Spinach, Mushroom, Ham, Feta Quiche

My favorite thing about quiche is that it's hard to mess up. Even though my turkey bacon was moldy and I forgot to get half-and-half at the store, this turned out really well. Feta has such a strong flavor that you don't have to use a ton of it, so this quiche is on the healthier spectrum of quiches but is also hearty enough to satisfy. Don't believe the hype that real men don't eat quiche!

Spinach, Mushroom, Ham, Feta Quiche
adapted from Erin's Food Files

Ingredients
1 frozen pie crust
1 thick slice of ham, diced
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped spinach
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 eggs
3 egg whites
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat oil over medium to medium high heat. Add onion, saute 2-3 minutes until tender. Add mushrooms & spinach. Saute 4-5 minutes until spinach is soft. Add ham to the pan and stir to combine well.

In a bowl beat eggs, egg whites, and half & half. Season with salt & pepper. Add in veggie/ham mixture and stir to combine. Add feta, stir to combine, and pour into pie shell.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until completely set, and slightly golden & crispy on top.

Ham and Cheese Corn Muffins

I'm always looking for freezable, portable breakfast ideas for Joe, and I thought I hit the jackpot when I found the Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis. However, man cannot eat oatmeal breakfast clafoutis forever, and this recipe from the October 2009 Cooking Light looked like a good, savory counterpart. Joe has enjoyed them so far and likes the heft that the cornmeal gives the muffins as well as the zing that the ground red pepper and green onions add. The ham helps keep him satisfied, which is great since sometimes he can go 7-8 hours between when he eats breakfast and his lunch break. They freeze and defrost beautifully. I did sort of "unhealthify" these, and my changes are reflected below. These would also go well beside chili or another hearty soup.

Ham and Cheese Corn Muffins
source: Cooking Light October 2009

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 eggs
3 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup diced ham
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and red pepper in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Form a well in the center of the mixture. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and oil. Pour into well in flour mixture, stirring until moist. Do not overmix. Gently fold in cheese, green onions, corn, and diced ham.
3. Coat 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray and spoon batter into each well. Bake at 350-degrees for 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.
   

Crustless Quiche

After Thanksgiving, my parents gifted us with some leftover ham. Because life has been so crazy, I had almost completely forgotten about it until I realized I need to use it up quickly before it went bad. Since I don't normally eat a lot of ham, it's always difficult for me to come up with ways to use it that also fit into my schedule. A quiche is perfect, and since we're all (or at least I am) stuffed on cookies, cut out the crust and save some calories.

Had I had time or the energy to run to the grocery store or cook another dish, I would have served this with a green salad and/or some tomato basil soup. Whenever I would eat at La Madeleine, I would always get quiche and tomato basil soup, so they go together perfectly in my mind. This would also make a nice addition to a brunch. It's kind of like a big frittata, except baked the whole time. You could also probably do this in a cast iron pan. In fact, that's probably a brilliant idea.

Crustless Quiche

source: Cooking Up Memories

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/2 cup AP flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cream

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups grated cheese (This was great for cleaning out the cheese drawer. I used a mix of mozzarella, cheddar, and Mexican cheese.)

3 cups ham, corn, asparagus, mushrooms or whatever you have on hand (I used leftover ham, frozen peas, and frozen corn)

1. Whisk together eggs, flour, salt, baking powder, milk, cream and butter.
2. Stir in filling and cheese.
3. Pour into greased pie plate.

4. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes