Cauliflower, Sweet Onion, and Leek Quiche

From Everyday with Rachael Ray (can't find it on the site)



Ingredients:
One 9-inch frozen whole wheat pie shell, thawed
1/2 cup packed shredded gruyere cheese (about 2 ounces)
1 tsp EVOO
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced leeks
salt & pepper
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cauliflower
3/4 cup chicken broth
7 egg whites (about 1 cup)

Directions:
1. Position a baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven and preheat to 400. Using a fork, prick the inside of the pie shell all over. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Arrange half of the cheese in the crust and bake until melted, about 3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower and chicken broth and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining cheese and the cauliflower mixture. Transfer to the prepared pie shell and bake until the filling is set, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Comments:
Ok, so slight fail on this one. I neglected to specify "whole wheat" on my shopping list so I just got a regular pie shell. I used provolone since that's what I had. I use whole eggs (ended up being 5 of them to get to 1 cup.) I did ok other than those things.

I knew that I'd end up baking this for much longer than it said. That always seems to happen with quiches. I ended up leaving it in the oven for about 35 minutes. It was set pretty well by that point. But you can see the end of the wedge still caved in when I plated it. Grrr.

Anyway, quiche-execution problems aside, this was pretty simple and pretty tasty. A little bland - maybe some more salt & pepper - but not bad.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Ham

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower (about 2½ pounds), cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1 pound penne pasta
1/3 pound sliced boiled ham, cut into ribbons

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet, drizzle with the oil and toss; season with salt and pepper. Bake until browned, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until the butter is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the sage and remove from the heat.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain and return the pasta to the pot. Stir in the ham, cauliflower and reserved pasta cooking water. Stir in the sage butter and season with salt and pepper.

Comments:
Another pretty simple dish. I almost burned the cauliflower though. Adam was unimpressed. He still ate it and even took some of the leftovers for lunch the next day. That's better than the turkey meatballs did...

Adam Cooks (kind of): Baked Potato Soup

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 large baking potatoes—peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1/2 head cauliflower, cored and chopped
1 bunch scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately
4 slices bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, 2 cups milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the cauliflower and scallion whites, cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup milk, then puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Microwave the bacon at high power until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes; crumble. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top with the shredded cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon and scallion greens.

Comments:
So Adam was slicing the potatoes on the mandolin (something I thought was unnecessary seeing as how the soup was going to be blended up anyway. But that's a separate issue.) when he managed to slice the top of his index finger clean off (and no, he wasn't using the hand guard. For shame...) For once it was not cat blood being spurted all over the house. Anywho, due to his blood loss and the need for him to keep his hand over his head, I took over the dinner-making duties.

Ah, the drama.

This was pretty good. And I finally got to use the immersible blender I got for Christmas. Woo! I probably could have put more salt in but it was not bland by any means. I didn't microwave the bacon. I think that's just a bad idea, so I ignored that part of the directions.

Veggie Mac 'n' Cheese

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups fresh cauliflowerets
3 large carrots, halved and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding the broccoli, cauliflowerets, carrots and celery during the last 6 minutes. Drain; transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute onion in butter until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Gradually stir in milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to coat. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 12 servings.

Comments:
After a disasterous mac and cheese incident a few months back (as in, it turned out horrible and made us both very sick) I decided I should try again. Using a recipe this time. Overall, pretty easy to make. Although the cats were swarming more than usual when I made this. I don't know why. Maybe they like cauliflower? In any case, simple to assemble, tastes good. I like how the veggies get almost sweet when they're baked.