RECIPE DOCTOR
Easy substitutes cut calories from quiche

By Elaine Magee
Knight Ridder News Service

Q: I enjoyed a broccoli quiche at Mimi's Cafe in California. I am trying to avoid rich foods these days for my health and would love to make something like this at home using a commercial pie crust. Can you help?

A: I've been to Mimi's myself, and the first thing I did was e-mail their Web site to ask for the recipe because they do share several of their other recipes there. I never heard back, so I did some broccoli quiche investigating and found a recipe that sounded similar to the one at Mimi's Cafe.

I still used prepared pie crust as per the readers request but saved calories and fat by using half real eggs and half egg substitute and by switching to reduced fat cheese.

The original recipe contains 315 calories, 23 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, and 86 mg cholesterol per serving.

Easy Broccoli Quiche

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (bottled works great)
• 2 cups finely chopped broccoli, uncooked
• 1 (9-inch) deep dish unbaked pie crust
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar, shredded
• 3/4 cup part-skim Jarlsberg cheese (reduced-fat jack can be substituted), shredded
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 cup fat-free half and half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Over medium heat, add canola oil to large nonstick frying pan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli to frying pan. Stir mixture together and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft.

Spoon vegetables into the crust and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Toss the vegetables and cheese together gently to blend.

Place eggs, egg substitute, fat-free half and half, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and beat on medium until blended. Pour egg mixture over filling in crust.

Place filled pie crust on a large sheet of foil in the center of your oven (just in case some of the filling leaks out) and bake until center is set and crust is nicely brown (about 50-60 minutes).

Makes 8 servings

Per serving: 254 calories, 14 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat (4.8 g saturated fat, 5.6 g monounsaturated fat, 2.7 g polyunsaturated fat), 65 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 451 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 46 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids 1 g. Omega-6 fatty acids 1.7 g (see note). Weight Watchers POINTS 6 points/

Note: The amount of omega fatty acids will vary based on the type of fat used in the commercial pie crust.

Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook." Readers may write to her through her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses cannot be provided.