Red Curry Quiche with Lentil-Quinoa Crust

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Red Curry Quiche with Lentil-Quinoa Crust
Recipe Type: Quiche, Casserole, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Thai
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Take your ordinary quiche to a whole new level with this ethnic spin on the classic recipe. I added a bit of red curry paste and chili sauce to the egg mixture, then poured it over caramelized veggies. The best part of this quiche, though, is that instead of that store bought crust packed with preservatives and chemicals, I toasted quinoa and lentils and let them serve as the bottom layer! They soaked up the egg and created a perfect base for holding the rest of the pie together. I will never, ever buy that yucky store crust again!
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup black lentils
  • 1/4 cup quinoa
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 bunch (about 2 tbsp) fresh thyme
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup red and green bell peppers (I used a frozen mixture from TJ’s)
  • 3 large carrots, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 cup red cooking wine
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach or kale
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp red curry paste
  • 1 tsp garlic chili sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • Goat cheese, for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. In a pie pan sprayed with cooking spray, spread the uncooked lentils and quinoa and toss the pan a bit to form an even layer. Blind bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until toasted.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add garlic, thyme, onion, red peppers, and carrots. Cook until soft and browned, about 4 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine. Stir in soy sauce, beans and spinach.
  3. Layer veggies on top of quinoa-lentil mixture. and press down firmly.
  4. In a medium bowl, add eggs, water, milk, red curry paste, chili sauce, and cumin. Whisk until frothy, about 1 minute.
  5. Pour egg mixture on top of veggies.
  6. Top with tomato slices and goat cheese.
  7. Bake 30 minutes or until egg is set and lightly browned.
  8. Cool at least 5 minutes before slicing! Serve with side salad and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Calories: 236cal Fat: 8g Carbohydrates: 28g Fiber: 6g Protein: 14g

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Harvest Apple Spice Cake

It’s that time of year where all I want to do is bake. It doesn’t help when we have about a gazillion (times three) apples in our fridge from our annual apple picking trip to Carter Mountain Orchard, just begging to be chopped up, sliced, diced, roasted, baked, pureed, and munched as-is!

This spice cake uses a combination of apples and pears, nestled into a doughy inside. I used plain yogurt and some spiced apple cider from Trader Joe’s to keep the batter moist, then stirred in some juicy raisins with the apples and pears. Topped with chopped nuts and sprinkled with a bit of brown sugar, and this cake becomes breakfast, afternoon snack, OR dessert! I’d also suggest it with a nice big scoop of my favorite vanilla fro-yo!

Note: I used some of these handy little Threshold Oven-safe Paper Loaf Pans that I got at Target. They are the BEST. Especially if you plan on doubling the batch to give a loaf or two away, these are perfect because you can just bake the cake in the pan, let it cool, wrap it up and send it on its way! I first saw these used to display different types of quickbread at a booth at the Durham Farmer’s Market, and the woman selling them told me where she’d gotten them. Best invention ever! They come in the full loaf size as well as a smaller size, and come in packs of 4 ($5.99 for the larger, and $2.99 for the smaller). I got a pack of each!

HARVEST APPLE SPICE CAKE
HARVEST APPLE SPICE CAKE
Harvest Apple Spice Cake
Recipe Type: Dessert, Breakfast
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16
I used plain yogurt and spiced apple cider in the batter of this spice cake, then stirred in some juicy raisins and chopped apples and pears. Sprinkle a few walnuts and brown sugar over the top before baking for a sweet caramelized glaze!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • 1/4 cup apple cider (I used TJ’s spiced cider!)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 2 medium apples, chopped (I used one honeycrisp and one gala)
  • 1 medium pear, chopped
  • Extra brown sugar and chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a cake pan with cooking spray or grease with shortening.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add egg and continue to mix. Stir in yogurt and apple cider.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  5. Stir in apples, pears, and raisins.
  6. Spread in an even layer in cake pan and top with walnuts and brown sugar. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes, then slice into squares and serve!
Calories: 187cal Fat: 7g Carbohydrates: 30g Fiber: 2g Protein: 3g

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Claire1 Comment

Introducing the New Claire Tastes Dietitian, Melissa! (And her first post on gluten-free diets!)

