Seasonal Quiche

I love eggs! There's a long standing joke in my household that the reason I started dating my husband was because he had chickens. There is nothing better to an egg lover than never having to pay for good eggs again. What are good eggs you ask? Good eggs come from a small farm, from truly free range Hens that get plenty of sunshine, and live real chicken lives. Our own Hens enjoy scratching and bathing in the dirt, eating bugs and grass, roaming about all day, and roosting in the trees at night. Once you get spoiled on good eggs you won't believe how you ever swallowed the caged, artificially lighted, grain fed, antibiotic pumped and supplemented, factory house eggs. My stomach turns not only at the taste, but at the sad existence of those birds.

Good eggs are not only better tasting, but are healthier for you. They contain lots of B vitamins, natural omega fatty acids, and lean protein. For heart health fanatics a must know tip is that the cholesterol you eat is not the same as the cholesterol in your blood. So eat those vitamin rich yolks all you want.

Quiche is a great way to use eggs. It's a good meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Some claim the history behind pies are that the Amish carried this tradition in order to have something quick to grab and eat while heading out into the fields to work. My only regret is that for what you get it uses relatively few eggs. But like pizza in the summer, Quiche is a great way to use what you have on hand seasonally.

Start by making the crust, see "Easy as Pie-Crust" recipe. For Quiche you will be using one crust, the recipe makes two. Either save the other crust, make two Quiche or use the second crust to make something else (see future post Mixed Berry Pie).  Or go crust-less if you are gluten free.

Filling:
4 eggs beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
or
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, if you have a small pie plate
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

Add to this any combination of 2 cups (cooled) sauteed vegetables and 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, see below for a few ideas.

Mustard Greens and Cheddar (my favorite)
Caramelized onions and White Cheddar
Leek and Goat Cheese
Spinach, garlic and Feta
Kale, Red onion and Swiss

Make sure the vegetables have cooled from cooking, and you have pulsed till nearly pureed in your food processor before adding the eggs and milk, and stirring in cheese. Pour into pie shell and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, till top is gold and bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6.