Turkey and Mushroom Quiche

You may be sick of turkey. Thanksgiving wasn’t that long ago and let’s face it: most of us overdose on the bird, and then the leftovers, and then we don’t want it for another year until it’s time to gorge again while giving thanks.

I, on the other hand, take advantage of the turkey sales at Thanksgiving time so I can have turkey the rest of the year too, because I like it and it’s so versatile to use in lots of recipes. This year I was also given the gift of a smoked turkey by my uncle and that stuff is just heavenly. Since my freezer was apparently designed by Keebler elves and won’t hold one frozen turkey, let alone two, these two feathered friends were instantly shredded and put into freezer bags and packed nicely into my tiny freezer, ready to use for whatever strikes my fancy. If you don’t happen to have a cache of frozen turkey at your disposal, simply purchase some cooked turkey from your deli or roast a small turkey breast or leg for this recipe. Or substitute other meat or veggies if you’d like, it’s your dinner after all. And quiche is a great way to use up whatever leftovers you may have lying around. Chicken would work great in this as well.

Turkey and Mushroom Quiche

Turkey and Mushroom Quiche

1 pie crust (homemade or premade – I like the Pillsbury ready-to-use, refrigerated crust)
1 cup cooked smoked turkey, chopped or shredded
1 cup mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 leek, white and light green parts, sliced
1/4 tsp. dry Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
5 eggs
1 3/4 cup half n half
4 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425˚.

In a skillet, head a drizzle of oil or butter in the pan and add the leek, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté 2-3 minutes. Add Italian seasoning. Cook a minute or so more until veggies are soft and then remove from heat.

In a bowl, beat 5 eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper and the half n half. Set aside.

Unroll dough and press into a 9 inch pie pan. I like to dust the bottom of the crust with a bit of flour so it doesn’t stick. Crimp edges. Put turkey in the bottom of the crust. Top with veggie mixture. Place dollops of goat cheese all around. Pour egg mixture over the top.

Carefully place in the oven. Cook at 425˚ for 15 minutes. Turn temperature down to 375˚ and cook another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting. Slice into wedges and serve. Yummy hot or cold.

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Individual Spinach Quiche in Phyllo

There’s just something about food made in tiny individual forms that makes me happy.  I’m really not sure why.  They are so cute and delicious and let’s face it, it’s fun to say you ate 4 quiche for dinner.

Instead of the traditional pie crust, I used phyllo dough for the crust in these.  I was in the mood for something light and flaky and it was the perfect solution!  As an added bonus, they were also really pretty and had a satisfying crunch.  Since you’re making individual servings they are also really easy to customize to different tastes if you have a mushroom or feta hater among you.

This recipe makes a dozen quiche, but don’t be surprised if everyone eats three or four.  If you have some left over, they are great for breakfast the next day, but the phyllo will lose its crunch after a night in the fridge.

Individual Spinach Quiche in Phyllo. How pretty is that?

Individual Spinach Quiche in Phyllo

1 package phyllo dough (you will probably only use half of it)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz. mushrooms
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half n half
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt & pepper
Feta cheese
Pine nuts

Preheat oven to 375˚.  Spray a muffin pan (regular size, for 12 muffins) with cooking spray and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, half n half, nutmeg and a bit of salt & pepper.  Set aside.

Unroll your phyllo dough and cover with a slightly damp towel so it doesn’t dry out.  On a clean surface, lay out one sheet of phyllo dough.  If you haven’t worked with phyllo before, be warned it is quite fragile, but it’s not tragic if it tears. If it does, just set the pieces side by side and keep going.  Brush lightly with melted butter (it does not have to be perfect).  Top with another sheet and brush lightly with butter.  Repeat with another 3 to 4 sheets, until you have a stack of 5-6 sheets of dough.  Cut into 6 squares.

Yes, it looks like paper. It even feels like paper. But it tastes like dough. It’s magic!

Place each square into a muffin well, pressing to shape the square to the bottom of the well.  Repeat process with another 6 sheets of dough, and press into the other wells, making 12 pie crusts.

Tiny pie “crusts”

Saute mushrooms in a small skillet until browned.  Put a few mushrooms in the bottom of each quiche.

Mushrooms. Don’t like mushrooms? Just leave them out.

Squeeze liquid from thawed spinach.  Place a wad of spinach in each quiche and spread out a bit.

Top with a few crumbles of feta cheese (or any other cheese you’re fond of).

Pour egg mixture over the top of the veggies and cheese, being careful not to overfill.  This is most easily accomplished by using a measuring cup with a spout or a small ladle. Top each quiche with a few pine nuts.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until egg mixture is poofed up and crust is golden brown.  Let sit for 5 minutes or so to cool and set up.  Use a butter knife to carefully lever each quiche out of the pan and transfer to a plate.  These are great served with a big green salad.

When they are done, they look like this. Yum!

