May 09, 2012

Shower me with food instead of water



I wasn't planning to write a post just now, I was planning to take a shower, but my next door neighbor is getting a new roof. Usually, there is no direct sight-line into our bathroom window because it faces a ... roof. The window is covered with a thickly gathered gauzy curtain, which adds a nice ambiance to the room, and softens the view without totally blocking the light. I can barely see through the curtain unless I really focus, and today when I focused, I saw the roofer — close enough for a conversation if the window were open. In other words, too close for comfort. So here comes a post I've been meaning to write, cleanliness be damned.

I've been derelict in writing down recipes lately, which isn't to say I haven't been cooking new things. I've just been taking an extended break from the days when I recorded all my ingredients and wrote recipes for the blog. I've been reverting back to my add a little of this and a little of that days, which is why you haven't seen many recipes from me lately. However, I still use other people's recipes, and here's one you might like to try. In fact, you should try it. It's a recipe I found on Ricki's blog, Diet Dessert and Dogs*, and as Ricki cooks it, it's appropriate for just about any dietary restriction you might encounter. I was mainly interested in the vegan and gluten-free aspects, so I took some liberties with the ingredients — not many, though.

Ricki calls the recipe Quizza because it's a little like quiche, and a little like pizza. It has the wonderful socca, which I love, as its inspiration. I pretty much followed the recipe except I added mushrooms, lemon juice and a bit of nutritional yeast. My green veggies were spinach and broccoli, and I used regular chickpea flour and reconstituted home-dried tomatoes, which I already had on hand. I may also have added dehydrated onions. The dish practically made itself, because I had a partial bag of frozen spinach and a bag of frozen broccoli that I wanted to use up, so I didn't even have to wash and chop veggies. I may have gotten carried away with the veggies, though, because I ended up with two casseroles — one 10-inch round glass quiche pan, and a 1-1/2 quart ceramic baker. (As a side note, the quiche came right out of the ceramic dish, but stuck to the glass.)

My husband and I both loved the quizza. It was delicious hot from the oven, and amazing cold the next day (and the next and the next ...). In fact, I couldn't stop eating it, and was quite stuffed for several days. I'm thinking of making it again tonight, with fresh veggies instead of frozen — maybe with asparagus and mushrooms along with the tomatoes and garlic.

UPDATE: MAY 19 — I made quizza again and put a layer of tomato sauce on top, which was delicious. I froze the leftovers, and last night I reheated some for dinner. It tasted great!  

*The blog, Diet, Dessert and Dogs no longer exists. I've updated the link to her new blog.

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The view through our dining room windows, which makes eating especially pleasant these days.

27 comments:

  1. This sounds & looks great! I love the view you have in your dining room. Now, hopefully, the roofer won't be around much longer to have a view into your bathroom!

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    1. It was really good!

      I had to put a drawing board in front of the window so I could use the bathroom. I wish they'd finish the roof. At least I was gone all day Monday and Tuesday, but today I was home, and realizing that our house is closer to our neighbor's than I thought.

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    2. I am soon to experience the very same thing, as my neighbor's roof is in direct sight-line of the top of my tub window, which I insisted be un-obscured glass so I could see the sky. Glad to have a recipe to fall back on while I'm not bathing.

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    3. I put up a filmy curtain in the bathroom because I didn't want to block the light, but seeing a roofer as I'm about to disrobe and step into the shower (or otherwise occupy myself in the bathroom) isn't my idea of fun. (Even drying my hair in front of the roofer seemed odd, but maybe I'm extreme.) Anyway, if this is about to happen to you, put up a temporary cover, and make a chickpea quiche. :D

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  2. I have Rickis Quizza bookmarked to try since so long now.. this is a great reminder. i can imagine how many things i could add in it!

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    1. You should definitely give it a try. It seems like a very flexible recipe for adding your favorite veggies to.

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  3. That actually looks like a great idea! Will give it a go, after I get over my pizza overdose!

