Taste of Home: Chicken broccoli spinach quiche

This chicken broccoli spinach quiche is full of flavor. I made it with homemade pie crust. My family usually eat it for brunch, breakfast or lunch. If your family ain’t crazy about broccoli and spinach, you can throw in any combination of vegetables for a hearty meal any time of the day.

Chicken broccoli spinach quiche

It’s a snap to make but looks great on the table. It’s a pretty flexible recipe too with regards to veggies and cheeses. I absolutely like my quiche – fast, cheap, tasty and picture-worthy.

Chicken broccoli spinach quiche

What you will need:

1. For the pie crust:

• 200 grams of all-purpose flour
• 1 fresh chicken egg
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 20 grams of salted butter at room temperature
• ¼ cup of cold water

1. For the fillings:

• 500 grams of chicken breasts – skinless, boneless and cut into thin strips
• 20cL fresh cream
• 1 broccoli cut into florets
• 1 pack spinach leaves
• 100 grams cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 medium-size onion, cubes
• 2 tbsp of flour
• olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly crashed
• salt taste

Chicken broccoli spinach quiche

How to make it?

      Prepare the pie crust.

• In a mixing bowl put the flour, butter and sugar. Mix well.
• In a separate small bowl, cracked the egg to make sure that it’s a good one and to remove some eggshells. Then put in into the mixture. Mix well.
• Add the cold water little by little until you get the desired consistency. Knead it well.
• Form into a big ball.
• Wrap it with a plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate it while you are preparing the fillings.
• After you refrigerate it, flour the surface of the working area.
• Roll dough out to your desired thickness. Make sure the edges extend a couple of inches beyond the 9-inch pie plate.

      Prepare the filling.

• Put olive oil in a frying pan. Add chicken and stir. Add salt, paprika and onion. Mix well. Let it cooked until the chicken turn white or light brown. Once cooked, put it in a large mixing bowl.

• Using the same frying pan, put some salted butter. Put the broccoli florets. Add 3 tbsp of water. Cover the pan. Sauté the broccoli florets for about 4 minutes. Once cooked, put it in the mixing bowl together with the chicken.
• Using the same frying pan, put a tablespoon of olive oil. Add spinach and the sauté for about 3 minutes or until the spinach leaves reduced its volume, don’t overcooked it. Once cooked, put it in the mixing bowl.
• Add fresh cooking cream and freshly crashed black pepper. Mix it well. Add flour. Stir, and make sure all the ingredients are well combined in a bowl.

      Putting together.

• Spread the fillings into the crust. Press it a bit hard using a spoon to make sure there’s no empty spaces.

• Bake it for 60 minutes at 175⁰C to allow the middle to set and for the crust to cook properly and to get flaky.
• Spread the cheese on top of the quiche 25 minutes before the time.
• Let it cool for at least 30 minutes.

      Serve, share and enjoy.

France: Wild Blackberries picking in Bretagne

Bretagne has a natural abundance of wild Blackberries in August. Luckily, when my family and I went there last July 2019, the blackberries picking season crept up on us faster than we thought.

Wild blackberries

Wild blackberries

wild blackberries

The thorny blackberry brambles were covered with delicious fruits. While we were walking in the forest and along the coast, we spied some ripe blackberries, we picked some and nibbled on.

Pete was ecstatic when he spied loads of wild blackberries. It was his first time to try blackberries and see them on their vines.

Blackberries fresh from the wild.

Blackberries are certainly nature’s finest treasures – chunky, juicy with unpredictable taste (because the fruit is sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet). They have vibrant colors too – from green to red to black or dark-purple. The deep purple color ensures that blackberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all fruits. They’re rich in flavor and brimming with nutrients, making it a perfect snack to enjoy.

ripe wild blackberries

young wild blackberries

wild blackberries

Is there anything better than picking fresh wild blackberries while trekking on a warm French summer day? We think not. It was absolutely an exhilarating experience and the memories last forever.

Taste of Home: Carrot and Passion Cake

I grew up with my family’s tradition – food is meant to be shared – whenever someone comes to our place, no matter at what time they arrive, and no matter if they have already eaten, we serve them food and drinks. Now, that I have my own small family, we still continue the tradition, because we are pleased to feed people, and personally, I always find excuses to do so.

So, one of the dishes that we like to share is carrot and passion cake, my family’s favorite. It’s a pretty straightforward recipe, perfectly spiced and simply delectable. We love the velvety texture, the mild sweetness, and the overall scrumptious taste – which made it always an instant hit.

Carrot and passion cake served with homemade passion tea.

In my recipe, I used lots of grated carrots. The cake itself is not too sweet but it is flavorful as the carrot flavor really shines. I added passion juice of 2 fresh passion fruits for the texture and moisture. It’s refined sugar-free as I used honey or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar.

My family and I like to eat the carrot and passion cake without frosting because the cake itself is already tasty and enough to satisfy our sweet tooth.

For those who would like to try, here’s my simple recipe:

What you will need:

• 200 grams of all-purpose flour
• 1 large carrot, grated
• passion juice of 2 passion fruits
• 2 medium-sized eggs
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup of olive oil
• 6 tbsp of honey

Delicious carrot and passion cake.

How to make it:

1. Prepare the carrot and passion cake mixture.
   1. Combine the dry ingredients – flour, nutmeg and baking soda – in a bowl. Mix it well.
   2. Add the wet ingredients – olive oil, eggs and passion juice. Mix it well.
   3. Put in the carrots. Mix it well until everything is thoroughly combined.
2. Prepare the baking dish.
   1. Butter the surface of baking dish.
   2. Flour the baking dish. Remove the excess flour.
3. Pour the cake mixture into the baking dish.
4. Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 175⁰C for 60 min or until you can poke it with a toothpick that comes out clean.
5. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
6. Share and enjoy.