A Quiche By Any Other Name

Ah, Quiche Lorraine.  Smokey bacon and Swiss cheese in a yellow custard all baked and gooey. Always a crowd pleaser because who doesn't like cheesy, bacon goodness?  However, quiche of a "no-name" variety has become a regular around our house lately.  I found an Atkins' recipe that works well for low-carb diets and I just throw in whatever veg or meat I have in the fridge. (just for the record, the buttermilk pancake recipe from yesterday is a rare treat in our low-carb/gluten-free world, crustless quiche is our reality) It is a great way to use all those veggies in the fridge before they have to be thrown out.  I eliminate the meat for meatless meal days and am still left feeling full.  I have found the key to a good quiche is making sure all the moisture is cooked out of the veggies before adding them to the egg/cream mix. Very important! This eliminates a watery quiche because nobody wants that. Below I have listed the recipe I use for the low-carb version but search the internet and find a recipe that fits your diet restrictions if this one has too much fat for your eating plan.  Regardless of what filling you come up with, try it without the crust.  You will not miss it.  The pic to the left is from last night's dinner, aka today's lunch.  This quiche is made with green onions, bacon, kale, Tabasco, spinach and cheddar. Last week's version contained Swiss, red bell pepper, green onion, chicken sausage, mushrooms and kale.  The combinations are endless.  Oh, and be sure to double or triple your recipe so you have leftovers.  It is a great fast breakfast/lunch, reheated or cold. 

Crustless Quiche from Atkins

Ingredients

4 oz. bacon *look for low sodium and nitrate free

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

6 eggs *farm fresh eggs make all the difference

3/4 c heavy cream *organic

2 boxes (10 oz. each) frozen chopped broccoli or spinach, thawed and squeezed dry *organic

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, shredded *low sodium

1/2 tsp salt *I eliminate this

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350*F. Butter a 10-inch tart pan or 9-inch deep pie plate ( I used a square 9 by 9 glass baking dish).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels; coarsely chop.
3. Remove all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from skillet. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, until softened but not brown. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cream, broccoli, cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir in bacon and onion.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes (tenting with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning) or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Number of Servings: 8
*recipe copied from sparkpeople.com

*italics are iheartgroceries remarks