Asparagus & Mushroom Quiche

Ahhh....quiche. This is most definitely my new favorite lunch...well, and breakfast...actually, it's nice for dinner too. It's just so perfectly versatile and can be whipped up with whatever you have on hand. Eating it cold is better than warm and it's also better the second day (if it lasts that long). This is my second posting for quiche in the past couple of months so you can tell I am a fan. I usually get inspired when eggs are on sale and veggies are plentiful. And the artist in me likes to make pretty patterns.

Crust
2 cups flour

1 stick unsalted butter

1 tsp. salt

1 T. light olive oil

6 T. cold water

egg wash

Pulse the flour, butter, oil and salt in a processor until crumbly. Add the water and pulse a few times until it comes together. Carefully dump it out onto a board and push it together gently! Roll into the shape of your pan. My tart pan has a removable bottom for easy serving. Brush egg wash on the edges and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Let cool off a bit while you make the filling.

Filling

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 T. olive oil

1/2 chopped onion

1 10 oz package sliced mushrooms

1 clove chopped garlic

1 T. chopped basil

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 bunch very thin asparagus

Mix eggs, milk and parmesan together in a bowl and set aside. In a pan, saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms until soft. Add the basil or any other herbs and remove from heat.

Put mushroom mixture onto crust. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese. Pour egg mixture over that. Arrange asparagus in a starburst pattern. You may have to trim the asparagus down into 2-3 inch pieces. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Curry Chicken Salad Wrap

Tasty lunch today, using veggies starting to wilt and pantry chicken. This is entirely influenced by the Piadini that we always order at Tomatina in Walnut Creek. (Theirs is a salad on flatbread which is smeared with roasted garlic paste - OMG). And although this lacks the homemade rustic breadiness, I felt like I would actually pay cold hard cash for a lunch like this. It was simple yet satisfying and a thumbs up from the tall man living here. Here are the ingredients below:

Chopped veggies or fruit (I used yellow bells, cucumbers and cranberries), can o' chicken, 1/2 tsp. curry, 3 T. light mayo. Apples, grapes, red onions or walnuts would make a great addition. This is another one of those "use what you have" type of recipes.

So, mix it all up. Heat a tortilla on the gas burner until hot, add some greens and top with the chicken salad. You can either roll it or fold in half to eat. It beats a PB&J by a mile.