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| Recipe of the week... ... Syn-free crustless squash mini quiches |
Ingredients:
250g butternut squash (which is
around half a squash), 100g spinach leaves, 2 roasted red peppers in a jar in
brine, 1 bunch of spring onions, 10 eggs, 1 teaspoon paprika, Frylight, salt
and pepper
Serves:
12 mini quiches (3-4 servings)
Time
taken: 45 mins
Dietary:
Vegetarian (and syn-free on Slimming World!)
--
Hi
readers,
Hope this finds you all well and enjoying a
great, great Sunday! What are you getting up to?
As I write, the sun is shining here in Sheffield.
It’s a little blowy out – and Instagram would suggest we had some light snow
overnight. So, not all that warm. But there are blue skies and life seems good
today. As I write, I’m sat under a blanket with the Mr. He’s watching ‘fail’
videos through Facebook and there’s a children’s film about a lizard on the TV.
We’re having a steady day, after dancing the
macarena last night at a lively 30th birthday do with family. It was a merry occasion and the bar was hard hit. I used an appalling number of my Slimming World syns on wine, though the Mr is paying the most today
for his partying ways.
Shame on me – I somehow slept through the
hours he spent awake in the night, so I hear, propped up in bed with the room spinning.
Rather than sitting up with him in an act of solidarity, I snoozed on through
the whole palaver. Hanging over the bin, feeling his worst… all alone, watching
me sleeping. Today, I feel well rested, upbeat, and a bit guilty about the bad
time he’s having!
So, typing is somewhat interrupted with
caring gestures and taking an interest in the football and sticking the kettle
on again. We’ll get through.
--
- Food
for thought -
This
week, readers, I do have this and that to recommend for you. Lately, I’ve been…
Listening
To the latest episode of Dolly Alderton’s ‘Love
Stories’ podcast
Dolly meets with the comedy
actress, Sharon Horgan. They talk about Sharon’s first love, her unrequited
love, and her enduring love. A really interesting interview! I enjoyed the part
where she spoke about having a best friend during childhood, then growing apart
as they became adults and discovered differences between themselves, and ultimately
falling out of touch with each other day-to-day. About how the intensity of a
childhood friendship is different to the bonds between adults. Though, if they
meet for wine today, they still have a cracking night and she’s reminded how
great a person her friend is – that’s forever.
Watching
Killing
Eve
Having
missed this show when it initially aired, as I just don’t think we were
watching TV at the time, I’ve heard it talked about in the office since and it’s
been recommended by friends, then I recently read about awards wins and a
second series in the pipeline… so we took the plunge and stuck Killing Eve on last weekend. Totally
gripping! We watched from start to finish in two sittings – always one more
episode, an even more shocking plot twist, a grislier death. I think Eve and Oksana
are both great – cannot wait for more episodes soon.
Reading
Normal
People, by Sally Rooney
After
reading Conversations with Friends
recently and very much enjoying it, I borrowed a copy of Sally Rooney’s other
acclaimed book, Normal People. In
this story – where CWF followed two
characters engaging in an affair and exploring whether that was right or wrong
and whether or not it was destined to last – instead, Normal People follows two characters who have a very on-off
romantic relationship. You race through the book, and page-to-page they’re on and
then they’ll be off again, or you don’t know if they are on or off, and I just couldn’t put it down. Again, as with Killing Eve, I finished in two sittings
with fanatical interest. Do read.
Enjoying
Getting out on a run
I
don’t want to jinx it, as my interest in running is a flaky one (and fair
weather, so winter is generally off the cards!), but right now I’m enjoying a run. Just getting my trainers on a couple of times a week, braving
the changing weather, and getting out there. I really like burning off some
steam, and physically tiring myself out, and feeling energised and as though I’ve
achieved for the whole day afterwards. If your joints can hack it, then I so so
recommend you give running a try. And Georgia
– Started Out is proving to be an excellent tune to run to. Maybe have a listen here.
Wondering
Why
hot drink stations don’t have alternative milks?
In
a hotel, on a train, in a meeting, you can get sachets of white sugar, brown
sugar, or often sweetener. There are stirrer sticks and napkins. Little pouches
or pots of milk. Always semi-skimmed cow’s milk. In this day and age, it seems
like it’d be a crowd-pleaser for there to be sachets of soy milk, oat milk,
rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk… can someone make this a thing, please? Dragon's Den, anyone? Dietary requirements don’t disappear away from home or while on the go, you know.
--
-
Feeding family -
My
recipe this week, readers, is one I cooked recently while taking a day off work
to myself. A friend had shared some bad news and I was feeling sad, so trying
to focus on the positive. I delivered my copy of Normal People to another friend to read, and called in on my
grandad to say hello and drop off a banana loaf. I focused my attention on a
long list of errands and got plenty of stuff done.
In
a bid to keep my hands and mind busy, I tried out a recipe from my ‘Free Food
On-The-Go’ Slimming World book, for Crustless Squash Mini Quiches. According to
the book…
These
very munchable quiches are a great choice for an easy brunch, lunch or an
out-and-about dinner.
