Veggie Tart

You'd think that as much as I enjoy photography that I'd take
a little extra time to photograph my food! But here you go. 

We spent a couple of days with friends in Flagstaff to kick off our summer vacation. This dear friend is also a great cook, and one evening she made us a delicious veggie tart (quiche). A couple of weeks later, that tart was still in my mind and I also had some zucchini, tomatoes and onions from our CSA. I called my friend to get some pointers and also found the recipes below online. It seemed along the same lines as what she told me... she seems to be able to cook from memory/skill/experience whereas I need a recipe!

So I tried this and it took a while because I also made a whole-wheat crust! Yes, proud of myself. My friend made this while we were there and made it seem so simple. It did take me some time, so if this is new to you I recommend making it on a weekend or any day that you are not rushed. The result though was excellent! I forgot to take a photo, because it did look so pretty and this is all that was left. My son even enjoyed it too. He took a bite, kept talking, then took another bite and seemingly surprised said "this really tastes good." 

Flaky Whole Wheat Pie Crust (found this staring at me on the back of Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour package, so I had to try it)

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled (was a lot of butter for me to use, but I did it!)
• 5 to 8 Tbsp ice water

Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into 12 pieces and rub into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some pea-size pieces. Sprinkle water over mixture, one tablespoon at a time and knead lightly just until a dough forms. Form dough into a ball. Cut in half and press each into a disc shape. Wrap each disc in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling. Yield: Two 9" single pie crusts or 1 9"double pie crust. Crust will make alone with filling or pre-bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Below is the tart recipe I used from www.ezrapoundcake.com. I made a few changes based on my friend's recommendations and our preferences:

• I used the crust recipe from above.
• I added Swiss chard and cut back on some of the zucchini. My friend recommended always using leafy greens, and I definitely agree. It just works. 
• I used fresh tomatoes.
• I used Gruyere cheese only.
• I used a red onion.

Easy Zucchini, Tomato and Cheese Tart

Serves 4 to 6

• 1 SHEET (HALF OF A 17.3-OUNCE PACKAGE) FROZEN PUFF PASTRY
• 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
• 1 ONION, FINELY DICED
• 2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED
• 2 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI, QUARTERED LENGTHWISE AND THINLY SLICED
• 1/2 TEASPOON DRIED OREGANO
• 1/4 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER
• 1 (14-OUNCE) CAN READY-CUT DICED TOMATOES, WELL DRAINED
• 3 LARGE EGGS
• 1 CUP GRATED SMOKED GOUDA (SUBSTITUTES: CHEDDAR, MONTEREY JACK, MOZZARELLA, MUENSTER, PROVOLONE)
• 1/2 TEASPOON SALT
• GENEROUS SEASONING FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a glass pie plate or a dark 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Set aside.
2. Remove the puff pastry from the package, and let it thaw at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, Make the Filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the zucchini, and saute just until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with oregano and black pepper.
5. Mix in the drained tomatoes, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is tender but not mushy and the juices have evaporated. Set the pan off the heat, and let the veggies cool.
6. For the Crust: Sprinkle a little flour on your counter and rolling pin, and gently roll the puff pastry into an 11-inch square. Press the pastry into the bottom and up the sides of your pan. (Trim off the excess pastry, and discard.) Prick the pastry  with a fork, and place a piece of aluminum foil on the pastry. Add dried beans or pie weights to weigh down the foil. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights. Let the pastry cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
7. Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
8. To Assemble the Tart: In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and cooled vegetables. Spoon the mixture into the tart pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is brown and a knife inserted in the center of the tart comes out clean. Remove the outer rim of the tart pan, and let the tart cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Action Item: Try new recipes when you can! Set aside one day each week or one day each month to try a new recipe. Add it to your calendar!

For Further Reading: Still have lots of zucchini from your garden or CSA? Or do you just love zucchini? Try these recipes from Meatless Monday.

Keep up the good work

If you are committing to a healthier you and following the mini-pledges to cut out processed foods OR if you are always on the lookout for creative and easy ways to add fruits and veggies to your diet, here are some ideas:

The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide offers 13 ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet. Here are some of them:

• Be sneaky. Adding finely grated carrots or zucchini to pasta sauce, meat loaf, chili, or a stew is one way to get an extra serving of vegetables.
• Try something new. It’s easy to get tired of apples, bananas, and grapes. Try a kiwi, mango, fresh pineapple, or another of the more exotic choices available at your grocery store.
• Blend in. A fruit smoothie is a delicious way to start the day or tide you over until dinner.
• Spread it on. Try mashed avocado as a dip with diced tomatoes and onions, or as a sandwich spread, topped with spinach leaves, tomatoes, and a slice of cheese.
• Start off right. Ditch your morning donut for an omelet with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Or boost your morning cereal or oatmeal with a handful of strawberries, blueberries, or dried fruit.
• Give them the heat treatment. Roasting vegetables is easy and brings out new flavors. Cut up onions, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, turnips and coat with olive oil, add a dash of balsamic vinegar, and roast at 350° until done. Use roasted or grilled veggies as a side dish, put them on sandwiches, or add them to salads.

If you make a smoothie, why not freeze the rest into popsicles? Smoothie Pops, as we call them in our house, are a great warm-weather treat with no artificial colors or added sugar.

• Make a smoothie as you normally would and freeze it in popsicle molds.
• Use fresh or frozen fruits, sometimes frozen may be less expensive. Or buy up lots of blueberries when they are on sale and freeze them!
• Fruits such as watermelon and mango can be pureed and frozen without any added ingredients or by adding a little yogurt to the mango.
• The fruit combinations are endless... keep trying different fruits, yogurt, juice or almond milk.
• Delicious and healthy! My son even eats these with his breakfast some days.

Action Item: If you don't have popsicle molds, you can make popsicles using small paper cups and popsicle sticks or even plastic spoons (if you have any that you want to use up!) If you like to eat fruit this way, then down the road you can invest in re-usable popsicle molds.

For Further Reading:

• From this blog, read In Your Face and Change. 
• Or from allrecipes.com, this looks like a delicious one that I hope to try today, Hearty Breakfast Muffins.
• More good information can be found here, Eat Right When Money's Tight