The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for egg, spinach and two cheese crustless quiche

What's in a name? In the case of this egg, spinach and two cheese crustless quiche, you could call it an egg casserole, breakfast casserole, even a frittata. In our house, we use the generic term "eggy cheesy thing". Crustless quiche -- the dish we make when we're watching what we eat, and don't want the added calories and carbs in a crust -- accommodates mix-ins of leftover cooked pasta, vegetables, beans, or even shredded rotisserie chicken, in any combination. At least once a week, we eat eggy cheesy things for dinner, because I always keep eggs and cheese in the pantry and the dish comes together with a minimum of work. When I have dark leafy greens like spinach in my refrigerator, I like to make this quiche and portion it for a week's worth of breakfasts, so I know I'm eating my vegetables right at the beginning of the day.

Recipe for raw beet, butternut and pecan slaw

When I saw a recipe for raw beets and butternut slaw on Apron Strings, the vivid colors grabbed me, and I knew the idea of beets with a maple syrup dressing would grab my husband Ted. Though I've eaten many a raw beet, I was a bit skeptical about the squash. Shame on me for not trying it sooner; crispy, crunchy raw butternut rocked my world. This salad debuted on our Thanksgiving table, and it's been a wonderful low-calorie addition to the meager winter salad repertoire. Squash can be treacherous to break down on a box grater or with a mandoline, so use a food processor fitted with a shredding disc. Remember not to toss the slaw with the dressing until the very last minute, or the beets will turn everything pink.

Recipe for Zanzibar tandoori grilled turkey breast

When my husband Ted traveled to Tanzania last summer to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, he ended his trip with a few days of rest and relaxation on the island of Zanzibar, famous as a crossroads of the spice trade. And because Ted has lived with me for a whole lot of years, he never once considered not taking a tour of a spice farm. For months I've been having fun cooking from the packets of curry powders, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, and more that Ted bought from Butterfly Farm. This Zanzibar tandoori grilled turkey recipe pays homage to the Indian, Arabic and African fusion cuisine on the island. Tandoori masala, which you can find in Indian markets, colors the marinade a beautiful pinkish-red, and my photos don't do justice to the resulting color of the grilled turkey. Make friends with your butcher, and ask him (or her) to butterfly the turkey breast for you. Then, serve with some homemade tomato nectarine chutney or dried cranberry and pear chutney, and imagine yourself on a Zanzibar beach at sunset, watching the dhows float across the horizon. Oh, my.

Recipe for pumpkin spice oatmeal with raisins and pecans

Have you ever thought about why you like some foods and not others? Or why you like a food in one form and not in another? I ponder these questions a lot, but still can't explain why I love raw carrots and fresh strawberries, but not cooked ones, or why I love oatmeal cookies, but not boiled oatmeal in a bowl. My husband Ted does love oatmeal, especially the coarse steel cut (a.k.a. Irish) oats when they're still a little bit crunchy, so this pumpkin spice oatmeal with raisins and pecans is for him, and for you. Steel cut oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) that have been cut into two or three pieces; because they are minimally processed, they take longer to cook than rolled oats, and have a wonderful chewy texture. Store leftover oatmeal in the refrigerator in breakfast-sized containers, and reheat in the microwave at home or at work later in the week.