Claire Tastes is pleased to announce a fun new partnership with Melissa Moser, Registered Dietitian and long-time friend! I am so excited to work with a real expert in dieting, nutrition, and living a balanced and active life! Feel free to comment here with any questions you have for Melissa, and find out more about her by visiting her Nutrition page here on the blog!

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Melissa Moser, R.D.

What You Should Know About Gluten

When I tell people I’m a dietitian, they usually jump at the opportunity to ask me their questions about the latest nutrition craze. It seems that for the last year or two, gluten-free diets have been on the top of that list. Even my Italian grandmother, who cooks the most delicious pasta dishes in the world (sorry, Claire!), was considering giving up gluten after she heard about it on Dr. Oz!

So, what do I tell people when they ask me whether or not they should go gluten-free? Well, I’m not the type of dietitian who likes to tell people exactly what to eat – or not eat, so instead I guide them through a series of questions to help them come to their own, informed conclusion. If this is a lifestyle you’re considering, or just want to know more about, read through my questions and their answers:

Gluten

Do you know what gluten is?

Recently, Jimmy Kimmel sent a camera crew out to the streets of LA to ask self-declared gluten-free dieters the question “What is gluten?” and they came up with some pretty comical answers. Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye, and barley, and it gives bread its chewy texture. It’s believed that these grains became a major part of humans’ diets about 1200 years ago, and some make the argument that this has not been enough time for our bodies to adapt to properly digest it.

What are your reasons for wanting to avoid gluten?

There are plenty of legitimate arguments for following a gluten-free diet, but at least as many poorly-informed ones. People who are diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Celiac Disease need to omit gluten because it causes their body to attack and damage the surface of their own intestines, leading to serious consequences. Recent research has investigated a separate condition called gluten sensitivity. For people with gluten sensitivity, removing gluten from the diet can help to resolve certain intestinal symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea, as well as systemic symptoms like joint pain, headache, and anemia. If you’re not experiencing these types of symptoms, the gluten-free diet is not the magic answer to give you more energy or a sense of well-being. And if you’re considering a gluten-free diet because you want to lose weight, please understand this diet doesn’t guarantee weight loss, which brings me to my next question…

What will you eat if you omit gluten?

Deciding what you will eat is even more important than deciding what you won’t eat. A gluten-free diet will many unhealthy, processed snack foods, but because of the increasing demand for gluten-free items, manufacturers have made it possible to have your [gluten-free] cake and eat it too! Replacing gluten-containing foods with alternative whole grains like quinoa and brown rice – or better yet, adding more vegetables or fruits to the diet – can make for a very healthy gluten-free diet! However, filling the gluten void with gluten-free junk won’t likely do you any good.

So here’s my bottom line:

If you’re considering a gluten-free diet, think carefully about your reasoning. Plan what types of food you will eat, and figure out if this is a reasonable lifestyle for you. Whether you decide to keep gluten in your diet or not, aim to eat more nutrient-dense foods (like vegetables) and fewer nutrient-poor foods (like cakes and chips). And remember, there are no “magic” diets to boost your energy and make you look years younger. My suggestion for that is a well-balanced diet based on common sense, a good night’s rest, and a bit of time spent walking/running/playing every day!

 

Claire2 Comments

Apple Cider Chicken & Roasted Root Vegetable Medley

It’s that time of the year, ya’ll. Peaches are OUT, squash is IN. And APPLES! Did I mention it’s APPLE season? Ben and I are planning on going to Cville next weekend for our annual Carter Mountain apple picking trip. It’s so worth driving 6 hours total for 3ish hours of apple-hoarding, doughnut-nomming, cider-drinking, kiddo-ogling, dog-petting, hayriding, and jam-buying fun. (Maybe it’s less worth it for him, but at least he knows I’m the happiest lady in the world for those three hours!)

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Carter Mountain Orchard Trip (October 2013)

Since it’s fall now, I decided my “meal of the week” (read: large casserole that will make leftovers for about 12 days straight) should be some sort of roasted vegetables with an ode to apples. I was over by Trader Joe’s this afternoon, and they were sampling out little cups of the most DELICIOUS spiced apple cider, so of course I had to buy a gallon.

