Easy Vegetable Frittata

This week I am sharing some of favorite brunch recipes. I absolutely love brunch and summer weekends seem to just demand them. These recipes don’t demand too much cook and can mostly be prepared ahead to time, which gives you more time to relax, enjoy your weekend and enjoy some extra mimosas with your friends.

This frittata is pretty much perfect if you ask me. It’s easy to make, it can help you clean out your vegetable drawer and it reheats wonderfully. I just used the vegetables I had on hand, but you can add just about anything you want to this frittata. Broccoli, bell peppers, jalapeños or fresh herbs, like basil or chives, would all be great additions.

Easy Vegetable Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2+ cloves garlic, minced
• 6+ large mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 tomatoes, chopped with seeds removed
• 1 cup baby spinach, roughly torn or chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used extra sharp cheddar)
• 6 large eggs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking dish (I used a 9 inch pie dish).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until beginning to brown. Then add the green onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and spinach. Sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or just until the spinach is wilted. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
3. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper.
4. Finish cooking in the oven for 25-35 minutes, until the eggs have completely set in the center.

Gluten Free Goat Cheese & Herb Stuffed Mushrooms

Now that all those cinco de mayo shenanigans are out of everyone’s systems, let’s talk about more important things, like our mothers. I love my mom (hi mom!). She’s one of the few people that religiously reads my blog and she always makes sure to point out when I misspell something. It’s Mother’s Day in the US this upcoming weekend and I have a wonderful weekend of wine tasting and brunch planned for my mama. This week I thought I would share some easy and delicious recipes that would be perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch or any other brunch events you have on the horizon.

This is the simplest appetizer in the world and it’s pretty tasty to boot! You really don’t need all that many ingredients either. Some biggish mushrooms, goat cheese, garlic, herbs, breadcrumbs and a food processor (or a strong mixing arm) and you are good to go. I used fresh parsley, because my parsley plants are out of control at the moment, but you can definitely substitute in any fresh herbs that strike your fancy (basil would probably be really delicious). If you aren’t using a food processor, I would recommend letting the goat cheese soften a fair bit before trying to mix it. I would also make sure to finely chop all your garlic and herbs too.

I recently discovered some new to me gluten free breadcrumbs from The Fresh Market. The Fresh Market just opened a new store in my town and it is wonderful! My aunt on the east coast has raved about TFM for years and I definitely see why! Their own TFM brand gluten free breadcrumbs are great. They are almost like panko. I have had great success with them in meatballs and burgers. I recently tried them as coating/breading with baked chicken and with these mushrooms and have been really happy with the results! If you have a TFM near you, I recommend picking up some breadcrumbs!

Gluten Free Goat Cheese & Herb Stuffed Mushrooms
Recipe from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs(I used TFM gluten free breadcrumbs)
• 2 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 5 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 12 large mushrooms, wiped clean, stems and gills removed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a food processor, pulse bread and garlic until fine crumbs form; set 3 tablespoons aside.
3. Add the goat cheese, parsley, red-pepper flakes and lemon juice to food processor. Season with salt and pepper, and pulse filling until combined.
4. Spoon filling into each mushroom, and roll filled side in reserved breadcrumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet; bake until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Gluten Free Green Chile & Mushroom Goat Cheese Queso

Last weekend I popped up to San Francisco for a quick visit with friends and my blog and computer decided they wanted a vacation too. Technical problems seem to be resolved for the most part, so let’s get back to it. Cinco de mayo is rapidly approaching and since I like any excuse to eat Mexican food, I plan on taking full advantage of the fact this week. Most of these recipes aren’t super traditional or exactly authentic, but they are delicious enough for any fiesta.

 This queso is super tasty. I added some of my favorite spring ingredients (mushrooms, leeks and spinach) and they really added a lot of flavor to the queso. They mushrooms added a great earthy flavor, which worked really well with the tangy goat cheese. I served my queso with tortilla chips, but it would also go well with veggies, crackers or bread.

My oven, like all the other machines in my life, has also been a bit temperamental lately (had to get the igniter replaced… again…), which has changed my oven’s personality somewhat. It seems to be cooking a bit lower or slower (I’m still trying to figure it out).  After 25 minutes the queso was definitely bubbly and ready to serve, but there was absolutely no color to the top of it, which made it look like a blob of boring, white cheese. It’s not a requirement, but I like a little bit of a brown crust on my baked dips. It took me at least 35 minutes to get any type of color to the dip and as you can see in the picture it still came out a bit splotchy. Despite my odd requirements for baked dip coloration, the end product was delicious.

