Crustless Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Can you tell I've been trying to get more spinach into my diet since I got back from China? I have two bags of frozen spinach in the freezer and a bag of fresh in the fridge! The fact is, I love spinach, and it was one of those things I had a hard time finding in Beijing.

This quiche is loaded with spinach and was quite tasty the way I made it, but you could easily sub or add whatever you want. Kale? Peppers? Um...bacon? (yes please!) Just be sure that whatever you do, you get as much moisture as possible out of the veggies. Fresh from the oven, mine was barely wet on the bottom, which didn't really bother me. This wasn't an issue the following day(s).

I'm also trying to get more greens into my diet, so stay tuned for more green recipes!

Ingredients

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed 

8 ounces fresh mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2 ounces feta cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze as much water as you can out of the thawed spinach. I used paper towels to absorb the water, though you could also use a dishtowel to ring the water out.

Quickly rinse the mushrooms and slice them thinly. Place the sliced mushrooms in a skillet coated with non-stick spray, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic about a minute or two before the mushrooms are done.

Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Spread the spinach out on the bottom of the pie dish. Next add the cooked mushrooms and crumbled feta.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, and another small sprinkle of pepper. Whisk to combine. (This step can be completed while the mushrooms are cooking). Pour this mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.

Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese over top. Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. Every oven is different but this should take between 45 minutes and an hour.

Recipe Source: Budget Bytes

Fried Egg and Frisée Salad Sandwich

I have been one busy bee. In the past two weeks, we've had one day off of work. Thankfully that day was Chris' birthday. It was a relaxing day, including pizza at our favorite pizza place and a homemade cheesecake (beaming with pride here...I totally rigged it in the easy bake and it was awesome). 

I actually feel pretty bad for Chris. Wanna know why? He and Eloy are off sweating away at soccer in yucky Beijing air, while I'm at home eating this sandwich. It's really not fair at all, because he would go apey over this sandwich. I'm a terrible person aren't I? Maybe if he's sweet, I'll make him one when he gets home. Heck, I may make another one for me too when he gets home!

This is a grown up's eggy sandwich (Yes, "eggy". Just be happy I didn't call the fried egg a "dunkie middle"). It has some wonderful flavors going on, largely from the delicious Salade Lyonnaise. Add a perfectly fried egg and blue cheese? Pure bliss. It is messy and awesome, and I urge you to make it immediately. 

Oh baby.

Fried Egg and Frisée Salad Sandwich

Makes 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients

Two rolls, or sliced french bread

1 1/2 cups frisée (French curly endive), torn into bite sized pieces

1 bacon slice, preferably thick sliced (needs some fat on it!)

1 tablespoon minced shallot or onion

1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/8-1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, depending on preference

1-2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 large eggs

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Directions

Place bread in the oven to toast.

Place frisée in a medium bowl. Cut bacon into 1/4 inch wide lardons. In a small heavy skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, or until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel, reserving bacon fat in the pan (my bacon wasn't too fatty so I added a touch of oil). Add shallot to bacon fat and cook for one minute, stirring. Add red wine vinegar, and let it hiss and bubble for about 20-30 seconds, then remove from heat and whisk in the Dijon. Immediately pour hot dressing over frisée, and toss with drained lardons, salt, and pepper.

Remove bread from the oven, and divide the salad between each bottom bun/slice. It will seem like a lot, but you want it, believe me. Top each salad pile with blue cheese.

Reheat skillet over medium-high heat. Crack open the egg into the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cover with a lid. Check on the egg after a minute or two. The white should be cooked, but the yellow still runny. Do not overcook. If you do, make another egg. Deb suggests flipping the egg over and letting it cook for another 20-30 seconds to help reduce the mess, but I didn't do this. I liked the mess.

Remove the egg from the pan, and place it on top of the salad. 

FYI, the salad by itself is pretty awesome, if you have any leftovers. 

Recipe Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen