Tomato Basil Mini Quiche-cakes

Breakfast. Introduced to most of us as "The Most Important Meal of the Day". Yet as we get older, most people end up skipping breakfast, giving the excuse: 'I don't have time'.

Not having time to eat is a common problem I've heard from most of my friends already on campus. Ironic, yes, because we also gain weight...but I think this stems from the larger metabolic lifestyle changes we don't need to get into right now (perhaps in a separate post!).

Regardless of age or schedule, we all have days when we wake up late or have to wake up early and lose out on that precious first meal. For those days, I thought about a way to solve the problem without resorting to expensive granola bars...

The Recipe: Tomato Basil Mini Quiche-Cakes

• 2 large eggs (feel free to get whatever kind of egg you prefer, although I used white eggs)
• 1/2 tomato, sliced and diced
• 1 leaf basil, torn
• A couple shreds of low-fat mozzarella, or other cheese, if desired. (I did some with and some without)

The Process:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• Place desired size cupcake paper in cupcake pan (any baking pan would work, but since I also made a small batch of cupcakes, it felt right to use the rest of the pan simultaneously)
• Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk well with a fork
• Slice and dice tomato and mix it into the eggs
• Tear basil and mix it into the eggs and tomato
• Fill each cupcake paper about 2/3 of the way full so your Quiche-cakes don't overflow (I had a bit much in two of mine...oops!) **Try to get a good portion of all three ingredients in each Quiche-cake. Otherwise it just isn't the same!**
• Sprinkle desired cheese shreds on top.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, checking for bubbles and a gelatinous/solid-looking texture (just in case your oven isn't the same as mine)
• Allow to cool without covering for 10-15 minutes (longer if you make a larger size)
• Carefully remove and refrigerate in tupperware
• At this point, you may eat them warm, with a small fork or spoon, or you may keep them in the fridge. Personally, I like them as a cold finger food. If you are not going to eat immediately, you must refridgerate.
• Don't skip breakfast for a few days :)
  

The Calories:
        This may vary slightly based on the kind of eggs you use, if you use cheese, etc. In my version:

Eggs: 147 calories
Tomato: 11 calories
Basil: 1/5 calorie
Mozzarella (1/4 tsp): 28 calories
_____________________________
Total: 186 calories

I made seven Quiche-cakes, so each held about 27 calories of mostly high-protein egg. Definitely high on the healthy scale!

What went right:
            The quiches that did not overflow were delicious and nutritious. The smaller portions make it easier to eat a few over 30-60 minutes and not feel the guilt or weight of a larger quiche or an omlette, while still providing necessary protein. They save well in the fridge and are still yummy three to four days later. I can't see them not being eaten before then.

What went wrong:
          Other than the overflow, I would like to try some different cupcake wrappings. The ones I used stuck to the Quiche-cakes and were harder to remove the first day. By the second and third they came off well but took a layer of food with them...which I, embracing my subconscious childhood cupcake reflex, ate off the paper. I'm going to try some different types with other ingredients and I will re-post when I find the right one :)

What I would do next time:
         Other than the paper and the overflow, I would like to try it in a larger size, just because, and with varied ingredients. I think it would be great with peppers, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, artichoke, and maybe even trying a kind of sweet-and-savory Quiche-cake with banana and chocolate chips.

Will I do this in college:
         Yeah I definitely think having premade mini breakfasts would be better than having to run to the dining hall in the morning, and cheaper/healthier than buying premade toaster treats or granola bars. Additionally, it saves fridge-space to make and keep them compared to buying and keeping the ingredients until I feel the urge to cook them. That initial laziness will be immediately forgotten when there's food at the ready...

...so maybe that's why breakfast is "The Most Important Meal of the Day"! Food is our fuel, and a good boost of protein and fruit/vegetable (I don't discriminate against your personal beliefs regarding the tohMAYtoe/tohMAHtoe) in the morning is a great way to wake up and feel invigorated for the day ahead. Why stay in bed when there's something yummy in the fridge across the room? Now that you're up and eating, wow...it's really nice out! let's leave a little early for class and enjoy the day :)

 

Salami Caprese Panini

Hey there healthy food fans!

Yet another of my late night find what you can in the fridge meals gone oh so right, I present for your consideration:


The Recipe: Salami Caprese Panini

• 2 Slices of Italian Bread
• 2 tbsp shredded, low fat mozzarella
• 1/2 tomato, cut in slices
• 1/8 tbsp butter
• 4 slices of salami, cut in half
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 leaves of basil, shredded

The Process: 

• Turn on one of the burners to high
• Let your panini pan heat up while prepping the food
• Spread the butter on both sides of both slices of bread
• Wash and slice the tomato
• Cut and separate the salami
• Shred the basil leaves
• When the pan is warm, spread the olive oil on the pan and put the bread down
• Sprinkle mozzarella on both slices 
• After a couple minutes, watching to see that the mozzarella is secure and most of the butter has soaked into the bread, sprinkle the basil onto one slice of the bread

• Lay the salami half slices onto the same slice of bread
• Lay the tomato on the same slice of bread
• Using a spatula, put the other slice of bread on top and press until the sandwich sears to taste and is secure. This should take a minute or two, but it depends on your stove. 
• When you are satisfied with your sear, remove the press and set it on the stove to cool. 
• Carefully use the spatula to remove your sandwich and slice in half

The Calories:

          The bread was 108 calories; the tomatoes were 8 calories; the mozzarella was 35 calories; the basil was 0 calories; the salami was 99 calories; and the butter was 8 calories. This makes the total sandwich 258 calories. Most of the olive oil remained on the pan even after cooking, but adding the 126 calories for olive oil, that makes it 384 calories, still. 

What went right: 

         Everything. Loved this sandwich so much and I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

What went wrong: 

        I can honestly say nothing went wrong with this recipe. Success!

What would I do next time:

        Salami is the perfect meat for this sandwich. For a healthier (or vegetarian) version, feel free to eliminate it and substitute with more tomato, roasted peppers, cucumber, or anything else your taste buds desire!

Will I do this in college: 

       I think this is a given. I'm lucky and ecstatic to be bringing a single serve panini pan to college. Look forward to more panini variations because I am in love. 

Overall, a healthy, filling sandwich that had me licking the plate ;D

 

Deceptively Healthy Dessert: Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Hello health food fan!

My house is pretty empty as of late. We really only have some remnants of old meals, bread, cereal, drinks; nothing really that would be enough to make a dish. Or so I thought! I came across a recipe for cookies that included only bananas and dry oats, which were coincidentally two of the few edible products in the kitchen.

The  Recipe:  Banana Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 large old bananas 
• 1 cup dry oats
• 1 tbsp Wheat Germ (personal health addition)
• Preferred toppings/mix-ins (I tested toppings of chocolate chips, coconut,  almond slices, and honey)

The Process:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
• Mash the bananas into a medium sized bowl 
• Mix in the oats and wheat germ using a spoon
• Mix in any other desired mix-ins (I didn't mix in anything this time, but I got some ideas for next time!)
• Use a spoon to make small cookies on a pan, spaced out enough to be separate, but they don't expand, so no worries on that one. (They could be made in a muffin tin, or as larger cookies as well. My batter made 20, 1.5-2 inch diameter cookies.)
• Apply toppings as desired 
• Bake for 15 minutes

The Calories: 

The two bananas were each about 105 calories, so 210 total. 1 cup of oats is 150 calories. 1 tbsp of wheat germ is 25 calories. The base mixture has a total of 385 calories. Divided by 20, that makes each cookie about 19 calories. The amount of each topping I added was trivial enough to not matter, such as a single chocolate chip, or a drop of honey. 

What went right: 

              The cookies are really good, and very healthy. I can see this batter being a very useful base for even a type of cake, or muffins! My family enjoys them very much; even my brother ate two. Within minutes, they were all gone. The coconut and the chocolate chip went over best. From start to finish, the whole process took about 30 minutes. Well worth it! 

What went wrong: 

               The honey isn't the most fulfilling topping. It tastes good, but only in the one small spot. Oh well! Other than that, the cookies are way too addicting!!

What I would try next time:

                This base batter comes with a world of possibilities! I would like to do it with fruit, peanut butter, pecans mixed in, mini chocolate chips mixed in, cocoa powder mixed in, toasted coconut mixed in, granola mixed in, butterscotch chips, or even pretzel pieces. I might also try a variety of extracts. Other than toppings, I might try baking the cookies in muffin sleeves for slightly less time, or making larger cookies. I might even use it as a pie crust, or bake a thinly spread pan into chips. Another possibility would be to freeze it in small truffles, and dip it in chocolate, butterscotch, or anything really that would harden around the batter. 

Would I do this in college?: 

               100% Yes. The batter is super easy, very healthy, and has a high potential for variety. I think it would freeze and keep well, so I could make a large batch, and only bake as needed. It also tastes amazing. This is being added to the top of my no-guilt snack list! 

Overall, the recipe was a HUGE success! I'm making another batch after dinner tonight.