Spinach  & Sausage Quiche (S)

This is a beautiful quiche with a wonderfully rich crust. Perfect for taking to a Holiday or family get-together. Non-THMs won’t have any idea that this recipe comes from a “diet” cookbook.

You can skip the crust if you want to make things easier on yourself. Or, another option for a simple crust is to combine 1 cup almond flour with 1 egg white and bake for 10 minutes to crisp it before filling.

Serving Size: Family-serve; Feeds 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crust…
– 1 cup THM Baking Blend
– 5 Tablespoons cold butter
– 2 large egg yolks (save the whites for the filling)
– 1 Tablespoon cold water

For the Filling…

– 10 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
– 4 to 6 cooked chicken sausage links, thinly sliced
– 1 (10-ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of excess water)
– 2 cups grated cheese of your choice
– 1/2 teaspoon Mineral Salt
– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
– Dried basil, to taste (optional)
– Sliced, fresh mushrooms (optional)
– Ripe tomatoes (optional)
– Pitted olives (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make the crust. Place the Baking Blend and butter in a food processor and process until well combined, like coarse meal. Add the egg yolks and pulse to mix well. Add the tablespoon cold water and pulse again. You should be able to press the mixture together and have it stick; if it doesn’t, add a little more cold water.

3. Gather the mixture into a ball and flatten the ball. Put the flattened ball between 2 sheets of parchment and roll out to a large circle if you are using a pie plate or a large rectangle if using a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Remove the top parchment and use the rolling pin to invert the crust into the baking dish. If the crust breaks apart, gently press it back together and press into the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let cool briefly to set. Keep the oven at 350 degrees F.

4. Make the filling. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, sausage slices, spinach, grated cheese, seasonings, and optional ingredients like mushrooms, tomato, and olives. Pour into the crust and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the filling is set.

This is a NSI (no special ingredients) recipe if going crustless or making an almond flour crust.

The Spinach and Sausage Quiche recipe and other delicious THM recipes can be found at www.TrimHealthyMembership.com