Gluten Free Green Chile & Mushroom Goat Cheese Queso
Adapted from Whole Foods.

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cup sliced baby spinach leaves
• 1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 (10 ounce) can green chiles, diced (chop finely if using whole chiles)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks and onion cook until softened and starting to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have released their liquid and are dry and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add chopped spinach and cook until just beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Spread leeks, mushrooms, spinach over the bottom of a small ovenproof casserole or gratin dish. In a large bowl, combine goat cheese, Jack cheese, and chiles and mix until combined. Spread cheese mixture evenly over mushrooms and bake until bubbling, about 25-35 minutes. Serve hot.

Veggie Protenia Salad

I’ve recently discovered Red Brick Pizza. They have amazing gluten-free pizza. It’s quite a luxury to go to a pizza parlor and have a real, wood-fired pizza straight out of the oven. I have watched them like a hawk every time I have been and they take so many precautions when preparing a gluten-free pizza (I would also recommend going for a very early lunch when they first open to avoid further cross contamination risks). Every employee I have interacted with has known exactly what ‘gluten-free’ is and what is and isn’t safe on their menu (in extreme detail; I was very impressed). So far my favorites only pizzas I’ve tried are the Hawaiian (the addition of cashews is quite amazing) and the Prosciutto, Mushrooms and Arugula (a drizzle of balsamic and a dash of red pepper flakes; fantastic). Unfortunately, the closest restaurant is 35 miles away, which means I only get to go on the rare Target trip I make (yes, our closest Target is also 35 miles away, I live in a desolate hole), but between Target and pizza, it makes any trip almost as exciting as going to Disneyland.

As amazing as the pizzas are, and they are fantastic, I have absolutely fallen in love with the Veggie Proteina Salad. I never could have dreamed up a more perfect salad, but lucky I don’t have to try anymore, Red Brick has figured it out for me.

From the Red Brick Pizza website:

VEGGIE PROTEINA 
napa mix, artichoke hearts, red & green peppers, mushrooms, onions, kalamata olives, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, mozzarella, croutons, choice of dressing

Obviously to make it gluten-free, don’t get the croutons. I also leave off the corn, but keep everything else. The salad is so flavorful and so delicious and so easy to make at home, so that’s exactly what I did. I’ve made it at home several times now and every time it’s been fantastic. At the restaurant, I’ve only tried the salad with balsamic vinaigrette, but at home I’ve tried it both with balsamic and ranch dressing. I really can’t decide which is better. Unfortunately in the pictured version here, I forgot to add the cheese, it definitely wasn’t missed. I have to say that in my homemade version I usually use Monterey jack or white cheddar. I just find them tastier, but the cheese isn’t needed at all.

A little more on Red Brick. They also have gluten-free beer and ciders on tap. There are also gluten-free dessert options as well. Gelato and gelato truffles seem to be the main gluten-free dessert options, but last time I went they also offered gluten-free ice cream sandwiches made with GF chocolate chip cookies and gelato. They all look amazing, but between salad and pizza and dessert, I have to prioritize and pizza always wins in my book.

Veggie Protenia Salad

Ingredients

• MIx of cabbage and lettuce (I used green cabbage and romaine lettuce)
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
• 8-10 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 large tomato (or a pint of cherry tomatoes), diced
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (optional) (recommend white cheddar or monterey jack)
• choice of dressing (recommend balsamic vinaigrette or ranch)

Instructions

1. Place cabbage and lettuce in a large bowl.
2. Add in all other ingredients but dressing.
3. Toss to mix together.
4. Add dressing of choice and toss again to coat.
5. Serve immediately.

Joe’s Special

I started the fall semester yesterday morning. In order to recover from the trauma, I’m taking a long weekend trip (can 6 days really be considered a ‘long weekend’?) up to San Francisco to visit some friends. What better excuse that to share some tried and true San Francisco favorites.

