Crab Quiches - Lower in Fat, Very Convenient!

Real men don't eat quiche?  Nobody told my tomcat!



There is a reason I named that cat "Jesse James".  I went to get the camera and he went for the quiche.  I caught him before any damage was done.  Yes, a bunch went into his bowl and he ate it!  I took it as a compliment.  :)






A small casserole - just right for two or one hungry guy!

 

 

This yummy food got a bad rap thanks to a book called "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche".   I wonder how many people the book scared away... Quiche is just a sort of baked omelet in a pie crust... There's nothing effeminate about that!  What guy doesn't like a big old fried up pile of eggs with everything but the kitchen sink?

 

Quiche in a small pie tin
for a perfect breakfast treat!

For the next camping trip, I decided that cooking just isn't a priority but home cooked food will be.  There will be the usual fried trout and such but I decided to make up some goodies in advance.  Quiches would be perfect because they freeze well and with the vacuum sealer, I could make up a half dozen in advance.

The challenge was to use an egg substitute (generic egg beaters) to lower the fat content.  The half 'n' half used in the first test was actually pilfered coffee creamers from McDonalds.  The mayonnaise used in the recipe came in the form of packets leftover from a trip to Chick-Fil-A.  Yeah, I'm kind of a condiment klepto...  Just remember one packet of mayo or 1 coffee creamer are each 1T.  Who needs to measure?

 

So here's the recipe that Mr. Jesse risked his life trying to steal...  It turned out pretty good!

 

Crab Camping Quiche

Pie crust (see below)

1 C egg beaters or equivalent eggs

6-8 ounces of the GOOD lump crab meat from the refrigerated section (pouch or canned)

1/2 C fontina cheese, shredded

1/2 C mild cheddar cheese shredded

1/2 C half and half (8 coffee creamers)

3T light mayonnaise (3 packets if you snitch them)

1/2t Old Bay seasoning

1/2C chopped green onions (and green parts, too!)

1/2t garlic salt

pepper to taste

 

optional - 1/4 imitation crab meat to decorate top

 

 

Directions:

 

Press the pie crust into small pie tins or casseroles.  This recipe makes enough for 4 small pie tins or 2 small pie tins and one small casserole.  Pre-bake the pie crusts for about 6 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

Mix the half-n-half, egg substitute, mayo, cheeses, veggies, and seasoning together.  Add in the crab meat and mix well.  Divide and pour into the pie crusts.  Decorate with imitation crab meat and more green onions if desired.

 

Bake at 325 to 350 degrees until top is set and a toothpick comes out clean (times can vary but mine took about 20 minutes).  If you use egg substitute, you might get a very high dome on your quiche.  That's okay, it will deflate as it cools off.

 

There are so many things you can do with quiche.  I plan to make more tomorrow, substituting ham for the crab.  Good stuff! 

 

A note about the egg beaters... You can use real eggs if you like.  You will end up with a better product but at the expense of a few extra fat grams. 

 

Enjoy! 

 

 

 

 

 

Low Sugar Banana Coconut Cream Dessert

 

 

I was in need of some kind of a dessert for camping.  My dear friend, an African-American beauty named Alothina (I wish I was 25 years younger!), introduced me to the rich banana pudding dessert her family enjoys.  I loved it!  But my blood sugar went through the roof!  That's why I came up with this original but very simple coconut banana pudding that is about as close to "sin free" as you can get!


Low Sugar Banana Coconut Cream Dessert

18 vanilla wafers (+ or -)
1 package SUGAR FREE instant banana cream pudding
1 + 3/4 cups 1% milk
1 banana, sliced
1 single serving container of coconut flavored Greek style yogurt

In a small bowl (such as one of those throw-away type plastic bowls), spread a layer of Nilla Wafer cookies.  In a separate bowl, mix the pudding mix, Greek yogurt and milk a few minutes until thickened.  Spread some over the cookies, top with bananas, spread a little more pudding, etc.  If possible, end with the pudding covering the bananas so the air doesn't make the fruit turn brown.

Refrigerate overnight.  You can serve with whipped cream and/or sweetened coconut but it really doesn't need it.

Enjoy!  This recipe works great for a treat for camping.  Why did I use Greek yogurt?  It helps counteract the sugar in the cookies.

V.T.
 

 



Corned Beef and Brussels Sprouts

I know this post is going up a few days early, but I wanted to post it prior to the big event.  Happy Saint Patrick's Day!  In honor of the occasion, I created a special recipe - corned beef and cabbage in the van using Brussels sprouts for the cabbage.  Also, this recipe calls for deli corned beef.  Go to your local grocery store deli and have them slice the meat quite thick.

Enjoy!  One piece of advice... Make this up a bit in advance.  It's one of those "the longer it sits, the better it gits" kind of recipes.  I would strongly urge you to plan on up to 9 or so hours of cooking time on the slow cooker setting of "LOW"...  The flavors mix well and the potatoes will nearly melt in your mouth!

