John Ayto, in An A-Z of Food & Drink, writes that quiche is a specialty dish (Quiche Lorraine) of Alsace-Lorraine, a region in France, “which has been bandied between France and Germany over the centuries, and the term quiche itself is a French version of…a word from the German dialect of Lorraine.” According to Larousse Gastronomique, the name quiche came from kuchen, the German word for cake.
In its traditional sense, quiche is baked as an open tart with a savory filling mixture made of beaten eggs, crème fraiche and bacon. It is served hot as a first course or hors d'oeuvre. But this basic recipe has evolved over time to include a variety of vegetables, cheeses, and even ultra low carb no-crust recipes.
Quiche for Low Carb Dieters
Dieters who are trying to limit their carbohydrate consumption often avoid quiche either because of its high-carbohydrate crust, or because recipes for crustless quiches are unappealing. Now, however, there is a happy medium that quiche lovers can fit into their low carb diets. The following technique explains how to make a quiche that makes its own crust as it bakes, but still remains well within the low carb dieter’s carbohydrate limits.
The Crusted, Crustless Quiche is Composed of 2 Parts
- The savory custard base – this makes the delightfully thin low carb crust while it holds all the tart ingredients together.
- The quiche’s defining ingredients – the possibilities are endless, e.g., Spinach - Feta Quiche, Garden Vegetable Quiche, or Pizza Quiche.
The Savory Quiche Custard Base
The basis for this quiche is so simple and translates beautifully to work with any number of vegetable, meat or seafood ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites (or 6 tablespoons Egg Beaters ® liquid egg whites)
- ½ cup all purpose flour (whole wheat flour can be used)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 1/3 cups milk (any percentage of fat content works)
Instructions:
- Beat together the eggs and egg whites.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and milk.
- With a wire wisk, beat the mixture together until well combined.
- Set aside.
The Quiche’s Defining Ingredients
To prepare the defining ingredients, the cook simply decides whether it will be a vegetarian quiche or it will have a meat or seafood protein, and which cheese or cheeses and herbs will go well with them.
The custard will accommodate approximately 3 cups of chopped fresh vegetables, plus between 1 and 2 cups of crumbled or shredded cheese and other proteins.
To Assemble the Quiche
- Begin by greasing a 9” pie plate or deep tart pan.
- Any raw meat or seafood ingredients should be sautéed until nearly done, and excess fat should be drained.
- In the same skillet, sauté the selected fresh vegetables until they are tender-crisp. Onions should be translucent. Leafy greens, like spinach, should be just wilted.
- Drain excess water from the vegetables.
- Spread this mixture evenly into the greased pie plate.
- Pour the custard mixture over the quiche ingredients.
- Top with selected cheeses, if any.
- Bake at 400°F for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the top is nice and brown and the center of the quiche does not wobble.
- Allow quiche to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Below are delicious possibilities for three different quiche flavor combinations. Each quiche is made using the same fast no-fuss method to help keep a healthy low carb diet meal plan on track.
Spinach - Onion - Feta Quiche
- 1 medium onion, about one cup diced
- 6 ounces fresh spinach, stemmed and roughly chopped
- ½ cup garlic and herb seasoned Feta cheese crumbles
Serves 6, at 12.4g net carbohydrates per serving.
Summer Garden Vegetable Quiche
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup summer squash, sliced
- ½ cup fresh button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup Monterrey Jack, Swiss or American Cheese, shredded
Serves 6, at 13.5g net carbohydrates per serving.
Quick and Easy Pizza Quiche
- 1 small can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
- ½ cup bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup pepperoni, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
Instructions:
- Lightly sauté the vegetables and pepperoni with Italian seasoning.
- After arranging the mixture in the pie plate, pour on the custard base.
- Drizzle the ketchup over the top of the quiche.
- Top with the Mozzarella cheese and bake as usual.
Serves 6, at 16.4g net carbohydrates per serving.
More Quick & Easy Recipes for Busy Moms and Families
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Maria Blanco - Writer/Editor, Certified Family Herbalist, Naturopath, Holistic Nutritional Consultant
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