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Grain Free Pesto Topped Quiche…Or Egg Pizza

Eggs and pesto go very well together. I’ve made a pesto quiche before…one version that had pesto on the bottom and one that had it mixed in.

The problem is that the pesto usually kind of gets lost in the eggs. Sometimes you can’t even tell it’s there. So last night I decided to top our quiche with pesto.

I made a simple egg and cheese quiche. I let it bake until the top was just set. Then I topped it with pesto and extra cheese.

It worked very well. The pesto stayed on top and added great flavor.

Are you grain free and looking for a pizza substitute? Make the quiche thinner and this is like pesto pizza! You could even add extra toppings. Mushrooms, onions, peppers,…I may need to try this very soon.

The next time you make quiche, instead of mixing all of the meat and vegetables inside consider topping it. The possibilities are endless. (Plus picky eaters can pick off what they don’t like that way 🙂

This makes a great breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! And the leftovers are good warm or cold. Perfect for a quick weekday breakfast.

What is your favorite way to make quiche? What toppings would you add?

Pesto Topped Quiche

1/2 – 1 cup pesto (I blend peas, olive oil, salt and garlic powder for a simple allergen free pesto. You can add nuts and cheese and use basil or spinach for a more traditional pesto)
4 eggs + 5 egg yolks
1 cup milk or dairy kefir
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of marble and parmesan)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Grease a 9″ pie plate. Mix eggs, milk, seasoning and  1 cup shredded cheese. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 375 for 20 – 30 minutes, until top is set.

Spread pesto on quiche. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

Bake another 25 – 35 minutes, until eggs are fully set.

Let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Chili Cheesecake

A couple weeks ago I was watching the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate. One of the dishes featured was a savory cheesecake. It looked pretty good, although I can’t remember at all now what was in it. It got me thinking…maybe I should try making a savory cheesecake.

I had some leftover chili I didn’t know what to do with. So I turned it into chili cheesecake.

I honestly had about 5 minutes to prepare this dish after running in the door from a visit to the the doctor and running errands. I thought it might be a huge failure. I didn’t have a recipe. I didn’t measure. I just dumped, mixed and stuck it in the oven. Praying it would have enough time to bake and that it wouldn’t be a pan of slop when it came out.

To my great surprise it actually turned out really well. Both of the kids even loved it.

This is a great way to use up leftovers and come up with any kind of savory cheesecake you can imagine. You can eat it as is or use it as a dip.

It’s been almost a week now since I made it so I’ll do my best to remember what I did 😛  I just made a small dish. You can scale it up to make it in a pie dish or spring form pan.

Chili Cheesecake

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips (for a “crust”…this is optional…the chips get soft when baked)
1 cup chili (you could use taco meat, cooked ground meat, shredded chicken, or any vegetables you like)
1 cup homemade cream cheese
3/4 cup homemade sour cream
1 egg
2 egg yolks
seasoning to taste

Place tortilla chips in the bottom of a small baking dish (I used a 4 cup pyrex dish). Top the chips with half of the chili.

Mix the rest of the chili, the cream cheese, the sour cream and the eggs. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Pour the mixture over the layer of chili.

Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour (until set all the way through). Let set 5 minutes before serving.

Breakfast Cups

A couple weeks ago I made a simple breakfast for dinner. I made egg cups and french toast cups. They came together very quickly, and we all enjoyed them. I even got them prepped mostly one handed since that’s about the only way to make dinner without running into the other room every five seconds to get Abram down from something he’s climbed on.

The basis of the recipe is putting bread in muffin cups. Then add whatever to it you want. I did eggs and cheese in some. I did eggs and maple syrup in some.

You could also use the bread in a muffin cup idea with things like sloppy joes or cheeseburger cups or pot pie. The bread is kind of the crust. Then be creative and go from there.

It’s fun to have individual servings, especially for kids. And it’s much faster than making a crust 🙂

These are great for a brunch or for a party. They are also a great prep ahead breakfast. Make them the night before or freeze a bunch and warm them when you need them.

Breakfast Cups

Mini quiche breakfast cups

3 slices whole wheat bread (or whatever bread you tolerate…gluten free, grain free, etc.)
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Grease 6 cups of a muffin tin. Mix eggs, milk and seasoning. Place 1/4 slice of bread* in each muffin cup. Top with a little cheese. Evenly distrbute the eggs among the cups. Add another 1/4 slice of bread to each cup and push down so it absorbs the eggs. Top with extra cheese if desired. Bake at 350 for 25 – 30 minutes.

Mini french toast cups

3 slices whole wheat bread (or whatever bread you tolerate…gluten free, grain free, etc.)
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
cinnamon (optional)

Grease 6 cups of a muffin tin. Mix eggs, milk and cinnamon. Place 1/4 slice of bread* in each muffin cup. Pour a little maple syrup on top. Repeat with another 1/4 slice of bread and syrup. Evenly distribute the eggs among the cups. Push bread down to be sure it all gets saturated with the eggs. Bake at 350 for 25 – 30 minutes.

