Category Archives: Breakfast

Spinach Quiche

Tonight I did a cooking demo of one of my favorite recipes, Spinach Quiche. It was a huge hit! The theme of the night was “Power Breakfasts” and this fit right in. It is a low-fat, high protein recipe that is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner. It is extremely versatile in that you can change up the vegetables you use. I personally love adding mushrooms, artichokes, zucchini, peppers or tomatoes. You can also play around with the cheeses you use. I have made it with cheddar and feta cheeses and they were also very good.

The secret ingredient is low-fat cottage cheese. I use either 1 or 2 percent which is the base of the quiche mixture and what makes this recipe unique. I also only use three eggs and one egg white in the entire quiche whereas typical quiche recipes use heavy cream, full-fat cheese and many more eggs or egg yolks. I was watching the skeptical faces of 50 woman as I was making the quiche thinking there is no way this is going to taste good! Afterwards, I had 50 women coming up to me to tell me how delicious it was 🙂

It is impressive enough to serve for company and also easy enough to make on a Sunday night so that you have a great and filling breakfast for the week. You have the option of making it with a crust in this recipe or without a crust as in my Greek Crust-less Quiche.


Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 – 60 minutes

Serves: 6 – 8


2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

3 extra large eggs and 1 egg white

1 (8 ounce) packet of part-skim mozzarella cheese

12 ounces low fat cottage cheese

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

1 pre-made frozen pie crust


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place olive oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat.  Add the onion and  sauté the onion until softened and slightly brown, about 5-7 minutes.  Let cool.  Defrost spinach and squeeze out all excess water.  This is an important step.  If you leave liquid in the spinach the quiche will be watery and not firm. If you are adding other vegetables you should saute those as well and drain them if they produce a lot of liquid in the cooking process.

In a large bowl combine the eggs, egg white, cottage cheese and cheese.  Add onion and spinach and mix well.  Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper

Add the mixture to pie crust and bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  The top of the quiche should be golden and firm.

Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving in order for the quiche to set.

https://testmyrecipes.com/2014/05/19/greek-crustless-quiche/

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Greek Crustless Quiche

Quiche is one of my favorite recipes.  It is incredibly versatile and easy to make.  Just change up the cheese and the veggies and IMG_0584you can have a new creation at any time.  My version is loaded with vegetables and low-fat cottage cheese and only three eggs and one egg white in the entire recipe.  Taking the crust off the quiche is another trick to cut down calories and fat.  The base is so delicious and flavorful that you will not miss the crust at all.  Traditional quiche recipes use a full fat crust, a dozen eggs and heavy cream.  My recipe is a lot more health conscious so there is no need to feel guilty eating this any day of the week.

The kosher link up for this month is a dairy dish in honor of Shavuot (see below!)  This is a Jewish holiday where it is customary to not eat meat.  Unlike other Jewish holidays filled with chicken soup and brisket, this holiday is known for blintzes, cheese cake and other dairy delights.  This quiche is perfect for Shavuot, and truly any other time of the year.

I often make this on a Sunday and then cut it up into six individual servings.  I wrap each piece in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag in the freezer.  Just defrost a piece in the microwave for a healthy breakfast any day of the week.  It can also be served with a side salad, whole grain toast or veggie sausage for a great breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner.

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 – 55 minutes

Yields: 6 – 8 servings

 

 

Nonstick cooking spray

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small zucchini, diced

1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

½ pint grape tomatoes

3 large eggs and 2 egg whites

8 ounces of crumbled low fat feta cheese

8 ounces of part skim mozzarella cheese

12 ounces low fat cottage cheese

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sauté the onion and zucchini over medium heat until softened in the olive oil, about 5 minutes. Season the vegetables with a pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper.  Let cool.

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Defrost the spinach and squeeze out all excess water.  It is important that all the water is taken out of the spinach otherwise the quiche will not be right consistency.

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese and cheese. Add the onion, zucchini and spinach and mix well.  Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Coat a 7 x 11 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Add the mixture to the dish and make sure it is in a smooth layer going to all edges of the pan.

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Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes. The top should be golden and firm.  Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving in order for the quiche to set.

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Perfect Scrambled Eggs

I love weekends. I love them for many reasons.  One of my favorite things to do on a weekend is to make a really good breakfast.  It DSC_0582.NEFdoes not have to be fancy.  Perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and some whole grain toast with a veggie “sausage” is a simple, nutritious and delicious breakfast that is great for a weekend and is easy and quick enough for any day of the week.
Most people know how to make scrambled eggs.  However, do you know how to make perfect scrambled eggs?  If I am out and order eggs I find them to either be too runny or way over cooked.  They key to perfect scrambled eggs is a nonstick frying pan, enough fat to cook the eggs in and to cook them low and slow while constantly stirring them with a rubber spatula.  If you follow this recipe and this technique your scrambled eggs will come out fluffy and perfect every time.  The other secret to my scrambled eggs is a dash or two of hot sauce.  It is not enough to make the eggs spicy, but enough to add a great flavor.  Whenever I make these eggs people always ask what makes them so good.  It is the hot sauce – you have to try it!
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time:  10 Minutes
Yield: 2 servings
2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of milk (any kind you have)
1 – 2 dashes hot sauce (I like Frank’s Original Hot Sauce)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in an 8 inch skillet over medium-low heat.
Beat the eggs and add the milk, hot sauce, a pinch of salt and pepper.  Beat until it is all combined and frothy.
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Pour the eggs into the frying pan and lower the heat to low.  Slowly stir the eggs with a rubber spatula.   Keep stirring the eggs pulling the cooked eggs away from the sides of the pan.
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Keep the eggs moving until just cooked through and firm.
scrambled eggs

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Tomato Mozzarella and Basil Omelet

I have many recipes for eggs only because they are so versatile.  I eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are a great source of protein and quick and easy to make.  You can add any type of vegetable to bump up the healthy factor .

