crustless quiche

Sure, it still has flour. And oil (but it's olive oil - hardly counts, right?). And it has an almost shameful amount of cheese. But still, you can feel much better about yourself because there's no empty-calorie crust. And it's all about making yourself feel better, right? Right.

This quiche has so many variations, they're nearly endless. I've listed some below, but really, it's just a sampling of what you could do.

butternut squash meets eggplant

My generous in-laws texted me on their way out of town and asked if they could drop off some produce. With the budget a bit extra-tight these days, I was delighted to accept. She dropped off about 20 different kinds of things, including 2 butternut squash and a whole eggplant. I "googled" butternut squash + eggplant, and hit on this hit of a recipe (recipe & picture both from Reader's Digest). The 2 year old wasn't much for it, but she thinks the only foods necessary for life are yogurt & PB, so that doesn't mean it's not a good kid dish. The 5 year old liked it, and the 1 year old couldn't get enough. Mr. Improv & I both had the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were even better.

spring risotto-stuffed artichokes with shrimp

Risotto is one of my great loves. Artichokes are another. If I could marry them, I just might. And they're good anytime of the year, but there's something about spring that makes them taste even yummier (perhaps because they're in season?). Anyway, this is my fav spring risotto, taking advantage of some of the great things about spring, stuffed inside whole artichokes, another great thing about spring. Brace yourself: fall comfort foods will hold nothin' on this.

Not up for stuffing anything? Just buy a jar of artichoke hearts instead of whole artichokes. Add them with the other veggies to the risotto after adding broth - they'll cook up while the water is being added. Cook the shrimp as below, and add it to the risotto at the end of cooking, or serve it up on top.

Oh, and I make risotto dairy-free, just because risotto turns out so stinkin creamy & delicious without the cream so it's a place where I can keep our food nice 'n healthy. That said, cream is one of my other great loves, and so please, always feel free to add a good amount of cream to pretty much anything on this blog. Especially risotto. Just substitute about a 1/2 cup of real cream for the water, near the end of cooking.