Muffin Tin Quiches

As per Wiki:  Quiche (/ˈkiːʃ/ KEESH) is a savory, open-faced pastry crust with a filling of savory custard with cheese, meat, fish or vegetables. Quiche can be served hot or cold. It is part of French cuisine, but is also popular in Britain, particularly as party food.

The definition I posted is what a traditional quiche consists of...but I was looking to make it lower in fat, essentially lowering the cholesterol of this dish.  I started cooking for my mother-in-law...I can only imagine the thoughts running through your mind!!!  She calls me at least 5 times a day to check on the babies, she lives .125 miles away from me in the same development, and everything I do is wrong!  BUT it's OK!  I threaten to take her to the home and remind her that I'll be around for a long time!  Sooo...we're even!  Hahaha!  We really do love each other, though she denies it.  ;)  I go with her to every doctor's appointment, and she struggles with her cholesterol.  We were at the neurologist for her check-up regarding her MD (muscular dystrophy) and he told her if she were to take cholesterol medication it could break down her muscle even faster.  Therefore she needs to be on a heart healthy, low fat, low cholesterol diet.  So here we go.  Using egg whites, in this recipe, we are obtaining just that.  

In these pictures, I used full, organic eggs, but I then turned around and used egg whites and, as I thought, they turned out lighter and fluffier!  

The ingredients are simple.  6 eggs, or a small carton of egg whites.  Frozen spinach.  Chives.  Goat cheese.  Salt and pepper to season to taste.  Extra virgin olive oil spray.  

Spray muffin tins with EVOO spray.

Add 1 whisked egg to each muffin tin.

Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper...yummy!

This is what it looks like before adding your "filling".

Love using this spinach from BJ's Wholesale Club.  You can use as much as little as you want for your meals and keep the rest frozen!

I like to crumble the goat cheese myself because I feel like it seems fresher.  But it makes your fingers...well...yucky!  So, if you'd like to keep your hands clean, opt for the crumbled!!!

This is the final product!

I did half in spinach and goat cheese and half scallion and goat cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes...

   You can add any type of chopped veggies or meat...bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon...the possibilities are endless...

Brazillient Party Dip! Delicioso!

Charlotte's Brazillient Party Dip

(Uh.Maze.Ing.)

 

 

OK, OK, OK!  I know I have been gone for a little bit...but I promise that I have been working on some great recipes.  I thrive on, and challenge myself, creating original recipes.  I don't Google recipes.  (Well, I don't Google recipes that I am posting.  (Singing in my head, "Everybody needs some*omit body and insert*recipes sometimes...")  

So now on to the important stuff!  This picture is deceiving.  I mean, really, when you look at it, maybe, southwestern?  There's corn, black beans, tomatoes...but there is a twist.  We have these family friends that are from Brazil and he taught me how to make a vinaigrette.  It is, OH MY GOODNESS, pour it on everything, delicious!  My family and I would go to his family barbecues, and, if you are fortunate enough to have friends who are Brazilian and barbecue, you are lucky!  Anyway, I digress...It is really simple...a large tomato, an onion, a half bunch of cilantro, a few tablespoons of vinegar, a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a nice sprinkling of sea salt, juice of one lime, blend, and voila!  You have a delicioso blended vinaigrette!  But for this particular recipe I just chopped the ingredients instead of blending it because I know that I wanted to serve with tortilla chips at a friend's birthday party. 

 Lime juice (DON'T JUDGE ME!  If you've read my other blogs, you'll know that I love using what I have on hand...  ;)  )  And the obvious, tomatoes!

 Again, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!  Of course you are going to get a more vibrant flavor, but I was not about to run two small children to the store for cilantro and lime, and I always have these things on hand!  :)

 The above photos are the ingredients that I used for the vinaigrette, but silly me forgot to picture the onion! 

After you mix the "vinaigrette" ingredients in a bowl, layer them into a nice, glass, dish.  I say glass because it makes for a beautiful presentation as there are a couple layers. 

Then you are going to get your cans of black beans and corn.  Open. Drain. Rinse. Layer.  That easy!

Add a layer of sour cream.  Add a generous sprinkling of cheese.  Sprinkle some flakes of cilantro for that nice finish.

 

 

 AND, this is so easy, you can have your little helper help you!!!  What 4 year old doesn't want to play in water???

This dish was a success!  People were coming up to me to ask me for the recipe, so here it is!  I hope you love it as much as they did!  You can serve it with tortilla chips, on a bed of lettuce...

Remember, the possibilities are endless...

Taste of Home Field Editor...Wuuuttt???

                                               This is the June/July Taste of Home magazine...

                                   This is the "Field Editor" section of Taste of Home magazine...

                                    That's right!  That's me!  Charlotte Fields of Lake Worth! 

I love Taste of Home magazine.  So one day, flipping through I saw that you could apply to be a Taste of Home Field Editor.  It is an unpaid position that comes with many perks, such as a higher chance of being published!  I had no idea that the application would be as involved as it was...but I was determined.  I submitted my blog along with my application, and someone must have liked what they saw because only after a few "short" months (as apparently it takes a while to get through the applications) I got my email, and then my welcome kit!  I am so excited to be apart of the Taste of Home Field Editors!  

Thank you so much everyone who has been reading my blog and encouraging me along the way!  There are some great recipes that will be posting soon! 

Tips of the Day...

OK, so, if you have read my pantry chili blog, you'll notice that I have only posted recipes...but what I didn't realize was that, there is much more to cooking than just recipes!  I mean, of course I knew that, but I never thought to write them down...I guess that's a bit "old school"...I meant, type them up!

These past few weeks, I've made it a top priority to cook everyday...no eating out...and I've got to say, KUDOS to me!  Now with that said, there is an issue of leftovers.  A lot of times, things don't taste as well when they are reheated than when they were originally cooked.  I suppose I could have "Googled" the solutions to these problems, but I wanted to try it out myself, so here goes:

Leftover pasta:
This is in regards to any type of starchy noodle.  Fill a saucepan half way with water and pour a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, as Rachael Ray refers to it...  Cover the pot and bring to a rapid boil.  (I put the temp on high while trying to bring the water to a boil, super impatient...)  After it comes to a boil, drop in desired amount of pasta, I recommend putting it in for each individual portion.  Wait 1-2 minutes and spoon out with a pasta spoon.  OMGee!!!  I couldn't believe how well the pasta had re-heated!  100% better than in the microwave.  The EVOO not only adds a hint of flavor, giving the pasta dish some extra depth, but it also keeps the pasta from sticking!  Brilliant!

Leftover rice:
When rice is refrigerated, it gets hard and clumpy.  This is easy, add 1-2 tablespoons of water per serving and place in microwave for 2-3 minutes.  I place a microwave lid over the bowl, but if you don't have one, you can wet a paper towel and place it over the bowl.  It literally is steaming and rehydrating the rice!