This omelet combines some of my favorite flavors  – tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese.  They are a great and classic combination.  One day I decided to put them all into an omelet and this recipe was born!

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time:  10 Minutes

Yield: 2 servings

 

2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon of water

1 Roma tomato, chopped

3-4 large basil leaves, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)

¼ cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in an 8 inch skillet over medium heat.  Place the tomatoes into the pan with a pinch of salt and sauté.

While the tomatoes cook beat the eggs and add the basil leaves (reserve a few pieces for garnish) salt, pepper and one tablespoon of water.

Once the tomatoes are slightly softened add the eggs to the pan.  Lower the heat to medium-low.  Cook the eggs until the edges start to firm up.  Loosen the edges of the eggs with a flexible spatula and tilt the skillet to let the uncooked egg run underneath.

Once the bottom is firm carefully place the spatula under the egg and flip the omelet.  If you do not think the egg will flip easily you can place the eggs under the broiler until the top is firm (about 3 to 5 minutes).  This is my trick to perfect omelets every time!

Sprinkle the cheese onto half of the egg.  Flip the egg on top of itself to fold in half.  Cut the egg in half and serve.

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Southwestern Omelet

I must start out with a blog update.  For those of you who have been following my blog (thank you) you probably noticed that I did not post a recipe or food related article last week.  I recently decided to go back to school (yikes!) part time to earn a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.  This is something that I have wanted to do since completing my Master’s degree in Psychology many years ago.  So, in addition to working full time, chasing a toddler and blogging I am now a graduate student as well.  Last week got a bit crazy when I had a paper due.   Academics had to prevail and recipe writing was put on hold.  I really hope that school will not interfere with blogging too much as this has become such a passion of mine!

This omelet is an easy and delicious recipe that is perfect for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner.  I have cut down on the calories and fat by using a combination of whole eggs and egg whites (as I do with all my egg recipes) and using low-fat cheese and sour cream.  Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be halved to make for one or just as easily doubled or tripled to make it for more people.

The hot sauce is optional and does not really add much heat.  It just adds a really nice background flavor.  If you would like it spicy you can always add more.  If you are skeptical you can just leave it out.  The avocado slices are optional but I really do recommend it!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time:  10 Minutes

Yield: 2 servings

2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon of water

1 tablespoon cilantro plus a bit more for garnish, finely chopped

2-3 dashes of hot sauce – I like Frank’s (optional)

¼ cup red pepper, small dice

2 scallions, diced

¼ cup low-fat shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese

½ haas avocado, cut into strips (optional)

2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream (optional)

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in an 8 inch skillet over medium heat.  Place the peppers and scallions into the pan with a pinch of salt and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften.

While the vegetables are cooking beat the eggs with one tablespoon of cilantro, hot sauce, salt, pepper and one tablespoon of water.

Once the vegetables have softened add the egg/cilantro mixture to the pan.  Lower the heat to medium-low.  Cook the eggs until the edges start to firm up.  Loosen the edges of the eggs with a rubber spatula and tilt the skillet to let the uncooked egg run underneath.  Once the bottom is firm carefully place the spatula under the egg and flip the omelet.  If you do not think the egg will flip easily you can place the eggs under the broiler until the top is firm (about 3 to 5 minutes).  This is my trick to perfect omelets every time!

Sprinkle the cheese onto half of the egg.  Flip the egg on top of itself to fold in half.  Cut the omelet in half and serve with avocado slices, a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.

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Arugula and Feta Cheese Omelet

Whenever I order an omelet out at a restaurant my go to is a spinach and feta omelet.  It is a classic and one of my all time favorites.  One day I had a hankering for this omelet when I was at home, but did not have spinach.  I did have arugula.  I thought why not?  Luckily my experiment came out great!  I may actually like this version better.   Arugula has a spice to it that I love.  It wilts just as easily as spinach and is a nice compliment to the salty feta.

I always add a splash of water to my eggs when I make omelets.  I once saw on a cooking show that if you add a bit of water to the eggs, it steams while the omelets cook, making them more fluffy.  I do not know if that is true, but I always do it and my omelets are super fluffy 🙂

When ordering eggs at a diner they are often made with three whole eggs and cooked in a lot of oil and butter.  Yes, it is delicious, but not the most healthy for you.  When you make eggs at home you can control the amount of fat and salt you use so you can feel better about eating them more often.  I also always try to use one whole egg and one egg white per serving to cut down on the fat and cholesterol without sacrificing taste, color or texture. This recipe can easily be halved to make it for one or doubled and tripled to make it for a crowd.

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time:  10 Minutes
Yield: 2 servings

2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of water
½ cup baby arugula, washed and dried
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in an 8 inch skillet over medium heat.  Place the arugula into the pan with a pinch of salt and sauté while it wilts.

While the arugula is cooking beat the eggs with the salt, pepper and one tablespoon of water.

Once the arugula is wilted add the eggs to the pan.

Lower the heat to medium-low.  Cook the eggs until the edges start to firm up.  Loosen the edges of the eggs with a rubber spatula and tilt the skillet to let the uncooked egg run underneath.  Once the bottom is firm carefully place the spatula under the egg and flip the omelet. 

If you do not think the egg will flip easily you can place the eggs under the broiler until the top is firm (about 3 to 5 minutes).  This is my trick to perfect omelets every time!

Sprinkle the feta crumbles onto half of the egg.

Flip the egg on top of itself to fold in half.  Cut the egg in half and serve.

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