Sunday, March 4, 2012

Skinny Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche

I love love quiche, but it is often really high in calories. For instance, yesterday morning at Trader Joes, they had a Mexican quiche on sample and the little thing was 500 calories (the whole mini quiche, not the sample). 500 calories! It was pretty darn tasty, but not for that many calories. I don't know about you, but that little thing is not worth it. Okay, I take it back. I know it's worth it, I just can't see myself spending 500 of my calories on that thing knowing I'll be eating a snack an hour or two after. That's just me though. If you love quiche like I do and are looking for a way to lighten it up but still get all that flavor, you are in the right place.

Quiche is really simple and oh so delicious. It's typically made up of flaky pie crust, an egg custard (usually eggs and heavy cream) and other flavorful ingredients such as bacon (hello quiche lorraine), cheese, and veggies. The best part is, you can throw in whatever you like and take out what you don't. Now for the skinny part. Don't get me wrong, I love the crust, but it definitely doesn't help the calorie count if you are trying to watch your waistline. I'd rather save the crust for pie. That and I don't use heavy cream in mine. I typically use unsweetened soy or almond milk, or if I am making this for others, I will use  low-fat milk. It just depends what's in my fridge and what my mood is for the day. So that helps with making it "skinny" too.  If you are wondering about the soy or almond milk, trust me, you won't be able to taste or know it was in there. Just don't use the vanilla kind. Ya, I did that once on accident with scrambled eggs and the hint of sweet vanilla does not go with eggs. Just saying.

One day after work I was having a big craving for quiche and thought why not try it without the crust. I didn't really need the crust. I stopped by the store on my way home to pick up the few things I would need and got cooking. I did things as I normally would, but added a little more broccoli to pump up the veggie factor. I mixed, whipped and baked and let me tell you - it turned out great! The best part about this recipe is that there are four BIG servings and each come in at just shy of 300 calories. Quiche is great any time of the day (hot or cold!) and it's loaded with protein so it's sure to keep you going and going and going. Just like the energizer bunny, but without the cute pink bunny suit. Now what are you waiting for - get in the kitchen and make this one now. You won't be sorry!

yummy goodness

cooking the broccoli - you can steam or saute until soft and tender

steaming action

eggs and cheese

onion + brocc + cheese

add in the eggs

baked, golden and ready to eat!

Skinny Broccoli & Cheese Quiche:

1-2 heads of broccoli (chopped and steamed) – I used two, but I like a lot of broccoli in mine. You can use one or one and half if you don’t want too much.
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use light for an even lower cal dish!)
6-8 eggs
1 cup milk (low fat, unsweetened soy/almond, cream or whatever you have on hand. I used unsweetened soy milk)
salt and pepper (to taste)
half of a medium white onion (chopped)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Steam the broccoli and set aside in a bowl to cool slightly. Then add chopped onion and cheese to the cooled broccoli. Toss to combine. In a separate large bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until they are well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in the milk and whisk to combine. Spray the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray. Add in the broccoli, cheese and onion mixture and then pour the egg mixture over the top.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the eggs are set, firm and they do not wiggle in the middle of the pan. Depending on your oven this may take more or less time. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice into four pieces. Serve and enjoy!



I love finding ways to make delicious and " bad for you foods", lower in calorie and fat, but still taste just as great. I have one coming up for "fried" chicken that uses the oven, corn flakes and a special ingredient. And another one for skinny broccoli, cheese and potato soup. It's pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. Bet you can't wait for that one!

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