Vegetable Quiche with Potato Crust

So, I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of this because it turned out so pretty!  We had brunch with some friends last weekend and I made this recipe I saw on "Cook Yourself Thin."  Back in the day when I first had cable, I watched a lot of food TV but lately, not so much.  Awhile back, I caught this show on Lifetime and really liked the premise - you can lose weight by cooking your own food and making easy substitutions to recipes.  And, the substitutions aren't things like Splenda or weird stuff, but more veggies and protein and less sugar and fat.

This quiche has a potato crust and loads of veggies.  I changed the original recipe from the show to add the red bell pepper, zucchini and one more egg.  It's not super egg-y because the eggs basically bind together all those vegetables.  I doused my piece (okay, pieces) with hot sauce so next time I'd add some red pepper flakes or diced jalapenos but it was really good.


Vegetable Quiche with Potato Crust  serves 8
From "Cook Yourself Thin" (appx 210 cal/serving)

1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup diced zucchini
3 oz baby spinach
4 large eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or cheddar cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a glass or ceramic pie pan with 1/4 tsp. oil.  Toss potatoes with 1 tsp. olive oil and a little salt and pepper.  Press into an even layer in the pie dish, up the sides like a crust.  Bake until golden brown at the edges and dry, about 20 minutes.  Let cool.

Lower the oven to 325 degrees.  Heat 1 tsp. oil in a skillet and add the onion and red bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add a little more oil, the mushrooms and zucchini and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid and the liquid evaporates (about 8 minutes).  Add spinach and some more salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp. each) and cook, stirring, just until the spinach wilts (about 30 seconds).  Let cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs and milk.  Spread the vegetable mixture in an even layer in the pie dish.  Top with an even layer of the cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over it all.  Bake until it's firm around the edges but a little wobbly in the middle, about 20 minutes.