Herbed Harvest Vegetable, Bacon, & Goat Cheese Quiche

… with the simplest crust EVER … (and it’s healthy too!)

Have I mentioned that I am terrible at pie crusts? I hate making them … they always turn out ugly. Not at all light and flaky like dad’s crusts. And anyway they are NOT good for you.

One day many, many years ago I wanted to make a quiche, but I didn’t want to bother with a crust, and I really didn’t want to have to go to the store and buy one of those pre-made ones, but I thought: why not use a tortilla? That just might work …

And it did. It makes a lovely ruffled edge without you even having to mess with it. (I can’t do the edges very pretty on pie crusts either …) The only trick is you have to find a tortilla big enough and a pie pan small enough so the tortilla can make a good edge to hold in all the good stuff in the quiche.

By the way, you can use this tortilla crust for pies that only require one crust, too. Pumpkin pie does very well in a tortilla crust. I’ve not tried apple yet, but I think a dutch apple pie with streusel topping would be fantastic in a tortilla crust.

Herbed Harvest Vegatable, Bacon & Goat Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 large tortilla (the biggest, healthiest tortilla you can find)
• 1 c. peeled and chopped eggplant
• 1 small potato, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 c.)
• 1 t. olive oil
• 1/4 c. chopped zucchini or summer squash
• 1/4 c. chopped red onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 small tomatoes
• 2 slices lower-fat bacon, cooked crisp, drained on a clean towel, then crumbled (or chopped)
• About 1/3 c. shredded swiss cheese
• About 1 oz. goat cheese crumbles
• Fresh oregano, rosemary, and basil leaves
• 3 eggs ( or 3/4 c. eggbeaters)
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1/2 c. fat free half and half (or milk)
• 1/2 t. Red Robin Seasoning
• Freshly ground pepper
• A few red onion slices

Directions:

Find a pie pan that fits your tortilla. You will probably have to go with a smaller pie pan in order to get a good edge. Spray the pie pan with cooking spray, and pat down the tortilla so the bottom is flat and it makes a good edge to hold the quiche.

Put the eggplant and potato in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave about 30 seconds or until the vegies are slightly soft.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes. Set several pretty slices aside for the top of the quiche and chop the rest.

Warm a saucepan over medium to medium high heat, spray lightly with cooking spray, then swirl around the olive oil to roughly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the eggplant, potato, zucchini, onion, and garlic and sautee until the onions are translucent and all the vegies are cooked through. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook a few more minutes.

Spread the vegies across the bottom of the tortilla crust, then sprinkle with bacon, then the swiss and goat cheeses.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and half and half (or milk), Red Robin seasoning and freshly ground pepper until frothy. Pour the egg mixture over the vegies, bacon and cheese in the quiche.

Arrange the tomatoes and a few red onion slices on the top, then bake at 350 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes or until the quiche is set. Let the quiche sit for about 10 minutes before you cut it.