Crustless Quiche

I needed to use up some eggs, so I decided to make a crustless quiche for dinner tonight. I started with the following recipe for crustless broccoli and onion quiche, but I modified it a bit because we also had some bacon that needed to be eaten. And I have a hard time resisting adding bacon to foods that we eat. As Michael says, bacon makes everything better. If you don't happen to have any bacon, or would rather not use it, then saute the onion and broccoli in olive oil instead of bacon drippings.

Another option that I would like to try in the future is to add, instead of the bacon and broccoli, one small can of Lindsay's Naturals chopped olives and one 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed. Or chopped artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes sound like a tasty option, too. Fortunately, I don't have to twist any arms to get Michael and the girls to eat quiche. Naomi scarfed it down, and Sabrina liked it so much that she asked me to make it again soon.

Crustless Quiche
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 4 or 5 slices of bacon. To find a corn-free bacon, look for one that has just these ingredients: pork, salt, sugar, celery powder, and spices. I recommend a bacon I find at Trader Joe's called Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon. Another corn-free bacon is Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural Original Uncured Bacon. Be sure that the bacon you use does not have any dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium lactate, or lactic acid starter culture.
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 cups broccoli or asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 small broccoli crowns)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup Lactaid milk (or 1/2 cup milk if you don't prefer to use as much milk)
• 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano or basil (or use 1/2 tsp. of both!)
• dash of paprika

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish.

Chop the bacon into 1/4-inch wide slices and cook in a frying pan over medium heat until crispy. While the bacon is cooking, chop the onion and rinse and cut up the broccoli or asparagus. When the bacon is done, remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon and place in a medium-size bowl. Pore the bacon drippings into a small bowl or cup.

Return 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings (or 1 tablespoon of olive oil if not using bacon) to the pan and add the chopped onion. Saute over medium heat until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the onion from the pan and place in the bowl with the bacon. Pour 1 more tablespoon of bacon drippings (or olive oil) into the pan, add the broccoli or asparagus, and cook, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Then transfer the broccoli or asparagus to the bowl with the bacon and onion. Stir to combine and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish so that they are evenly distributed over the bottom of the dish.

Grate the cheese. In a separate bowl whisk together the 4 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano or basil. Warm the other 1/2 cup milk in the microwave and then whisk in the 1/4 cup flour. Pour this milk and flour mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until combined. Pour the entire egg mixture into the baking dish over the bacon and vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the egg is set and the top is golden brown.