Rich, creamy, tender and flavorful.

Not every time you think of quiche would you come of with those words to describe the experience.  It is not all about creamy -look what we have hidden in there – quinoa, spinach …. onions.

Don’t overlook my ability to sneak healthy alternatives into the rich and creaminess of cheese and eggs.

I was inspired by Danielle of Food Confidence with her Kale and Quinoa quiche.  I altered it slightly to accommodate some of the ingredients we had on hand…. BACON

I must say, the bacon is a nice addition.  You could use turkey bacon or any of those varieties if you so desire.

 Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 slices of bacon, cooked broken into pieces
• 3 Cups baby spinach
• 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
• ½ cup reduced fat feta cheese
• 1/3 Cup Goat cheese
• 1 Sprig fresh rosemary
• 6 whole eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a baking dish ( I used 8*8 (with butter or baking spray).  Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.
2. Slice onion thinly. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat.  Add the sliced onions and slowly cook until they’re soft and browned.   Than add bacon and cook until crispy.  Remove some of the bacon fat and toss in the spinach and cook until it is wilted.  Throw in the quinoa, garlic and mix thoroughly.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs so they are well combined. Add the cheeses to the egg mixture. Pour eggs over the quinoa/spinach mixture.  Stir until the egg clings to the greens. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour mixture in the prepared pie dish.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pie has started to pull away from the edge of the baking dish.
4. Serve hot or at room temp.
4. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  I opted to turn broil on for a couple of minutes at the very end to give the top of the quiche a little crust to make up for lack of crunch/crust on the bottom.

Have a great weekend!  I am getting the ride on tractor delivered from the service shop today so if the weather cooperates – I will be cutting the grass this weekend.

Talk to you on Monday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

The salad kick is still on.

Trying to represent summer despite the cool temperatures.

Fresh raspberries, soft smooth goat cheese, crunchy toasted almond slivers and a mint vinaigrette.

Do you wish you had a fork? It was pretty yummy.

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Baby Romaine
• 1 1/2 Cups Raspberries
• 1/4 Cup Natural, unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 Cup Sliver almonds, toasted
• Handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp. Goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/3 Cup Raisins

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp.  Dijon Mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 6 Mint leaves, finely chopped

Method

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl
2. For the dressing, get a jar with a lid and add the ingredients in order as listed above.
3. Place the lid on and give it a good shake.
4. Pour over salad just before serving.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Keep salads interesting by switching out the greens from baby romaine, arugula, spinach, iceberg lettuce, etc.  It will keep your taste buds guess and avoid those pitfalls of the same old salad.

The sun is shining, birds are chirping but it is still cool out.  I am trying to be optimistic but I am really looking forward to working out on the deck.  Not there yet… but did fire up the barbecue last night.  Will share more with you on that for Friday.

Have a great day.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Wednesday to you! Before I get into an exciting yet simple bread recipe, you first have to remember to enter the Dempster’s Giveaway Contest. I cannot wait to have 4 people try this bread and let me know what you think.

Do you like Prosciutto Ham? Are you a big fan of goat cheese? If you are, then this recipe might be for you! Now me on the other hand – I tend to eat whatever is in front of me but I did really enjoy this loaf. One addition I would do in the future is to place some fresh basil leaves under the ham for additional flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 DEMPSTER’S® OvenFreshTM White or Multigrain Baguette
• 2 Tbsp.  Olive oil
• 1 Log Goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh thyme leaves
• 10 Thin Slices Prosciutto

Method

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F.
2. SLICE baguette diagonally into ½ inch (1 cm) slices, about 20 slices. Brush on side of each slice with olive oil.
3. SLICE goat cheese into ¼ inch (5 mm) slices and place one slice on each baguette round.
4. SPRINKLE each round with a pinch of thyme and wrap ½ slice of prosciutto around the center of each slice of bread. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves.
5. DRIZZLE with remaining olive oil and bake for 8 minutes or until cheese is softened and baguette is hot and crisp.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you do not like goat cheese, simply replace with your favorite cheese.

Alright, so there you have it.  The contest ends today at 5:00pm Eastern.  Be sure to enter and I will announce the winners on Friday.  I will see you back on Friday with a dish from my latest Sunday cook-off.  Have a great mid week Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty