broccoli quiche & a side of garlicky mushrooms with kale

I was having a difficult day today.

I left my house at 9am for a 10am doctor's appointment in Loma Linda with the plastic surgeon who built up my nose with ear cartilage over a year ago. Since last fall when I needed to go back to school & finish my final year at UC Santa Cruz, I haven't undergone any surgeries. My last operation was in September 2011 when an oculoplastic surgeon repaired my infected tear ducts. After waiting on medical referrals since this past July, the final actions toward "complete" physical healing have at last been approved by my health insurance & are ready to be set in motion. Today, I set a date for my second (& hopefully final) rhinoplasty operation. Tomorrow, I will call the office of my ocularist in order to see how long after my surgery I will have to wait to begin the process of obtaining an artificial eye. This is all exciting to me, but also slightly terrifying.

I have been living my life for over two years with one eye & notable scarring on my nose. I have been "worse" than what I am now, & I will soon be "better". These stages of healing are slow, but also so seriously significant. Once everything is finished, my largest fear is that I still won't be satisfied. Am I expecting something that won't exist? That can't exist? Will I really be back to "normal"?

Anyway, after my doctor's appointment I was exhausted & basically sat/laid around in a car for two hours while my parents perused Ikea. I got out to pee once. Just thinking about the hospital/my face/having surgery again/the idea of "normacy" makes me tired & groggy as all hell. So after being "forced" (read: I just couldn't wait until I got home) to eat a sad lunch comprised of raw almonds found at the bottom of my purse & a plain/dry poppy seed bagel from a gas station mini mart, I decided to make myself feel better my cooking up a plenty-o-veggies dinner by way of my favorite vegan chef.

Pictured above (and below) is the beautifully delicious classic broccoli quiche, created by way of Isa Chandra's Vegan Brunch. I was slightly worried that my omnivorous parents may not be too crazy about the quiche, but they loved it! I also used the "Single (& Loving It!) Pastry Crust" from Vegan Pie In The Sky... The end result was so perfectly flavorful, so satisfying & filling. I will absolutely be making this again.

My slight adjustments to the quiche, based on what I had in my fridge/pantry: used 2 cups broccoli + 1 cup diced zucchini & red bell pepper (didn't have enough broccoli), 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning in place of the thyme & terragon, & slices of a large tomato instead of grape/cherry tomatoes. I also substituted 1/2 of the all-purpose flour in the crust for whole wheat flour.

& oh, the kale...so wonderfully garlicky! A perfect compliment to the quiche! You can find Isa's "Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale" in Appetite for Reduction. I also added 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast flakes to this - yum yum yum. I wish I had some leftovers (Mom couldn't get enough, which is great! Kale is so nutritious!)!

So, y'know, my answer to a trying day? Treat your mind & body to a wonderfully warm & tasty homemade meal. I don't know about you, but having some carefully created reward in the oven always calms me down. & a dinner that requires an entire head of garlic? C'est magnifique.