Spinach Mushroom Quiche

And Easter Tradition!

1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
Butter
1 c. chopped raw onion
small splash balsamic vinegar (for caramelizing, optional)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms (I prefer the Baby Bella's)
8-9 oz pkg. frozen spinach
1 c. shredded Swiss
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan (optional)
4-5 eggs, beaten
splash or two of milk
salt and pepper, to taste

PREP: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Caramelize onion with touch of butter, a pinch of pepper, & optional splash of balsamic vinegar (just a light touch). Lightly saute sliced mushrooms in butter. (I cut back on the butter use by added a touch of water if needed.) Heat or thaw frozen spinach.

COMBINE caramelized onion, mushrooms, spinach, & cheeses. (OPTIONAL to save some of cheese for top once in the pie shell.) Mix well.

BEAT eggs, season, & add splash of milk.

ADD egg mixture to mushroom mixture. Combine well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

POUR egg & mushroom mixture into pie crust.

BAKE in 400 degree oven about 35 minutes until brown and bubbly.

Chili for Now and Later

As with my typical view about being a vegetarian and eating a diet without flesh does not mean going without. I made a nice pot of chili for dinner (and froze the rest). Sometimes there is just nothing better than a spicy, steamy bowl of chili served over plain cooked pasta (especially like rotini, although any noodle will do inlcuding spagetti).




I sauteed some chopped onion and a clove of garlic in oil and water until everything was translucent and lovely. I added it to a pot with chili beans, kidney beans, and black beans. Then added tomato juice as needed with the chili spicespepper flakes, and hot sauce. Sometimes, I add tomato soup straight out of the can to work as a little bit of thickening, but not necessary. Pretty much whatever looks good to put in it. (I love adding the black beans with the other to add another level.) I let it cook through, then boiled some pasta noodles and drained. So yummy. When everything was ready I made a nice pile of pasta on the bottom of my bowl, sprinkled it with hot sauce and shredded cheese (without the cheese it is meat and dairy free), then toopped with a heaping portion of chili and a sprinkles of cheese. Fabulous and delicious.





Chili night has always been a fairly big night in my house. The table included not only a big pot of chili, but pleanty of fixings; cooked pasta noodles, corn chips, cheese, shreddded lettuce, salsa, hot sauce, hot pepper flakes, chili spices, sugar (my mom and brother prefer to sweeten it a bit), and whatever else looks like an apealing addition. Everyone has their own way and own preferences right down to how spicy it should be and what it chould be served over. I started adding black beans to mine and increasng the overall amount of beans in it (as well as the diced onion) to adapt to no longer including hamburger. I still make a decent amount and then freeze the extras for another day. (I do this alot with things instead of making single sized portions.) It's nice to have on hand when I don't feel like cooking.

As said by Marty Feldman: "I won't eat anything that has intelligent life, but I'd gladly eat a network executive or a politician."

Non-Forbidden Fruit

The opening weekend of my most recent show is now behind me (along with the hectic schedule of tech week that leads into a show). This show has led to a few things coming up regarding my lack of meat consumption. It surprises people and even seems to confuse others. I guess partially because I don’t come across as militant and I don’t lecture or rave about it. I live my vegetarian existence simply and in a rather matter-of-fact manner. Now I can get back to cooking (my leftover supply in the freezer has run rather low) for the time being. One of the cast members did sent a lovely fruit basket to the cast and I was very happy to see the kids in the show attack it with great excitement over bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries and such. (Candy seems so over-rated when eyes meet the gaze of bright colors of a basket full of yummy fruit.) I tried a new fruit this week that I had never had before… a pomegranate. Someone had brought one the other day to the theater and offered me some. A fun, tasty little fruit that she said her kids loved because of the fun factor of the little bits inside. It’s nice to find new little things to try, especially things that are supposed to be rather good for you too. Yum.

k.d. lang : 'We all love animals. Why do we call some "pets" and others "dinner?" '

