Vegetarian Quiche

Looking for some iron packed vegetarian food, naturally spinach came to mind. Quiche seems to be the thing to try.  After reading through some online recipes and the reviews, here is what I came up with a little Asian twist.

1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 medium-small onion, chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

1 9-inch frozen pie crust
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup straw mushrooms, roughly chopped *
4 eggs *
1/2 cup low sodium cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon dried dillweed
1/2 tablespoon flour

Half eaten quiche.

The lighting in this one isn't super, but I want to show the cut side of it.

* Straw mushrooms can be found at Publix or Asian food markets.  Try to find the ones with no salt, but if you can't, water and salt is ok.  Just remember not to add as much extra salt when seasoning the dish. Also, other types of mushroom will be a good addition too. I sometimes add dried shiitake mushroom (yum!). Soak the shiitake in hot water first then slice or chop however you want them.

* You could substitute half of the eggs with egg white to cut down the cholesterol level. Personally I think whole eggs add tastiness to the dish, so not using all egg white probably will be all right.

Melt butter or heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper in. Add spinach and the mushroom; stir until spinach is dry. Cool the mixture a bit.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Dust the bottom of the pie crust evenly with flour and add a little bit of both kinds of cheese to the bottom. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and dillweed together. Stir in half of the remaining cheese in the mixture. Pour the spinach mixture into the pie crust. Then add the egg/cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly on top.  Cover the pie crust edge with foil to prevent from being burnt.  Bake until the filling is set and the cheese is golden, about 50 minutes.  Cool slightly.  Cut and serve.

I like the slightly crisped cheese on top and the straw mushrooms really enhance the flavor.  My daughter was so excited to have the leftover for lunch two days in a row after having it for dinner, if that says anything about the dish.  I also made it for our family Christmas gathering this year, as there were a few vegetarians in the family. It was a tasty addition for some protein and vegetable intake.