 

 

Smoky Spinach Quiche

Long before I enjoyed eating spinach on any sort of regular basis, I tasted spinach quiche and fell in love.  The combo of eggs and cheese and spinach that wasn’t the least bit slimy or gooey was a winner for me.  It was definitely a gateway to liking spinach for this girl.  It was also a gateway to getting my kids to eat it later on.

This version combines a little bacon and a combination of smoked cheddar and swiss for a smoky twist on one of my favorites.  It comes together in mere moments, leaving you time to toss a salad and watch an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while it cooks. Even slayers need to eat their vegetables.

Like quiche but not a spinach fan?  Try one of these other versions:
Pizza Quiche
Roasted Sweet Pepper Quiche
Or for a low-carb version, how about Crustless Mushroom & Feta Quiche?

Veggies, cheese, and BACON! Oh my. Smoky Spinach Quiche

Smoky Spinach Quiche

1 pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury refrigerated crust)
1/2 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 package frozen spinach (thawed and liquid squeezed out)
4 strips bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
3/4 cup grated smoked cheddar or Gruyère cheese (I used a combo of the two)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half ‘n’ half
Salt & pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Prep all of your ingredients.  In a small bowl beat eggs, half ‘n’ half, nutmeg and salt & pepper.  Set aside.

Chop, shred, squeeze, beat. I do all of my prep ahead of time.

Pre-heat oven to 425˚. Unroll your pie crust and place in a pie pan (I usually dust with a bit of flour on the bottom to prevent sticking).  Smooth out air bubbles and crimp edges.

Start with the crunchiest ingredients.  I put the peppers in first (reserving a few to sprinkle on top).  Then the spinach.  I prefer to use frozen spinach for this.  Thaw it and squeeze as much of the liquid out as you can.  You can use fresh spinach if you prefer, but if you do, cook it first, cool, and squeeze out any liquid.

Layer the ingredients. Veggies first. Be sure to squeeze the liquid out of the spinach so you don’t end up with a soggy quiche.

Continue to layer ingredients, with crumbled bacon and smoky cheese going next.  Sprinkle with the rest of the peppers.

Looking good, almost there!

Pour egg mixture over the top.

Ready to go in the oven, carefully!

Bake at 425˚ for 15 minutes.  Turn down heat to 350˚ and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting.

Beautiful! It will be poofed up like this when it first comes out, and will sink down a bit as it cools.

 

 

Individual Mushroom & Feta Crustless Quiche

Here’s a little something to think about for your weekend breakfasting, although they are quick and easy enough to make on weekdays too.  I love the individual servings, which make it easy to customize the ingredients if needed.  Plus they just look a little fancy.  Perfect for a brunch or just for the heck of it.  Feel free to use any combo of veggies or meats you like in these.

Delicious Mushroom & Feta Quiche

Individual Mushroom & Feta Crustless Quiche
(This recipe makes 4 quiches.  To make just one, use 1-2 eggs and about 1/2 cup of half & half)

3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onions, sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
5 eggs
1 3/4 cup half & half
Salt & pepper
Feta (about a tablespoon for each ramekin)

Saute the mushrooms, onions and garlic in a little olive oil until onions are tender.  Spray each of 4 ramekins with cooking spray.  Divide the veggie mixture among the ramekins.

Sauteed veggies. Feel free to substitute whatever you like if mushrooms and onions don’t rock your world.

In a bowl beat eggs with half & half and some salt & pepper. Pour into each ramekin on top of the vegetables.  Sprinkle with feta.

All ready to pop in the oven.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until tops are brown and it stays set when you jiggle it a bit.  Let them cool for 5 minutes or so before eating.

Very Veggie Quiche. It’s Gouda!

Quiche is one of those things that seems like it should be good for you.  It’s high in protein, filled with veggies…but alas, quite high in fat and calories as well.  But let’s face it, that’s probably why it’s so good.  It’s still one of my favorite foods, and to justify it, I usually eat it with a giant salad or a pile of fresh fruit and call it healthy.  Mostly.  I’ve made this recipe hundreds of times and it is foolproof.

Very Veggie Quiche & Strawberries.

Very Veggie Quiche

1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half & half
Salt & pepper
2 oz. shredded gouda cheese
1 pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury fresh crust)

Preheat oven to 425˚. Unroll crust and place in a pie pan.  Press lightly to fit to pan and crimp edges.  Saute onion and mushrooms for 2-3 minutes in a bit of olive oil.  Add spinach and cook and stir one more minute.  Add veggies to pie crust.

Sauteing the veggies first will minimize extra liquid and give you a better texture.

Then add the cheese.

Mmmmm, smoky gouda.

Whisk eggs and half & half with a pinch of salt & pepper in a bowl.  Pour over cheese and veggies.

Be sure to not overfill the crust. Just go up to the edge, or a little below it. If you have to throw away a little bit of the egg mixture, no big deal.

