foodie wednesday: mushroom & brie mini quiche

for my family's christmas eve gathering, i offered to make an appetizer.  i wanted a delicious, savory, crowd-pleaser.  so, i came up with mini quiche filled with sauteed mushrooms & onions in a garlic butter phyllo crust.  yum!  my family seemed to enjoy them quite a bit : )

2 1/2 to 3 cups sliced mushrooms (any kind will work)
1 large onion, chopped
3 scallion stalks, chopped
8 eggs
1/4 lb brie
5 tbsp butter
10 sheets of phyllo
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1/4 cup of half & half
olive oil
salt & pepper
muffin trays (2.5 dozen)

1. preheat oven to 375.  while that preheats, saute mushrooms and onions in a bit of olive oil for 20-25 minutes.  season with 2/3 of scallions, salt & pepper.  (reserve final 1/3 of scallions as topping)

2. transfer veggies to a bowl and melt butter in the same pan that you cooked the veggies in.  add garlic and be sure not to let butter burn.

3. brush 30 muffin cups with butter mixture and then line each cup with 1/3 a sheet of phyllo folded in half.  brush with butter again.  be sure the buttered phyllo evenly covers the cup to prevent egg from sticking when it bakes.

4. spoon mushroom mixture into cups and top each with a chunk of brie.

5. mix eggs with half & half and salt.  pour egg mixture evenly into cups.

6. sprinkle each cup with a bit more salt, pepper and reserved scallions.

7. bake for 10-15 minutes until eggs are firm and phyllo is lightly browned.

these can be made up to 3 days in advance and just reheat before the party.  they are best if served warm.

enjoy!

.

foodie wednesday: pumpkin peanut curry

channeling some inspiration from our recent trip to marrakech, morocco, i wanted to try my hand at making a curry dish.  i wanted it to have a creamy, but not too heavy of a base, so i opted for puréed pumpkin to add a subtle richness to the dish.

here's what you'll need:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
3 medium yukon gold potatoes in 1/2 in cubes
2 cans (15 oz each) chick peas, rinsed
1 can (15 oz) organic pumpkin purée
1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes with sweet onion
1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp curry
1 tsp cumin
dash of cinnamon
1/2 tbsp olive oil

1. in a large stock pot, saute onion & pepper in 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.

2. as they cook down, add 1 tsp curry & 1/2 tsp cumin.

3. once onions are translucent, add potatoes, garlic and peanut butter.  stir to coat all veggies with peanut butter.

4. add pumpkin, milk, tomatoes, a dash of cinnamon and the remainder of the curry & cumin.  stir.

5. simmer for approximately 35 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender.

6. once potatoes are cooked through, add chick peas and remove from heat.

serve over couscous or rice to soak up all the good sauce : )  makes approx. 6 servings.

bon appetit!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

.