Vegan or Vegetarian, Who gets to eat Mushroom Stuffed Egg White Crepes?

I've always been confused with what constitutes the diet of a "vegan" vs. a "vegetarian". Can a vegan eat egg products and does the vegetarian have to stay away from dairy? It's all so confusing that every time the subject comes up, I just have to go to the fridge and pull out a nice 8 oz. tenderloin of beef just to calm me down.

I should know all of the rules by now; after all, I have amongst my friends, a couple of vegetarians - well, wait one minute. One is a vegetarian and the other, a vegan. And you ask why  I get so confused? It's quite a feat to juggle menus, especially when you've got both at the dinner table, along with the meat eaters and a non fish eater thrown in just for the added excitement. I can't wait until the food sustainability advocate comes barging in wanting a seat at the table! I'm sorry folks, the restaurant's closed. I'll take 'walking on eggs' for 2,000, Alex.

Speaking of eggs, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they are one of most versatile foods around and no fridge should be without a dozen or two and so easy to get. Just wait until the hens have left the hen house and like a fox, sneak in and raid the nest. In all seriousness however, they can conveniently be found in your neighborhood supermarket in sizes small to extra large.

A recent recipe that I came up with was enough to dazzle my vegetarian friend. Using egg whites, several varieties of mushrooms, a bit of coconut cream, and few herbs and spices was all that it took to come up with my mushroom stuffed egg white crepes. Served as an appetizer or a part of the main course, these crepes will certainly entertain the palates of vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Your shopping list for a party of 4 should include:

8 egg whites (from medium to large eggs)
1/2 cup of coconut cream
1/2 cup of vegetable stock or white rice wine
6 cups of several varieties of mushrooms (sliced or chopped)*
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
1/3 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of olive oil**
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray (vegetable)

*Suggestions for mushroom varieties can include baby Portabella, Chanterelles, Cep, Porcini,  Lobster mushrooms, and a variety of Asian mushrooms.

**If your diet permits, also use 2 tablespoons of butter. It will add a lot of flavor

Begin by preparing the egg white crepe mixture. In a bowl, add all the egg whites, 3 tablespoons of the coconut cream, a couple dashes of salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Heat an 8 inch frying pan over medium heat. Spray the cooking spray to cover the bottom the pan completely. Now, with a ladle, pour enough of the egg whites to thinly cover the bottom of the pan to about 1/8 inch thickness. Roll the pan around so that you get even thickness of the crepe, just as you would if making regular crepes. Watch the crepe so that it doesn't burn. You won't need to turn it over like a regular crepe as the egg whites will cook to the top. When all liquid egg whites have solidified, using a spatula, carefully remove it from the pan and place open on a plate. Before making the next crepe, spray the pan with more cooking spray. Repeat the process until approximately 8 crepes have been made.

Wipe the pan clean, you will be using it to make the crepe filling. When sauteing mushrooms, you don't want to over crowd them as they will tend to create too much moisture and you won't get that rich sauteed flavor. Slice and chop your mushrooms and add to a large bowl. Add all the other dry ingredients to the bowl (garlic, shallots, parsley, basil, tarragon) and thoroughly mix well. Do NOT add the salt and pepper yet. Separate the mushrooms into 4 portions.

Heat the frying pan over medium high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes before adding a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once olive oil is added, begin sauteing the first quarter of the mushrooms. Saute until they begin to brown. Remove mushrooms from the pan, add some more olive oil and saute the second batch. Continue the process until all mushrooms have been sauteed.

Return all the mushrooms to the pan over a medium heat and cook for about 1 minute. Now add the vegetable stock (or white rice wine) and stir to de-glaze the pan. Add the coconut cream and Dijon mustard and stir well. Reduce heat and add a couple of tablespoons of butter (if diet permits). Salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat. If you want, you can add a couple more tablespoons of coconut cream and stir.

To fill the crepes, lay out an open crepe on a dinner plate and add a couple nice tablespoons of mushrooms to the middle. Taking the end of the crepe closest to you, fold it over the mushrooms away from you, then tuck each side inward and continue to roll the crepe. Transfer to a dish and into a warm (not hot) oven until ready to serve. Continue doing this until all crepes are made.

Serve two to a portion, along with a side of vegetable of your choice. If diet preference permits, you may add a spoon of white cream sauce (like a Bechamel sauce) and sprinkle grated Gruyere over the top.

...and we're dancing Quiche to Quiche

Oh the joy of Quiche, having had its ups and downs over the years from the "in" dish of the "nouveau jet set" of 30 years ago to the "real men don't really eat it" crowd soon after. Once all the dust settles however, Quiche is the one left standing tall and oh so "Francais". It just goes to show that classics never die. They just take their places in the halls of tradition, Quiche being no exception. And in the end, real men can't resist nibbling at it from time to time.