The result of my shopping trip was this roasted root vegetable medley, layered on top of a mixture of brown rice and lentils (inspired by my Chicken Marsala Rice Bake from a few months ago) chopped kale, and topped with chicken breasts and dijon apple cider sauce. I infused a few sprigs of fresh thyme into the cider sauce, as well as into the roasted veggies, to give it a little more harvest flavor.

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Apple Cider Chicken & Roasted Root Vegetable Medley
Recipe Type: Casserole, Healthy
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12-15
Ingredients
  • 2 butternut squashes, cubed
  • 1 acorn squash, cubed
  • 5 carrots, sliced thinly
  • 2 cups brussels sprouts, quartered
  • 1 small carton baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • S+P (about 1/2 tsp each)
  • 6 chicken breasts
  • 1 24 oz. carton low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup apple cider (I LOVE the spiced apple cider from TJ’s!)
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
  • 1 cup brown rice medley
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 5 oz. chopped kale (about 1/2 bag)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 deg.
  2. Chop squash, carrots, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and onion, and toss in a large baking pan with 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, 3 sprigs thyme (stems removed), garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  3. Roast 15 minutes, stir, and roast 10 more minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet on medium high. Add chicken breasts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear until just browned, about 2 min per side. Set aside.
  5. Add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup apple cider, dijon mustard, chopped apple, remaining thyme, and extra salt and pepper. Bring to a boil
  6. Lower heat to simmering and cover. Simmer about 15-20 minutes until reduced by half.
  7. In a large casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray, spread an even layer of rice and lentils. Cover with kale and pour remaining chicken broth over top. Add roasted vegetables and wedge in the chicken breasts.
  8. When sauce is done, pour over top of chicken.
  9. Cover with foil and bake at 350 deg until chicken is cooked through and rice is al dente, about 40 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes more.
Serving size: 1/12 recipe Calories: 279 cal Fat: 6 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Fiber: 7 g Protein: 27 g
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Fun tri-color carrots from TJ’s!
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Roasted Squash, Brussels, ‘Shrooms, and Onions
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More Roasted Roots!
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Just-Seared Chicken Breasts
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Apple Cider Sauce, Infused w/ Fresh Thyme and Dijon Mustard
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Ready to Bake!
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Fresh out of the oven
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Plated and served! Try topping with some goat cheese or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt!

I hope you enjoy this healthy Harvest supper just as much as we did!

P.S.Keep an eye out for a special post from our trip to Carter Mountain next weekend!

ClaireLeave a comment

Crock O’ Brunswick Stew

The past few days have finally been feeling like fall here in NC, and you know what that means? Soup season! Anyone who knows me knows I go craaaaaazy for a nice hearty stew. I could probably eat stew just about every night. Even in the summer. Although this summer I totally dropped the ball on making gazpacho. Ah well. October is here now, and I’m all about a meal that you can dump into one big pot and let it cook all day so that it’s ready when you come home from your busy day at work, school, or whatever else you folks do with all your time.

I saw Brunswick Stew listed on the menu at a new BBQ joint in downtown Durham a few months ago and was instantly curious. It sounded like all ingredients I would love, besides the meat part! When I looked up more about how to make it, the huge variety of recipes left me thinking that it’s probably not exactly a science to making Brunswick Stew. The only thing I found was that it typically has a tomato base and some sort of butter beans or lima beans, and meat. Other than that, free for all! I decided to go with turkey sausage and added some sweet potatoes, tomatoes, black beans frozen corn and okra (gotta stay southern somehow, right?) and let it simmer away in a slightly-sweet and absolutely delicious Organic Low Sodium Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup base from TJ’s.

Saddle up and let this crock do it’s thing, ya’ll! Happy sleeping weather! Happy Fall!

