Healthy Quiche Recipes

Quiche is a delicious summer recipe, that is excellent served both warm and cold. There are so many variations, that as long as you have some dough, eggs and milk, you can use almost any vegetable that's left in your fridge!

Whether you prefer to call it a flan, quiche or tart, this yummy savoury egg meal is a great lunchbox treat. Traditional french quiche lorraine is excellent as a healthy picnic recipe to share with the family or little mini quiches make an elegant party food.

Some ideas for different fillings are: mushroom (try different types), spinach, broccoli, pepper, mexican beef, chicken, red onion and feta, pea and mint, leek and stilton, smoked salmon and potato (a great breakfast recipe).

You can vary the depth of your quiches by the height of the dish you use, and the quantity of mixture. You can make a basic quiche, but roll your pastry thinner to spread over a bigger base. Or simply put the pastry on the bottom of the dish, in order to make a low carb, crustless quiche.

Choose complimentary food as side dishes, like a salad or roasted vegetables. Make sure to balance your meal too: if you have chosen a meat or fish quiche, serve it with some simple vegetables, but if you are making a vegetable quiche, consider serving it with ham or baked fish.

♥ Asparagus and Cheese Quiche
Serves 8

1. Put 140g plain flour (half wholemeal, half regular plain) into a bowl. Add 85g butter or margarine, and rub in with your fingertips, until it looks like breadcrumbs.

2. Add 75g finely grated cheddar, and mix. Add 3 tbsp cold water bit by bit, and continue incorporating until the pastry forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 15minutes. Meanwhile, butter a round/square tin.

3. Dust your work surface with flour, then roll out the pastry and line the tin. Chill in the freezer for 20minutes.

4. Line the pastry case with baking parchment, and fill with "beans" or pierce the case with a fork. Cook in the oven for 15minutes. Remove the beans and paper, then return the pastry to the oven for another 10 minutes.

5. Now its time to make your egg mixture. Crack 5 eggs into a jug, whisk then add 175ml milk, continue whisking.

6. Sprinkle 50g grated cheddar on the cooked pastry case, then add 300g asparagus (cut in half lengthways).

7. Pour over the egg mix and 50g grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 30minutes or until the egg mixture has set. Remove and serve with a delicious bean salad.

♥ Healthy Vegetarian Quiche
Serves 4

1. Make your pastry by mixing 150g wholemeal flour with a pinch of salt and rubbing in 75g margarine, until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add in up to 3tbsp water a little at a time and mix until it forms a ball. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, and spread it over your chosen quiche dish. Prick the base with a fork and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Peel and slice half an onion, and saute it gently in a drop of olive oil.

4. Slice 100g mushrooms, 1 red pepper and wash and cut 1 small head of broccoli into small florets. Add these to the pan of softened onions. Cook for a further 10minutes.

5. Break 4 eggs into a bowl, and whisk together with 300ml milk, 1 tsp oregano and 1tsp basil.

6. Pour the vegetable mix on top of the pastry, and add the egg mixture on top of this. Cover with a sprinkle of cheese and bake at 180c for about 30 minutes or until set and golden brown. Serve hot or cold with some delicious baked trout and a little potato salad.