The
quiches were easy and enjoyable to prepare! They came out looking super tasty
and I took them along with the Mr when we went to see his family the next day.
Everyone else was tucking into really loaded cheesy toasties, but I didn’t feel
like I was missing out as I had these quiches to enjoy. And other people tried
them too and said they were alright!
I
think my initial description of them as quiches but without a crust or any
cheese… did nothing for anyone’s initial impression of my quiches. Got to say! As
that’s a marketing pitch doomed to fail. But, if people actually tried a quiche,
they said it was better than they’d expected and not all that bad in the end. And
I was loving them – a colourful, tasty lunch for me.
If
you’d like to give this recipe a go yourself, readers, then here it is in just ten
simple steps…
--
- Syn-Free
Crustless Squash Mini Quiches -
Ingredients:
250g butternut squash (which is
around half a squash), 100g spinach leaves, 2 roasted red peppers in a jar in
brine, 1 bunch of spring onions, 10 eggs, 1 teaspoon paprika, Frylight, salt
and pepper
1. Time for
some quality time in the kitchen! Start as you wish to go on… calmly, I say. If
the time permits, give your surfaces a nice wipe down and tidy away any kitchen
clutter. Set some funky music playing and crack open a window. Pour a refreshing
tall drink and gather together all the ingredients you need. Set your phone on
flight mode for a while, so there are no interruptions. And stretch reeeally
tall!
2. Heat
the oven to 180C and let’s begin with a little veg prep. First – tackle that
squash. You need to peel it, scoop out the centre to deseed, and then dice the flesh.
ChefBeHere
Top
Tip: As only half the squash is needed for this recipe, I roasted the remaining
squash in the oven while preparing my mini quiches (it needs around half an
hour) and then added it into a recipe for tea that night as a bonus vegetable – and
it turned out well! Squash in a hoisin stir fry… is now a thing. The Mr kept
any complaints to himself.
3. Top,
tail and finely slice your spring onions, then fish a couple of red peppers
from the jar, pat them dry with kitchen roll, and cut into small chunks.
4. Add
250g diced squash to a saucepan, along with 2 tablespoons water. Season with
salt and pepper, then cover and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes or until
tender.
5. Once
the squash seems tender (stab test to check on this using a sharp knife),
uncover and add the spinach leaves to the pan. Leave to wilt, then remove the pan
from the heat and turn off the hob.
6. Cool
slightly then stir in the red pepper and spring onions. While your pan is
cooling, find out a non-stick 12-hole muffin tray and spray each hole liberally
with Frylight.
7. Crack
the eggs into a measuring jug, add the paprika, then season generously with
salt and pepper. Beat well with a fork.
8. Spoon
the vegetable mixture evenly between the 12 holes of the muffin tray, then pour
in the egg mix until every hole in the tin is full.
9. Carefully
transport the muffin tray into the oven (you need a steady hand!) and leave to
bake for 20 mins or until set. While the quiches are in the oven, you could
tackle your dishes and generally dance around the room. Find a song you know
all the words to and SING IT LOUD.
10. Then,
safely take your quiches out of the oven once they’re ready and switch it off.
Leave your quiches to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then run a sharp knife
around the edge of each to loosen, before popping them out of the tin and onto a
plate. Ready to serve! Tasty with salad and possibly some homemade potato
wedges and coleslaw – mmmm.
--
- Recipe
round up -
And
that’s all there is to it, readers! Would you be tempted, to give this recipe a
try? Is there a place on your plate for a crustless cheese-less syn-free vegetarian
mini quiche??
As
unappetising as that sounds, I can tell you that you’d be pleasantly surprised!
Plus, if you really must have cheese on your quiche, why not use up your Health
A cheese allowance for the cause? There’s nothing wrong with that! Just weigh
out 3 or 4 portions of low-fat cheddar, grate it up, and stir it into your egg mix
before pouring into the muffin moulds.
If
you’ll enjoy your quiches all the more for it, then I say go ahead with the
cheese. You only live once readers! And, if you’re time poor or not feeling super
enthused about the grating, you could even cut 6 Babybels in half widthways and
sit half a Babybel on each quiche before they go into the oven. Job done.
Readers,
if you’re inspired to get your chef on and give this recipe a try, I’m wishing
you lots of luck in the kitchen! I hope it goes well. And, whether you’re quiching
things up or not this weekend, I’m wishing you all well nonetheless. Go hug
your loved ones, readers. Take care.
Dance
safely,
Hayley
--
-
Closing thoughts -
If
you’ve been inspired to give this recipe a try, readers, whether I’m speaking
to you on the day of this post or you’re reading some far out time in the
future... please drop me a line to let me know whether it went okay. I’d love
to hear how you got on in the kitchen and your thoughts on this dish. Plus,
it’d be fab if you’re able to share any tips you have for success, or your
suggestions to improve the recipe? Please send your wisdom my way.
Thank
you for reading!
