Mini Crustless Bacon Spinach Quiche

I have always loved a good quiche. I love the way they smell when they are baking and the blend of flavors when consumed. But sadly, most quiches are anything but healthy. For example, a Quiche Lorraine at Mimi's Café will cost you 894 calories, 540 of which are from fat! Order this for breakfast and you could end up consuming 92% of your daily fat intake for breakfast. As much as I love raw vegetables, I don't want to spend the rest of my day eating only celery and carrot sticks because I spent all my calories the moment I rolled out of bed. But quiches are so good!

After closer inspection, it turns out that a large portion of the fat and calories in most quiches comes from the crust. Now, I like a quiche crust as much as the next person, but when eliminated I'm surprised at how much I don't miss it. In fact, I think a quiche without the crust actually enhances the flavors of the entire quiche because you don't have a flaky crust trying to steal the show. Another thick does of calories comes from the whole milk used in most quiches and the substantial amount of cheese. But I've found that substituting a low-fat milk, say 1% does not make me wish for the full fat version. I also use cheese more as a minor supporting role in the overall dish. Most of the flavor in these quiches comes from the teaspoon-sized scoop of crumbled bacon, chives and egg. I've found that the amount of cheese added to a recipe does not significantly change the flavor of it, and so I always use less cheese than typical in my recipes. Don't believe me? Try it. Use a little less than normal cheese in your favorite dish, or go without cheese at all, and see just how much you miss it. If you have enough other good flavors you won't be disappointed.

Finally, most quiches are about 4-5 inches in diameter, which is a hefty size if the quiche contains fatty ingredients. In the U.S., we are consistently given portions that are much larger than we should actually consume, but we eat them because we have been trained since childhood to “finish our food”. So by reducing the size of the quiches, eliminating the crust, using low-fat ingredients and adding in fresh vegetables that provide nutrition, these quiches succeed in making you feel full and satisfied without making you feel like you need to exercise immediately thereafter to eliminate the calories and guilt.

By spraying mini muffin tins with fat-free cooking spray and using it to cook up bite-sized quiches, you end up with not only delicious quiches with easy portion control, you also have a great, easy, healthy brunch offering that your guests will love. It’s also an easy way to appease your gluten-free friends as well as those without dietary restrictions. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Ingredients:

5 Whole Eggs
3 Egg Whites
1 Cup 1% Milk
¼ t. Salt
1/8 t. Pepper
Chopped Chives
Crumbled Bacon
Chopped Fresh Spinach
Mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Generously coat a mini muffin tin with fat-free cooking spray. Beat eggs, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper together until blended. Pour into muffin tin and fill to 3/4 of the top. Sprinkle bacon, chives, chopped spinach and mozzarella on the top of each little quiche as desired. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until the tops of each quiche turn a golden brown.