Hello, there - it's great to meet you! My name is Karla and I am a photographer + designer + the girl who cooks, styles and photographs the food on Sal & Azucar.
It's a huge honor to be part of the heartmade community. Mayi and I have become good friends thanks to this online-etsy-handmade-blogging craziness that we all love around here, and she recently invited me to come on board and become a regular contributor around here. Of course, I was thrilled and naturally jumped right in. (Thank you Mayi, for this awesome opportunity!)
To kick this off I want to share a small tidbit - I'm a bit of a health nut. I shop + cook organic, and most often than not I alter recipes to make them health{ier}. I'm the kind of person who substitutes regular sugar with honey, agave or sucanat, reduces the fat and substitutes white flour with whole-wheat or gluten-free flour without compromising the taste - and it works (most of the time.) Of course, it is so much easier when I discover or make up a recipe that is already healthy to begin with - no alterations needed - that tastes amazing.
Here is a great recipe I recently adapted from Food52: No-Crust Quinoa + Kale Quiche.
I love this quiche with some juicy cherry tomatoes on the side.
Makes 4 small individual (6" dish) portions or 1 large (9" pan) quiche.
you need
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 yellow or red onion
2-3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch kale or spinach
1/2 cup muenster or mild cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbs
4 eggs
Salt + pepper
to prepare
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take your dish (9") or dishes (6") and spray with baking spray.
2. Place water in a pot and add quinoa after rinsing. Bring to a boil on medium heat and reduce to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Cut your onion in very thin slices. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onions and honey. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook until the onions are soft and brown, stirring occasionally. Remove them from the pan and place them in a mixing bowl.
4. Cut your kale (or spinach) into ribbons, removing the stems, and place them in the onion pan while it's still hot. Cook for about 3 minutes and allow to cool. Remove excess liquid with a paper towel.
5. Add kale, quinoa, muenster cheese and feta cheese to the onion bowl. Stir until evenly distributed.
6. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and pour them slowly into the kale-cheese-quinoa mix. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until evenly distributed.
7. Pour mixture into the dish/dishes and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the tops are golden. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
See you back here soon. Meanwhile, you can visit my blog, Sal & Azucar, for more recipes and delicious photos.
Karla Diaz Cano
Karla Diaz Cano is a photographer + designer from Mexico City based out of Miami, FL. She focuses on food + fine art photography + shares her work on her blog, Sal & Azucar. Karla is also a regular contributor for Honest Cooking + A Place for Twiggs. On the side, she runs a small jewelry business, Tiklari. You can read more about Karla on her blog, visit her facebook fan page, or follow her on twitter.