*You can also do it with bread torn into chunks instead of keeping it as slices. This works espically well for french toast.

Chicken Noodle Sour Cream Cakes (RR)

Last night we made Rebecca’s most recent recipe creation. She called them noodle cream cakes. When I asked her how to make them she said they were chicken sour cream cakes with noodle and bread crumb topping.

They actually turned out quite well. I never would have thought to add sour cream to my chicken cakes…but it was really good! I’ll probably do that more often now when I make things like salmon cakes and tuna cakes.

I didn’t measure anything. Whenever I make “cakes” I just add and taste as I go. I’ll try to give approximate quantities.

Chicken Noodle Sour Cream Cakes

1 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1/2 cup sour cream (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup bread crumbs
salt, garlic powder, herbs to taste
bread crumbs to coat

cooked noodles (we used egg noodles)
butter, salt, garlic powder (optional for noodles)
seasoned bread crumbs for topping

Mix chicken, sour cream, mayo, yolks and bread crumbs. Add seasoning. Add more sour cream (if too dry) or more bread crumbs (if too wet) to get a thick mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Form meat mixture into patties. Coat with bread crumbs. Cook in hot oil (coconut oil, butter, lard) in skillet over medium heat until golden brown, about 6 minutes per side.

While chicken cakes are cooking, cook the noodles. You can serve them plain. I added butter, salt and garlic powder.

Serve the chicken cakes topped with noodles and a sprinkle of bread crumbs.

Zucchini Soup | Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini soup is a great way to use up some of your larger zucchini and get kids to eat it! Pair it with zucchini crackers and cheese…lunch is served.

Zucchini Soup | Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

Zucchini just keeps coming.

I’m still working on using up the last of the zucchini from our garden. Sound familiar? You can only make so much zucchini bread!

One nourishing way to use that extra zucchini is in zucchini soup. It is so good! And so simple. Just cook and puree some vegetables in broth. It turns into a creamy, flavorful nourishing soup.

Zucchini is the base. But you can add any vegetables to complement the zucchini.

I like to use the zucchini that gets a little too big for soup. You can’t tell the difference.

Getting ready for fall.

As fall approaches and I think about school…I also think about sickness. Once all of those kids are together the germs start spreading.

Eating zucchini soup during the summer is a great way to build up the immune system ahead of time. Getting your family to consume broth year round is a great idea.

Soup for breakfast.

I eat soup for breakfast most days. I love it when I have leftover soup that I can just grab out of the fridge and eat cold. Zucchini soup is perfect for an easy breakfast or lunch that you don’t have to cook.

It also makes a great dip for raw vegetables or crackers.

Are you struggling to come up with more ways to use your zucchini? Try zucchini soup!

Zucchini Soup

3 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1 cup diced, cooked chicken (optional)

  1. Cook vegetables in broth until very tender, about 30 minutes.
  2. Add seasoning.
  3. Puree with an immersion blender or regular blender.
  4. Return soup to pot, taste and adjust seasoning.
  5. Add diced, cooked chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.

Here are a few more zucchini recipes you may enjoy:

Zucchini cake with two frostings

Zucchini crackers

Zucchini pizza bites

Chocolate zucchini scones

Zucchini salmon cakes

Chocolate zucchini cupcakes

BLT…and P?

I’m finally playing catch up with some recipe posts after finishing all of my other writing assignments. Recently we had BLTs for dinner. But we made one addition…we added peanut butter! I know it sounds crazy and kind of gross. I thought the same thing when I stumbled on this idea at Simple Organized Living. But after reading the comments and seeing how many people really liked it I gave it a try.

Turns out it’s pretty good. It gives you the delicious salty/sweet combo. It’s important to put the peanut butter on the bacon side of the sandwich.

I’ve always loved BLTs. Most of the time I also put avocado on them. Now there is one more ingredient we can add.

Have you ever tried peanut butter on your BLT? What do you think?

BLTP

2 slices bread
3 strips cooked bacon
2 slices fresh tomatoes
leaf lettuce
homemade mayonnaise
peanut butter

Toast bread. Spread one slice with mayonnaise. Spread the other slice with peanut butter. On the mayonnaise slice add lettuce, then tomatoes, then bacon. Top with the peanut butter slice. Enjoy!

Crockpot Peppercorn Steak

We still have quite a bit of beef in our freezer from last year. I’m always looking for new ways to cook it. After searching for a steak recipe I found a simple one on A Year of Slow cooking. I modified it a little, using what I had on hand.

It turned out great! I used rib steak…which I don’t generally care about much. But it was very tender and flavorful this way. I would definitely make this again. I served it over rice. It would also work well over mashed potatoes or polenta. You could also add potatoes right in the crockpot and make it a one pot meal. I’ll post the recipe the way I made it.

