CSA Wednesdays: Kale, Zucchini, and Squash Quiche and Wheat Berry Granola

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This past week I got to the farmer’s market later then usual and was shocked by the number of people there!  A few years ago our farmer’s market was dying out and now I couldn’t find a parking spot and there was a line at every booth!  It was totally awesome!

For this week I received zucchini, yellow squash, kale, cucumbers, green beans, leeks, broccoli, and basil.  I also received wheat berries.  I had absolutely no idea what a wheat berry was so I had to do some research.  It’s part of the wheat plant and it’s very hard.  In order to eat it you can actually cook it on the stove top and it pops like popcorn.  You can also grind it to make it into flour.

I was having people over for brunch the day after I received my CSA so I decided to make granola with the wheat berries.  I started popping them on the stove top and everything was going well until I added a few more and the plastic bag melted.  Wheat berries went all over my kitchen and dining room!  Complete disaster.  However, I managed to save about 80% of them and the granola was made.  The wheat berries added an extra crunch which my husband and I both really liked.  In fact, I’m making more of it today!

I ended up using some of the zucchini, squash, kale, and basil in a delicious brunch quiche.  Then we used the beans for a balsamic green bean side dish.  The cucumbers my husband instantly took and used in his cucumber onion salad.

Wheat Berry Granola (adapted from VegWeb)
2 c. oats
1/2 c. wheat berries
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
3 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. craisins
2 T. flour
1/2 c. honey

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add in the wheat berries and cover with a lid.  Continue shaking the pan every 15 seconds or so until the wheat berries begin to pop.  Once they start popping shake the pan every 10 seconds until the popping has stopped.  Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl.

3.  Add the oats, vegetable oil, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, craisins, and flour to the wheat berries.  Mix well.

4.  Drizzle in all but 2 tablespoons of the honey and use your fingers to mix the honey into the granola.

5.  Pour the granola onto a parchment covered baking sheet.  Drizzle with remaining honey.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

6.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before placing in an air tight container for storage.  Granola will stay fresh for up to 3 weeks.

I had also planned on making a quiche for my brunch.  I figured I’d use whatever ingredients I received in the CSA to put together a delicious quiche.  It’s easy to make up your own quiche recipe.  I usually start by using a leafy green vegetable.  Often times I’ll use spinach but as I received kale, that’s what I used this week.  Then choose a few additional vegetables that work well together.  I used the zucchini, yellow squash, and broccoli.  Next I had to choose a cheese.  I went with a sharp cheddar cheese because of both the flavor and the color.

Finally you need to decide on herbs and spices to add.  Since I had fresh basil I chopped that up and added it to the quiche.  I also went with salt, pepper, paprika, and Italian seasonings.  Finish off by filling the quiche pan with an egg and milk mixture.  Viola!  Instant delicious vegetable quiche.

This quiche ended up tasting great.  The vegetables were all tender, the basil really stood out as a flavor, and the paprika sprinkled on top added color and flavor.  My guests loved it and it was super easy to make.

Kale, Zucchini, and Squash Quiche (a Hezzi-D original)
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
1 c. kale, chopped
1 zucchini, cut in half and then diced
1 yellow squash, cut in half and then diced
1 c. broccoli florets
1/3 c. fresh basil, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/2 t. Italian seasonings
1 t. paprika
1 c. cheddar cheese, divided
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. milk

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll the pie crust and place in an ungreased pie pan.  Flute the edges if desired.

2.  In a large bowl combine the kale, zucchini, squash, broccoli, basil, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings.  Toss to combine.  Pour into the pie pan.

3.  In a medium bowl beat the eggs.  Add in the milk, half of the paprika, and half of the cheddar cheese.  Mix well then pour over top of the vegetables in the pie pan.

4.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of the quiche and then sprinkle with remaining paprika.

5.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.