One thing to be said, Quiche is clothed in many styles, from the traditional Lorraine adorned with bacon or jambon and onions, to the more elaborate outfits of tomatoes, capers, peppers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and shrimp; however, one thing that they all have in common is their cloak of cheese, lots of cheese! The favorite among these is Gruyere with its rich aroma and depth of flavors, a cheese that knows how to melt perfectly.

It's amazing how easy it is now days to make Quiche at home. There's really nothing to it. The pastry dough, usually the most time consuming part of the preparation can be purchased ready made in any supermarket. These packages come with a bottom and top crust. Both are the same size and since you'll only use one crust, each box contains enough dough to make 2 Quiches. The rest of the ingredients are easy to assemble with minor prep and cooking time.

Lorraine is what made Quiche famous in the West and so today you will learn how to make this classic. It should take no more than 90 minutes from start to slicing, so without further ado, let's begin with gathering the ingredients. This will make a 9 inch pie.

1/2 package of ready made pie dough, thawed
5 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 lb. of bacon, cut into 1 inch strips
5 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 cups of grated Gruyere
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of parsley, finely chopped
2 pinches of nutmeg
1/4 cup of chicken stock (for deglazing)
1 9" spring form pan
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter

You will notice the picture of the Quiche shown above was baked using a spring form pan as opposed to a pie dish. If you have a spring form pan that is about 9" in diameter, use that one. It will give your Quiche a whole new elegant "cheesecake" look.

Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Grease the bottom and sides of your spring form pan. Roll out the sheet of pre-made pie dough and set it in the pan carefully, allowing the dough to come up the sides of the pan. Pat it down gently and poke holes at the bottom with a fork. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Turn oven down to 350F (170C).

While crust is cooling, prepare your other ingredients. In a large fry pan, saute the bacon over medium high heat. Add a bit of the olive oil if needed. Saute for about 5 minutes and remove bacon to a holding dish. Do not discard the pan drippings.

In the same pan, add the onions, garlic, and olive oil and saute over medium high heat. Continue to saute until onions begin to caramelize and turn a nice light brown. Now add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Add the butter and continue to saute until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn heat off and set pan aside.

In a large bowl, add the eggs and lightly beat them. Add the cream and other ingredients except the onions, bacon, and cheese. Stir ingredients until well mixed.

Now add the onions to the mixture and stir well. Next, add 3/4 of the cheese and stir well. Now add the remaining cheese to the bottom of the pie crust, making sure bottom is well covered and then sprinkle the bacon over the layer of cheese so that bacon is well distributed throughout the bottom. The cheese and bacon layer will help withhold moisture from reaching the dough, thus making for a crispier crust. Finally, pour mixture over the bacon and cheese. Wrap the outside of the spring form pan with foil so no leakage will occur during baking. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until you can stick a tooth pick in and remains dry when removed. Should your Quiche surface begin to brown to quickly, you can place a sheet of foil over it about halfway, removing it during the final 15 minutes.

When done, remove from the oven and allow to set for about 30 minutes before removing the spring form ring. Touch and feel the surface to make sure it is solidifying during cooling. The crust sides will help keep the Quiche well shaped.

This Quiche can be served will a side salad of frizzy lettuce and butter lettuce leaves. A nice chilled white wine will work well as will a nice Riesling. Enjoy!

Sunday Morning Omelet has less fat and cholesterol

And so it's Sunday, you sleep in 'til 9, and you've committed yourself to a lazy morning and lounge. You can't forget that it's breakfast time, however. You want no complication, no fussy messy stuff, and no prolonged time in the kitchen. It's time for the Sunday Morning Omelet, a nice rich cup of coffee, and a crispy croissant, and out in the morning sun you go.

This omelet is quite simple to make and oh so flavorful, just the kind of flavors you'd expect in the morning. A good thing about it is that the amount of fat and cholesterol is reduced by eliminating one yolk and leaving the butter in the fridge. You won't be sacrificing flavor and that's a promise. The ingredients called here are for one nice serving. If you are having Sunday breakfast with your loved one, just double the quantity.

1 large whole egg
1 large egg white
1 2 oz. slice of Swiss cheese (skim is ok)
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium russet potato, skin on, diced
2 tablespoons of pimentos
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, chopped, for garnish

Begin by dicing your potato. The cubes should be no larger than 1/4 inch square so that they will crisp quickly. Next, dice your garlic

Add your egg and white to a bowl, some salt and pepper, and beat until fluffy. Set aside. Heat a dry 9 inch fry pan over high heat for a few minutes until pan is very hot. A drop of water should bead up quickly.

When pan is hot, add the olive oil. It should begin to smoke almost immediately. Add the diced potato, garlic, and pimento and saute quickly, turning the potato frequently with a spatula. Add a couple dashes of salt and pepper. Continue to saute for a few minutes or until they begin to turn golden. If you need to add a bit more olive oil, go ahead and add another tablespoon.

