Deceptively Delicious

I know there's a lot of differing opinions out there, but I really love that cookbook, and my kiddos are getting their daily 5 (but they eat fruit on their own - they love the stuff, especially since I got my cherry pitter!). I know that I'm a year behind the rest of the world (what else is new? It's a well-known fact that the South is about a year behind on fashion anyway.), but my grandmother gave me that cookbook last week. It's incredible. I've been sneaking all kinds of veggies into everything, and it really really works. I went through the book before my last grocery trip & bought a few minor ingredients, fingers crossed, breath held, etc. Works like a charm, and the stuff in the cookbook is really easy. I'm going to share one recipe with you, risking a lawsuit - but I'm totally giving her credit.

And get an immersion blender to puree your veggies - you can get a cheap one at Wal-Mart for about $10, and if you decide to continue this habit - go to Williams Sonoma and invest in a nice one. But the cheap one does the trick without all of the messy clean-up of a stand-alone blender or food processor.

Baked Egg Puffs (Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield)

Nonstick cooking spra
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup yellow squash or butternut squash puree (nuke about 1 sliced fresh squash for a few minutes in the microwave in a bowl with about 2 Tbs. of water until fork pierces veggie easily, then blend in your blender or food processer)
2 Tbs. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (or whatever you have on hand. I used a little more)
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Coat 4 (1/2 cup) ramekins or coffee cups wit cooking spray and set on baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, squash puree, cheese, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Divide the mixture among the ramekins or cups and bake until the tops are puffed up and the eggs are no longer runny in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife, 13 to 15 minutes (mine took about 20). Serve immediately.

The puffs should rise above the ramekins, but mine didn't rise above my coffee cups. So I went to World Market the next day & bought 4 ramekins. They were cheaper than Target. :) I'm doubling the recipe next time.

So I guess I have to go back to World Market tomorrow.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Either they ate it because I put dinner off 30 minutes later than usual, or it was pretty good. Or maybe it was because "Lightning McQueen" eats it. We may never know...I thought it was delicious, and Daddy seemed to like it, too. So, I suppose we could add "Stuff Our Parents Will Eat" to this one.

Compliments of allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (I used the frozen, chopped mix that has celery, red peppers, bell peppers, etc. - major time saver)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese (any cheese really - I used the pizza blend from Wal-Mart, the kind that has cheddar in it, plus a little bit of Parmesan that I had leftover. It wasn't quite 3 cups - so don't rush out to the store to buy Muenster, it really isn't necessary unless that's just the flavor you're after.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

(I also added a can of drained mushrooms & some bacon bits - the kind that come in a bag that are more bacon-y than bitt-y, some people recommended chopped ham, but it would be just as good without it.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated. I put in a little salt & green tabasco here, too. Not in the recipe, but I just love that green stuff.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes - possibly longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

You can mix it up beforehand and pop in the oven when you're ready. Yummy. And it's Atkins friendly! Another variation is to pour it into those mini-muffin tins, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes instead, and they're great appetizers. Freeze well, too.