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Crock O’ Brunswick Stew
Recipe Type: Soup, Stew
Cuisine: Southern, Healthy
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Three cheers for my first stew of the season! I love fall, ya’ll! Try this healthy and hearty Brunswick stew for your next chilly October evening and keep enjoying those leftovers all week long!
Ingredients
  • 1-2 tbsp EVOO
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 parsnips, sliced thinly
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 6 links turkey sausage, sliced thinly
  • 1 carton Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup base
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes and juice
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed
  • 1 can butter beans, rinsed
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 small bag frozen okra
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Crackers, chips, cheese, or Greek yogurt for topping
Instructions
  1. In a skillet on medium high heat, cook onions, garlic, and parsnips in 1 tbsp olive oil for 4-5 min or until tender. Add to crock pot and set heat to low.
  2. Add sweet potatoes and sausage to same pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan and add to crock pot.
  3. Add soup base, tomatoes, beans, and spices to crock pot and stir to combine.
  4. Set to low heat and let ‘er crock away for about 4 hours or until bubbling. About 30 min before serving, add corn, okra, and S+P.
  5. Serve with crackers or chips with a nice dollop of Greek yogurt on top or some melted Swiss cheese. Of course I did both! 🙂
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup, not including toppings Calories: 222 cal Fat: 4 g Carbohydrates: 39 g Fiber: 10 g Protein: 11 g

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Last of Summer’s Best: Turkish Tabbouleh w/ Lemon-Dill Couscous

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It’s always a sad day when you realize that that peach you were saving in the fridge (you know that peach? the one you were waiting for just the right moment to sink your teeth into, anticipating the sight of that bright orange interior and feeling the juice running down the side of your cheek) has gone bad. That’s right, badddddd. Now it’s mealy and browned in spots when you cut it open. Bummer! Luckily, theres about one square inch of it that you can salvage, but it’s really just a tease until next summer when peaches are in season again.

If you know the feeling, you know just as well as I do that it may just be time for fall. Here in NC, early fall doesn’t mean the same thing it does “up North.” We don’t start our apple picking for at least a month, and apple cider doesn’t start appearing on supermarket shelves until October. (For some strange reason, Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING and candy corn make their debuts in late August… thank you, commercialism, Starbucks, and Cadbury.)

I don’t mind the end of summer, but I sure do miss the produce that I’ve been able to get a bounty of at the farmers’ market every week. Tomatoes, peppers, corn on the cob, and PEACHES galore! I took this gorgeous picture this week at the market, just for the colors! I can’t stop looking at it!

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Anyway, this salad makes the most of the very “best of” the last of the summer produce (including that salvaged pear!). Roasted veggies, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans blend with the salty kalamatas and a crisp lemon-dill sauce to make a perfect side dish or main. I mixed mine with whole wheat couscous (mostly because I’m lazy and couscous is as easy as stirring boiling water into the grains and letting it sit) for a Meatless Monday salad. Topped with a fried egg, a few peach wedges, avocado, crumbled feta, and a few chopped dates, this salad is a perfect combination of everything I love about summer salads. Fresh, hearty, and stick-to-the-bones-not-the-hips delicious!

Last of Summer’s Best: Turkish Tabbouleh with Lemon-Dill Couscous
Recipe Type: Salad
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Author: Claire McCormick of “Claire Tastes”
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 12-20
Here’s a quick make-ahead salad that I promise will just keep growing, and growing, and growing. Roasted veggies, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans meld perfectly with slightly savory kalamata olives and lemon-dill sauce to make a salad that’s perfect as a side dish or hearty enough to serve for Meatless Monday!
Ingredients
  • 2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 container mushrooms
  • 1 container broccoli and cauliflower florets
  • 1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp greek seasoning
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp EVOO
  • 1/2 cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 container grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
  • 1/2 cup marinated artichokes, roughly chopped
  • 4 large carrots, peeled into strips with vegetable peeler
  • Baby spinach
  • 1 cup whole wheat couscous
  • feta cheese, avocado, and pita for serving
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients up to cucumber. Bake for 20 minutes, toss, and bake 10 minutes more. Set aside.
  2. Add cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and artichokes to food processor and pulse 2-3 seconds or until roughly chopped. Remove from processor and set aside.
  3. Add half of the chickpea mixture and pulse until roughly chopped (we’re not going for hummus here!). Add to remaining half of the chickpeas. Toss it all with the other veggies and carrots.
  4. Boil 1 1/2 cups water. In a large bowl, stir boiling water into 1 cup couscous and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and add to the rest of the salad.
  5. Top with feta cheese and more lemon to taste.
  6. Serve on pita bread or over quinoa, couscous or other grain of your choice!

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ClaireLeave a comment