I just received my first holiday gift in the mail; Prevention RD’s Everyday Healthy Cooking, a wonderful cookbook written by a talented dietitian; Nicole, of Prevention RD. You might remember the last recipe I posted from the cookbook; this delicious halibut with cucumber and tomato, but if not, please check it out. You can actually buy Nicole’s cook on the side of my blog where my favorite books are located. Anyway, my sister-in-law requested the cookbook after she saw it in my kitchen. You see, my sister-in-law is on her way to the 100-pound weight loss mark, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Cookbooks like Nicole’s will help keep her motivated because they provide healthy and nutrient-dense foods, with fewer calories. Of course, while most of Nicole’s recipes are lower calorie, I thought I’d try to make one of her recipes even lower in calories and carbohydrates….why not?! I swear I was born to modify. I decided to use turnips, a non-starchy vegetable, instead of potatoes, a starchy vegetable. I also used egg beaters instead of eggs. With these two swaps I reduced the calories a bit, plus the carbohydrates, fat, and cholesterol. But of course, like I said, the original recipe was already very light, so if you’d rather use potatoes and real eggs, do it.
Goat Cheese Spinach and Tomato Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 large turnip, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 cups egg beaters
- ¼ cup skim milk **
- 1 tsp. garlic olive oil (or plain, I like the garlic taste!)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 Roma tomato, sliced
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, tightly packed
- 3 oz. goat cheese **
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray 9-inch pie pan with non-stock spray. Layer turnip rounds on the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides in a single layer. With the remaining turnip rounds cover any holes (if you don’t cover all holes that’s ok). Bake the turnips in the oven for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together egg beaters and milk until smooth. Add the seasonings and the oil and mix until combined. When the turnips have finished par-baking take them out of the oven and remove the excess water with a paper towel. Next, layer the spinach on top of the turnips, followed by the goat cheese, in small chunks. Gently pour the egg mixture on top. Layer the tomatoes on top of the egg mixture. Bake 30-40 minutes.
Notes
** If you are following a low FODMAPs diet this recipe is safe to consume. The ¼ cup of milk in the entire recipe shouldn’t be enough lactose to cause symptoms, but of course if you are very sensitive to lactose (or if you are in the elimination phase of the diet) use soy or almond milk (unsweetened). The goat cheese will contain some lactose as well, but the fats in goat cheese are known to aid in the digestion of lactose. If you are in the elimination phase you can omit the goat cheese, or use a soy cheese replacement.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅛th of quiche Calories: 103 Fat: 4.5 g Saturated fat: 2.7 g Carbohydrates: 4.1 g Sugar: 2.6 g Sodium: 258 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 12 g Cholesterol: 12 mg
Nutrition Highlights: Only 100 calories, only 4 grams of carbohydrate, excellent source of protein, good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron.
I love how the picture above looks like a bunny. Don’t you think the sweet potatoes look like bunny ears?
Ok, so let me tell you a little secret. I made this one night for dinner and didn’t tell Nick that a) it was goat cheese on here (he hates goat cheese, so he says) and b) it was turnips, not potatoes. Do you think he noticed? Nope. I really am convinced he can’t taste well. But I assure you if I told him it was goat cheese and turnips he wouldn’t have eaten this. Instead, he devoured it. So did I. We may have had two pieces each (200 calories, so what?!).
So I know this recipe is sort of random, you know, since it’s not very Thanksgiving-y (yes, that’s a word). And I typically think of goat cheese as a summer food (I don’t really know why, but I do). But this quiche really hit the spot the other day when the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in 48 hours. It was steaming hot and full of flavor. Anyway, what I was getting at is that I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving (for those in the US). This year I am thankful for so many things, one of which is this blog, and my ability to share my favorite foods and flavors with all of you who share my same culinary and food obsession. And of course I am thankful for my health and family (lame, but so true). I am also thankful that I have the next four days off (well, after today), wahooo!! I’ll be back next Monday with a veggie and cheese panini. See you then, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