    Glad you're not nuding out in front of the roofer ;)

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    1. Flashing the roofer, while one of the many bonuses of urban living, is not on my bucket list, so I passed. There's nothing like people on the roof to let you know how close the houses are.

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  4. The quizza looks great! I'm always in "little of this" "little of that mode"...letting other people write down the recipes is so much easier. :D

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    1. We let others write down the recipes then we still add a little of this and a little of that. :D

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  5. We totally dig the socca thing......have been doing it a bit & it is SO much better than other GF options!! And high protein!

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    1. I think I could eat socca every day. It was great as a quiche, but I also love it in a thinner form as a sandwich wrap, or as a flat bread. There's also a form similar to an omelet, which can be enhanced with black salt. Lots of possibilities.

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  6. That is hilarious about the window (well, kinda) ;-)

    I'm so glad you liked the quizza! As you know, the nooch is out for me because of the anti-candida diet, but I bet it added a fabulous flavor. I also love it cold! Thanks so much for the shout-out. :D

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    1. Your recipes are always great examples of how a "restricted" diet can be creative and delicious, and not feel limited. The quiche would have been wonderful as is, but I can't help tinkering with recipes. I may even add a smoky flavor next time — maybe smoked paprika or chipotle chili. Great recipe!

      The roofers are still on the roof. Sigh. Last night we were hoping they would leave before AI came on at 8, and they did. Wonder who will leave tonight.

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  7. I hope the roof gets finished, so that you can shower eventually!

    I know what you mean about enjoying other people's recipes for a while. Sometimes it's nice to just coast and do some tasting instead of figuring out specific amounts and new ideas. The quizza sounds delicious, and I like its versatility.

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    1. I think the roofers are almost done. Yay.

      I made quizza last night with asparagus and mushrooms (and lemon, nooch, turmeric, chipotle, onion ...) and while it was really good, I thought the more assertive flavors of broccoli and spinach were better. I just can't leave things alone. :)

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  8. At least you noticed the roofer can see in before you took the shower and not afterwards. :-) The quizza looks great, I love the idea of quiche and pizza together. And anything good hot or cold is a plus in my book.

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    1. Yes, and I'm glad roofs last a long time.

      I had the quizza cold tonight and it was delish!

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  9. Just recently got hooked on socca, and as I love savory tart-like things, I'm pretty sure I could get hooked on this as well. Broccoli is really great in quiches and omelets but I love the adaptability of the recipe too!

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    1. I put chopped kalamata olives in this one and it was a great idea I hope I can remember. The asparagus got lost, but the mushrooms held their own. I'm definitely going back to broccoli and spinach!

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  10. Ha, ha, I once came out of my shower only to see a neighbour in the garden.
    Quizza sounds like a great idea, especially when socca based! It never occured to me that socca probably is the perfect pizza replacement for gluten-free people.

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    1. The neighbor you have to see again. At least the roofers were only temporary. :)

      Socca is delicious, but it can't replace the wonderful chewy pizza crust I used to love so much. Still, it's much better than stomach pain.

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  11. So awesome you made this, and I have a question. Looks like you put it in a glass dish??? I have been wondering whether my pyrex glass pan would work at the temperature it requires. Can you let me know what you did? We've been wanting to make this for awhile but don't have the right pan. Thanks.

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    1. I did put it into a Pyrex dish without thinking about it, and luckily it didn't break. I pre-heated the dish and added the slightly warmed filling. I always put the hot dish on a cork or woven trivet — never on the counter or any wet surface. I've read 450-500˚ is OK. I've also read that really old Pyrex is more susceptible to breaking, but this is the only piece of Pyrex I bake with so I don't have much experience with it. The other pan is by Corning, so it too might be glass. These are both second-hand pans and didn't come with instructions. Ricki says to use cast iron, but I don't have a big cast iron pan.

      BTW, I've been reading your blog but can't find where to leave comments. Do you have them turned off or am I just weird?

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  12. That's funny about the window. I would love Quizza!

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    1. Funny now. Quizza is perfect for when you don't have a lot of time to cook — you can make it with very little effort, especially if you cheat and use frozen veggies.

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