Potato Crust Sundried Tomato Pesto and Parmesan Quiche

A moment of random inspiration occurred as I was deciding what to have for dinner this evening. I had loads of eggs to use and loads of potatoes. Normally in this situation I'd make rosties and poached eggs, however the eggs were a bit old for poached eggs, so the next obvious option was quiche. Why not join the rosti craving and quiche train of thought? The result was amazing.

You need:
For the base
4 potatoes, grated finely with all the water squeezed out
1 egg to join it together

For the filling
4 eggs beaten
A teaspoon of Sundried tomato pesto
Half a block of Parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

1) mix the potatoes and egg then cover the base and sides of a quiche tin(I used my trusty oval Pyrex dish)
2) bake in a hot oven (mine was 200 degrees Celsius)
3) mix the filling ingredients and when the potato crust has dried out (about 15mins) pour into the crust
4) bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.

I had mine with salad and plenty of salad cream, it was like being at my Grandma's in the summer when I was little, although we had cheese and ham quiche, not pesto and Parmesan!

Cold Busting Tomato and Ginger Soup

With tonnes of vitamin C and all the cold reliving benefits of ginger this soup was perfect for a rainy/sandy Kuwaity day. It took all of 10 mins to make and was a great way to use up my leftover tomatoes from last weeks shop (I buy them by the boxful!)

You need:
12 large tomatoes (I reckon chopped toms would do the trick if you don't have any fresh, maybe 2 cans?)
A large nob of ginger sliced
4 cups of hot chicken stock
A glug of soy sauce
1 small red chilli chopped

1) chop up the tomatoes, don't worry about taking the seeds out, it's all going in the blender!
2) throw everything in a large saucepan and simmer for 5 or so minutes, until the tomatoes are lightly cooked.
3) blend until smooth and serve

It's as easy as that. I'm going to be taking mine in a flask to school tomorrow!

Airports

I either love them or hate them. I'm sat in Kuwait airport waiting for my flight to Dubai (over due girly weekend) and whilst I love people watching normally it's just not doing it for me today. I'm going to blame it on lack of sleep or something. I'm looking forward to the hours and a half flight with emirates, that's always pleasant, however these cold airport seats are not doing it for me at all.

Two posts in a day.

You lucky things. It's purely because I've just bought Ludovico Einaudi's new album 'In a Time Lapse' it's his usual standard of genius. So I thought I'd recommend it's purchase. My current favourite is 'Waterways'.

Healthy Comfort Food

So my dinner tonight is this amazing avocado and lime pasta. It was ready in the time the pasta cooked, which after a 10 hour work day is very needed!
Here's the recipe.
1 1/2 cups of pasta (I made enough for my dinner tonight and tomorrow's lunch, busy teachers need to think ahead right?!)
1 ripe avocado
Juice of1 large lime (I used 4 tiny Egyptian limes since they're so cheap here)
3 tablespoons of low fat mayonnaise

So all you have to do is put the pasta on to cook.
Whilst the pasta's cooking mash the avocado, lime juice and mayo, pop it in the fridge to melge together (add some pepper if you fancy it)
When the pasta's cooked mix it all up together and eat.

Next time I'm going to try adding some coriander, see how that works.

Well then.

That was a long time between posts! I can't believe it's been Christmas and New Year since I last posted. I was home for Christmas, poorly for a couple of days and didn't see as many people as I wanted to but it was lovely. Christmas at Binge Farm was gorgeous and it was great to spend time with the Family. 
 back in Kuwait now, after an easy flight back. Slept all day yesterday (what is it about travelling that is so exhausting?!) and was in school this morning, rearranging the classroom. 3Red won't know what's hit them when they come back! Making some butter nut squash soup for the week ahead (in a vague attempt at being healthy and to try out the blender I got at the supermarket) and am going to actually make my own lunch rather than buy pizza from the canteen! Here's to New Years Resolutions and all that jazz! Any NYR's on the horizon? Mine's mainly to be healthier and to continue saving money (oh down payment for a holiday home you will be mine!!!) . 

Here's a recipe for you:

Garlicky Butternut Squash Soup

You need:
- 1 large Butternut Squash
- 1 bulb of Garlic (yes, an entire bulb)
- 2 red onions
- 1l of vegetable stock.

1) Slice the Butternut Squash lengthways and put skin down on a baking tray
2) Peel the bulb of garlic and scatter the cloves around the squash
3) Chop the onions into big chunks and place around the squash and garlic
4) Roast until the squash is tender (20-30 mins)
5) Separate the flesh and skin of the squash and put about 1/4 of the veg into a blender along with about a 1/4 of the liquid, blend until smooth and pop into a pan to keep warm. Repeat until you've blended all of the veg and stock together. 
6) Season and heat through.