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 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.

Spinach Molagootal

Hi all!
I’m back after being out of circulation for a couple of weeks. We had a wonderful (albeit a little hot and insanely hectic) time in India and before we knew it, an entire month had gone by in the blink of an eye! Since our return, lethargy coupled with zero motivation has been making it hard for me to post anything at all. I have been busy in the kitchen though.

A few days back, I made a molagootal following a recipe that I first came across on a blog a few years back, and it has since become one of my favorites. Sadly though, the blog has been silent for too long now.
I did not make too many changes to the original recipe.

Spinach Molagootal (adapted from Saffron Hut’s blog)
Ingredients:
2 cups frozen spinach
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt

1 tsp oil
2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp cumin
3-4 red chillies

¾ cup toor dal, cooked
3 Tbsp coconut

For 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:
Cook the frozen spinach along with turmeric and salt in ½ cup water. Blend to get a coarse paste. (I used my immersion blender.)

Heat oil in a small pan and roast the urad dal, red chillies and cumin seeds. Grind to a fine paste with the coconut.

Combine the spinach puree/paste, ground coconut-spice mixture and the cooked dal. Add a little bit of water. Cook and bring to a boil.

Heat the rest of the oil in the pan. Add all the ingredients for the seasoning. Pour the tempered oil over the molagootal.

Serve hot with rice.

This is being sent to Sra who is hosting the fourth edition of My Legume Love Affair.