Crustless Potato Quiche

Crustless Potato Quiche from cooks.com is an elegant egg dish whose ingredients may surprise you. I know, I know, what more do you need than egg, cheese and bacon for a fantastic breakfast dish. Well what if I told you cottage cheese, green onion and hot sauce are a part of this unbeatabely easy quiche!

Crustless Potato Quiche
5 beaten eggs
1 12oz. pkg. frozen hash browns
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash of hot sauce
Paprika
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Recipe Tip: I have mistakenly put the bacon into the mixture before baking and it has turned out just fine; but I do recommend following the recipe for best results.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine first 8 ingredients, stir well. Pour into lightly greased 9" pie plate. Sprinkle top with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Sprinkle bacon evenly on top and bake for 5 more minutes.

Pamela's Products Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Pamela's Products are by far my favorite gluten free products on the market. The Chocolate Walnut Biscotti is pleasing to the eye and the taste buds; add a cup of coffee and now that's amore.
These biscotti are very chocolaty and crisp even after being dunked in coffee. The shape is perfect and now that there are six in a box, they are economical as well.

Maryland Crab Quiche

This past summer, my family visited my best friend and her family. This reunion was made even more memorable by the fantastic food that was prepared with care. The recipe I am about to share was based on a recipe from allrecipes.com  My friend took this good recipe to the next level and gave it a WOW factor which has now put it at the top of my all time favorite breakfast dishes.

Maryland Crab Quiche
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded cheese, Asiago &  Mozzarella
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Approx. 1-2 cups crab meat seasoned with Old Bay (preferably from a crab feast the night before)

Recipe Tip: If you do not have crab meat, this quiche is still awesome, just substitute 10 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled. I have made this recipe a variety of ways using different ingredients. I have always been pleased with the results.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture is gone.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, crab, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

I must give credit to the crab. Without the crabfeast the night before; our quiche would not have come to be.

Crabfeast 2010

Cupcake Quiche

Readers Choice: Morning
In the second Gluten Free and You poll, readers voted morning as their favorite time of day. I promised to share a variety of recipes for the early risers who voted. I am also including in this special tribute some of my favorite gluten free breakfast products. Without further ado, thank you to all who participated in the poll. 

The first recipe is Cupcake Quiche!

Cupcake Quiche
12 pieces bacon, crisply cooked
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 cup half and half
salt and pepper

Recipe Tips: I prefer not to use muffin papers. Also, during baking quiche will puff up a bit; upon cooling quiche will shrink a little.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Combine crumbled bacon and shredded cheese and then divide evenly among muffin tin. In a separate bowl beat eggs, add half and half and blend to combine. Salt and pepper egg mixture to taste. Carefully pour egg mixture into tins evenly. Bake for 30 minutes. Quiche are done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

ROCK- A Good Place to Start

Raising Our Celiac Kids or ROCK for short is support group developed by Danna Korn with chapters across the United States. Members of ROCK chapters get and give advice on all aspects of living gluten free whether you have celiac disease or another affliction which requires adherence to a gluten free diet.

I have already posted about ROCK before, but decided it was worth repeating for a few reasons. One, it is a fantastic organization and two I am wondering how many people are being told right now, "You really need to have your child on a strict gluten free diet.", and don't know where to begin. That was me just over two years ago. Well, ROCK is a good place to start. The organizer of the ROCK chapter I belong to was the voice of reason in the early stages of accepting that my child and I had celiac disease.

Don't hesitate, check the list on the link and see if there is a ROCK chapter near you. Call the organizer of the closest one to you. They can offer advice to you as your child goes back to school and a host of other issues.

This is Gluten Free and YOU because you are important and I appreciate you checking out my blogspot. Thank you and come again soon!

Friendship is Gluten Free

As we settle into the middle of summer I wanted to take a moment and say how very thankful I am for friendship. I have been blessed with many wonderful people in my life. The photo currently taking center stage on the blog is of flowers and vegetables given to my family by friends. To me, it is one of the prettiest photos I have ever seen. It reflects caring and generosity.

Something else that reflects caring and generosity is the lengths friends have gone to make me and members of my family feel comfortable. This summer alone we have traveled to a friend's home two times.  And twice she and her family have gone out of their way to make sure that we not only could eat, but eat safely several days at a time. This was all done with a grace that made it seem effortless. Eating gluten free 100% of the time is a challenge, but to invite people into your home when you do not generally eat gluten free is another matter all together.

Since being diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago many friends have served me meals in which they sought out brand new recipes, gluten free products or converted recipes specifically to make them safe for me to eat. No one has shied away from inviting me to dinner or been skeptical to try something that I made. No one has joked about whether something was going to taste good based on its gluten free nature. That is not to say that I haven't heard any negative comments about gluten free dining, but never once from a friend. These unfunny jokes were generally from uneducated media personnel or folks who I guess simply do not handle change very well.

So tonight, it is with a humble heart that I say "THANK YOU". Thank you for your love and support and for being you, my dear friends. I don't know what I would do if friendship weren't gluten free.

Mascarpone Peaches

I found this luscious peach recipe last year. It was pleasing to the eye as well as the taste buds. So, on your next stop to your local farmer's market pick up some peaches. Eat them plain and enjoy their own sweet goodness or add a few simple ingredients and create a beautiful masterpiece.

Recipe tip: This recipe is from  Wegman's, a fanstastic grocery store that is convenient to me. The maple syrup can be whatever brand you like. I also did not prepare this recipe with the rasberry puree, but don't doubt it would be a great addition. Enjoy!

Mascarpone Peaches


SERVES 6   ACTIVE TIME: 15 min    TOTAL TIME: 20 min 
6   peaches (about 1 lb total), halved, pit removed
6   tsp Wegmans Organic Maple Syrup
Berry Puree (see Wegmans link for recipe)
6   tsp mascarpone cheese
1   pkg (6 oz) fresh raspberries
12   mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Brush peach halves with syrup; place on baking sheet.
    
2. Roast 10-15 min or until just tender when pierced with fork.
    
3. Make berry puree while peaches are roasting. Drizzle 1/4 cup puree on each of four small plates.
    
4. Remove peaches from oven; place two halves on each plate. Top each peach half with 1/2 tsp mascarpone and a few raspberries.