Crockpot Peppercorn Steak

Steak (any kind you like. I used one large rib steak. There was plenty of sauce. I could have cooked two steaks in it)
1 pint tomato soup (preferably homemade, else plain tomato sauce)
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
(any vegetables you like will work here)
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1//2 tsp. pepper

Place meat in crockpot. Add vegetables. Pour in tomato soup, water and seasoning. Cook on low 7 or more hours (the longer it cooks the more tender it will be) or on high 5 or more hours.

RR – Rice Balls

It’s time for this’s week’s Rebecca’s Recipe. Rebecca decided to have rice balls for dinner. I’ve never made or eaten a rice ball. But it sounded good. We came up with a very simple recipe that actually was really good! Even Justin really enjoyed them. They are basically a combination of rice, cheese, egg and seasoning. You can dip them in pretty much anything (salsa, spaghetti sauce, honey mustard, ketchup, pesto…whatever) or eat them plain. They are delicious either way. You can add variety by using different cheeses. I used garlic and onion last night. A sharp cheddar or parmesan would be great too. They reheat very well. I’ll make these again for sure! Another winning recipe from my little chef 🙂

Rice Balls

1 cup cooked rice (I used white rice since I’m experimenting with how my tummy handles it…you could use any kind of rice you like)
1 egg
1/2 cup finely grated cheese (I used garlic and onion)
seasoning of choice (I just used salt + the seasoning in my bread crumbs)
bread crumbs (use gluten free bread crumbs to make this gluten free)
oil for frying (I used coconut oil)

Cook rice and let cool partially (or cook the rice ahead of time/use leftovers and warm it slightly). Add egg, cheese and seasoning. Mix well. One at a time roll a small portion into a ball and cover with bread crumbs. They will be fragile, so I found it easiest to sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the rice ball in my hand and gently lay it in the pan.

Cook in hot oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in large skillet. Cook over medium heat on all sides until golden brown, about 15 minutes total. Serve plain or with dipping sauce. They would also be good on a salad.

RR – Cheese Chicken Nuggets

I’m starting a new recipe category – RR. It does not stand for Rachael Ray (especially since I rarely make her recipes). It stand for Rebecca’s Recipes! As Rebecca and I create and make her recipes I’ll share them…if they are worth sharing 🙂

This week we made “cheese chicken nuggets.” It’s a chicken nugget (her favorite) filled with cheese. I made them using two methods. They both worked fine. I cut up some chicken chunks. Then I pounded some of them thin and rolled them up with cheese inside. Some I just cut a slit in the side and stuffed with a chunk of cheese. Then I breaded them all and baked them. They tasted great! I was pretty rushed when making dinner, so I didn’t do them as neatly as I would have liked and didn’t get in as much cheese as I would have liked. But they were still great. I’ll make them again for sure! I served them with homemade honey mustard.

Cheese Chicken Nuggets

2 large chicken breasts
cheese, cut into strips or chinks or shredded (I used parmesan in some and white cheddar in others)

organic AP flour
panko
egg
seasoning of choice

Cut chicken into large chunks.

Method 1:

Pound chicken pieces very thin. Place small amount of cheese at one end and roll.

Method 2:

Cut large slit into chicken chunks. Stuff cheese inside.

Bread:

Coat in flour, then beaten egg, then seasoned panko or homemade bread crumbs.

Cook:

Place on coconut oil greased baking sheet. Drizzle with coconut oil. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.

OR

Fry in a cast iron skillet in coconut oil/palm shortening/lard until crispy on all sides.

Cobb Style Rice Bowls

Last night I made my other Rachael Ray recipe that’s been sitting in my recipe pile for several years. It’s a very simple dish and really can be quite versatile depending on your tastes. I made it mostly according to the recipe. But I don’t have any kale. I just sauteed some leaf lettuce from our garden instead. And I used chopped walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. We all really enjoyed this. Justin and Rebecca would rather not have the tomatoes. They just don’t care for them. I think they are crazy 🙂  This is a great light summer meal. If I make it again I think I’ll increase the amount of dressing on the rice. We could hardly taste it, and I used a half recipe of dressing for 1/5 the amount of rice.

Cobb Style Rice Bowls
4 servings (RR servings…probably more for most people)

8 slices bacon
1 bunch kale, stemmed and thinly sliced (4 cups packed)
1 Tbsp. EVOO (I used coconut oil)
1 pt. grape tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar (I used red wine…all I had)*
1 Tbsp. sugar
5 cups cooked brown rice (I used white rice)
1 avocado, thinly sliced (I cut it in chunks)
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds (I used chopped crispy walnuts)

In a large, heavy skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper towel and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the grease. Add the kale and 3 tablespoons water; cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat until tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 8 minutes. 

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon salt until dissolved; stir into the rice.* (I would make a lot more dressing for the rice to give it enough flavor)

To serve, divide the rice among 4 bowls and layer with the kale, tomatoes, avocado, bacon and sunflower seeds.