Recently I have received numerous letters from readers requesting recipes for a quiche with a crust. They are all telling me the same thing — that crustless quiches might be popular on spa menus and might get rave reviews at ladies' luncheons, but they don't make the grade for family fare. For this reason, I have been working diligently on hearty-but-still-healthy quiches, and I am pleased to tell you that I have a winner. This quiche is so gorgeous that it could grace the cover of a gourmet magazine, so easy that your children can make it for you, and so low in calories and fat that I can still put it on spa menus. In fact, this quiche is so unusual that it is sure to be the hit of the tailgate party at your next local ballgame.
CRUST
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
FILLING
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) water-packed tuna
1 can (6 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1 egg
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine all the crust ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and press into a 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.
2. Drain the tuna, reserving the liquid. Spread the drained tuna evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread the water chestnuts over the tuna, and then spread the broccoli over the top.
3. Combine the reserved liquid from the tuna with the milk, egg, egg white and pepper, and mix well. Pour the liquid over the tuna and vegetables in the crust.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting into six wedges to serve. Makes 6 servings.
Each serving contains approximately: 414 calories; 9 gm fat; 65 mg cholesterol; 511 mg sodium; 58 gm carbohydrates; 26 gm protein; 1 gm fiber.
Don't forget about rice — it is healthful, nutritious and versatile. My booklet "Cook It Light with Rice" contains some of my most successful recipes for it. To order, send $3 (check or money order) and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope to Pasta, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Jeanne Jones is a consultant on menu planning, recipes and new-product development for major hotels and spas. She is also the author of 32 cookbooks, most recently "Jeanne Jones' Homestyle Cooking Made Healthy" (Rondale Press, $27.95). Send your recipe for revision to: Cook It Light, Deseret News, P.O. Box 1212, La Jolla, CA 92038. Please include a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed envelope.