Swiss Chard Frittata

The swiss chard at the farmers' market looked so bold & beautiful with its bright yellow, orange, pink, & red stems that I immediately snapped up a bunch with grand plans to make a frittata that same day.  Unfortunately (or shall I say fortunately?), the nice weather was beckoning me so I spent my day outdoors instead.  I live in the Pacific Northwest & the definition of nice weather is a day that is not sprinkling or more.  That means that if it is gloomy out but there are not droplets of water falling from the sky, you appreciate the day & spend your day outdoors.  And that was the kind of day it was & that is what I did.  

Back to the swiss chard.  I had forgotten about the chards until today when my stomach started rumbling during a conference call & frittatas require little guidance so I decided to make that for lunch & it definitely hit the spot!  Just in case my manager or coworkers read my blog, I'd like to clarify that yes I made this during the conference call but it requires so little effort because it is mostly an oven recipe...so do not worry!  I was still listening to the call & participating while the frittata was being made.  :)

Swiss Chard Frittata

1/2 large onion, sliced 

1 bundle of swiss chard, chopped into 1/2" slices

6 large eggs

2 tb milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Using an oven-safe pan, saute onion in olive oil on medium low heat until the onions barely begin to caramelize.

- Whisk eggs, milk, cheese, salt, & pepper in a bowl while onions are cooking.

- Add the swiss chard & saute until the chards are wilted.

- Pour the egg mixture into the pan & make sure the wet mixture is spread throughout the pan evenly.

- Cook until the edges of the frittata begin to set.

- Place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes or until the middle of the frittata is set.

 

Uh oh, someone *cough* Kitsune *cough* is eyeing my lunch!

Spicy Bamboo & Tofu Chow Ho Fun (筍子豆干炒河粉)

I present to you tonight's dinner - 筍子豆干炒河粉!  I have been craving spicy bamboo & tofu so I was originally just going to make a side dish with that but I saw 炒河粉 (rice noodle) at the market & immediately bought it to make a main dish out of the spicy bamboo & tofu.  For those of you who are not familiar with 炒河粉, it is a wide & flat rice noodle.  This noodle is quite versatile & popular in both Cantonese & Mandarin cuisine.  I grew up eating it both ways which are both equally scrumptious.  

筍子豆干炒河粉 - Spicy Bamboo & Tofu Chow Ho Fun

2 cups fresh bamboo shoot, sliced

2 cups Chinese five-spice tofu, sliced

1/2 package chow ho fun (炒河粉)

2 stalks green onion, chopped into 1" in length

1 & 1/2 tb sesame oil

2 tb chili oil

3 tb light soy sauce

- Heat oils & soy sauce on medium low heat in a saute pan.

- Add tofu & bamboo shoot.  Stir until sesame & chili oils are fragrant.

- Add chow ho fun & green onion.  Mix until the noodles are cooked.  You can cook it longer if you'd like some of the noodles slightly crispy.

I love Chinese food!  I grew up eating this cuisine & most dishes are simple to make.   

Spicy Vegan White Chili

I have been adhering to a vegetarian diet when cooking at home so I have been coming up with different ways of making sure my body has the protein it needs.  My main source of protein has been dairy & tofu.  I absolutely love both but it's about time I venture out to other proteins so here come the beans!  This turned out wonderful & I'd make it again & again because it is easy, delicious & requires few seasonings as most of the flavor comes from the spicy Field Roast sausages.

Spicy Vegetarian White Chili

1/2 cup white beans
1/2 cup pinto beans
4 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages, sliced
1/2 cup frozen carrots, cubed
2 cups baby kale
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tb dried parsley
1 ts celery seed
7 cups water
2 & 1/2 cups vegetable broth

- Toss everything into a slow cooker 7-8 hours on low.

See, I told you it's easy!  I love my slow cooker.  Whoever invented it, you're genius!!!

Modified 韭菜盒子- Jiucai Hezi - Chinese Chive Pastries (Without the Pastry)

One of my favorite foods is 韭菜盒子, also known as Chinese chive pastries.  The smell & taste of Chinese chive pastries always bring back such sweet memories of my grandmother in the kitchen.  I consider her to be my muse whenever I cook mainland Chinese & Taiwanese food.  I always try to make my food as good as hers but I have never managed to succeed in doing so - it must be because I'm missing that secret & awesome grandma ingredient. 

I decided to recreate a healthier version 韭菜盒子 by omitting the meat & pastry as well as replacing bean thread / Chinese vermicelli with quinoa (the leftover quinoa from my vegan sweet potato & quinoa muffin foray).  Turned out so delicious!  I will post my actual 韭菜盒子 recipe sometime in the near future.

As you all know, I am making an effort to eat healthier (of which I have failed to do on several occasions) so that I can beat my friends in this weight throwdown, gloat in their faces, & donate the winnings to Not For Sale - a non-profit organization that aims to bring awareness to modern-day slavery.  I highly recommend everyone to take a moment to educate themselves on modern-day slavery.  So many of us lead extremely blessed lives because we have the freedom to be happy but not everyone has such freedom.  We, humans, are compassionate creatures & should care for one another - not take advantage of one another for our own benefits. 

Modified 韭菜盒子- Jiucai Hezi -  Chinese Chive Filling

1 & 1/4 cups quinoa, cooked

1/2 lb Chinese chives(韭菜 - jiucai), chopped

4 squares Chinese five-spice tofu (豆干 - dougan), chopped

4 eggs, scrambled

3 ts salt

1 tb sesame oil

1/4 ts white pepper

- Saute everything together on medium-low heat until Chinese chives are fragrant.

So easy!

Quiche With Sweet Potato Crust

Here is my healthier take on quiche - sweet potato crust instead of a flour & butter crust.  Yum!!!  I love quiches because it's so versatile.  You can basically put whatever you want in it so this is what I decided to put into mine today.

Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

3 sweet potatoes, sliced like potato chips

1 cup leeks, chopped

1 cup crimini mushrooms, diced

1 eggplant, diced

2 vegetarian Italian sausages, cut into 1/2" thick half circles (I recommend Field Roast) 

1 cup bell peppers, chopped

4 cups spinach

4 tb pesto (recipe below)

3 roma tomatoes, sliced

generous handful of haricot vert

10 eggs

2 & 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup mozzarella, sliced

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Lightly grease a 12" spring form pan.

- Saute pesto, sausage, mushroom, leek, eggplant, & bell pepper until eggplant is done.

- Add spinach & saute until the spinach is just wilted.

- Line the bottom & sides of the spring form pan with the sliced sweet potatoes.

- Place sauteed vegetables over the sweet potato crust.

- Top with haricot vert, tomatoes & mozzarella.

- Beat eggs & milk until thoroughly combined & pour over the quiche.

- Bake for 40 minutes or until set.

Pesto

3 tb pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, peeled

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Salt to taste

Makes about 1 cup of pesto & can be refrigerated for 3 weeks or so.

- Blend the pine nuts, basil & garlic using a blender, processor, or mortar & pestle.

- Add olive oil & continue blending.

- Add cheese & continue blending until the mixture is paste-like.

- Add salt & blend to taste.