It's all Greek to me

 

To be honest, I'm not sure if this is technically Greek.  Feta is Greek, right?  I'm just gonna roll with it.  Also note, this picture was taken on my messy computer desk with my iPhone camera, I apologize.  =P

I wasn't sure what to make for dinner tonight, but since I have some leftover feta cheese from the quiche the other night, I wanted to use some more of it.  Prof. Peanutbutter loves the classic Italian appetizer of tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and mozzarella, but he's also a big fan of feta.  I figured I'd combine those flavors into a tasty pasta dish.

Tomato and Feta Pasta

8 oz. Whole Wheat Spaghetti

2 large whole Red Ripe Tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup Spinach, choppped

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/2 cup Reduced Fat Feta Cheese
1 tbsp. Basil

1 tsp. Onion powder

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

2. Drain and return to pot.

3. Over very low heat, add all other ingredients and stir.

To be fair, this wasn't the healthiest meal.  It probably should have been four servings (as I used four servings of pasta) but we were STARVING.  Next time I may reduce the olive oil and maybe add some chicken to make it more filling.  But it was GOOD.  I put in the spinach to add more veggies.  Prof. Peanutbutter hardly noticed it.

Chef Shorty: 4.5 noms

Prof. Peanutbutter: 4.5 noms

 

Quickie? No Mr. President, QUICHE...

Gore and Bush were in a restaurant ordering brunch. The waitress asks Gore what he would like to order. After looking at the menu, Al says, "I would like Eggs Benedict."

The waitress says, "Fine, and what will you have President Bush?"
Perusing the menu, George says, "Well, I think I'd like to have a quickie."

Taken aback, the waitress responds, "Why Mr. President, that's awful!"

Then Gore leans over and whispers into Bush's ear, "George, that's pronounced 'quiche.'"

~~~~~

Mwa ha ha.  I've always loved that joke.  =)

So a friend recommended this quiche recipe to me and I had to give it a try.  I love egg-based foods, probably because breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I substitute Egg Beaters in everything, because the reduction in calories and cholesterol is so extreme and they taste the same to me.  Some people may disagree.

Adapted from Crustless Spinach, Onion and Feta Quiche on SparkPeople.com.

Spinach, Onion, and Feta Quiche

1 medium onion, diced
6 oz fresh baby spinach
1 cup Egg Beaters
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups non fat milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat feta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Lightly grease a 10-inch quiche/tart pan (or a pie plate).
3. In a medium frying pan, cook diced onion with a bit of vegetable oil (or cooking spray) over medium-high heat until translucent and tender. Add in fresh spinach and cook until just wilted. Set aside to cool for a few minutes
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, then stir in spinach-onion mixture.
5. Pour quiche base into prepared pan. Top with feta cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until center is set and the outside edge is golden brown.
7. Let set for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

I knocked off almost 40 cal. and 4 grams of fat per serving by subbing Egg Beaters (she had used half eggs and half Egg Beaters), whole wheat flour, and reduced-fat feta.  Prof. Peanutbutter ate three slices and I had two, plus we each had three slices of center cut bacon (because we're definitely not vegetarians!).  My meal totaled 273 calories!  That's it!  And we were both full.  Amazing meal.  Had the last slice for breakfast the next morning (we had this for dinner, though it works equally well as a breakfast).


Chef Shorty: 4.5 noms
Prof. Peanutbutter: 4 noms (He's not a huge fan of spinach.)


I'm definitely making this again and experimenting with different veggies and cheeses.  I'm thinking tomatoes, onions, peppers, and reduced-fat Mexican cheese next time!

 

Whatsa frittata?

One day on my SparkPeople.com calendar, there was a recipe.  Some days have quotes, some have tips, but I like the recipe ones because those mean NOMS.  I adapted this one a bit to be lower calorie (I substitute Egg Beaters in pretty much everything) and more eggy.

Adapted from Coach Nicole's Mini Vegetable Frittatas on SparkPeople.com.

Veggie and Egg Muffins

2 cups Egg Beaters
1 cup diced Tomatoes (I used 2 Roma tomatoes)
1 cup chopped Broccoli, steamed
1/2 cup Sargento Reduced Fat Colby-Jack Shredded (or your favorite low-fat cheese)
2 tbsp Milk, nonfat

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin pan with Pam.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Pour the mixture into the 12 muffin cups. It should fill each almost to the top.
4. Bake for 20 min. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.

Number of Servings: 12

OM.  NOM.  This was the nommiest low-cal vegetarian breakfast item I've ever made.  Granted, we did have light sausage links on the side, but the main dish was veggie.  We almost never have veggies in our breakfast, and now that I found a nommy way to do it, I may have to nom them more often.  Seriously, 40 calories each!  Saved plenty of calories for our Valentine's dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House later.  ;-)

I also did not steam the broccoli like the original recipe called for, and it definitely would have been better if I had, so I included it above.  Steam it.  Trust me.  I'm going to make another batch soon, freeze them, and bring 3 or 4 to work for breakfast.

Chef Shorty: 4 noms
Prof. Peanutbutter: 4 noms (4.5 if I had steamed the broccoli)