This dish is a San Francisco classic. It originated in the 1930’s at Original Joe’s. Even though the dish is a classic, I had to put my own spin on things. I substituted extra-lean ground turkey for the ground beef. I used a ton of garlic (10 cloves, but they were all pretty small) and fresh basil and oregano from my garden. I have to admit that I like the fact that the eggs are not the main focus of this egg dish. I feel like the egg is just there as a loose binder rather than the main feature. It makes for a nice change from a traditional Quiche or frittata. It also makes the dish much more adaptable to meals outside the morning hours. In true San Francisco style, Joe’s Special is traditionally served with sourdough. I have yet to discover gluten-free sourdough, so I served my scramble with a couple slices of gluten-free toast (Canyon Bakehouse is my favorite at the moment). Not quite the same as sourdough, but it did the job.

I made Joe’s Special for Sunday Brunch over the weekend and this morning I heated up the leftovers for breakfast. It was even better! This would be a great made-ahead meal for brunch or for anytime you want to have a meal that you can reheat in a hurry.

 

 

Joe’s Special

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5+ garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 pounds extra-lean ground turkey
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, finally chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• 1/3 cups parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 1/4 cup milk/cream/half and half
• a generous dash of tabasco (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and add the Tabasco, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in ground turkey; cook, stirring, until browned and all moisture evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, until beginning to soften. Add spinach; cook, stirring, until wilted. Add eggs; cook until eggs are cooked and mixture is slightly dry, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve with bread.

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

Normally I am super into Thanksgiving. It’s usually one of my favorite holidays of the whole year. This year I am a Thanksgiving Grinch. I just cannot get into it. I blame christmas, which I am a normal Grinch about. Christmas needs to stop encroaching on other perfectly good holidays… That being said Thanksgiving still has to be dealt with.

When I was much younger and naive and still excited over Thanksgiving, about two weeks ago, I tested out a few potential recipes. This green been casserole was an instant winner. It is a relatively easy recipe. The most time consuming part is coating and cooking the onions, but they are well worth the effort. I would highly recommend making some extra onions while you are at it. A number of mine managed to disappear before I assembled the dish. They are quite tasty and very snackable.

 

Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole

• Olive oil nonstick cooking spray
• 1 large (12-ounce) onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and separated into rings
• 5 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used Better Batter.)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1 container (10-ounce) sliced cremini or white mushrooms
• 1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line large cookie sheet with foil; spray with nonstick spray.
2. In bowl, toss onion with 2 tablespoons flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Spread onion in single layer on prepared foil; spray onion with nonstick spray. Bake 14 minutes; toss to rearrange, then spray again. Bake 15 minutes or until crisp.
3. Meanwhile, in 5-quart saucepot, heat 3 quarts water to boiling on high. Add beans and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain beans in colander; rinse under cold water. Drain.
4. In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine on medium. Add shallot; cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add mushrooms; cook 7 to 8 minutes or until tender, stirring often. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 3 tablespoons flour; cook 1 minute. Add broth and milk; heat to boiling on high, stirring. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes. Add beans.
5. Transfer mixture to 2-quart baking dish; bake 15 minutes. Stir mixture; top with onion. Bake 5 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.

Gorgonzola-Roasted Mushrooms and Onions

I know I say this a lot, but this is seriously one of the best dishes I’ve had recently. It brings together 3 of my favorite things, so I knew it was going to be good, I just had no idea how good. If I had to one thing for the rest of my life, this dish would be among the top contenders. I probably could have let the cheese in the melt a bit more, but the mushrooms and onions were starting to get pretty well done. I used white button mushrooms and baby bellas because that is what I had on hand. I thought they worked perfectly. I served this as a side for a simple baked chicken recipe, but I think it would also be great with steak or as a great addition to a salad.

Gorgonzola-Roasted Mushrooms and Onions
Adapted from here.

• 3/4 pound mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the mushrooms and onions with the oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast for about 30 minutes, until tender, tossing once. Sprinkle the vegetables with the thyme and toss. Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola and roast for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Transfer to plates and serve.

Chipotle Mushroom & Goat Cheese Queso

This dip is definitely a winner and it will not be around for long, so get some while you can. The goat cheese makes the perfect base for the earth flavors of the mushrooms and the smokey chipotles. You can adjust the spice level to taste. I found that the two chipotles I included gave it just a subtle hint of spice. When making it for a crowd, you might want to keep the chipotles on the lighter side to keep everybody’s taste buds happy.

