Recipe: Easy Quiche

This recipe is an adaptation of an old Weight Watchers recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Quiche that I got years ago.  It's the simplest and best recipe I've found for quiche, and it's easy to adapt for different quiche fillings.
 
Spinach and Cheese Quiche
Serves 6-8

Ingredients 

• 6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated  
• 2 tsp olive oil  
• 1/2 cup uncooked red onion, chopped  
• 1 1/4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese  
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese  
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard  
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried rosemary 
• 1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste  
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese  

Instructions

• In a colander, run cool water over the spinach until it is thawed.  After the spinach is thawed, allow it to drain while you prepare the quiche filling.

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate until you're ready to fill the quiche.

• Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until it is soft, about 3 minutes. 

• In a large bowl, add the cooked onion, ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, rosemary, and salt.  Mix well.

•  Fold the spinach into the filling mixture.

•  Spoon the mixture into your pie crust and pat the surface with a wooden spoon to make it level.

•  Sprinkle the top of the quiche with the Parmesan cheese. 


• Bake until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Instead of spinach, you can use 10 ounces of any vegetable, or a combined 10 ounces of any other filling, like ham, mushrooms, broccoli...

Let me know what variations you try!

Recipe: Greek Sauté

Like many of my meals, this recipe came together as an adaptation of a plainer version.  The Greek flavor from the feta really makes this dish more special than your average sauté.  The spring mix can be switched out for arugula for a spicier flavor, or spinach for a milder version.

Greek Sauté
Serves 4

Ingredients 

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups grape tomatoes
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 10 oz spring mix greens
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta

Instructions

• Put pine nuts in a large nonstick skillet and set over medium heat; cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

• Heat olive oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and onions, tossing occasionally, about 6 to 10 minutes. 

• Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

• Add greens gradually; cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. 

• Sprinkle with salt, lemon pepper, dill, feta, and pine nuts.  Toss to combine.  *Instead of lemon pepper, I used a slightly citrus-y pepper from Penzeys Spices, Florida Seasoned Pepper.  If you're looking for a less intense flavor than lemon pepper, this spice is a really good alternative.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

One of my favorite healthy comfort food recipes is my Roasted Vegetable Lasagna.  It's one of those recipes that might have started from a cookbook or blog way back when, but now has evolved into its own thing.  This lasagna gets its flavor from roasting the vegetables before assembling and baking the lasagna.  It's sure to be a crowd pleaser for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

You can use just about any of your favorite vegetables in this lasagna. 

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces or smaller
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces or smaller
• Half of any type of bell pepper, chopped
• 4 small fresh tomatoes, plum, seeded and chopped
• 4 medium garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp table salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 8 oz canned tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In roasting pan, combine vegetables, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, garlic, and olive oil. 

• Bake until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Place half of vegetables and 1/2 cup water in food processor and process until smooth (You can also use a pot and an immersion blender).

• Spoon 1/2 cup of vegetable purée into the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch baking dish.

• Place three noodles over the purée. 
• Top noodles with 1/2 cup of purée, 1/2 of remaining vegetables, and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.

• Repeat layers and then top with remaining 3 noodles, purée, and cheese.

• Bake until bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.  Enjoy!