Wednesday: Herb Quiche with Baked Tomato Cheese Slices

 

Can anybody say Ooh-La-La? Whenever I say the word "Quiche", I think of drinking tea with my pinky in the air, curtsying and saying "Merci", plus I imagine it's something Jane Austen ate back in her day. You would think it originated in France, right? WRONG! Check out it's history towards the bottom of this post. You might be surprised...I sure was! BTW-in case you hadn't noticed, I used my "Jane Austeny" plate in the picture below. I thought such a fancy dish should have the honor of being on an Ooh-La-La plate. 

What to do with leftovers? This dish makes a great lunch the next day!

This savory dish came from a Vegeterian Times magazine. If you don't have a subscription, and are interested, you can buy it online at amazon below.  

When the quiche was baking in the oven, I was trying to come up with a good side dish to go with it. Tomatoes and cheese kept popping into my head, so I made baked tomato slices with melted herb mozzarella cheese. You can add whatever side dish tickles your fancy though! Enjoy!

Quiche Recipe
4 servings

2 TB breadcrumbs (can be made with 1 slice of bread in the food processor)
2 small leeks, white and light green parts halved and sliced 1/2" thick
2 cups swiss chard, kale, collards or mustard greens, chopped
4 egg whites
3 whole eggs, beaten
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 TB fresh tarragon, chopped (I didn't have this so I used oregano)
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
2 oz soft goat cheese 

1. Preheat oven to 425* F. Coat bottom and sides of a 9 in. glass pie dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on bottom of pie dish.
2. Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil. Add leeks. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add swiss chard until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Set aside. 
3. Whisk egg whites in a medium sized bowl until frothy. Whisk in eggs. Whisk milk and nutmeg in. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in tarragon and basil. 
4. Scatter leeks and Swiss chard over breadcrumbs in pie dish. Dot cheese on top. Pour egg mixture into pie pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Baked Tomato Recipe

   2 large tomatoes, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup or less mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup or less Parmesan cheese, grated
1-2 oz herb goat cheese, (use whatever you have leftover from quiche)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (or basil, oregano, thyme, etc)
salt and pepper 

1. Spray cooking spray on baking sheet. Place tomato slices on cooking sheet. Sprinkle seasoning and salt and pepper first. Then dot each tomato slice with the goat cheese. Mix the two cheeses (mozzarella and parmesan) in a small bowl. Sprinkle over tomato slices. Bake with the Quiche for 5-10 minutes at 425* Fahrenheit or until tops are browned.

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Plan and Prep Ahead

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner.

~Boil leeks and swiss chard ahead of time, and keep in fridge until time of use. 
~Make breadcrumbs and keep in airtight container.

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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP?

~Instead of leeks try green onion or red onion chopped. 
~Try spinach instead of swiss chard. 
~Use your favorite fresh or dry herbs instead of what is listed. 
~Replace goat cheese with feta. 
~Instead of using bread for breadcrumbs, try crackers.

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A Little Background on Quiche

Quiche is originally from Germany! It came from the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine (hence the popular Quiche Lorraine). The actual word comes from the German word 'Kuchen', meaning cake. It's definitely not something I ever ate in Germany when I lived there, so it must have adapted into a French dish.

Like the Vegeterian Times recipes I've been posting? You can buy a subscription online on amazon.