Florentine Feta Quiche

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs
3/4 c. cream
1 1/4 c. milk
Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/16 cup of kosher salt in the mix and about 1 tsp black pepper)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/4 lb. Feta cheese, crumbled
1 quiche crust (pie crust) - store-bought, from the freezer section
3 tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Drain spinach and squeeze out as much moisture as possible; it should be fairly dry. Mix the eggs, cream and milk. Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Stir in spinach and Feta cheese. Fill uncooked (but thawed) quiche crust and place the grated cheese on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out dry. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Can also be served at room temperature.


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Curtis and I tasted this and it's delicious. I rate it a 9/10. Here are some tips, though. I placed the store-bought pie crust (including the foil pie plate in which it came) in a stoneware pie plate for stability. It did not fit perfectly; there was some air between the pie plate and the stoneware. I took the quiche out of the oven at 40 minutes, and let it cool for 20-25 minutes. I decided it wasn't done, so I put it back in for 10. I then cut it and tried it. The taste was delightful, but it was still a little soupy. So I put it in for 10 more. I'm thinking that in the future, if I use a stoneware, I'll probably cook it for 55 to 60 minutes. Or I could have just put the pre-made crust in its metal pie pan on a cookie sheet for stability, and reduced the cooking time considerably.

Delicious Creamy Zucchini Soup

This is a yummy 5-ingredient quickie.

The following version is vegan, and delicious!

2 T vegan margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped (avoid removing any part of your thumb when chopping the onions. I'm just saying.)
2 lbs zucchini, grated with peels (about 5-6 small to medium, which have better flavor than large ones)
2 T minced fresh dill
1 cup Tofutti "Sour Supreme" soy sour cream (you could use regular sour cream)



1. Heat the margarine in a soup pot. Add the onion and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden.
2. Add the zucchini and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add additional water if the soup is too thick, and heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the dill and Sour Supreme. Season with salt and pepper and serve, or cover and let stand off of the heat for an hour or so before serving. Heat through as needed. When re-heating, heat very slowly without boiling.

Old-fashioned Oatmeal Bread - traditional recipe, and for the breadmaker

2 cups boiling water
1-1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cake yeast (or 1 packet of active dry yeast)
1/4 cup water
5 cups flour

Traditional recipe:

Put the rolled oats in the boiling water, but do not cook. Let cool until luke-warm. Soften the yeast in 1/4 cup water. Stir the salt and sugar and yeast into the oatmeal mixture. Add 5 cups flour until a soft dough is formed. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Make into 2 loaves and place in greased bread pans. Let rise again and bake at 350 for a half an hour.

Breadmaker recipe:


Put the rolled oats in the boiling water, but do not cook. Let cool until luke-warm. Soften the yeast in 1/4 cup water. Stir the salt and sugar and yeast into the oatmeal mixture. Dump into bread machine with 5 cups flour. Press Start.

*I did this in just this way, and I feel like the ingredients could have been mixed a little bit better. I think it would come out a little better if you mixed the flour into the yeast-oatmeal mixture and then put that into the bread machine.

This makes a very heavy bread, and it's gently sweet. I think it would be outstanding as a chunky bread dipper for my pumpkin dip, which I'll share with you at a later date. It's also good for a hearty peanut butter sandwich with a gently sweet edge to it.

Cajun Mushroom Loaf

I've been on a cooking spree lately. Since the wonderful AcuSteve (my acupuncturist, whose name is actually Stephen) has cleared out my head and fixed so many of my allergies, my house has been clean and my kitchen has a vessel for lots of yummy dishes.

So I thought I'd share them with you.

Let's start with the Cajun Mushroom Loaf. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, and it's vegetarian, though not vegan. It's absolutely hearty and meaty-like and delicious, provided you like mushrooms. (Dr. P, this is not for you.)

Cajun Mushroom Loaf

1 stick butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1-1/2 lbs sliced mushrooms
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 T cajun seasoning blend
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Melt butter in 4 qt. pot, then add onion, garlic, and thyme.
2. Saute until translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms to pot and raise heat to medium high. Cook mixture until liquid has cooked off; about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk well. Add the cream, parsley, and cajun season. Whisk to combine. Add the mushroom mixture to the egg mix one spoonful at a time and mix in well. Add breadcrumbs and mix in well.
5. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray, and line with parchment paper. Pour mix into pan. Set in a large roasting pan and fill with water to 1/2 way up the loaf pan. This helps the loaf to cook evenly. Please in top half of oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until center is set. Remove from oven and let cool for a half hour at least before turning out on a plate to set.

*I flipped these out at 15 minutes last night and the middle didn't want to stay together; it needed more time to set. So give it a good half hour of cooling.

This recipe makes ONE loaf pan full. The photo you see above is a doubled recipe.