Quiche+Easy = Queazy? Not in this house....

Easy Quiche.  The hardest part was staging these photos!

One of our regular ways of clearing the fridge and using those odds and ends that are too much to add to the stock bag, or too good to add to the compost bin, is to make a quiche and throw it all in there.  It's the best use for a handful of this and a pinch of that.... Odd that I would choose this as my first official step by step guide...

Here's how it looked plated...

Ham and Veggie Quiche With Side Salad

And here's how we did it....  You can find the actual recipe here.

Monday night: Fridge clearing night....

So, we are kind of running low on ingredients, so time to start using up whatever's left....

Grilled tofu, vegetable medley and salad

We had half of the block of tofu left, as well as some Brussells sprouts and baby carrots.  I grilled the tofu until crispy on the outside, and firm in the middle, compare to a steak done medium.  Same recipe for the veggies as the other night as well.  Parboiled the sprouts while the onions and carrots were caramelizing, and finished off together in olive oil over a medium high heat, and a pinch of battibecco.  Basic salad on the side (green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and radishes).

Cost: FREE! (all ingredients have been accounted for previously)

Time: 25 minutes

Difficulty: 3 (the two stage cooking of the Brussels sprouts and getting the tofu to perfection bump it up)

Sunday night: Pasta again!!

Sunday is a transition day at the Sparks house, so I made something with little thought, but lots of flavor.

Rigatoni with a very veggie sauce (and a little chicken sausage)

This sauce is seriously heavy on the veggies.  Started with my basic mix of onions, garlic, celery and carrot sauteed together, then crumbled in the remaining two chicken sausages from the other night.  Added a jar of organic pasta sauce this time (cheater!) and continued to add veggies.  Zucchini, mushrooms, yellow peppers.  Served on a bed of rigatoni, topped with fresh grated romano.. MmMm.  

Sunday Morning Waffles!

Been wanting waffles for a while so I made these:

Belgian waffles with lemon curd, powdered sugar, almonds and cranberries

Waffle batter is pretty simple.  Eggs, flour, baking powder (and/or soda), milk and oil.  Flavor with a dash or two of vanilla and some cinnamon and ground ginger for that pop.  We all top them differently at my house, from Maple syrup to fresh fruits to simple powdered sugar.  I am trying to find a local place to buy Belgian pearl sugar, but it's pretty rare stuff, and I just can't see paying $5+ shipping for a 1/2lb box online.  Let me know if you have it near you and would be willing to send a box.

Cost: $6 including 1/2lb bacon

Time: 30 minutes or so, with constant waffle making

Difficulty: 3

Thursday: Tofu and Veggie Stir-fry

This stir-fry takes a little bit of planning.  Marinate firm or extra firm tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, a dash of sugar and sliced fresh ginger overnight first.  Well worth the effort.

Carrots, celery, onions, lots of broccoli, yellow peppers, fresh ginger and marinated tofu.  Heat wok and a separate pan of oil.  Toss veggies in wok starting with onion, then work your way from densest to least dense.  While that's going, fry the tofu in peanut oil until firm and toasty on the outside.  Once ready, add it to the veggies.  Done. I add a dash of soy sauce and a little seasoned rice vinegar while cooking to get the liquid out of the veggies.  This one is missing baby bok choy, but there was none when we shopped.  You can thicken the sauce with a little bit of corn starch shaken with some water.  Served with steamed white rice, as plain as can be.  Does it get any easier? 

Cost: $7 or so for a big wokfull.  3 meals and leftovers for lunch.

Time: 20 minutes from start.  Lots of chopping involved.

Difficulty: 2 Seriously, just chop it up and toss it in.  Just remember to marinate your tofu the night before.