Food of the week: Broccoli

My mom asked me the other day if I've become a vegetarian. I said no but I very rarely eat meat at home. I enjoy a good steak or chicken when I go out to eat, but at home I'm content with all the vegetables I get in my share.

But in case you're wondering, I do still get a chicken once a month. At any given time, I have at least two in the freezer, and I've been using them when I take dinner to friends, who've recently had babies. But this week I ran out of chicken broth and cooked a chicken in the crock-pot simply for the chicken broth it would create. I just found it amusing that I wanted the broth, not the chicken, but don't worry the chicken is going in a casserole soon.

Anyway, the vegetable of the week is broccoli. My mom had sent me the recipe for Panera's broccoli cheese soup months ago, and I finally had a reason to make it. I'm linking to it because I followed the recipe exactly, though the whole making a roux thing still confuses me. It is very good and tastes like Panera's!


On Saturday I went in to grab a cup of coffee at a cafe in town and saw that their quiche of the day was broccoli and cheddar, giving me some inspiration. I looked for a recipe online, but everything I found got mixed reviews. Ultimately I realized if I had a good quiche recipe, it didn't matter what I put in it. So I actually pulled out a cookbook and made this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook:

• Pie crust for 9-inch pan (I used this recipe but store-bought would be fine too.)
• 4 beaten eggs
• 1.5 cups of half-and-half, light cream or milk (I used half-and-half.)
• 1/4 cup of sliced green onions (I used about 2 tablespoons of a chopped regular onion.)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup of whatever filling you want (broccoli, chicken, ham, other veggies)
• 1.5 cups shredded Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack or whatever kind of cheese you want (I used sharp cheddar.)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Line a 9-inch pie plate with crust. Line unpricked pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450-degree oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or more until pastry is set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl stir together egss, half-and-half, onions, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli or other filling of your choice. Toss cheese with flour and add to egg mixture. Mix well.

Pour egg mixture into hot, baked pie crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

It turned out really well, and the soup and quiche are providing meals for the week.