Healthy Spinach Mushroom Quiche

The original recipe for this delicious quiche was passed on to me by a client of mine. It contained heavy cream, lots of swiss cheese, real pie crusts and whole eggs. I went on a mission to try and make a healthier version so I could still enjoy one of my favorite, go to quiches~especially when I need to take a dish to a ladies brunch. It's makes a beautiful presentation and has that extra "something". 

• whole wheat frozen pie crust, in tin (whole Foods freezer section)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil (original called for butter)
• 1 8 oz. package fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 small red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp. port wine (or apple juice)
• 1 c. lowfat or fat free milk (original called for heavy cream)
• 1 large egg and 4 eggwhites (original called for 3 eggs)
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 c. low fat ricotta (original called for a block of shredded swiss)
• 1/4 c. Parmesan

Directions

1. heat olive oil in  pan over med heat.
2. add mushrooms and bell pepper and saute 7-10 minutes.
3. stir in port wine and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently.
4. Wisk together milk,eggs,  ricotta  and next 5 ingredients in large bowl.
5. Stir in mushrooms,spinach, and parm. .
6. Pour into pie crust. (It will seem quite thick with ingredients, but that is okay.)
7. Bake on lowest rack at 400 for 40 minutes or until set.....knife inserted into center comes out clean.
8. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Pre~measure all your ingredients before starting. It makes cooking go so much quicker.

Saute  the mushrooms and peppers~don't forget to add the port wine as this is the "extra" something...:-)

The mixture will be thick 

I included the "original" ingredients so you can see why I substituted with the ones I did. The milk is obviously more liquid than the heavy cream, so I added the lowfat ricotta and Parmesan instead to get the same thick consistency  and the not loose the cheese~ricotta added extra protein and Parmesan tastes great w/out the added calories~

ENJOY!!

TIP:  Double the ingredients and make two. You can freeze the quiches for later use but if you do so, freeze BEFORE cooking. Place on a cookie sheet, uncovered and "prefreeze"  just enough so the mixture won't spill. Wrap in press and seal, tightly and then double wrap in heavy duty foil. Can be frozen up to 2 months. Remove from freezer and bake as usual adding 10-15 minutes to cooking time. This one I baked last night while we ate dinner, cooled completely, wrapped in foil and put in the refrigerator. Microwaved a slice this morning for a super quick breakfast. Will last for 2-3 days.