Idaho® Potato-Crusted Summer Vegetable Quiche
Idaho® Potato-Crusted Summer Vegetable Quiche
I am being compensated for this post by the Idaho® Potato Commission, but my opinions are my own.
I’ve been living in Idaho a lot longer than I’ve lived in my home state of California, so I confidently call myself an Idaho girl. Idaho girls love potatoes or should love potatoes anyway. The truth is that I’ve always loved potatoes for as long as I can remember because my So Cal mother served them all the time. We typically had them baked topped with lots of sweet butter and sour cream. She rarely fixed them au gratin, hashed or even mashed (crazy, huh). We occasionally had potato salad, but it was usually a lovely baked potato served with wonderful Baked Pork Chops or Meatloaf dishes like these previous posts. I call it the perfect dinner.
Fast forward to a new age of using potatoes in your weekly menus. I’m completely aware of how folks, who are trying to lose weight by reducing total carbohydrates, might be limiting or even eliminating potatoes from their diets. A BIG mistake. Potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables, full of vitamin C, potassium (more than a banana) and fiber. Don’t cut them out. Keep eating potatoes, but eat them in smaller portions and without tons of butter and sour cream like my mother served them. Instead get rid of carbohydrates that don’t provide any nutritional value like crackers, chips, cookies and cakes! Don’t throw out the taters.
This recipe is a fun, creative use of the potato. I microwave the potato (a super-fast way to get those taters done!) and let them cool so I don’t fry my fingers when I go to slice them. The slices are arranged as the crust in a pie plate, overlapping slightly to form a decorative edge. Then the cooked fresh summer vegetables and three shredded/crumbled low-fat cheeses are spread over the potatoes. I whisk together eggs and egg whites with fat-free half and half to save lots of calories, cholesterol and saturated fat and pour over the cheeses. Bake it for 45 minutes and before you know it you’re enjoying a delicious quiche everyone in the family will love.
One Year Ago: Brocollini Summer Salad
- Idaho® Potato-Crusted Summer Vegetable Quiche
- Cooking spray
- 3 small or 2 medium Idaho® potatoes, scrubbed
- 1/2 cup diced zucchini squash
- 1/2 cup diced broccoli flowerets
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp sea salt, divided
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 3 egg whites
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup fat-free half and half
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9-inch round pie plate with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH for 7 to 8 minutes or until soft. Remove from microwave and let cool 5 minutes.
- Combine zucchini, broccoli, red bell pepper, carrot, green onion, garlic powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 5 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Set aside.
- Slice cooked potatoes into thin slices. Arrange slices in prepared pie plate along the bottom and edges of plate, creating a "crust". Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle Herbes de Provence over the potatoes. Add vegetables into the potato crust. Sprinkle cheeses over the vegetables.
- Whisk the egg whites, eggs, fat-free half and half and remaining 1/4 tsp sea salt in a small bowl until well combined. Pour over the top of the cheeses.
- Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.