Crustless Quiche

This gluten-free crustless quiche, or "frittata", is great for Sunday brunch. The first frittata I made didn't include the sun-dried tomatoes and I felt it lacked something — so, I added a side of olive tapenade, which rounded the tastes out nicely. This morning I added sun-dried tomatoes to the recipe and it all came together beautifully. I forgot how wonderful this ingredient is to have on hand... sparking dishes with that sweet je-ne-sais-quois that makes your loved ones smile and ask for seconds.

• 1/4 onion (chopped; optional)
• 1/2 bucket (~ 4 oz.) mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach (chopped)
• 1 stalk celery (diced; optional)
• 6 eggs (beaten with fork)
• 1/3 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes (slivered; oil drained - save 1 Tbsp. oil for sautéing)
• 3-5 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 tsp.+ dried sage (crushed)
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp dried basil 
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. In saucepan on stovetop at medium heat, sauté onion, mushooms, spinach, and celery in a tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes until onions are clear and mushrooms give up their moisture. Drain off water and set aside. In mixing bowl, beat eggs, then add feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and seasonings. Mix thoroughly then stir in sautéed mixture. Pour ingredients into lightly oiled (again, with sun-dried tomato oil) ceramic pie dish. Bake 45 minutes or until done. Serve with avocado slices, olive tapenade, or sliced fruit.

Pumpkin Soup & Rosemary Flatbread

Sure signs of autumn are the dropping temps, wilting wildflowers, and pumpkins brightening the grocery stores. I bought my first sugar pumpkin of the season yesterday and raced home to make this nourishing soup that really packs some heat! The accompanying rosemary flatbread is a household favorite — it's a tasty replacement for the excessive amount of corn chips we eat. (Note: Both recipes are super flexible; you can swap out and add whatever you like to the base recipes.) 

Pumpkin Jalapeño Soup 

• 2.5 c. pumpkin purée (from 1 small sugar pumpkin)
• 2.5 c. water
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1/4 red onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 small jalapeño pepper (seeded, veined, and diced)
• 4 Tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds, or pepitas (for garnish)

Wash pumpkin, slice in half, and remove seeds and stringy pulp. Place pumpkin halves face-down in shallow baking pan with 2 cups of water; bake at 350° for ~ 45 min.-1 hour (or until flesh is soft when pierced with a fork). When done, allow pumpkin to cool and drain off any excess water. Spoon out soft flesh and discard skin. In food processor, purée 2.5 cups of baked pumpkin flesh, 2.5 cups of water, curry powder, ginger and jalapeño.

On low heat in saucepan, brown onions in coconut oil on stovetop. Add pumpkin mix to saucepan and bring soup to a simmer; reduce heat and warm for 10 minutes. Pour into bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds. Optional garnishes: a swirl of plain yogurt and a squeeze of lime.

Gluten-Free Rosemary Flatbread

• 1 c. almond flour/meal (or, use raw almonds and simply grind to flour consistency in coffee grinder)
• 1/2 c. sesame seeds (1/4 ground to flour; 1/4 unground)
• 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary (ground) — (or, use 1 Tbsp. whole caraway seeds)
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• pinch of sea salt 
• 1 egg
• Optional: May wish to sprinkle rolled-out dough with sea salt prior to baking

In mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Add egg to mix and blend thoroughly with a fork. Dough should be moist enough to pack into a ball. If too moist, dough will stick to the parchment — add more almond flour as needed to get the right consistency. If too dry, add a little more egg white. You may need a friend for this part: Using a rolling pin on the countertop, roll out dough between two 9"x12" pieces of parchment paper (roll tortilla-thin). Peel off top-most parchment layer and discard. Place dough and base parchment layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut or break into ~3"x3" pieces and allow to cool on baking racks. Variations: This recipe is versatile; play with your own favorite herbs, spices, nuts and seeds (e.g. flax seed, anise, etc.) and make it your own!

Quinoa with Cherry Tomatoes

With its understated taste, protein-packed quinoa is a great neutral base for fresh, warm summer salads. Cherry tomatoes, kale, carrots, and avocado make a nourishing medley of goodness.

Serves 2 as main course. (Use organic and fresh ingredients whenever possible.)

• 2 cups quinoa; rinsed and prepared according to instructions on package
• a fist full of kale; washed and chopped
• 1 small carrot; shaved into ribbons using vegetable peeler
• 18-24 cherry tomatoes; washed and quartered
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-4 garlic cloves; minced
• 1 Tbsp. dried basil (use fresh herbs if you have them)
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano 
• 1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/2 avocado; cut into thin wedges

Prepare quinoa. Wash vegetables and cut accordingly. Steam kale and carrots on stove top until brightly colored. Quarter tomatoes and place in medium-sized bowl with olive oil, garlic, herbs, and black pepper. When steamed vegetables are done, add them to the tomato mixture and gently stir all ingredients until well mixed. Place 1 cup of hot or room temperature quinoa in each serving bowl. Spoon vegetable mixture on top of quinoa bed and garnish with avocado wedges. Optional: Blue corn chips make a nice accompaniment.