"The Usual"

Everyone has a "go to" recipe that they make when they don't really feel like cooking, or have a ton of something, or are just really hungry and need something fast. While these definitely evolve over time, and change altogether when you whip up something so amazing that you can't see how you ever lived without it, or can't believe you didn't figure it out before; they are always based on stuff you usually have on hand, and this one is no different.

It's a pasta dish. We usually make a ton of it so that we have some leftovers for lunch, and then don't have to spend 10 bucks eating at work. It usually uses up all of our green veggies every week. But, its ridiculously tasty and is based on one thing; a simple sauce.

So here is my super fast cream sauce, that we are hopelessly addicted to, at least until we figure out something else. We always make it vegan, you don't have to. This recipe is written for the smallest batch, and can be multiplied infinitely. We usually make about triple this size.

Ingredients:
1.5 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Tbsp. AP Flour
1 link Light Life Veggie Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1.25 cups Unsweetened Soy Milk, or any other kind of milk
3 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
Whatever herbs you like...
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add canola oil to a saute' pan over medium heat. Saute' veggie sausage until browned on both sides. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside, being careful to leave as much oil in the pan as you can (the sausage flavor in the oil will really help to flavor the sauce). Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until onions are translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onions and garlic, stirring well, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Now whisk in the soy milk and continue to stir occasionally until it comes to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for at least 1 minute while constantly stirring. Add the nutritional yeast, and mix until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the sauce with the sausage, pasta, and whatever cooked veggies you have.

Now that I look at this recipe, I think it would also really work for biscuits and gravy. Looks like we know what we are having for brunch this weekend!

We decided to try a new farmers market last Saturday...

So, we may not have a CSA here. There may not be many totally Organic farms to choose from, but we can still get a good haul at the farmers market. We decided to skip the Union Square Greenmarket this past weekend and avoid Manhattan. Instead we rolled on up the the McCarren Park Greenmarket here in Brooklyn.

This is what we got for $18. That's right, it's not a typo. That pile of awesome right above this text was only 18 Buckaroos. Granted its not organic, but it is local, and damn fresh. We will be busy this week! So much cooking to do!

I can't even tell you how excited I am that we decided to try switching markets. Looks like this will be a permanent choice if next week they have similar offerings.

Hooray for produce!

Super Fast Crust-less Quiche with Greens

Weekend mornings are usually pretty busy around our household. Since we usually only have one day off together we always have a lot of errands to run, things we couldn't get to during the workweek, and the farmers market to get to, all before we can just relax and enjoy our time together. So getting breakfast out of the way quickly is almost always a good idea, but it still has to taste good, right? I whipped this up last weekend, and it really hit the spot. It was simple, had few steps, and allowed plenty of time to multitask while things were cooking. These are my favorite kind of things to cook.

Ingredients:
9 Large Eggs
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound, or 2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar. More specifically, Grafton Farms 2 year old cheddar.)
1 bunch of Kale, chopped pretty small, with a lot of the larger stems removed
1 stick of Butter or Earth Balance (don't worry, we aren't using it all)
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the kale for about 10-15 seconds, and then strain and shock it with cold water. While the kale is draining, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use the stick of butter to grease a 9" pie pan (We used Pyrex). Crack all of the eggs into a large bowl and beat them up. Add in the cheese, kale, onion, and some salt and pepper and mix well until everything is incorporated.

So now for the downtime... Get ready to balance you checkbook, read the paper, clean you junk drawer, or whatever it is you have been meaning to do all week. Its going to be a few delicious smelling minutes before breakfast is ready.

Place it into your oven on the middle rack and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the center. Once its ready, let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Happy breakfast!