Roasted Broccoli Quiche (and a dress!)

I've been such a bad blogger lately.  I apologize.  This is my busiest time of year, and this is the easiest thing to let slip to the wayside.  If you don't care about this recipe, skip to the bottom for a little eye-feast and one small reason why I have been absent on the interweb as of late.

This quiche is really easy.  The broccoli adds a deliciously unexpected twist to the brunch staple.  Perfect for a lazy weekend morning, or a light dinner.  I used pepper jack cheese, but Swiss would also be incredible.  Simply changing the cheese and maybe adding a spice here or there, you can fit this quiche into almost any menu.

Roasted Broccoli Quiche
2 C small broccoli florets
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4-5 eggs (depending on just how big they are)
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 C shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 C milk
1 9inch pie crust (deep dish probably will work best if you are buying a frozen one)

   Toss broccoli with oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast at 400 deg F for 7-9 minutes, until the tips start to turn brown.  The broccoli should still be firm.
   Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork.  Wrap the whole thing in foil and pre-bake at 400 deg F for 5-6 minutes.*
   Beat eggs.  Add garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, milk, and 1/2 C of cheese.
   Put broccoli in the bottom on the pie shell.  Pour egg mixture over.  Top with remaining 1/4 C cheese.  Wrap edges of crust in foil.  Bake at 350 deg F for about 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes, until crust is browned.
   Serves 6.

*If you have two ovens or roasted the broccoli in advance or simply have the time, pre-bake your crust at 375 deg f and just wrap the edges in foil.  I did the 400 deg F thing just to make the process a little more condensed and you can do this step while roasting the broccoli.  To quickly lower my oven temp. I adjust the temp and then open the door for about 45 sec, close it and let it re-calibrate.

Eye-Candy:

(click to enlarge) These photos really don't do justice to it... they were taken at 3:15am after the Hunger Games premier which included a lot of sitting.  There will be an awesome photo shoot of my Capitol-light dress at some point in the future.  Next movie I am going ALL out!

Lindsay Farms Vidalia Onion BBQ Chicken Sandwich

I will not tell you how long my mom had this barbecue sauce sitting in her pantry.  Too long... waaaay too long. So I confiscated it for my own uses.  And even after 5+ years of pantry storage, it was still absolutely wonderfully perfect and delicious.  Lindsay Farms Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce is really smokey and slightly sweet; a very well balanced sauce over all.  I am now kind of hopelessly addicted to it and will need to stock up on a variety of their products for summer.
(I did kind of doctor up the sauce just a bit with vinegar and red pepper.  But it was to balance out the extra sweetness the onion and bell pepper added to the dish.  You still taste the full flavor of the sauce itself.)

Lindsay Farms Vidalia Onion BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
2 lrg bone in, skin on chicken breasts
salt and pepper
oil
1 med onion, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 C Lindsay Farms Vidalia Onion BBQ sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flake (optional)
4 buns

   Liberally salt and pepper chicken.  Roast at 375 deg F for 35-40 minutes.  Let cool, remove skin and shred chicken.
   Over med heat in a little bit of oil, saute onion and pepper until tender.  Add garlic, chicken, BBQ sauce, vinegar, and red pepper flake.  Simmer until hot.  Assemble sandwiches as desired.
   Serves 4.

Pistachio and Boursin Quinoa

I am no extreme coupon-er but I do love a good coupon.  Not too long ago I got a coupon for Boursin cheese spread.  It was a night I wouldn't get home until 7:30 so the hubs was in charge of dinner.  We created this retardedly easy recipe that set him up for success in the kitchen.  I didn't know it would end up being so freaking delicious!  We have made it several times since.  It is perfect with fish and a salad, maybe some roasted or grilled veggies, too.

Pistachio and Boursin Quinoa
1/2 lrg onion, chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 C vegetable or chicken broth (low sodium)
1 C quinoa
1/3 C roughly chopped pistachios
2 oz Boursin garlic and herb cheese spread

   Heat oil in a 2 qt sauce pan over medium heat.  Saute onions until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add broth and bring to a boil.
   Add quinoa and bring liquid back to a boil.  As soon as it reaches a boil, cover and turn heat to low.  Cook for 15-17 minutes, until you can see the germ ring layer clearly around the individual grains.
   Stir in Boursin and pistachios.
   Serves 3-4.