Cooked in a 2 qt. slow cooker, you can't beat this St. Patty's day treat!



VT's Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Brussels Sprouts

12 ounce bottle of beer (I used Blue Moon and bought an extra for the cook!)
3    cloves of garlic chopped
1/4  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4  teaspoon salt
20   Brussels sprouts with tough ends cut off
12   baby carrots
5    size B potatoes, quartered (I used three red and two yellow, each about the size of a lemon)
1/2C chopped onions
2T   olive oil (to add a little fat and flavor)
16 ounces (or more) of thick-sliced deli corned beef (3/8" inch or about 1 cm thickness)


Pour the beer into the crock pot.  Set the corned beef aside.  Add the rest of the ingredients except for the meat.  Cook on low for about 5-7 hours until the veggies are starting to get tender.  Cut the corned beef slices into 1/2" chunks and add to the veggies.  Stir, re-cover, and continue to cook on low until the veggies are tender.  I let this batch simmer for about 9 hours on "LOW" and left it on the warm setting (about 160 or so degrees) another five hours!

This recipe didn't need much extra salt.  The corned beef has plenty already.  Also, the beer added a lot of extra flavor as well.


Thanks for visiting!

Bradford, the "Van Trekker"

VT's Crock Pot Rabbit Stew

This hearty stew was cooked in a van using readily available salad bar items



*** Note -  Don't be put off by the list of ingredients.  Many of them are things a person will often carry with him/her while traveling.  You can also use dehydrated onions and garlic.  The veggies can be purchased ready-to-cook from a grocery store salad bar for a very low cost. ***

 

With Easter coming and all, I had bunnies on the mind.  Everywhere I went, the seasonal aisles were filled with adorable cotton tailed friends toting baskets of candy.  But there is also a dark side to my psyche...  When I see cute little fuzzy wild creatures, the caveman comes out! 

 

While shopping at Nelson's Meat Market in Cedar Rapids, I made a discovery that I knew would breathe some life into the van cooking efforts... They have the most wonderful farm raised, already cleaned rabbits! 

 

I have to reminisce for just a minute.  The last rabbit I ate was on Thanksgiving day, 1994.  I was heading for Elk Creek park (pronounced by some Iowans as "Elk Crick") to do some trout fishing.  A cute little bunny ran out in front of me and I mowed him down with my 1978 Pontiac Catalina.  Wow, that was a lonnnng time ago!  (That rabbit so SO good back then!)

 

 

 

A rabbit is just the right size for a little two quart crock pot stew.  Add a a biscuit or two and you'll have a couple of meals fit for a king!

 

Note - you can either cook and debone the rabbit beforehand which will reduce the prep and cooking times - or you can cook it with the bone-in.  I chose the bone-in method.  You get more flavor leaving the bones to cook down in the stew.  You'll have to carefully pick them out as you eat the end result.

 

So here is the recipe for VT's Crock Pot Rabbit Stew... I hope you enjoy it as much as Mr. Jesse and I.

 

 

VT's Crock Pot Rabbit Stew
 

1 rabbit (roughly 2 lbs)
8 mini yellow Dutch potatoes with skin on (or buy some small potatoes and cut them up)
10 small baby carrots *
10 cherry tomatoes *
10 "salad bar" strips of green bell pepper (about 1/3" x 2.5") *
1/2 cup chopped onions *
1/2 cup white mushrooms sliced in half *
1   cup beef broth
3/4 cup of red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon (and a glass for the cook, too!)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 packet of brown gravy mix (the cheap stuff)
flour, corn starch or fine bread crumbs for thickening

 

* = items from the salad bar

 

 

 

Directions for cooking with a raw bunny....

 

Butcher and separate the pieces like you would a chicken.  Layer the pieces in the crockpot with the potatoes, carrots, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and garlic.  There is nothing magic about the proportions or types of veggies.  I got all of mine from the grocery store salad bar!

 

Add the Italian seasoning and bay leaves.  Then pour in the beef broth and red wine.  Cover and let simmer around six hours on low.  You can probably cut the time in half if the rabbit is precooked and deboned.  Discard the bay leaves when you finish cooking.

 

Pull everything out of the crock pot and then thicken the gravy with a brown gravy packet and add whatever other thickening is needed:  a bit of flour or corn starch paste or, if you don't mind the consistency, some fine bread crumbs.  (I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs, then beat the tar out of the mixture, and it became a wonderfully rich, smooth gravy)

 

There was enough salt in the gravy packet that I didn't have to add any extra.

 

The best part of this recipe is that you can do anything you want with it... It's almost impossible to mess up.  Have fun at the salad bar!

 

The most difficulty I had was sleeping as the crock pot simmered away, filling the van with the most delicious aromas.

 

Thanks for reading!  Have fun...

Bradford aka the "Van Trekker"