizing enough.  Trust me, you want need to make this pasta bake ASAP. 

No that's not ground beef.  My breadcrumbs are looking a little beefy.  Use your food processor they will look nicer (need to get one of those when I move back to the States!).

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Protein Packed Crustless Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

Pin It Quiche.  A perfect meal for any time of the day.  Breakfast quiche. Lunch quiche. Dinner quiche.  Hot or Cold.  And the combinations are endless.  Ham, Spinach, Mushrooms, Red Pepper, Zucchini, ANY kind of cheese.  I could go on.  I really don't think you can go wrong when it comes to quiche.  I think I had my first quiche in Paris.  Quiche Lorraine and it was good.  It tasted so good, it inspired me to make a healthier version at home (I don't even want to know what is in a restaurant/patisserie quiche recipe).  I found this Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche recipe on foodnetwork.com, from no other but Paula Deen.   I have made a few modifications, and this meatless crustless quiche really packs a protein punch (perfect post-workout meal).  I like to make the recipe large enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day.  If you have leftovers beyond that, you can always freeze it in serving size portions (although it never lasts that long in our house).  Anyway, onto the recipe.

The main players are:
Organic eggs (7), a cup and a half of spinach, a cup and a half of mushrooms, a cup of Gouda/cheddar mix, a cup of cottage cheese, a container of Greek-yo, some Parm, and a little pep

Start by mixing the eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, Parmesan and some fresh cracked pepper.

Next add the mushrooms, spinach and cheese

Mix all together, and pour into a greased baking dish.  Try to get the spinach under the filling as much as possible or it will get crispy and burnt on the top.  Put in preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes (or until it is puffy and a tooth pick comes out clean).

After about 10 minutes, the quiche will start to fill your house with a wonderful aroma.  Final product will look something like this: 

ingredients:
7 organic eggs
1 cup & 1/2 spinach
1 cup & 1/2 sliced mushrooms
1 cup cottage cheese
1 regular container Greek - yo (preferably low fat)
two tablespoons parm cheese
1 cup cheddar/gouda mix (or cheese of your choice)
cracker pepper

garnish:
with tabasco

Start by greasing a baking dish and preheating the oven to 325 degrees.  Combine eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, parmesan & cracked pepper in a medium mixing bowl.  Once mixed, add mushrooms, spinach and cheese.  Pour into the greased baking dish and put into oven.  bake quiche for 30-40 minutes.  quiche will get puffy and start to get golden colored.  Once fully baked, remove from oven.  Serve hot or cold any time of day. 

So good you don't even miss the crust..... well, maybe a tiny bit?  Bon appetit!

need to work on the final presentation photos....

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