Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

Today is feeling so much like spring, I can't even handle it.

Colorado has the tendency to completely do 180s on the weather, which shouldn't surprise me considering that I've lived here for nearly two years. But every single time we have a week of cold and then a week of warm, I become weirdly infuriated but thankful at the same time? My thing is that I am the poster child of first-world, lazy-person problems and the switching weather means that I have to alternate between spring and winter wardrobes.

I'm the worst.

But I also have a kind of legitimate reason for hating this time of the year, and that's geese. I hate hate hate geese, with a burning passion that can be ignited by the simple sound of one honking outside my window. They are so mean (I have a friend who was attacked by a goose once. No joke) and messy (and therefore smelly), and serve no purpose in my mind but to eat all the pretty green grass outside my apartment. Also someone told me that they have sharp teeth?? Is this true? Are there any geese experts among my readers who can tell me whether or not a goose would draw blood if it bit me? I'm going to stick with caution and believe it until someone tells me otherwise. It fuels my irrational perfectly reasonable and accurate fear and disgust. 

Blah, blah, blah, I know. I'm a ruiner. I should be outside jumping for joy, shrieking "It's warm! It's warm! I can eat bright spring things with lots of green without feeling completely and totally strange!" I haven't been running around, but I have been eating a lot of bright greens and daydreaming about spring foods. For me, spring usually reminds me of fresh fruits and lots of bright green vegetables, because it's so alive and happy. Plus yellow, which obviously means cheddar cheese. It also brings to mind Easter (even though my family isn't technically Christian, whoops!), which reminds me of eggs, which reminds me of quiche. So if I combine all of the above fresh thoughts and greens and yellows, it's pretty easy to come up with something that perfectly captures that mood.

Quiche.

Crustless quiche, to be exact. I've never actually been a fan of traditional pie crust?? I like it more raw (I know, it's gross, but I seriously could eat an entire package of refrigerated pie dough and be super happy. It doesn't happen often), so it seems pointless to me to add it. taking the crust away also hugely cuts down on fat, which therefore means we can add more cheese, which isn't even a question. I also use a mix of whole eggs and egg whites, to get more protein (one serving of this is about 25% of your daily value!) but less cholesterol, while not sacrificing flavor.

Quiche is actually one of the few egg dishes I will contemplate eating sometimes, especially if it is packed with veggies. I'm a sucker for anything broccoli-cheddar, and this recipe is especially suitable for any non-vegetarians or vegetarians who do eat eggs. It's easy to make and has familiar flavors. Warm, gooey cheese and tender broccoli, baked with eggs into a light, fluffy cloud of deliciousness. Half and half adds a splash of richness, complimenting the bold flavors of the sharp cheddar. The cheese melts and bubbles to create a golden crust that adds "wowza" to the dish. Every bite is packed with broccoli and sharp cheddar.

Drool.

Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4                Serving Size: 1 (12-oz) ramekin

Ingredients:

• 12 oz uncooked broccoli florets
• 2/3c chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4c. skim milk
• 1/4c. fat free half-and-half
• 3/4c shredded (3oz) reduced fat (2% milk) sharp cheddar
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp pepper
• 1/8tsp paprika
• 4 (12-oz) oven safe ramekins

Instructions:

1. Cook the broccoli (I prefer to steam it). Allow to cool, and then chop into small bite-sized pieces. In a small pan, saute the onions until slightly tender (about four minutes on medium). Remove from heat. Put the broccoli and onion into a medium-large bowl, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites. Slowly add in the milk and half-and-half, whisking as you do so. Add in the broccoli-onion mixture and the cheese, along with the salt, pepper, and paprika.
4. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle broccoli mixture into ramekins, dividing evenly. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. You can test the doneness by gently poking the top of the quiches; they should not leak any milk when touched.
5. Remove from oven and serve!

Nutritional Information:
Sodium: 360mg
Total Fat: 9g
      Saturated: 4g
      Trans: 0g
Protein: 14g
Sugar: 4g
Calories: 180

Open-Face Breakfast Sandwich

We're continuing with the breakfast theme, branching from 2014 to 2015! It's like Back To The Future, only with chocolate and bread instead of Lea Thompson and Michael J. Fox.

Good times.

Before the recipe, though, and speaking of good times: I completed my first 2015 5k on the third! It was really fun, but I was so nervous. I've run eight 5ks so far, and a 10k, but this was my first 5k since I got sick and developed anemia last summer. I was completely and totally expecting to have a time around 40 min, when I can usually do about 29min, because my body has just been so out of training the past few months.

Buuuuuuuut!

31 minutes and 50 seconds!

It was nice to know that I was starting out the year with health in mind! I don't believe in New Years resolutions, because I figure we should aim to change our lives at any time and for true intrinsic motivation, but I know a lot of people who have resolved to be more healthy this year. The gyms are packed, produce sales are skyrocketing, and people in general are focusing a lot more on healthy recipes.

I figure it's always best to start with breakfast, then, because it's your first meal and kind of sets the tone for the day.

Doesn't this just scream breakfast? It looks like something you would get at a cute little B&B, right? (Side note: I've never been to a B&B because when I sleep in new places I tend to get rather paranoid about someone somehow managing to hear me sleeptalk, which actually tends to make me retreat into a corner and curl up in an attempt to quiet myself-- because my sleeptalking is honestly just so so bad. I used to wake my older brother up with it all the time, and I woke myself up once. But! If I did go to a B&B or if I owned a B&B this would totally be a menu item, am I right?)

The following is something that is easily to make, fast to whip up, and a very nice way to ease into healthy eating. I used to eat breakfast sandwiches all the time before I stopped eating eggs (and now I just use scrambled tofu instead) and I loved loved loved this recipe. This is great if you are just getting into being vegetarian, or are a vegetarian who eats eggs. It's a combination of lightly toasted and nutty whole-wheat bread, fresh spinach, and a perfectly-cooked egg (runny yolk of deliciousness included!). I love adding on some tangy goat cheese, because it totally completes it.

I actually feel kind of bad even calling this a recipe, because it is so simple. Toast bread, cook egg, layer. Seriously. That's it. It's one of those obnoxiously easy breakfasts that make it hard to excuse rushing out the door without some good sustenance in your belly. But I'll basically take any excuse to cook (give me an inch, and I'll stretch it a mile), and this is something simple to fulfill that desire. It's great for new cooks, too-- be they young or old.

Here's to a great 2015!

Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwich

Serves 1     

Ingredients:

• 1 slice whole-wheat bread
• Cooking Spray
• 1 egg
• 1/2c baby spinach
• 3/4oz fresh goat cheese, flavored if wanted

Instructions:

1. Toast bread. While bread is toasting, cook egg in a small pan coated with cooking spray (you can cook it any way you like, but I like over-easy). Place spinach on toasted bread, and top with egg and crumbled goat cheese. Devour!

Nutritional Information (varies depending on bread):
Sodium: 308mg
Total Fat: 11g
      Saturated: 5g
      Trans: 0g
Protein: 13g
Sugar:6g
Calories: 199