Over the past three months, I've been able lose around 35 pounds by buckling down, eating better and working out more. Seems simple, no?
I've been scouring cookbooks to find healthy, tasty recipes to help me on my journey. I found an interesting idea in The Carb Lovers Diet. In this book, they take a quiche recipe and replace the shortening-laden, fatty (& delicious) pie crust with a crust made from refrigerated, shredded hashbrowns.
Then, fill it with a healthy combo of eggs, spinach and Canadian bacon. Take it for an hour-long spin in the oven, eat and enjoy.
Potato-Crusted Spinach Quiche
adapted from The Carb Lovers Diet, pg 133.
(I made changes with regards to spices and seasonings. I've listed the nutrition information provided by Carb Lovers Diet below. My changes should not significantly alter the nutritional values.)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 (20-ounce) package shredded potatoes (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 large egg white, whisked
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon white pepper, divided
- 6 ounces fresh spinach
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 ounce Canadian bacon, finely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Coat inside of a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate with 1 teaspoon olive oil; set aside.
2. Combine potatoes and egg white in a large bowl. Toss lightly. Add flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper; toss to coat. Transfer to pie plate, and pat evenly into bottom and sides to form crust. Drizzle remaining 2 teaspoons oil over crust. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
3. While crust bakes, place spinach, onion, and 2 tablespoons water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes or until spinach begins to wilt. Drain. Place spinach mixture in a colander and squeeze to drain; coarsely chop and set aside.
4. Combine eggs and ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining salt, remaining white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder and nutmeg. Stir in spinach mixture, half of Swiss cheese, and bacon.
5. Pour egg mixture over potato crust, spreading with the back of a spoon to distribute evenly. Leave a 1/2-inch crust along the outer edge. Sprinkle remaining Swiss cheese on top. Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.
Amount per serving: Calories - 380, Fat - 17g, Saturated fat - 6g, Monounsaturated fat - 7g, Polyunsaturated fat - 2g, Protein - 20g, Carbohydrate - 37g, Fiber -6g, Cholesterol - 340mg, Sodium - 720mg
I actually prefer having a smaller piece and pairing it with a side salad. So, I cut my pie into 8 pieces (Photo above is 1/8 of a pie) instead of 4 pieces as the recipe suggests.
This is a really promising idea. I'd make a couple of significant changes in the future (that would alter the nutritional value.) The ratio of crust to filling is off. In order to keep it as healthy as possible, I'd decrease the amount of potato (instead of increasing the filling). Maybe only 2/3 or 3/4 of a 20 oz bag would suffice. Also, this quiche needs more meat. There isn't enough Canadian bacon. I'd double or even triple the amount. Otherwise, it's pretty tasty, and a nice addition to any healthy menu.
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