Roasted Red Pepper Quiche - By Mrs. Rainforest Gardener!

"Something greener, healthier and fresher…sort of." That's how my wife describes our cooking style in this, her very first guest post. Of course we strive to eat the freshest organic local or home-grown produce available, but like most Americans with a fast food problem, we find all of that stuff a little intimidating. So we make our way towards a healthier lifestyle in bite sized chunks, full of the flavor and satisfaction that cannot be gained from the drive-thru.

I'm very proud to introduce my wife, Mrs. Rainforest Gardener! Here's her recipe.

I would like to say this recipe is made from farm fresh ingredients uprooted from my backyard but it is not. This recipe uses canned milk, a jar of roasted red peppers, frozen crust and even frozen spinach. I would also like to also say this recipe came to fruition while walking through my local farmer’s market as the chefs do on the Food Network, but it did not. This recipe is instead adapted from my favorite bargain cookbook, but I will tell you this. It is delicious. Also, because you can have most of the items in stock, you can make this anytime with little preparation.
 

My cooking style has always been to follow the recipe exactly. Steve, however, likes to add a 'sploosh', a 'glug' and a 'once around the pan' whenever he can. This must be why I so often bake and he's the one who creates dinner. I say create because it really is a creative process that I admire; to follow your instincts and your senses to create something entirely new. The downside to this is you may not experience that same dinner again (I am still waiting for him to remember how he made that loaded potato soup).

Making quiche combines the measure of baking with the savory quality of dinner. It is the best of both worlds. I have made this recipe so many times that I finally felt compelled to change it into something greener, healthier and fresher…sort of.

So I have gone all crazy and adventurous by omitting the ham and instead using spinach for a fresher approach. I have also added roasted red peppers for a rich and savory flavor. The second time around I used fresh spinach - which I do recommend - but the frozen spinach turned out perfectly fine. Eventually, I will roast my own peppers to eliminate unnecessary sodium and additives, but until then the canned peppers get the job done quite well. Don’t forget to add a dash of nutmeg because remember, we are being spontaneous now.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

• 1 cup (4 oz) Swiss cheese

• 9 oz fresh spinach or 1 box frozen spinach

• 1 shallot

• 1/2 jar (12 fluid oz) roasted red peppers

• 1 can (12 fluid oz) evaporated milk

• 3 large eggs

• ¼ cup all purpose flour

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

• Dash of nutmeg

Steps

• Preheat the oven to 350 F

• Cook shallot and roasted red peppers over medium heat, until shallots are clear.

• Add fresh spinach to mixture until wilted. Remove from heat.

• If using frozen spinach, squeeze out excess moisture and set aside.

• Whisk together evaporated milk, eggs, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

• Add spinach mixture and half of the Swiss cheese to milk mixture.

• Pour mixture into frozen pie shell and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

• Bake for 45-50 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean.

• Remove from heat to cool over rack, just until quiche sets.

(Adapted from Favorite Brand Name: 3 Books in 1)

[A note from Steve: The squash medallions pictured were seared over a pan over medium-high heat with just a little bit of wok oil. That's it!]

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