A Simple Swiss Onion Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first featured this recipe in 2009 and I thought it was time to share it with those of you who did not follow us back then. It certainly is worthy of an encore performance. I've made this tart for close to for 50 years and while I've tried others - including my beloved Julia's quiche Lorraine - this one always calls me home. It's simple to make and as close to fool-proof as a custard can be. The original recipe, which first appeared in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, appealed to me because it used a crumb crust. At some point I substituted a buttery pie crust for the crumbs and that added another dimension to an already delicious entree. We like this so well that I've developed another version of the pie that uses smoked salmon instead of bacon and over the years I've experimented with various types of cheese, including some combinations that make a lovely Southwestern-style tart. This makes a great entree for lunch or a light supper. It can also be cut into squares and served with cocktails. I hope you'll try this.

For the Breakfast or Brunch Bunch - Low-Calorie Calico Scrambled Eggs

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Every Fat Tuesday, I spend some time pulling out meatless recipes to use during Lent. This simple dish is one I go back to year after year because it is so flavorful and easy to prepare. The recipe was originally meant for a frittata but that did not go as planned. My first effort was an abject failure and I could not get the eggs out of the pan. Once my wounded pride had healed, I decided to take the basic recipe ingredients and use them to make a really special batch of scrambled eggs. Voila! Since then I've made these eggs at least once a week during the lenten season. The eggs are simple to make, and while I like to cook them over low heat until they are set but still glistening, the Silver Fox prefers his to be cooked a bit longer. Soft or hard, I think you'll enjoy these flavorful low-calorie eggs for breakfast or a light supper. Here is how they are made.

Low-Calorie Calico Scrambled Eggs...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 eggs
1-1/4 cups egg substitute
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet until it shimmers. Add peppers, onions and garlic and saute until crisp tender.
2) Meanwhile, whisk eggs, egg substitute, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Pour over mixture in the skillet.
3) Cook and stir gently over medium heat until eggs are set. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

                    

                                                    Older Posts

                 One Year Ago Today:                                                     Two Years Ago Today:

        New Orleans Red Beans and Rice                                      County Derry Gilroy Porter Cake

               Three Years Ago Today:                                                  Four Years Ago Today: 

    Albondigas - Pork Meatballs with Chipotle Sauce                           Key West Lime Bars

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful zucchini dish, but I must tell you up front that there are two parts to this recipe and neither of them is quick to do. Now that you've been warned, I must also tell you that while the two recipes are not hard to make, they both are time consuming and require a lot of chopping. Are you still with me? The recipes come from Cooking Light and the tart makes a wonderful brunch, luncheon or light dinner entree. The work starts with caramelizing onions. Fortunately, the onions can be made several days before you plan to use them, and that helps reduce any last minute stress that might occur as the tart is put together. Once the onions are ready to go, you are free to move on to the second stage of this creation. There's nothing difficult here, save for the slicing of the zucchini, and once that's done the tart comes together quickly. The finished tart is beautiful and, while I won't make it often,  this recipe has gone into my brunch rotation. This is the kind of dish I like to serve to friends who are also good cooks. While leftover onions can be used for soup or for roast beef and blue cheese subs, the tart does not hold up well. It can, of course, be eaten, but it gets soggy and the texture seems to change if it sits too long. I hope my effort to be honest hasn't frightened you away. Here's the recipe for the brave among you.

Basic Caramelized Onions...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
12 cups vertically sliced yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and butter; swirl until butter melts. Add onion and salt; cook 15 minutes or until onion begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 50 minutes or until very tender, stirring occasionally. Cook an additional 10 minutes or until browned and caramelized, stirring frequently. Yield: 2 cups.

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Tart...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:
Pie dough for a 10-inch pie or tart pan
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices zucchini
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped Basic Caramelized Onions
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit dough into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate or quiche pan. Fold edges under and flute. Line dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove weights and foil and bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3) Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
4) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add zucchini and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and sauté for 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly.
5) Arrange Basic Caramelized Onions over bottom of crust and top with zucchini mixture. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, milk, flour, pepper, eggs, and cheese in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over zucchini mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Turkish Chicpea and Potato Stew with Bahart + Cappadocian Cave Dwellings

Two Years Ago Today: Blue Cheese Dip

Three Years Ago Today: Scandinavian Yellow Pea Soup

Enchiladas con Huevos

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Eggs that had been boiled for a deviling that never happened were the inspiration for these unusual enchiladas. The dish, which appeared in Country Woman magazine a decade ago, was originally meant for a company breakfast or brunch. Years ago, I made it at Easter time and I still make it for a light family supper when I have a surfeit of eggs that must be dealt with. The enchiladas are very easy to make and while they'll never be on anyone's final meal request, they are enjoyable and pleasant enough to eat. While the recipe calls for corn tortillas, the flour variety also works well here. I'm sure you know that corn tortillas can be softened for rolling by wrapping them in damp paper towels and "nuking" them on HIGH power for about 30 seconds. I suspect you already have the ingredients to make these in your refrigerator and pantry. If you have no taco sauce an excellent recipe for the famous Taco Bell sauce can be found here. If you start preparation of this dish with eggs that are already hard boiled you can have these enchiladas on the table in about 30 minutes. If you need directions for making perfect hard boiled eggs you can find them here, but the time required to boil them must be factored into your preparation time. This is a nice dish for busy days. Here's the recipe.

Enchiladas con Huevos...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired Linda Braun

Ingredients:
8 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 small can (8-1/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1-1/2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided use
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, divided use
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 corn tortillas, warmed
1 bottle (8 ounces) mild taco sauce
Sour cream, optional

Directions:
1) Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Combine eggs, creamed corn, 1 cup Jack cheese, green chilies, cilantro, taco seasoning and salt in a medium bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup of mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly. Place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Top with taco sauce. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese..
3) Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with reserved 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with sour cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.








One Year Ago Today: Southwestern-Style Skillet Chicken with Rice and Black Beans
















Two Years Ago Today: Old World Rye Bread