So it's a beautiful Saturday morning; Spring is in full bloom, the weather is a delicious 26 Degrees C, and it's the perfect day for Jarrod's birthday!! So, we thought we would put the opportunity to good use, and bring him some cheesy Quiche Puffs!! This is a super simple recipe, and the final product is a melt-in-your-mouth pastry which go down very well at BBQs and parties. This is a recipe for one batch, however you can make as many as you want by upping your ingredient volume.

First, you need:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup self raising flour
1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
1 white onion (diced)
1 cup sun dried tomato (chopped)
3/4 cup grated cheese
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
1 cup chopped fake bacon (you could use real bacon, if you're into that)
2 teaspoons intalian herbs
1 teaspoon extra oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
Approx 4 sheets of puff pastry 
Muffin tray (oiled)
salt and pepper to taste

 

Here's what you do: 

As I said, it's a really 'no-brainer' recipe. Basically, you just need to  pre-heat your oven to 180C, then start mixing together your ingredients. I always make sure that I pull apart my frozen puff pastry sheets before they thaw - it can get really stricky prying them apart once they have become soft! Set them to one side. Start by whisking your egg and milk together. Now add your flour and herbs. At this point, you can put in your onion, spinach, tomato, garlic, bacon, and half the grated cheese (we're saving some for later). Mix it all up in a bowl, and add your pinch of salt and pepper. 

 

It sure doesn't look to appetizing at the moment, but trust me, it turns out well in the end! By now, your pastry should be soft, and our next step is to cut the pastry into circles. We used an old tea cup, as it was the perfect size, but you can use a glass or any other circular implement you have handy. If you don't have any of these, just use a knife, it's just a little more time consuming.

 

Before you push each circle of pastry into the muffin tray, make sure you oil it! It's much healthier/easier if you have spray oil... but you can just use a brush like in the good 'ol days!

Once the pastry cups are in place, start spooning in your mixture. You will want to fill them up until almost full, giving just a tiny little lip around the edge so they can puff up nicely. If you get any drips around the edge of the tray, make sure to wipe them away before popping them in the oven (this just helps you later when you're cleaning it all up - having to scratch burnt mixture off your trays is not only annoying but it could also scratch away at your non-stick coating).

 

Once the mixture is all spooned in, grab that extra bit of cheese you have left over, and sprinkle it in to each cup. This will just make sure that your puffs are golden brown and delicious looking after they come out of the oven. 

 

Ok, they're ready to go into the oven! On 180C they will need approx 15-20 minutes, however you can test them just by lightly pressing down on one - if they spring back up, they are ready. They should look golden brown on the top - that's usually how I can tell they are ready. Of course, it always helps if you have a taste tester nearby, to check that they are cooked properly on the inside! 

 

Space them out evenly on a cooling rack so that they can cool off without going soggy. They can be eaten right away, or you can pop them in the fridge and serve them cold - they're quite delicious either way! 

  

So, how easy was that!! Of course, you can add whatever ingredients you like to them. I wouldn't say they're super duper healthy, but of course you could make them healthier by using low fat/less cheese, soy milk, wholemeal self raising flour, and perhaps using a low fat pastry. This recipe can also be used to make one large quiche also - cooking time will just need to be adjusted. ENJOY! And... 

Happy Birthday Jarrod!!!!

  

 

So, this was a bit of a 'choose your own adventure' dinner - and i can hardly believe how well it worked out!! Stuffed Capsicums, or stuffed "peppers" as some American people would say. So...

Here's what you need:

1 cup couscous
2 cups vege stock
2 red capsicums
5 mushrooms (diced OR grated)
1 medium carrot (grated)
200g haloumi (cubed)
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp curry powder
approx 85g cheddar cheese (grated)
1 chilli (or 3 if they're really small....like ours.... hehehe)
2 tsp crushed garlic
olive oil

 

So, this recipe is fairly simple. After you have turned your oven on to 180 C, you can boil your vege stock; please keep approx 4 tablespoons of stock as leftover for later. Now, boiling your stock: this can either be done in a pot on the stove, or in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave. Once the stock is boiling, add the couscous and cover it with a lid (removed from the heat source). You may need to add extra water, depending on how fluffy you want the couscous. Now, you want to cut the capsicums in half - you can do it length ways or side ways, it depends if the capsicums can stand up or not. We found it easier to cut them like little boats. Take out the seeds/insides, and lay them out on an oven tray.

 

Next, you will combine the oil and the garlic in a small bowl and lightly brush the insides of the capsicums. From here you can slide them into the oven and let them cook slightly whilst you are preparing the stuffing. You don't want to completely cook the capsicums, just make them slightly tender. 

 

You next step is to chop up all your other ingredients and combine them into a bowl with your couscous. EASY! (Just as a side note, we made approx double the recipe so that we would have leftovers.) You will want to put HALF the grated cheese in the bowl, and still have some left over to sprinkle on the top before they go in the oven. You may need more or less grated cheddar, depending how much you like cheese... hehe. 

Alright, now your stuffing is made - so you just grab your capsicums out of the oven and start gently spooning the stuffing into the capsicum shells. You can use the back side of the spoon to push it down as you go, and don't be afraid to mound the stuffing up - they do flatten out slightly in the oven as the haloumi and the cheese melts.

 Ok, once you've stuffed your peppers, you can sprinkle on the remaining cheddar cheese. I suppose if you wanted you could also add a sprinkle of pepper at this point, but i really don't think it's needed. Now, i grabbed the little bit of leftover stock and splashed it around in the tray - just so that the capsicums can soak it up as they are cooking...

Now all there is left to do is pop them in the oven! They will probably need about half an hour on 180 C for the cheese to start browning. Don't worry if the edges of the capsicums burn a little - it tastes lovely!

 So, that's it! If you want to you can serve these with garlic bread and a glass of rose, and trust me, they are taaaaasty! Of course, you could really add or take out whatever you like from the stuffing - if there's something extra you want to add, or if there's something in there you don't like - that's why it's a choose your own adventure! They're actually really filling, thanks to the couscous, and if you keep them in an air-tight container they will keep in the fridge and can be reheated up to 4 days later. DELICIOUS!