Ham Asparagus & Swiss Quinoa Quiche

This week I was lucky to come across quinoa flour at the Leduc Bulk Barn!  No more lame attempts to grind whole quinoa in the food processor!!

I was going to do some baking with the quinoa flour this afternoon, but opted to go out for a pedicure instead.  When I got home, I flipped thru my faveski cook book Quinoa 365 and got some inspiration from their recipe titled "Vegetable Cheddar Quiche" - I used different flavours and ingredients based on what I had in the fridge, and what came out was awesome!!  The funny thing about quinoa is that it stinks before you cook it, then turns into something completely different after baking (at least that's what I've noticed with all my quinoa baking recipes).

Anyways, check out this quiche - something that you could totally fool around with and use your fave flavours - the crust is really unique - it's rich and buttery, but a bit crumbly around the edges. 

Ham Asparagus & Swiss Quinoa Quiche
Crust Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
1 tbsp water

Filling Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup chopped asparagus (discard woody ends)
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grated swiss cheese
1/2 cup shaved Black Forest ham, chopped into "ribbons"
5 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp quinoa flour
1 tbsp dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in microwave for about 30 seconds and let cool slightly.  Add quinoa flour and mix well.  Add the water and form a little dough ball.  Grease a 9 inch baking dish with butter and press the dough into the dish, then set aside.

In a medium frying pan, melt butter and saute shallots, garlic & asparagus until tender, about 7-8 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, dijon, salt & pepper, making sure that there are no little flour balls floating around.  Fold in the cheese.

Once the vegetables are tender, remove from heat and layer in the prepared pie crust.  Sprinkle with the shredded ham then top with the egg/cheese mixture.

Put into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  When time is up, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy for brunch the next day or pack up in a lunch. 

Creamy Spring Fettucine

If you've been following my blog, you know I like fairly simple and healthy dishes!  I love using food that's in season and guess what?  It's asparagus season!!!  So here's a quick dish inspired by something saw on the very lovely Everyday Occasions by Jenny Steffens Hobick blog.  Check it out - she's a tiny (and much cuter) version of Martha!  Love this blog! 

Rather than cream for this recipe, I used Boursin Cheese and it added a really creamy texture to the dish - very springy!!

Creamy Spring Fettucine
Ingredients:
4 slices Aldersmoked bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups chopped leek (white part only)
2 cups whte button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups asparagus, discard woody part & cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Boursin Garlic & Fine Herb soft-ripened cheese (flavoured cream cheese would also work)
1 pkg fresh fettucine, or your favourite pasta - reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water!

Method:
In a large non-stick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp.  Reserving the bacon fat, remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.  Add the olive oil to the bacon fat over medium heat and add the mushrooms.  Saute for about 4 minutes, get those mushrooms soaking up all the nice flavour from the bacon fat.  At this point, put a big pot of water on to boil - I will always remember something I learned from a cooking show - make sure the water is waiting for you, not the other way around!! 

Add leeks and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. 

Next, add the asparagus and the boursin and stir to coat.  Start adding some of the pasta water - about 1/4 cup to start, stirring, and then keep adding till it hits the consistency you like!  Season with salt & pepper.  Cook for another couple of minutes.

almost done... all you need is the fettucine!

If you're using fresh pasta, it really only needs to be cooked for a minute or two, eventhough the package may lie and say 4-5 minutes. If you overcook it, you'll have a doughy mass of noodle-ish goo!  Trust me here, so make the pasta as the sauce is almost done cooking - you don't want the pasta to be sitting around hardening up or sticking together!

Plate your meal: top fettucine with the sauce and top with bacon bits!  And guess what?  This dinner is done in under half an hour!