Gluten-free quichelettes

I like having gluten-free options for family and friends, but a lot of recipes try too hard to recreate all aspects of a non-GF dish. I like things that are more naturally-occurring GF--something everyone at the table would choose to eat, not just those who have no other choice.

When I saw a box of gluten-free stuffing mix at Trader Joe's, it just struck me that those crunchy croutons would make a great base for quichelettes, and happily I turned out to be right. The croutons themselves were so tasty I kept snacking on them as I was preparing the dish, which was itself inspired by a recipe I'd seen on Pinterest, sponsored by Bisquick.

The final product is a little handful of quiche with a creamy eggy filling soaking down the vegetables into the crouton base layer that stays just the right amount of crunchy.

So, here's the process:

Sautee whatever vegetables you want to use. In my fridge I found onion, roasted pasilla chile, and purple kale. Next time I'll probably opt for green onion and red bell pepper, and definitely chop everything into more consistently-sized pieces as this first attempt is a bit ragged with the pieces of kale and cheese sticking here and there.

Spray muffin tins and put in a base layer of croutons.

Then spoon in a small amount of the sauteed vegetables. Top with shredded cheese--I used a combo of cheddar and a four-Italian-cheese medley.

For 14 quichelettes I whipped 4 eggs with one cup heavy cream until frothy, added salt, pepper, and thyme, then poured a little into each muffin cup, distributing as evenly as I could.

After about 10-12 minutes in a 425 oven, the tops were puffy and nothing jiggled, so out they came. Next time I'll include a little less vegetable filling, keeping the same amount of cheese and egg. I might crush the croutons a little so they make a little more consistent base layer. However, now I know I have an excellent base recipe that is super-easy to make and can handle all sorts of variations. This could be made with regular croutons of course, but the flavor and extra crunchiness of the gluten-free ones are definitely my first choice for this recipe.

Hungry for hearty

This is a super-quick post about a mash-up I just did of two favorites: potato leek soup and butternut squash. A pile of beautiful leeks at the market called for that wonderful classic, but I needed something with more oomph for this busy day. And, as you all know, I adore butternut squash. I knew throwing it all together wouldn't be a failure, but happily it turned into possibly my favorite soup yet.

So here are the details:

All these amounts are suggestions--vary according to supplies and taste

2 fat russet potatoes, skins scrubbed, chopped into 1" chunks
1-2 carrots, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
Big hunk of butternut squash, peeled, chopped into 1" chunks (probably about 8 oz)
2-3 leeks, cleaned, chopped (stick with mostly the white part unless you're going for extra vitamins--the green takes extra long to cook)
1/2 pasilla chile, chopped
1 tsp salt
4 oz butter

Throw all this into a big pot, cook and stir until butter is melted and coats all the vegetables.

Add 1 qt no-salt-added vegetable stock plus 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook 30+ minutes until everything is tender and stock is reduced below vegetable level.

Remove from heat, add about 2 cups milk or coconut milk or whatever creamy liquid you like. Puree with immersion blender until smooth(ish).

This will keep several days in the fridge (if it doesn't all get eaten straight from the pot).

Butternutty Autumn

If you've read a few of my blog posts you know how I love butternut squash. After a ramble in the hills this afternoon, we were hungry for something quick, especially since a baseball playoff game was about to start. A quick look through the fridge yielded a carton of fresh butternut squash triangnoli, kale, zucchini, and a hunk of butternut squash, part of which had already gone into last weekend's bean stew. Is it piling on to make a sauce with the same squash that's inside the pasta? Not when it's my favorite!

I diced the butternut into small cubes for a quick saute.

Next came onion and a single clove of garlic--the sweetness of the squash-filled pasta needs to take precedence. I let that get pretty brown before adding the diced zucchini.



I dropped the kale into the pasta water before it fully boiled, to take out any bitterness.

After a couple of minutes I drained and chopped it, then added to the other vegetables along with butter and a handful of chopped pecans and turned the heat down low.

The fresh triangnoli takes about 4-5 minutes to fully cook. I added goat milk yogurt to the vegetables for a little simmer, and then the pasta. It didn't end up wanting any salt.

This was a simple but super-delicious meal. With so few ingredients it doesn't necessarily merit it's own blog post, but this is more about finding what's in the fridge and figuring out how to pull it together quickly. Most pasta sauces have so much crap in them--sugar, sodium, generic flavors. This sauce hits several positive notes--fresh nutritious ingredients with flavors that enhance the fresh pasta rather than overwhelm it. The goat milk yogurt adds a lightly savory undertone--if you want a really creamy sauce just add more of it.

Kale and butternut squash are both sturdy enough to last a while in the fridge, so it's not a bad idea to keep them on hand. Kale pumps up the nutrition level with mild pleasant bitterness that, when unwanted, is more easily negated than with spinach. Butternut squash can take the place of potatoes in a breakfast hash, making a meal that will take you through the busiest Sunday morning chores. I buy a big one and keep hacking off sections of the long neck. It's easy to peel with a vegetable peeler.

I eat butternut squash year-round, but here in the fall season, everything seems to taste better with a little butternut.