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

Hey Everyone… Happy Tuesday!  I had a huge family gathering on the weekend and with that came a lot of food.  One of the feature brunch dishes that I chose was a wonderful, yet simple, kicked up quiche.  Talk about an easy recipe that packed a punch.  Over 20 people tried the quiche and everyone of them were raving about both the homemade pastry and filling.

Follow along below and try out this quiche.  I made a couple of different types.  Our feature quiche was ham and spinach with monterey jack cheese.  I also made a traditional bacon, mushroom quiche with cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (5 ounce) container process sharp cheese spread
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water

FILLING:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped ham
• 1/2 cup Spinach chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

OR

• 1/2 cup finely chopped bacon
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method

1. In a small bowl, cut butter and cheese spread into flour until well blended.



2. Add water and toss with a fork until a ball forms.



3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.



4. Press tablespoonfuls onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups.



5. In a bowl, beat the egg, milk and salt. Stir in ham and cheese.







6. Spoon a rounded teaspoonful into each shell.



7. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. (This is actually a shot of the bacon and mushroom quiche in case you thought I was losing my mind)



8. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
9. ENJOY!

So as always, do tell Zesty what’s your favorite quiche filling.  I can’t wait to hear everyone’s responses.  Hope everybody has a great Tuesday!

Zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty