Use-It-Up Quiche (a great way to use up leftovers!)

Basic “Use-It-Up” Quiche Recipe
(6 servings)

You can use almost any leftover vegetable or meat in this recipe. If you have eggs, milk, rice and cheese, you can practically clean out your fridge right into your quiche pan. I always add the cheese last when making this quiche. The cheese makes a beautiful mellow-brown crust on the top. I usually add a bit of chopped onion to my quiches for flavor, and broccoli makes an especially nice vegetable quiche.  And it’s gluten-free, too!

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice, cooked (white or brown)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb any leftover vegetable or meat, chopped (single vegetable or a mix)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk, or light cream
• 1 cup cheese, grated (your choice: Swiss, Cheddar, Jack, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• Dash nutmeg, or ground mace

Crust Directions:

1. Mix together cooked rice, egg and soy sauce.
2. Spread evenly to cover well- buttered quiche pan or pie plate.
3. Bake rice crust at 350 F for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven.

Filling Directions:

1. Place chopped vegetable/meat onto the bottom of crust.
2. Mix together: eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over broccoli.
3. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, or until set.
4. Remove from oven, and let sit ten minutes before slicing, if serving fresh; or wrap pie pan, label and freeze.
5. Quiche can be served cold after thawing for a yummy hot weather treat; or heat the thawed quiche at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

~Debi

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What Foods Don’t Freeze Well

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by Deborah Taylor-Hough

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One of the most common questions I hear from people who are interested in freezer-meal cooking is: “How do I know what will freeze well, and what won’t?”

If you’re unsure of how well something will freeze, then freeze a single serving when you prepare the dish for a regular family meal. This way you can check on how well the item holds up to freezing and reheating. The following lists should give you a good start at identifying potential freezing problems with various food items.

Don’t Freeze Well:

• Greasy foods (they just become greasier)
• Cake icings made with egg whites
• Cream fillings and soft frostings
• Pies made with custard or cream fillings
• Fried foods (they tend to lose their crispness and become soggy)
• Fruit jelly on sandwiches may soak into the bread
• Soft cheese, such as cream cheese (can become watery)
• Mayonnaise (it separates; use salad dressing instead)
• Sour cream (it becomes thin and watery)
• Potatoes cooked in soups and stews (they become mushy and may darken. If using potatoes, cook until barely soft and still firm; then freeze quickly.)

Change During Freezing:

• Gravies and other fat-based sauces may separate and need to be recombined by stirring or processing in the blender

• Thickened sauces may need thinning after freezing; thin with broth or milk

• Seasonings such as onions, herbs and flavorings used in recipes can change during freezing. These are best added during reheating to obtain accurate flavors

• Vegetables, pastas and grains used in cooked recipes usually are softer after freezing and reheating (Undercook before freezing, or add when dish is reheated)

• Heavy cream can be frozen if used for cooking, but will not whip

• Some yogurts may suffer texture changes
• Raw vegetables lose their crispness, but can be used for cooking, stews, etc.
• Many cheeses change texture in the freezer. Most hard cheeses turn crumbly (which makes them okay for grating, but not for slicing)

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This list was adapted with permission from the bestselling Frozen Assets:  Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month.

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Marinated Lime Chicken

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Here’s one of my family’s all-time favorite chicken recipes.  The instructions include directions for preparing ahead of time for the freezer. So if you find chicken on sale at a good stock-up price, you can take advantage of the sale prices and have this delicious meal waiting in the freezer for a busy evening later in the month.

If you want to bake without freezing first, be sure to allow at least an hour or two to marinate in the refrigerator. 

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MARINATED LIME CHICKEN (from  Frozen Assets Lite & Easy) 

6 servings 

• 6 chicken breast portions (about 8 ounces each)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 4 limes (or 4 tablespoons bottled lime juice)

• 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar

• 9 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons basil

Preparation: 

Squeeze limes into a medium sized bowl. Stir in vinegar, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. Place chicken breast portions into labeled freezer bags. Pour lime sauce over top; seal and freeze. 

To Serve: 

Thaw completely. Pour marinade into small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Place chicken pieces into shallow oven-proof dish. Pour boiled marinade over chicken. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35 – 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh basil sprigs, if available. 

I hope your family likes this recipe as much as my family does! 

~Debi

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Adapted with permission from Frozen Assets Lite & Easy by Deborah Taylor-Hough (SourceBooks).

Why cook every night when you can cook once a week for seven (or more!) delicious, healthy, family-approved meals? Frozen Assets Lite & Easy shows how to be healthy while saving time and money. Includes shopping lists, recipes, and detailed instructions on how to make freezer cooking work for you. Order your copy today!

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Make-Ahead Apple Pie Filling

A friend of mine shared this recipe for make-ahead apple pie filling, Apple season is beginning in our area.  Perhaps in yours, as well.  This is a great way to preserve some of the apple harvest if you have the freezer space.

Make-Ahead Apple Pie Filling

• 18 cups peeled apple slices

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 4 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 cup cornstarch

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 10 cups water

In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; set aside. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch. cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add water; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add apples; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until the apples are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Ladle into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1-1/2 hours. Seal and freeze; store up to 12 months.Yield: 5 1/2 quarts. (enough for about five 9-inch pies).

~Debi

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Introduction to Frozen Assets

by Debi Taylor-Hough

Following the premature birth of our first child, a group of ladies from church filled our freezer with two weeks of frozen meals. Between frequent visits to the I.C.U. Nursery and the normal stresses of starting a family, those meals in the freezer were a lifesaver.