Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quiche with Caramelized Onions

Confession #1: I have never made quiche.

Confession #2: I have never eaten quiche.

...until now!

It's not that I never wanted to try quiche. It's just that I always assumed it was one of those things that could never be healthy and still taste good. I never indulged in this savory treat before because of the copious amounts of eggs, butter and heavy cream. Eeek! That's a lot of fat. And besides the fact I'm one of those people that would rather save up their treat calories for a sweet dessert ;)

With a bit of experimentation and researching I was able to create this health-ed up recipe. I'm happy to say that a slice of this quiche will not go straight to your hips...and the smell of it in the oven while cooking is intoxicating!

Okay, okay. So how did I do it?

Well the first step was the crust. At first I was stumped. I'm usually good with making pastry but this isn't  pastry, it's more of a short crust, and anyway it needs to be healthy. Instead of all-purpose flour I used whole grain unrefined red fife flour, which works top notch in pie crusts. I used about 4 tbsp of unsalted butter (that's not very much fat when it comes down to a serving size) and my little secret, a pinch of nutmeg.

After making the pastry I put it in the fridge to set. Well I thought I mucked it up because it wouldn't roll out and it kept falling apart. While muttering a few expletives...ahem...I pieced the dough backed together in the dish and it turned out just fine! I realized this was to be expected with the type of crust it was, without all that fat to hold it together. Don't worry if this happens to you while rolling out the dough. If it splits just pinch the seams back together.

You should end up with it looking something like this:

Also note how I perforated the dough with a fork (or "docked" it). Can you see all the little holes? That's because we're going to be backing this crust before we add the filling. 

Now if you can believe it the filling only uses 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, 1 cup of skim milk, and creamy goat cheese for its lower fat content.

Asparagus, onions, and spinach are sautéd and caramelized in a bit of olive oil for extra flavour.

Fill-er-up and bake!

Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quiche with Caramelized Onions

(serves 6)

Print the recipe here!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup of red fife flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling:

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup asparagus, ends removed + chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups of spinach, lightly packed
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• goat cheese

Directions:

1. Begin by combining the flour, salt and nutmeg in a food processor or mixing bowl. Mix the butter into the flour mixture until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. Gradually pour the water in, one tablespoon at a time with the mixer running. The dough should form into a dense ball. Place dough on lightly floured surface, and flour your rolling pin. Roll it out gently until it's about 1/4 inch thick and large enough for you pie pan. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork to prevent it from bubbling up while it's cooking. Bake in a 400*F oven for 10 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and season with a pinch of pepper. Stir and spread out to cook until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli, stir and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and asparagus and cook over medium heat until the asparagus is fork tender. Toss in the spinach and stir until slightly wilted. Remove pan from heat.
3. Whisk together eggs, egg white, milk, chives and nutmeg. Spread the vegetable mixture in the bottom of the prepared crust. Sprinkle goat cheese to taste. Pour egg mixture over top.
4. Bake at 350*F, uncovered until set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let quiche rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to settle; then serve.

Healthy, simple, and low in fat.

We enjoyed this for dinner with steamed broccoli on the side. It reheats really well for leftovers too!

Gluten-Free Paleo Bread

For the last week I've been following Tosca Reno's cooler 1 meal plan. It's pretty hard core and very similar to what someone may eat for pre-contest preparation. Think body building when I say contest prep. My main reason for following it? Increased muscle definition, but it's also for anyone who is looking to lose those last stubborn five to ten pounds and feel better. 

It is an intense plan with very little lenience based around 5-6 mini meals a day. A combination of lean protein, water based veggies and low glycemic complex carbohydrates. Don't forget tons of water. It isn't for the faint of heart, but hard core healthy eating will get you hard core results.  Its just a matter of how determined you are. There's no bread, excess salt, sugar, processed junk food, or salad dressings. I won't go into too much detail but if anyone is interested in hearing more about it just let me know and I'll gladly do a post.

So this week I've started adding back a few different foods that would be geared more towards maintaing weight. I decided to spice things up with this amazing paleo bread which I discovered from Elana's Pantry. It's full of nutritious ingredients like flax seed, ground almonds, honey (I used my favourite local Dickey Bee honey) and apple cider vinegar. It doesn't have a a single bit of flour. It's also a cinch to make and tastes amazing. The texture is so light and airy it's almost like the real thing. 

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches anyone? 

This was delicious spread with a bit of almond butter. I haven't tried it yet but I'm going see what it's like when lightly toasted. 

Gluten Free Paleo Bread (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian) makes 1 loaf

slightly adapted from elana's pantry

Print or email this recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F. Grease and line a 7.5" x 3.5" loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine almond flour, coconut flour, flaxseed meal, nutmeg, baking soda and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix ingredients together.
3. Mix in the eggs, coconut oil, honey and cider vinegar.
4. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350*F for 35 minutes until a toothpick or tester comes out clean.
6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before lifting out onto a cooling rack.
7. Cool completely before slicing.

{Notes}

• You could also use an 8x4 baking pan but your loaf will be slightly flatter.
• This recipe also works great baked in muffin tins.
• Store in refrigerator wrapped in saran/cling wrap. It should keep for about 1 week.

Breakfast is served. A slice toasted with a poached egg on top for me please.