Chipotle Mushroom & Goat Cheese Queso (from Whole Foods)

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 6 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sliced baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 chipotles in adobo (from a can), seeded and minced

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have released their liquid and are dry and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Spread mushrooms over the bottom of a small ovenproof casserole or gratin dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine goat cheese, Jack cheese, spinach, onion and chipotles and toss until combined. Spread cheese mixture evenly over mushrooms and bake until bubbling, about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Portobello Mushroom Baked Eggs

Baking eggs in things is super trendy right now. Bake them in avocados, tomatoes, bread bowls, bacon, it’s all the rage. Never wanting to be left out of what the cool kids are doing, I hopped on this craze myself.  Well, actually, it was more like, I opened my fridge one morning and had a bunch of portobellos in their use it or lose it stage and a bunch of eggs about to go the same. As I like to say, expiration dates are the mother of invention.

Baking just the eggs in the portobellos sounded a bit boring and kind of dry, so I decided to add some flavor and color with some tomato sauce and onion.

 Portobello Mushroom Baked Eggs

• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 jar pasta sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Sauce)
• 6 eggs
• 6 portobello mushrooms, cleaned with stems and gills removed
• Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 375F/190C.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place mushrooms cap-side down.
2. In a small sauce, add a small amount of olive oil. When heated add onion and cook until softened. Remove from heat and stir in pasta sauce.
3. Carefully spoon in a bit of pasta sauce into each mushroom making sure to leave enough room for the egg. Then crack one egg into each mushroom. Place eggs in oven and bake 25 (runny yolk) to 30 (not so runny) minutes.
4. Serve with remaining tomato sauce and top with Parmesan cheese.

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tostadas

This might be one of the best dinners I’ve made recently. It’s a little labor intensive, but luckily it’s nearly all hands off. Caramelized onions are one of my favorite things, so I figured why not branch out and caramelize other things I like. This was my first time caramelizing mushrooms and they were delicious. They went really well with the onions and corn. This tostada had the perfect blend of flavors and textures – the crunch of the tortilla with the soft, sweet onions and tangy cheese with just a hint of spice.

I topped the tostada with a chile-cilantro dressing. I could have put a straw in the dressing and drank it straight. It was so good! I was happy that there was enough leftover for several more salads and veggie dipping sessions.

You can make your own tostadas, but honestly I think it’s just way too much work and mess. Luckily every store in Southern California sells ready-made tostadas right along side the regular tortillas. It’s definitely the way to go in my book. If you are using packaged shells, before serving them, spread them out on a baking sheet, or directly on oven racks, and heat them at 350°F for 4-5 minutes, or until you can smell the aroma of them cooking. Don’t keep them in the oven too long, or they will get burnt. Just heat them enough to lightly toast them.

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tostadas

• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces white/button mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced
• 8 ounces canned or frozen corn, rinsed/defrosted
• extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• garlic powder, to taste
• paprika, to taste
• chipotle chile powder, to taste
• crumbled queso fresco or crumbled feta
• tostadas
• chile-cilantro dressing (recipe is below)
• olives (optional)
• green onions (optional)

1. In a large, heavy bottom pan, heat olive oil over medium high. When the oil is just shimmering, add onions and stir to coat. Saute onions for 10 minutes, sprinkle with Kosher salt and stir. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes, stir onions again and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. Continue caramelizing onions for 30-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until onions are rich, brown color. When caramelized remove from pan and set aside.
2. If needed, add more oil to the pan and heat until just shimmering. Add the mushrooms to the pan, cook until they release their water, allow the liquid to evaporate and the mushrooms start to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes. When mushrooms are caramelized, remove from pan and set aside with onions.
3. Add corn to pan, liberally sprinkle with garlic powder and add paprika and chipotle to taste, then heat through. Return onions and mushrooms to the pan and toss to mix.
4. Place tostada on serving plate. Top tostada with onion-mushroom mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top and add a generous drizzle of the chile-cilantro dressing. Add any additional toppings you want and serve.

Chile-Cilantro Dressing (from Cooking Light)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seed kernels/pepitas, toasted
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1. Place the first 8 ingredients in a blender; process 15 seconds. Gradually add cilantro; process until smooth.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons water and yogurt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add cilantro mixture; stir well.