Friday, May 30, 2008

Crustless Spinach and Cheese Quiche

"What's for lunch?" I pretty much hate that question. I don't mind creating dinner for a crowd, whipping up waffles for breakfast, or excessive bouts of baking, but for some reason I do not enjoy cooking up lunch. I'm completely content with a quick pb&j so I can get on with my day. But if the family is around, they like me to cook... or at the very least build some sort of sandwich for them. I usually comply. Begrudgingly.

I don't often feel inspired to make new lunch creations. But as I was browsing Cookie Madness the other day, I noticed that Anna had taken a detour from cookies and posted about a quiche. An unusual thing happened- I felt inspired to make lunch! Specifically, I was inspired to make her Crustless Spinach and Cheese Quiche.


I followed Anna's recipe with some minor changes: I added more spinach, I used reduced-fat feta, and I added a little more Parmesan.

This quiche baked up wonderfully. With four cheeses swimming within, we didn't miss the crust.

Letting the quiche sit for a few minutes ensured that the pie would firm up enough to make some nice, clean slices. I served it up with a big, green salad.

And since I went to all that trouble to make a nice lunch, and since it was a rainy day and we were all snuggled inside, wine seemed like an obvious choice to accompany our meal. The quiche was excellent, the salad was refreshing, and the wine made me sleepy.

So you see, when inspired... I can accommodate. The hubby is happy and pleasantly full. And all is well at lunchtime. Thank you to Anna for the recipe, which can be found HERE.

I know that the dreaded question will be looming overhead again tomorrow, but I'll be ready... with peanut butter in one hand and jelly in the other.
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22 comments:

  1. PatsykMay 30, 2008 at 7:35 AM

    Oh, I love that idea! I might use it for a simple dinner one night as I really don't make lunch either! ;)

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  2. dsnikeMay 30, 2008 at 11:15 AM

    I agree, its hard to come up with something new to make for lunch. your quiche looks amazing. ive never tried making quiche before but i must try!

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  3. PrudyMay 30, 2008 at 2:05 PM

    I wish I had quiche for lunch. I've been munching on the kid's cheese nips! Pathetic.
    The quiche looks gorgeous with that salad.

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  4. Chef JeenaMay 30, 2008 at 2:56 PM

    I smiled reading this post as I am the same at lunch. Anything quick for lunch because I look forward to cooking up a treat later on in the day.

    I love the crustless quiche it looks amazing. You have a delicious blog. :-)

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  5. AnonymousMay 30, 2008 at 3:03 PM

    I'm totally with you on the lunch thing. I cringe when the hubby says what's for lunch. This looks easy enough and delicious!

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  6. AnonymousMay 30, 2008 at 7:23 PM

    Ooohhh, wowwwww, yummm....
    This is a beautiful lunch on rainy day. Quiche are really tasty. We miss having quiche, it's been a while. Thanks for the yummy lunch!

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  7. Obsessive Foodie or Food Addict....You DecideMay 30, 2008 at 8:23 PM

    Looks yummy....my husband always asks that question when he is home also. I usually drink an oj loaded w/flaxmeal for lunch so having to fix something is irritating. Who eats lunch??? I like to save up my calories for dinner and dessert.

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  8. graceMay 31, 2008 at 1:12 AM

    how lovely! my brothers insist that quiche is girl-food and refuse to eat it. losers. more for me. :)

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  9. LizNoVeggieGirlMay 31, 2008 at 4:34 AM

    Haha, I too am content with just a peanut-butter & jelly sandwich for lunch (well, actually, mine would be a hazelnut-butter & sliced banana sandwich, but yu get the idea); but sometimes it's nice to create an elegant meal - that quiche looks FABULOUS!! Glad you liked one of Anna's recipes :0)

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  10. Nina TimmMay 31, 2008 at 6:31 AM

    Lunch can be a bummer to make, because dinner is also our main meal. I have bookmarked this idea - thx for sharing. It looks delicious!

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  11. ManggyMay 31, 2008 at 8:22 AM

    Gosh, that just sounds like a perfect midday treat, followed by a short siesta :) Lunch here in this house is always a heavy rice meal!

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  12. Peter MMay 31, 2008 at 9:59 AM

    Sometimes when tired or company comes by unannounced, quiches and frittatas come in very handy and are quite satisfying.

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  13. ElleMay 31, 2008 at 10:35 AM

    I adore quiche! Especially spinach and cheese. And I'm the same way about lunch! Why is it that it's annoying to make?

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  14. AnonymousMay 31, 2008 at 12:03 PM

    Mmmmmm... I had so much bad food on the road... and this lunch of yours just looks perfect. I want!

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  15. PGMay 31, 2008 at 3:24 PM

    I would love some of this for dinner - the salad too! I don't think I've seen Spike seasoning before - I'll have to look into that.

    You've been given an award!

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  16. SophieMay 31, 2008 at 8:00 PM

    :) Sometimes I feel the same way about lunch! I just feel like the 'special meals' need to be reserved for dinner :D...but I usually feel guilty giving my hubby something 'plain' (I think I've spoiled him, he used to eat nothin' but sandwiches before we were married!)...This looks like it was a lovely lunch. I love those rainy days!

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  17. Susan @ SGCCMay 31, 2008 at 8:41 PM

    Looks like you had a nice cozy meal. The quiche looks like a perfect light lunch.

    I'm not a big lunch fan either, unless I'm out with the girls. Mr. SGCC comes home for lunch every day and expects me to drop everything and put on a spread. I work from home most days and this drives me mad! Why can't he power lunch at restaurants like all the other executives? ;)

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  18. LauraMay 31, 2008 at 10:02 PM

    I pretty much feel the same about lunch. You can only be inspired for so many meals a day! But this looks fabulous--dinner worthy, in fact....

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  19. ShelbyJune 1, 2008 at 9:25 AM

    I love this! I make crustless spinach quiche also (and broccoli) for CFY/EFY weekends and it is always well received!

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  20. test it commJune 1, 2008 at 3:08 PM

    That quiche looks really good!

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  21. RosieJune 2, 2008 at 1:35 PM

    What a great idea crustless quiche and with the warmer evenings coming along this would be just perfect for eating outside with a crisp fresh salad ... my mouth is watering thinking of it!!

    Rosie x

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  22. AnonymousJune 7, 2008 at 3:42 PM

    Hey, thanks for trying it! I really enjoyed it.

    I found a lower fat version posted on the Internet and thought I'd give it a try. It was originally made with Smoked Turkey, but I think it would be better with smoked ham. I think this is from Cooking Light.

    Crustless Smoked Turkey and Spinach Quiche


    Sprinkle some of the Swiss cheese in the pie plate first before adding the ham and egg mixture. The thin layer on the bottom gives you another hit of flavor when you bite into a piece.—Wendy McMillan, Longmont, CO

    Ingredients
    Cooking spray
    3/4 cup (4 ounces) cubed smoked turkey ham (such as Jennie-0)
    1/2 cup chopped onion
    1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
    1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
    1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
    1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
    1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
    2 large eggs
    2 large egg whites
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
    1 teaspoon baking powder


    Preparation
    1. Preheat oven to 350°.
    2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham, onion, and pepper to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until ham is lightly browned.

    3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese in a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Top with ham mixture.

    4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, spinach, and next 5 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

    5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of quiche comes out clean.

    Yield
    8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

    Nutritional Information
    CALORIES 152(30% from fat); FAT 5.1g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 14.2g; CHOLESTEROL 68mg; CALCIUM 225mg; SODIUM 427mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.2g

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