"anything goes" crustless quiche

I love the crustless broccoli cheddar recipe I've been using and recently came to realize that I could substitute the broccoli and cheddar for just about ANYTHING.  It has become my go-to recipe for cleaning out my fridge!  For example, today I used leftover sausage, peppers and onions from a pizza bar we had days ago.  I added some spinach and green onions and presto!  You can put whatever you want in your dish, sprinkle with whatever cheese you want then pour the egg/milk combo over the top.  It's that easy.  I've used leftover steamed asparagus, ham, olives, etc.

"anything goes" crustless quiche
3 cups whatever you want- sausage, ham, asparagus, spinach, peppers, onions, etc.
1 cup grated cheese
2/3 cup milk
5 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a pie dish with oil.
Spread the "whatever you want" in the bottom  of the dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.
In a bowl, combine milk, eggs, salt and ground black pepper.
Pour the milk/egg mixture over the "whatever you want" in the dish.  Bake 35-40 minutes until the center is set.

whole wheat pizza dough

When my family heard we were having pizza for dinner there was some cheering!  They enjoy making their own pizzas.  I wanted a whole wheat dough this time so tried a new recipe.  Everyone loved their pizza (even my oldest who used pesto and vegan cheese) and it was simple to make.

whole wheat pizza dough (slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
olive oil for brushing crust

Combine the sugar, yeast and warm water in a large bowl.  Stir it around and let it sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast is foamy and dissolved.  Add the oil, honey and salt.  Mix by hand.  Add 3 cups of whole wheat flour and mix until the dough starts to come together.
Knead for 5 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface.  If the dough is too wet add up to 1/3  cup more flour.  After kneading the dough should be smooth and elastic.  Poke it with your finger- if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.  If not keep kneading.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large mixing bowl that has been coated lightly with oil.  Turn it over to coat all sides.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm environment for 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Grease and dust 2 baking sheets or pizza pans with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal if desired.
Divide the dough into two balls.  Flatten each ball of dough one at a time on a lightly floured surface for two pizzas.  Or shape into multiple smaller pizzas for individual pizzas.  Transfer dough to the pizza pan or baking sheets.  Top with your favorite toppings.
Bake 15 minutes.  Serve nice and hot.

no-flip pancake

My family LOVED these pancakes and I did too.  No more flipping?  That's brilliant!!!  If I ever flip pancakes again it will be because I forgot about this recipe.  Seriously!

no-flip pancake (my friend Lindsey M. who lives in Utah)
Preheat you oven to 425 degrees.  Coat a cookies sheet with a lip with cooking spray.
Prepare 3 cups of pancake mix according to package directions (I combined 3 cups mix with 2 cups milk- I started using milk because they taste even better!).  Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it into an even layer.
Top with your favorite pancake add-ins!  Above I used fresh blueberries, banana slices and mini chocolate chips.  Get creative!
Bake 12-15 minutes.

soft whole wheat bread

I wanted to make whole wheat bread so my oldest and I could enjoy it along with the rest of the family- we both stay away from refined carbs.  This was a great recipe!  We really enjoyed it and so did everyone else.  Twelve thumbs up.

soft whole wheat bread (slightly adapted by baking a moment)
3 cups warm water
2 packets yeast (or 5 tablespoons bulk yeast)
1/2 cup honey (I used 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened (I used earth balance for my oldest whose vegan)
at least 7 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Pour the warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle yeast on top.  Set aside for 5 minutes and allow to proof.
Add the honey, butter and salt.
Stir in 2 cups of the flour.  Keep adding flour 2 cups at a time until you reach about 6-7 cups and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead on a floured surface adding flour 1/2 to 3/4 cup a time until it is no longer sticky but smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes.
Lightly mist (2) 9x5 inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.
Punch down the dough and shape into two loaves.  Place in prepared pans.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.

vegan baked oatmeal

Delicious!  I adjusted a recipe that I love so my oldest could enjoy breakfast with us.  The coconut milk was so good I don't think I'll use cow's milk again!  I omitted the eggs from the original recipe but next time I'll try the whole flax seed egg substitute.  I just wasn't ready to try that this time and wasn't sure it was necessary.
Note:  For dessert tonight I pulled out a cheesecake and fresh berries.  I felt bad my oldest couldn't have any cheesecake so pulled some leftover baked oatmeal from the fridge for her.  We discovered that cold baked oatmeal is delicious!  

vegan baked oatmeal
2 tablespoons plant based butter substitute, melted
1/3 cup honey
3 cups quick oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can light coconut milk
1 cup fruit of your choice- berries, diced apples, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare an 8x8 pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine melted butter and honey.  Add the oats, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and coconut milk.  Stir well to combine.  Fold in the fruit.
Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  You can serve with more fruit and milk on top if desired.

roasted red pepper sauce

This was the best roasted red pepper sauce!  The addition of the capers and basil took it over the top and made it perfect.  I thought these Mediterranean bowls would be good but they were outstanding.  I had purchased some hummus but my daughter ended up making some from scratch so that added even more authenticity to our bowls.  Two thumbs up!

roasted red pepper sauce (slightly adapted from fifteen spatulas)
16 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I omitted)
2 tablespoons minced shallot (I used a slice of onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves (about 10 leaves)
1 tablespoon capers, drained
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients into a blender.
Blend for 30-60 seconds on high speed, until completely smooth.
Store leftovers in the fridge for 1 week or freeze for 1 month.

ingredients to make the best bowl ever:
quinoa
feta cheese
cucumber
red onion
green pepper
pepperoncini rings
hummus
chicken thighs sliced and cooked in Italian dressing

sushi bar

Tonight my oldest suggested a sushi bar.  It was a GREAT idea!  It was fun because we all got to make our own and add what we wanted and skip what we didn't want.  My oldest is vegan so tried some tofu in hers.  I love my teriyaki chicken so added some of that into mine!  We used Disneyland's Bengal BBQ Sauce for a dipping sauce which is always dreamy.

dinner suggestion:  sushi bar
You'll need
sticky rice
sheets of seaweed
a variety of veggies cut long and thin- cucumber, carrots, celery, peppers, blanched asparagus, avocado
cream cheese, optional
tofu, optional
teriyaki chicken, optional
bamboo sushi rolls
Disneyland's Bengal BBQ Sauce for dipping (go HERE to find the recipe)
soy sauce for dipping
wasabi for dipping

Roll 'em up!  Slice 'em.  Eat 'em!