Photos on Fine Fettle Kettle are originals taken by Miriam Latour and under copyright protection.
Recipes are the creation of Miriam Latour, unless otherwise indicated.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Crustless Spinach-Cheese Quiche



My confession is that I love pie crust and I love quiche WITH a crust. However, I'm trying to cut back a bit on lard and butter, so I've developed this quiche that has so much flavor, it hardly needs a crust.

Recipe makes 2 quiches. Hint: cut each quiche into 8 pieces and freeze them for quick breakfasts.

8 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
Black pepper to taste
12 oz cottage cheese
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (you can use seasoned feta if you wish)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp chopped fresh dillweed
1 bunch of spinach, chopped. Stems mostly removed
1 cup lower-fat shredded cheddar (or favorite brick cheese)


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease two quiche pans (or pie pans). Combine ingredients and divide between pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until set.







Friday, September 18, 2009

Simple Greek-Style Pizza


This is for those with a taste for the strong and beautiful flavors of Greece. I really like this pizza dough recipe. It's one I haven't tried before and the texture turned out perfectly. It comes from these gal's website right here. My one complaint is that it only makes one pizza, which in a family with teenage boys is never enough! Next time I'll try doubling the recipe. I've also made a few alterations to the instructions, including baking at a higher temperature which creates a more authentic Italian crust texture.

Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups unbleached flour (I used 2 1/2 cups of unbleached bread flour)

Toppings:
Olive oil
Dried & ground herbs (your choice)
Feta cheese with tomato and basil
Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Fresh Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Preheat the oven with pizza stone to 525ºF
Add yeast to warm water with a pinch of sugar until it bubbles. Add remaining ingredients with the first cup of flour and mix for at least a minute. Add more flour until the dough forms a smooth, soft ball, not too sticky, but not firm. Allow dough to rise until double. Stretch or roll dough to form a medium size pizza. Place on a pizza peel (or baking sheet) and brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with your favorite dried and ground herbs. Top with remaining ingredients. Slide onto stone (or keep on baking sheet). Bake, watching closely, until pizza dough it done.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Tangy Chicken Lettuce Wraps



The flavors in this heart-healthy chicken salad are addicting. This recipe is adapted from several other similar recipes I've seen on the internet, and similar to one from the Sonoma Diet.

4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken
15 oz roast peppers (either roasted at home or from a jar)
6 oz marinaded artichoke hearts
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all the above ingredients, chill in the refrigerator for several hours, wrap in dark green lettuce leaves and eat!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Roast Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Olives & Sun-Dried Tomatoes



This is a heavenly side-dish. It comes from the Sonoma Diet. The roasted green beans taste so sweet in contrast to the tart feta cheese, kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place beans on prepared baking sheet.

2. Drizzle the beans with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper; toss gently to coat. Spread the beans in an even layer. Roast for 10 minutes.

3. Stir beans. Roast about 15 - 20 minutes more or until beans are dark golden brown in spots and have started to shrivel.

4. In a large bowl combine dried tomatoes, pitted kalamata olives, fresh oregano and lemon juice. Add roasted green beans; toss gently to coat. To serve, sprinkle with 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese.