ham & fennel quiche

i heart quiche. and totally loving how easypeasy it is to make a homemade, crustless quiche. simple goodness.

so believe it or not, i still have some leftover ham in my freezer from the holidays! and as much as i love grilled ham & cheese sammies, they can get a little boring — and i can only eat so much bread in a week. the solution? crustless ham & fennel quiche. low-carb, simple goodness. :)

- preheat oven to 375F

the fennel:
- remove 1 fennel bulb from green stems & fronds
- slice bulb into quarters along the vertical and remove the inner core
- slice fennel into thin sticks

quiche batter:
whisk together the following ingredients in large prep bowl:
- fennel sticks
- 6 large eggs
- leftover honey ham (sliced into bite-sized chunks)
- 1.5 tsp herbes de provence (divided)
- 1/3 cup appenzeller cheese (grated)
- season w/ ground black peppercorns

bake it:
- pour quiche batter into a round, oven-safe baking dish
- bake quiche for 20-25min at 375F, or until golden brown
- allow to cool on rack before cutting quiche

food styling:
- cut quiche evenly into pie wedges
- serve quiche wedge w/ organic mixed greens & your fave (homemade!) salad dressing

roasted carrot & broccoli quinoa

back on my quinoa kick… toasted with some vibrant veggies!

this is a simple way to repurpose leftover apple-glazed roasted carrots and use up that extra broccoli that’s been sitting in the crisper in your fridge. oh yeah, and quinoa is a fantastic way to add a little fiber boost to a dish.

prep veggies:
- chop leftover roasted carrots into thin sticks
- cut broccoli into small florets

the quinoa:
- bring to a boil: 1 cup (250mL) organic quinoa & 2 cups water in a small pot (no cover)
- then reduce to simmer, cover pot and cook until the water is absorbed into the grains (approx 10-12 min). it’s ready when the grain is translucent.
- allow to cool, then fluff with a fork

the stirfry:
while the quinoa is cooking, start stirfrying the veggies.
- add broccoli florets to a large wok on medium heat
- add 1/4 cup water to wok and blanch broccoli until it turns a vibrant green and slightly tender
- heat up 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil in a large wok
- add 1/4 white onion (peeled, rough chop) to wok

- add a dash of sea salt
- add chopped carrots to wok
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- stirfry for a few minutes until veggies are warmed up
- add 1.5 cups cooked quinoa and toss with veggies in wok, until quinoa is slightly toasted

honey ham & grilled cheese sammy

sandwiches don’t have to be boring. this honey ham & grilled cheese sammy just oozes with flavour and personality. the perfect (non-boring) companion for a tall glass of milk. yummers.

and what’s even better is that it’s a simple recipe for leftover redux. still not sure what to do that leftover ham from the holidays that’s still sitting in your freezer? check this out…

prep the ingredients:
- defrost slices of leftover honey ham
- cut a few slices of appenzeller cheese (gouda or gruyere would melt well, too.)
- cut thick slices of wholewheat sourdough bread

i love the locally-made, artisan sourdough from sidewalk citizen bakery. there’s something really comforting about aviv’s artisan bread — perfect for grilled cheese sammies!

grillin’ the sammy:
- melt 1.5 tbsp unsalted butter in pan on medium heat
- on the inside of the sourdough slices, spread horseradish dijon mustard on each slice
- place slices of appenzeller cheese on inside of each slice

- pile on the sliced honey ham on one of the sourdough slices
- lightly drizzle honey on the ham
- sandwich together the slices of sourdough
- press sandwiches firmly w/ kitchen spatula
- grill in pan on medium heat for 2-3min (flip sides) until toasted brown & cheese is melted
- remove from heat & set aside to cool slightly