Now reduce your heat to medium and add the eggs, making sure the entire surface of the pan is coated. Add the slice of cheese in the center, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook covered on low for about a minute or so and then shut the heat off, leaving the pan on the burner for another minute or two, making sure the pan remains covered. Remove the cover and with your spatula, fold the omelet in half, remove from heat, and cover until ready to plate.

Serve, along with a nice strong cup of cafe au lait and crispy croissant. Enjoy this wonderful omelet, knowing that has lowered fat because you used olive oil, and lowered cholesterol because you used one less yolk and only 2 oz. of cheese, even lower if you use cheese made with skim milk. You can now enjoy the nice sunny Sunday morning with your morning paper and watch the morning slumber by. Happy Sunday!

Quich'up n down, a qwirky name for such a wonderful twist on quiche

There is always a time during the year for a nice serving of quiche. The flavors of eggs, cheese, meats, and a flaky crust are such a treat for our taste buds. There was a time when it was the rage; however, as all things do, quich came and went and eventually found its niche. For those not aware, real men do eat quiche.

As always, I love to give traditoinal dishes a bit of a twist in my quest for renewal. I created the following recipe for a quiche like dish that through the aid of a fellow Food Buzzer, came up with a catchy name, Quich'up n down. Now you might wonder what the up and down is all about. Well, there is a crust at the bottom and a crumble crust at the top, but no crust around the edges. I took a big chance, wondering if when I unsprung the springform pan, the filling was going to hold like a cheesecake or ooze into a flat pudding type mess. Afterall, I not only had some good money invested in this, but also my pride. I will not keep you in suspense, it held tight to its shape. Eureka! But you already knew that just by the picture above. Let's get started with this very easy recipe with easy to use ingredients:

4 whole eggs
2 cups of milk or non fat half n half
1 tablespoon of flour (sifted)
1 1/2 cups of grated Gruyere
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss
1/2 cup of fresh crab meat
1/2 cup of fresh shrimp, cut in pieces
4 cups (1 package) of fresh spinach chopped
1 puff pastry sheet
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 dashes of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

There is a very interesting thing that happened that led to the making of this recipe. Originally, the puff pastry was to be made into little tart shells. Everything was going fine at the start, the pastry lined the tart molds, the oven was preheated, and in went the tart shells. Well, when they came out, I realized they had shrunk to the point where the sides were no longer sides, and the pastry was simply a set of "disks". Disappointed, I was not about to be defeated. I made a good thing out of a bad situation and after the puff pastry had cooled, I cut them all up into pieces, threw them into the food processor and made puff pastry crumbs. I added a tablespoon of butter so that the crumbs would stick together well. With that, I proceeded to make a bottom shell for this dish, using about a 7 inch springform mold. I saved some of the crumbs to cover the top once my quiche was half way through the cooking process. So now you know the story. Let's get on with the creation of this dish.

Preheat your oven to 400. Make sure to grease your springform pan completely before adding the crumbs to the bottom. Don't forget the sides! Take the springform pan that has the bottom crust and bake for about 10 minutes, carefully watching so that it doesn't get too dark. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. At this time leave your oven on, reducing the heat to 350.

In a bowl, add the eggs, the salt, and pepper and beat well. Set this aside. Take the milk and in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, heat on high for about 4 minutes to just before it comes to a boil. Do not boil otherwise it will just be too hot.

Once milk has been heated, carefully and a little at a time, add to the eggs while constantly beating. If you add the milk too quick, it will give you scrambled eggs. If you follow these directions, you'll have no problems and your custard mixture will be very smooth and velvety. Continue to add the milk a little at a time until you have completely mixed it well with the eggs. While the mixture is still hot, add half the cheese and the parsley and mix well. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan until it just begins to smoke over medium high heat. Quickly saute the spinach for about 1 minute, remove and allow to drain. You want as much moisture out of the spinach as possible so your quich will stay nice and solid.

Now saute in the same manner, the crab, shrimp, and shallots for just one minute, enough to draw some of the moisture out. Add to the custard mixture and still well. Pour the custard in you mold. Sprinkle the spinach evenly over the top and allow it to sink in a bit. Then sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top and pat the surface down so that the mixture has a smooth surface. So that your pan doesn't leak, line the bottom with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. About 30 minutes before quiche is finished baking, add the rest of your crumbs to the top and return to the oven for the remainder of the time.

When fully baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool some for about 45 minutes. At this time, you may sprinkle some dry dill over the top as I did. Before you remove the springform, take a sharp knife and scrape around the edges so that the sides will no stick. Serve with a wonderful salad of Frizee lettuce with just a touch of olive oil and enjoy.