Cooking from the garden

Chickpea, green bean and tomato salad with lemon-rosemary dressing

1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup diced cucumbers

1 cup cooked chickpeas

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

2 or 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1/8 cup olive oil

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

Steam green beans for 3 to 4 minutes, until beans are bright green. Rinse beans in cold water to stop them from over cooking. Combine beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and chick peas in a bowl. To make dressing, whisk together all ingredients and pour over salad. It'll be even more delicious after it's marinated for a few hours in the fridge.

Crustless Quiche with Swiss Chard and Potato

1 large bunch of swiss chard, leaves and stems separated

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 large potatoes, thinly sliced

fresh herbs

salt and pepper

olive oil

4 eggs

1 cup milk, full fat yogurt or buttermilk

1 cup bread crumbs

olive oil

1/2 cup to 1 cup crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Strip leaves from stems. Chop stems, and saute in a large pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic, onion and fresh herbs, and saute for 2 more minutes. Add potatoes, a few tbsps of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add swiss chard leaves, cover, and cook 2 more minutes, until wilted. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs and milk. Grease a round quiche pan or a 9x13 square pan with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the pan with bread crumbs. Cover bread crumbs with vegetable mixture. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Crumble goat cheese on top. Bake for 40 minutes.

goodbye wheat, hello potatoes

I'm branching out into the wheat-free world after finally figuring out that I'm intolerant to the stuff. But life looks fine on the other side! At Dufferin Grove's Thursday organic market I found sweet potato bread (ooh!) made with rice flour and a tasty kamut and spelt bread (delicious and hearty).

The other day I was complaining to my boyfriend about how I keep forgetting about these delicious recipies; you know how you make pizza dough for 3 or 4 months and then forget about pizza for a year? So tonight I pulled out a recipe I hadn't made in ages. I'm sure every vegetarian slightly interested in cooking has at least one of Mollie Katzen's/Moosewood Collective's cookbooks in their kitchen; I know I have three or four hanging around. But the one that gets the most milage is definately The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Mollie's section on quiches is great - tonight I broke out the mashed potato crust. 1o times healthier, ten times tastier than your average pie crust. Here it is.

3 average sized potatoes
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
salt and pepper

Quarter and cook potatoes (don't bother peeling them, unless they're not organic - potatoes have high levels of pesticide residues on their skins). Mash them with the butter, salt and pepper and raw minced onion. Press the mashed potatoes into a greased pie plate. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, brushing with oil halfway through.

Now for the filling. So you have your crust. Next you need a layer of cheese. Usually I go for volume, not flavor - just some average grated mozza or cheddar. You need enough to cover the bottom, creating a layer protective fattiness between the crust and egg. Tonight I tried something new - a tangy sheep's milk cheese from Dufferin Grove.

Next- the vegetables! The possibilities are endless. Some of my favorites - spinach sauteed with onion, nutmeg and dry mustard; tomatoes and fresh herbs, mushrooms (only when my mycophobic boyfriend isn't around); and today, red swiss chard with onions and garlic.

Finally, your custard: 3 eggs and one cup of milk/yogurt/sour cream/any combo of the three.

Sprinkle with a little paprika, bake it at 375 for 35-40 minutes, then let it rest 5 minutes before cutting. Mmmm, wheat free quiche.