Place carefully in preheated oven.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Then turn down oven temperature to 375˚ and continue to bake another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting.  Serve with salad and/or fruit.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Beautiful, right out of the oven. As it sits, it will deflate just a bit. Don’t panic, it’s supposed to do that. Let it sit 10 minutes before cutting!

Pizza Quiche

One of our favorite meals, especially when we have friends over, is the “build your own” pizza.  We get ciabatta rolls or french bread and all sorts of yummy toppings and create delicious masterpieces.  It’s always a hit.  But that’s not what this post is about.  Mostly because the four tween girls who were building pizzas distracted me so I didn’t get any pictures.  But you get the idea.  This post is about leftovers.

After the pizza party, I had bits and pieces of pizza toppings to use for…something.  And so pizza quiche was born.  Obviously, you could change this up with whatever toppings YOU like on a pizza, but this combo was particularly tasty.

Pizza Quiche

Pizza Quiche

1 pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury fresh pie crust, found in the dairy case)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup pepperoni
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup sweet bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup mild banana pepper rings
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425˚.  Unroll pie crust and press into a pie pan (I usually dust the bottom with a little flour to prevent sticking).  Crimp edges around the pan and trim off any extra dough.  In a bowl whisk together eggs, half & half, and salt & pepper.  In the pie pan, layer the pepperoni and veggies.  Top with cheese.  Pour egg mixture over the top.  Carefully set it in the preheated oven.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Turn oven temperature down to 375˚ and cook another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and LET IT SIT FOR 10 MINUTES.  If you don’t let it sit it won’t set up and it will be a mess on a plate instead of a pretty wedge.  I have learned this the hard way.  Cut into wedges and enjoy hot, cold or in between.

 

Project Veggie: Day 27 – Roasted Sweet Pepper Quiche

Sometimes I plan dinner and then go buy the stuff to make it.  But sometimes I go to the store and find cool stuff and then have to figure out what to do with it.  A couple of days ago at the store these little beauties were calling out to me.  “Buy me!”  So I did.

Big bag o’ baby sweet peppers.

Now I had to find something to do with 2 pounds of sweet baby peppers.  No doubt many of them will find their way into Claire’s lunch.  And I’ll use a few here and there in other dinners just to add a little color and crunch.  But that still leaves a lot of peppers.  Luckily during the same shopping trip I came across my favorite pie crust on sale which sparked an idea.  Roasted pepper quiche.  Who cares if I haven’t made it before?  I’ve made quiche.  I’ve roasted peppers. The great thing about quiche is with an excellent basic recipe, you can pretty much mix and match whatever ingredients you like to put into it.

My stepmom, Sheila, gave me this basic quiche recipe when she and my dad owned a bed & breakfast in Taos, New Mexico.  Some of the best breakfasts I’ve ever eaten happened there.  What a cool place.  Up until then, I had tried a few different quiche recipes, but this one is absolutely foolproof and so delicious.

One note about pie crust.  Maybe you love to make pie crust.  If you do, go for it.  But for me, my passion lies in cooking, not baking so much, and pie crust is hard to get right. For some people it’s an art form.  I love those people.  I’m not one of them. Pillsbury makes a great fresh pie crust that you just unroll and plop in the pan and it tastes terrific and has a nice texture.  On most things I don’t care much about the brand names but this is not one of those things!  Go with the dough boy on this one.  The store brand is not as good in my opinion.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Quiche and Winter Fruit Salad

Roasted Pepper Quiche

1 pie crust
1 pound baby sweet peppers (or you could use bell peppers)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half & half
Salt & pepper
3/4 cup Gruyere or swiss cheese, shredded

Spread peppers out on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for a few minutes on each side until they turn mostly black.  Put them in a paper or plastic bag to cool.  After that you can take the skins off easily if you want.  With bigger peppers I usually do skin them, but with the small ones, I left them on.  Chop up the peppers and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425˚.  Place pie crust in 9″ pie pan (I usually dust it with flour on the bottom so it doesn’t stick).  Press down in the pan and crimp edges with a fork.  Put roasted peppers, mushrooms, green onions and shallots in the pie crust.  (Note:  if you want a less juicy quiche, you can saute the mushrooms and onions first and drain off any liquid before adding them to the pie crust.  Personally, I don’t mind a little extra juiciness so I put them in raw more often than not.) Top with shredded cheese.  In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, half & half, and a pinch of salt & pepper.  Pour over veggies and cheese in pie crust.  Do not overfill.  Carefully set it in the preheated oven.  Bake at 425˚ for 15 minutes.  Then turn the temp down to 375˚ and bake an additional 30 minutes.  Take it out and let it sit for 10 minutes to set up.  Don’t skip this step.  Use the time to throw together a fruit salad or green salad to go with it.  Slice and eat.  It’s also good cold the next day if you have any leftovers.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Quiche, right out of the oven.