Buffalo Chickpea Chili

Buffalo Chickpea Chili
Adapted from Naturally Ella

Olive Oil
1/2 small onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water (or vegetable broth)
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp paprika

In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes, water (or broth) and lentils. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add wing sauce, chickpeas, and paprika, and allow to simmer another 10-15 minutes, until lentils are tender. Makes about 4 servings

My Notes:
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this recipe. It's decent, but the only real flavor comes from the wing sauce, which just makes it really spicy. There's no strong depth of flavor like I have in my other chilis. But it is really quick and easy to throw together, and I happened to have all ingredients on hand. This is not something I'd make for a week's worth of food, but may decide to make it as a part of a chili potluck or something. Otherwise, I'll stick with some of my other recipes.

Squash Crusted Quiche

Image Pending

Squash Crusted Quiche
Inspired by Tasty Kitchen and adapted from All Recipes

1 small spaghetti squash
olive oil
4 eggs
1/2 small onion
dash red pepper flakes
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then place cut side down on cooking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, until flesh is tender. Allow to cool, then scoop flesh out and set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, then add onion. Saute until onion becomes translucent, then add broccoli. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until broccoli becomes slightly tender. Allow to cool slightly. In a small bowl, beat eggs, then stir in cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir in cooled broccoli mixture.

Press squash to sides of a pie tin. Press 1/4 cup cheese into 'crust'. Bake at 350 until cheese melts slightly; this will remove some of the excess moisture in the squash. Remove from oven and pour in egg mixture. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, until egg mixture is set and cheese browns slightly. Allow to cool and serve either slightly warm or at room temperature.

My Notes:
So, my squash was really wet when it went into the oven, and I didn't use a pie tin, I used a springform pan. So about halfway through cooking, it started leaking out the bottom of the pan. I was really worried it was going to be super soggy when it finally came out, but it wasn't too bad. It wasn't crispy, by any stretch of the imagination, but it held together well and was a nice functional crust.

And I got a ton of compliments on it. I brought it to a pie contest (I decided on a very liberal definition of 'pie'), and while it did not win, I did have multiple people come up to me and tell me how good it was, and a couple people asked for the recipe. And, bonus, it's gluten free, so some of my celiac friends can eat it too! Regretfully, since it disappeared so quickly, I didn't get a good picture of it. Sorry folks.