Quiche

In essence, quiche is a cooked egg pie. An edible crust is cooked inside the scrambled egg mixture, along with any additional vegetables or cheese. According to the majority of reports, quiche originated in Germany but gained popularity thanks to the French classic Quiche Lorraine. It tastes great for lunch, hot or cold, with a green salad, wherever it is from. If you want to reduce your carb intake, you can always create a quiche without a crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen pie shell, thawed and pricked with a fork
• 1⁄2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 bunch spinach, washed, dried, and stemmed
• 2 oz smoked ham, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes
• 1⁄2 cup shredded Swiss cheese, such as Gruyère
• 4 eggs
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• 1⁄4 cup half-and-half
• 1⁄2 tsp salt pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. When hot, place the pie shell on the middle rack and bake for about 8 minutes, until lightly toasted, but not browned.
2. While the oven heats and the shell bake heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add the spinach.
3. Cook for 5 minutes, until the spinach, is fully wilted. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ham, cheese, eggs, milk, half-and-half, and spinach, squeezing the spinach thoroughly before adding to purge any excess water.
4. Season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the warm pastry shell.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the quiche has browned lightly on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.