Winter sprout quiche

I love eating Brussel sprouts and now I am happy to tell you about a new way to enjoy this winter vegetable, in a quiche. The bitterness of the sprouts is such a great combination with the egg and the cheese! The whole family polished their plates the day I cooked this quiche.Spruitenquiche2

Sprout quiche

  • 1 recipe of short crust pastry or a ready made puff pastry
  • 200 gram of boiled sprouts
  • 1 onion, finely sliced and gently fried till tender
  • 100 gram of small bacon cubes or a handfull of pine nuts for vegetarians
  • 150 gram of grated cheese (cheddar or young Gouda)
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 ml of cream
  1. Pre-bake your quiche base for 10 to 20 minutes until just cooked at 210 degrees C.
  2. Spread your ingredients on your pizza base and fill your pie with a mix of eggs and cream.
  3. Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 degrees or until golden.

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For more quiche inspiration, look at my asparagus quiche or spinach quiche. This quiche taste great with a simple tasty salad. For more sprout inspiration, look at the sprout cappuccino.

Simple pizza alternative

FlammKuchen2If you love pizza, you will love this recipe! You use the same recipe for the base, but the topping is completely different. This German dish is popular with my son and his daddy. We may have stumbled on a new family favorite (after pizza that is).

This dish makes a great dinner if served with a tasty salad but it also makes a great party snack or a simple lunch.

Flamm kuchen (3 medium pizzas)

  • 1 recipe of pizza dough
  •  Sauce, mix:
    • 250 gram Quark (or ricotta if you can’t buy this ingredient)
    • 100 gram creme fraiche
    • Pinch of nutmeg
    • Salt and pepper
  • 200 gram bacon in thin strips
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • Optional: a few handfuls of grated cheese

  1. Warm the oven up to 240 degrees C.
  2. Roll out your pizza dough and prick holes in the bottom with a fork. (this prevents it from rising to high in the center)
  3. Spread a generous amount of sauce on the dough.
  4. Sprinkle the bacon, onion (and cheese) on top.
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

For a vegetarian option you could top your flamm kuchen with blue cheese, union and artichokes. Look up our favorite pizza recipes here.

Beet burgers

BietenB2My friend loves taking me to great lunchrooms. At one of these fabulous lunches I tried my first beetroot burgers, and I was hooked. Unlike other vegetarian burgers this burger does not try to replace meat, it is a totally new flavor sensation providing great texture and filling you up for the rest of the day.

Obviously, it is also a very healthy alternative to your regular meaty version. But that is not why you should try this. This is a new flavour you have to introduce to your pallet, the healthy part is just a bonus!

I have to honestly admit this dish isn’t for everyone, especially meat lovers that think veggie burgers are blasphemy. And you have to love beetroot. I do think that offering lots of garlic rich yoghurt sauce will help convince your family members.

These burgers and sauces can easily be made a day in advance, making them the perfect easy home made fastfood!

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Beet root burgers (4-6 burgers)

  • 1 uncooked medium beet root, finely grated
  • 800 grams of tinned beans, I used field peas (we like to call them kapucijners in Holland)
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of oats

Mash up the peas (in the foodprocessor), I like leaving some chunky pieces for texture.

Mix in the beet root, onion and egg. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Add half the oats and let the mixture stand so the oats can soak up the moisture. After 20 minutes, check the mixture and add oats as needed. You want a firm, non-sticky mixture that still holds together well. I like to compare it to how my meatball texture feels when it is just right.

Shape your burger paddies, dust with oats to prevent the paddies from sticking if needed and let them rest for at least 30 minutes. For the practical busy moms I recommend making these a day in advance.

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Fry your paddies in some oil on a high heat for a few minutes on each side. After making the paddies crusty on each side, place the paddies in the 220 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with some fresh crispy buns, some lettuce, a spicy yoghurt sauce and a yoghurt mint sauce (you find the recipe with the posh fish and chips recipe).

Spicy sauce

  • 1 tomato in small cubes
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • 1 finely sliced chili pepper
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • handfull of freshly sliced parsley and/or koriander

Blend half the tomato, union and chili to a pulp. Mix the pulp with the other ingredients and season to taste.

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Quick and easy mini veggi pizza

This is not a recipe for real pizza (Read more about pizza dough and pizza toppings). These mini pizza are delicious glutenfree vegetable bites. My son loves making these and having them for dinner. But they would also make a great party treat or be part of a great high tea.MiniPizza2

Once you have sliced your ingredients, you can assemble these mini pizzas with your toddler.

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Mini veggi pizza’s

  • Eggplant/aubergine in 5 mm slices
  • 1 cup of my no fuss Tomato sauce / or a jar of ready made sauce
  • 1 cup of grated Parmesan
  • 1 mozzarella cheese ball in slices
  • 1 tomato in small cubes
  • optional: 1 onion in small cubes
  • Oregano

Lay your eggplant slices on a baking sheet. Spoon a small spoon of sauce on each slice. Sprinkle with some oregano, then add your tomato and union. Sprinkle with Parmesan and top with a small slice of mozzarella.

Bake in a 220 degrees C oven for 15 minutes and enjoy!

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We tried this recipe with courgette as well, this worked fine but we just love eggplant more.

Read more about cooking with toddlers here.

No fuss tomato sauce

PastaSauceThis is the easiest way to make tomato sauce ever! You make it with fresh ingredients and the flavor is so intense. The bog secret is that the ingredients are not fried but roasted. You can use this sauce with your pasta or as a pizza sauce. Both my son and my husband have approved this recipe, it is finger licking good!

This recipe is enough for a family pasta meal. But you could easily make a large batch and freeze the rest of the sauce. The sauce can also keep in the fridge in a jar for a week.

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No fuss tomato sauce

  • 6 tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 handfull of fresh thyme and rosemary
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • Honey
  • Olive oil
  • Optional: 1 chili pepper for a kick
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven at 220 degrees C.
  2. Halve all the tomatoes and place them sliced side up on a baking tray.
  3. Peel and quarter the onion and peel the garlic. (Slice the chili in chunky pieces.)
  4. Scatter the other ingredients between the unions.
  5. Sprinkle the tomatoes, onions, garlic and chili with thyme and rosemary.
  6. Drizzle with honey and oil
  7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour, untill your ingredients are nicely roasted.
    If you are making this in advance, shutdown your oven and let it cool while leaving the tomatoes in.
  8. Blend the roasted ingredients to a smooth paste.
  9. Mix in the oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

Simpel starters: courgette soup

GSoup1In the summer I find myself overwhelmed my the bounty of produce. One vegetable that grows in abundance in the summer is the courgette. When I have a large surplus, I like to make this soup. It can be eaten warm or cold, my favorite! When it is cold you really appreciate the smooth texture and the subtle flavors.

Courgette soup

  • 2 courgette
  • 500 ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 cup of Greek yogurt
  • Fresh herbs to your taste
  1. Dice your courgette and finely slice your onion.
  2. Gently fry your courgette and onion in the oil for five minutes.
  3. Add the stock and let this mix simmer for 15 minutes until the courgette is soft.
  4. Blend your ingredients to a smooth soup and add in the Greek yogurt.
  5. Mix in some finely sliced fresh herbs like dill, basil or mint.
  6. Season to taste. If you plan to eat the soup cold, season you soup well as cool soups need intenser seasoning.

Gsoup2Combine with some carrot soda bread for a healthy vegetarian lunch!