Crepe-Crust Quiche

Simple, fun to eat, and amazing recipe (thank you, bf)! They could be great appetizers too ;)

Ingredients

• Crepe
• One of the few recipes I do not modify in any way. I use Alton Brown's recipe and follow the instructions to a "T". It always comes out perfect. Make sure and go with the savory style and toss in some fresh chives for this particular application.
• Quiche
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 strips of bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
• 4 whole eggs, beaten
• 1.25 cups soy cream + 1/2 stick melted butter (substituted for heavy cream + milk in the traditional recipe)
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. After following the directions to prepare the crepe batter, let that sit in the fridge whilst preparing the filling.
2. Sautee the bacon, onion, and mushrooms over medium heat until the fat is well rendered out and the onions are moderately caramelized.*
3. While the sauté is going, beat the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and melted butter until thoroughly mixed in a bowl. Make sure and save the butter till the end and add it slowly so it emulsifies well.
4. Remove the sauté contents, turn up the heat to high, and in the same pan pour in just enough of the crepe batter to cover the pan. Once the top of the crepe has set up, flip the crepe and let it brown just a little. Set aside and cover with foil to stay warm. Make sure and add just a little butter to the pan between crepes.
5. Once you have finished with the crepes, use them to line a ramekin. Fill approximately 2/3 full of the sauté mix, then pour the egg/soy/butter mixture over the top until about 90% full. Cover with the cheese and sprinkle on some more fresh cracked black pepper.
6. Place ramekins in a pre-heated 375 degree F oven and bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the contents are somewhat set.
7. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes to fully set and not melt your tongue.
8. Bon ap!

*The beauty of a quiche is that you can substitute whatever fillers you want, so be creative and use it as an excuse to use up your leftovers, frozen veg, and pantry!

Artichoke Chicken & Warm Zucchini Chickpea Salad

Well this was a pleasant surprise! I was looking for ways to cook a chicken breast and cruised through some of the top chicken recipes on allrecipes.com. Not noticing my internet had automatically re-routed me to the Australian version, I was curious about this 5-ingredient, top-scoring recipe and happened to feel a little adventurous. It did not disappoint and all the praise about this being the "most flavourful" and juicy chicken recipe were spot on! This is a keeper for some good home cookin :)

Oh yea, and I made a ribboned zucchini salad for the first time! 

Serves: 4  

Ingredients

• Artichoke Chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise 
• 1 pinch garlic pepper 
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Zucchini Chickpea Salad
• 3-4 Zucchini
• 1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tsp tahini 
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• Sea salt/Cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 1-2 tsp water
• Walnuts, coarsely chopped (to taste)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)
• 2-3 Basil leaves (fresh), julienned

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture. 
3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear. While the chicken is baking, start prepping the zucchini salad, below.
4. Using vegetable peeler and firmly holding zucchini by stem end, shave zucchini lengthwise into long ribbons. Lay across on an oven grate and place in oven with the chicken (or even put the grate on top of the chicken baking dish). Leave for ~15 minutes, or until zucchini is soft or beginning to caramelize.
5. In a small frying pan over medium heat, saute chickpeas and whole garlic cloves in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (just enough to moisten) for about 3 minutes, until the chickpeas dry out a bit and are warmed through. Remove garlic cloves, chop finely, and place in a small bowl. In the small bowl, combine minced anchovy, tahini, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt/pepper (to taste). Add water by the teaspoon until the dressing is smooth and runny. 
6. When the zucchini is ready, add the warmed chickpeas and toss with walnuts and dressing until everything is coated. Grate fresh parmesan on top and add julienned basil. Serve warm or room temperature. 

Sources: Artichoke Chicken by Amanda Bibb, Yam Zucchini and Chickpea Salad (original).

Roasted Chicken and Sour Cabbage w/ Tomato Salad

Aka, "Chicken Pavlova," aka, my favorite Bulgarian's family dinner. Pretty much, this is the bf's family recipe that could cure anything. A rotisserie-style chicken with a tangy cabbage side that is cooked underneath the chicken, catching all the flavor! Add the bf's fav salad and we've got some home cookin' from the casa de Pavlov.

BF's note - it is also super easy to make

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 large can/jar of saurkraut
• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded like for slaw (or a whole one if it is not a huge cabbage)
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped into thirds, with the leaves
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1/2 stick of butter
• Smoked paprika
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Lemon pepper

For the salad:

• Tomatoes, sliced
• Onions, sliced
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Olive oil
• Cracked black pepper

Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and let it marinade for a few minutes

Directions

1. Get the butter and mix in the spices (you can add some more if you want to perk it up even more)
2. Open up the chicken and carefully lift the skin from the flesh.
3. Rub the butter in between the skin and flesh
4. Stuff the chicken with the celery, onion, and lemon and tie the legs together
5. In a large braising pan, add the saurkraut and cabbage, mixing it together and distributing evenly across the whole bottom of the pan
6. Put a rack across the top of the pan and place the chicken, breast side up, on top
7. Place in a pre-heated (350 degree F) oven for 1h15m
8. After 1h15m, turn the heat up to 450-500 degrees for 10-12 minutes
9. Turn off the oven, flip the bird upside down, and let it coast to a finish for about 10 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let the bird rest for another 10 minutes
11. Slice, plate, and serve!
12. Bon ap!

Sub note: I shared this recipe with my family (on Thanksgiving nonetheless) and it's been added to my family's favs and annual Thanksgiving menu. It's a winner...so thank the bf's family for this!