Pasta Salad and Thanksgiving Humor for the Vegetarian

So, I'm still not feeling great and what I really want to to just feel better or for someone to baby me a little. That's not going to happen. I made some seasoned crackers (the kind where you use veggie oil and seasoning at crackers than bake for 15-20 minutes) and homemade pasta salad. I don't have a recipe for pasta salad. I have certain things I like in it and often use, but in the end it comes down to whatever I find in the cupboards and refrigerator. Today's combination is sun-dried tomatoes (sliced into smaller pieces), black olives, some sliced mushrooms (left from last night's pasta), almond slivers, some cheese bits (you could use none or use soy cheese crumbled, shredded, chunked, whatever), a blasamic vinegrette that I like, and a touch of prepared pesto (I've gotten in the habit of using just a bit to add a little bit of something else to the mix) all mixed with the pasta. You can really use just about anything you have on hand and that you enjoy together. My mom usually uses colorful peppers (I'm not a big fan of them raw) and diced tomato (I prefer the taste and texture of the sun-dried or semi-dried). Currently, it is sitting in the refrigerator letting everything kind of crisp and marinate together.

For Thanksgiving this year, as with most years, my family is planning a big shin-dig with everyone getting together. We have certain traditions that seem to appear every year from pretty much the same people. Especially after going vegetarian it became important for me to make sure there were foods that I would and could eat without giving up some of my holiday favorites. I always make homemade mushroom stuffing, vegetarian gravy of some type, some type of vegetable that has not been corrupted, and often some appetizer type thing (my stuffed mushrooms are always a big hit with vegetarians and meat-eaters alike). Hope all your plans for the season are fabulous.

Here's a little something to make you smile and maybe think too.

From Albert Einstein, physicist: "Nothing will increase chances of survival for life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

"Where's the Meat?"

There are things and days that I do not understand; among these is my brothers’ hysterics over meat. I don’t eat it, I don’t like the smell of it, and I have no desire to cook it. This is not new. I was fixing pasta for dinner. The water was getting close to a boil and I was in the process of slicing mushrooms. ‘Where’s the meat?” my brother demanded as he barged into the kitchen. “You need to fix chicken to go with that.” It was not a request, it was a demand. I was not about to be bullied into anything, especially cutting up and cooking chicken (or hamburger as the other one wanted). He freaked out. By freak out I mean major freaking. The fights are still there and sometimes I fear they always will be. As he yelled and screamed, ranted and raved he finally got the chicken out and fixed it himself. Our large kitchen suddenly felt way too small as I tried to keep breadsticks from burning, water from boiling over, and sauce from scorching. The entire time he raved about how horrible it was that I am a vegetarian and how I had done it just to be different. When I first quit eating meat (even back to when I was contemplating it and trying to make a decision) it was such a frightening endeavor to undertake, especially alone and without my family’s support. The stereotype is often of the militant vegetarian picking fights and arguments with meat-eating family, friends, and strangers. I try to avoid the fights and arguments. Yet, somehow I take attacks especially from my siblings while being accused of “attacking” them. (All going back to an afternoon a couple years back when I asked my one brother is he really needed a steak for an after-school snack.) I don’t; attack others for their lifestyle and I don’t want to be attacked for mine. My lifestyle is not hurting anyone, not even myself.

It doesn’t really matter why I became a vegetarian. It’s my life and my body. I wanted to be better and for me this worked. I shouldn’t have to explain myself. I’m open to reasonable discussions and honest curiosity, but not hysterical rants about the evils of vegetables and my supposed responsibility to serve them meat. Sometimes it would be nice to have a real ally; someone who actually understood. I never expected it to be completely easy, but I had hoped that after this long the attacks from family would have ceased. I may not like it, but I have never once attacked them or yelled at them for their continuing to hunt. (It helps that their aim is so bad they can barely hit the broad side of a barn.) I wonder sometimes how important it would be to marry a vegetarian like me, then things like this happen again and I almost don’t want to risk the idea of a long-term relationship with a meat-eater.

Let me leave with a quote that just seems fitting.

From Scott Adams (The writer of Dilbert): “You think I’m one of those wise-ass California vegetarians who is going to tell that eating a few strips of bacon is bad for your health. I’m not. I say it’s a free country and you should be able to kill yourself at any rate you choose, as long as your cold dead body is not blocking my driveway.”