“Veggie Quiche…”

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Filling:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped
• 6 stalks asparagus, finely chopped
• 1 large shiitake mushroom, minced (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 large onion, minced
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Coat a pie dish with 1 teaspoon of oil, set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet. Add chopped spinach, then salt and sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes.
3. For crust, combine remaining dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
4. Remove spinach from heat and add to bowl, including any liquid from cooking process. Pat spinach crust mixture into pie dish to cover the entire dish, including the sides, evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: preheat oven to 350°F. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the milk and cottage cheese. Beat with an electric mixer or wire whisk for several minutes until well blended and uniform. TIP: the more thoroughly you mix this, the fluffier and lighter this dish will be.
6. Add chopped vegetables to egg mixture. Pour mixture into piecrust. Cover just the edges of the piecrust (the lip) with aluminum foil to prevent over browning. Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife placed in the center comes out clean and the top of the quiche is lightly browned. If the center is still liquid, cover the entire top of the quiche with foil and bake 5 more minutes. Let set for 5 minutes uncovered. Slice into 6 pieces.