Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

This casserole is healthy and filling without being heavy. It can be assembled ahead of time, refrigerated, and baked just before you're ready to eat. This breakfast/brunch dish is very versatile and works well with a variety of vegetables. I usually use a combination of spinach and mushrooms but bell peppers, broccoli and asparagus would all be great additions.

Here's what needs to be done-

Ingredients:

For cooking in a skillet:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 small box mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 5 cups baby spinach, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper

For the custard:

• 5 eggs
• ¼  - ½  cup milk (I use 2%)
• ¼  cup low-fat mozarella cheese
• ½  cup 1% cottage cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking dish with some oil.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the garlic and green chillies followed by the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid released evaporates. Next, add spinach and cook, stirring, just until it wilts. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mozzarella, cottage cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Spread the vegetable mixture in an even layer in the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture.

Bake at 375 F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the eggs set and the top of the casserole starts to brown.

Mushroom And Spinach Strata

This strata is a great one-dish meal that can be made ahead of time. It can be assembled the previous night itself and just popped into the oven the next morning in time for breakfast or brunch. I’ve made this a couple of times now since I first heard of it a few years back.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cubed bread
• 1 cup cheese ((I used a mixture of Parmesan and Cheddar this time)
• 1-2 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup scallions
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt
• Pepper
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cups spinach, chopped

For the custard:

• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• Salt
• Pepper

Method:

Grease your baking dish of choice. I used 2 small baking dishes here, but an 8 x 8-inch baking dish would also work just fine. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Cube some leftover bread. Italian bread would be perfect for this but use whatever you have. I used 4 slices of leftover sandwich bread that I toasted first.

In a skillet, add the oil and sauté the scallions. Add the crushed garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

To this add the chopped mushrooms and cook till the water evaporates.

Next, add the chopped spinach. Cook till the spinach wilts down and the mixture is almost dry.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

Layer the bread cubes at the bottom of the baking dish. Pour half the custard over it. Press down the bread with the back of a spoon if required so that it soaks up the custard well. Sprinkle half the cheese over this.

Stir the cooked vegetable mixture into the rest of the custard and then add to the layers in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the top forms a nice golden brown crust. Serve hot.

Crustless Quiche With Spinach And Mushrooms

This is my second time making a quiche. My very first quiche was one with a potato crust. This time around I decided to go crust-free by following this recipe on Joy The Baker's blog.

Ingredients:

For cooking in a pan:

2 Tbsp oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
3 cups chopped spinach
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper

For the custard:
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used 2 %)
2 wedges of The Laughing Cow cheese(I used this one)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish with some oil.

Heat oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, followed by the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Next, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until all the liquid released evaporates. Add spinach and cook, stirring, just until spinach wilts. Let the mixture cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the cheese. Spread the vegetable mixture in an even layer in the pie dish. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture.

Bake at 375 F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the quiche is slightly puffed and golden brown on top.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Mushroom And Bell Pepper Tart

This savory tart along with a side of roasted potatoes was our dinner yesterday. I've used a combination of onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers here since that's what I happened to have on hand; you can use whatever vegetables you'd like as toppings for the crust. I took the easy way out and used a can of store-bought pizza dough for the base, but if you're feeling particularly enterprising, you can go ahead and make your own.
Straight out of the oven, this is one of those meals that brightens up a cold winter's night, and we've certainly had our share of those this year!



Ingredients:
1 can (11 oz) refrigerated thin pizza crust (I used this)
1-2 Tbsp oil
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped chives
1 10 oz pack mushrooms, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
¾ Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves/ kasuri methi

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and cook the onions over medium heat. Add the garlic, chives, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried fenugreek leaves (do not omit the kasuri methi- it lends a wonderful flavor to the tart). Add mushrooms and cook until they are tender and all the liquid has evaporated.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease a cookie sheet. Unroll the dough on the cookie sheet. Starting at the center, press out the dough into a rectangle.

Prebake the dough (required only if you want a crispier crust) for 5-7 minutes.

Spread the onion-mushroom mixture on the prebaked crust and sprinkle the bell pepper slices evenly over it. Top with cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Slice and serve warm.

Mushroom And Spinach Quiche With Potato Crust

I recently watched an episode of Cook Yourself Thin where a quiche was made using a potato crust. It seemed like a great idea and one that I couldn’t wait to try out.

A crust made up of shredded potatoes is definitely a healthy alternative to the usual fat-laden pastry crusts I’ve seen used in most quiche recipes. I followed the recipe very closely and did not make too many changes. I had a crisper full of vegetables in the refrigerator, and so I used a little bit of everything for this quiche.
Here’s what I did…

Ingredients:
For the crust:
3 potatoes peeled and grated (I used Russet)
2 tsp oil
Salt
Pepper

For cooking in a pan:
2 Tbsp oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ onion, diced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼- ½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
4 cups sliced mushrooms,
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped asparagus
2 cups baby spinach

For the custard:
3 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
Salt
Pepper
3 Tbsp freshly grated Gouda cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish/plate (I used glass) with some oil. Squeeze all the excess water out of the grated potatoes. Toss grated potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper. Press into an even layer in pie dish, up the sides like a crust. Bake until golden brown at the edges and dry, about 20-22 minutes. Then broil for 2 minutes or so. Watch the crust carefully here so that it does not burn. Let cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their liquid and most of the liquid evaporates. Stir in the chopped asparagus and red bell pepper pieces. Cook till the vegetables soften. Add spinach and cook, stirring, just until spinach wilts, let cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Spread the vegetable mixture in an even layer in the pie dish. I used all but one cup of the cooked vegetable mixture here since I thought it would be a little too much for the quiche. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the vegetable mixture. Carefully pour in egg mixture.

Bake until golden brown and set in the center, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Mushroom Thoran

Mushrooms are usually ignored during my trips to the grocery store. I guess it has something to do with its very rubbery, almost meaty texture, in addition to the fact that it is not easy to clean. (Gently wiping with a damp paper towel/dry cleaning, to me, does not constitute cleaning!)

Though I’m not a big fan of these, I do pick up a pack occasionally to make this thoran . All of the flavors blend very well to make a pretty decent dish.

Ingredients:
15-20 mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
½ tsp sambar powder
½ tsp coriander powder
2-3 Tbsp grated coconut

For the seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1-2 red chillies

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning.

Sauté the onions, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook on medium to high heat till mushrooms are cooked.

Add the sambar and coriander powders and mix well. Cook for a minute or two.

Add the grated coconut. Mix. Serve hot.