There was a time when the egg yolk rarely made it into my diet. I hastily followed the crowd when this food made the spotlight for being high in cholesterol. The truth is I enjoy egg whites just as much as the whole egg. I also tend to enjoy just eating the white and not the yolk when eggs are hard boiled.
However, I disliked that nagging voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t be enjoying the whole egg on rare occasions. Fortunately, as seems to be happening with a lot of foods previously labeled unhealthy, the nutrition news changed and eggs came back as being a food now known for its healthy attributes which outweigh any nutritional shortcomings.
I gradually started eating the whole egg again and said good bye to that nagging voice. I knew my great grandfather couldn’t have been all wrong considering he lived into his 90s and ate almost a dozen fresh from the farm eggs a day.
The main thing that got my attention concerning health and the egg was choline. Egg yolks are one of the richest sources of choline, which is part of the B vitamin family. The most important benefit for me being that it is necessary for brain health.
I have eggs often and many times I will include one yolk and multiple egg whites when I just want the protein, but don’t want a lot of calories. The whole egg has about 70 while the white has about 17. That way I can still benefit from the choline and have a filling meal with a lot of protein.
One of the best ways to use whole eggs is in a quiche. I have always enjoyed quiche with its buttery crust and airy texture. You can also fill it with all kinds of vegetables and flavorful cheeses which is a huge bonus.
Earlier this week I had a zucchini that needed to be used up so I decided shredding it for a quiche would be a great way to enjoy it. I also had some smoked provolone cheese which is one of the better cheeses I find here and offers so much flavor to many of the things I make from pizza to a green salad.
But what about the crust? I wanted something partially healthy, but still rich and buttery. I haven’t had access to a rolling pin for two years. It is tucked away in a storage unit in the US, so I’ve become a big fan of pat-in- the-pan crusts. I decided to take the one I regularly use from the Joy of Cooking and make it whole wheat.
It turned out great! Still buttery, but with a crumbly texture and a flavor that really paired nicely with the eggs, veggies and cheese. In fact, I think I am going to attempt at making a sweet version of it soon for a pie adding some spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Zucchini Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
Milk
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
¾ cup zucchini, shredded
1/3 cup smoked provolone, shredded
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp hot paprika
¾ cup zucchini, shredded
1/3 cup smoked provolone, shredded
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp hot paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl mix together whole wheat flour and salt, cut in the butter and mix with a fork or pastry blender until butter is incorporated and dough is crumbly. Slowly add milk, one tablespoon at a time until the mixture forms a dry, yet cohesive dough. Press the dough evenly into bottom and sides of a deep, 9 inch pie pan.
Sprinkle the onion, zucchini and cheese evenly over the crust and set aside.
In a bowl or in a blender combine the eggs, flour and milk. Mix well with a whisk or in the blender. Add the remaining seasonings and whisk or blend again until the mixture is somewhat frothy. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and cheese in the pie crust. If your pan is not deep enough you may want to cut back on the milk to make less egg mixture. Leave at least a ¼ inch of crust visible around the edge.
Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. The egg will rise a bit and the top should be slightly browned and the center set. Allow to cool for five minutes, slice and serve. Makes six to eight servings.
This sounds great. Lots of healthy fats, veggies, and whole grains.
this quiche looks wonderful a few whole eggs won;t hurt at all but your know that! love Rebecca
That looks great Lori! Yum!
Yummy! I love a good quiche, and this one looks to be a great way to use some zucchini – that is, if I ever get any off of my plants!
mmm yummy! Love the whole wheat crust. I like whole eggs scrambled with egg whites, but I cannot eat the hard boiled yellow!
My mom’s hard boiled eggs always had green/gray yolks and were so dry! So I just ate the whites. Now I’ve learned that her eggs were overcooked–correctly hard boiled egg yolks are awesome!
This is a great bc zucchini is just starting to show up at the farmers markets and I need a good recipe for it!
Delicious looking quiche! My husband and I go through quite a bit of eggs in our house. I do the same thing in that I’ll normally have one whole egg and then maybe two egg whites or something like to get some of the benefits without the calories. (and I agree, I really do enjoy the whites just as much as the whole egg!)
What a great quiche! I like the provolone – a cheese you don’t usually see used this way. I do the same when I eat eggs – one whole and a few whites.
i like a combo of eggs n veggies n this looks healthy…never mind the whole eggs..after all it is serving six to eight people.
Thanks for the great comments! It sounds like a lot of us like our eggs the same way – little yolk, lotta white. Glad you enjoyed the quiche!
What a great quiche! I’m still trying to imagine how your grandfather ate a dozen eggs at day
The quiche looks good-never tried making one though!
With all the new discoveries and myths being busted in nutrition-looks like I’ll have to go back to college to unlearn all the stuff!!
I need to make this recipe for some French in-laws, the quiche they make is rich with creme fraise and other tasty stuff that’s not so good for you. This sounds like an excellent substitute.
I need to make this recipe for some French in-laws, the quiche they make is rich with creme fraise and other tasty stuff that’s not so good for you. This sounds like an excellent substitute.
Try putting 1/2 cup of French’s Fried Onions on top. OK, not so healthy but WOW! Delicious!
That sounds great! I definitely want to try it.
I too used to be terrified of eggs. I’m so glad that fat is no longer the horrid thing it once was and eggs aren’t demonized.
I’ve limited my yolk intake as well and often remove a few when making eggs. Though I love the yolks, runny or hard-boiled. I’ve been a bit scared of eating eggs in Europe – they leave them out (not refigerated) at the grocery store. I sometimes leave eggs out overnight for baking, but never for a week. Do they leave them out in Brazil?
I was wondering if you had any nutritional info on those carton eggs – I think some are real (eggs)and some aren’t, but what’s the deal with the “fake” eggs.
Thanks for the great comments!
kat – That is what my family is always telling me. I can hardly believe it either. He must have loved them!
Sweta – I feel the same way about all the info! Might need another degree. Ha!
gastroanthropologist – It is the same here. The eggs are in the produce section here out at room temperature and most people I know leave them out at room temp. It bothered me at first, but so far I haven’t had any problems. I do bring them home and put them in the fridge though. I’m just not ready to store them out whether the fridge helps or not.
I’m not really sure about the eggs you are speaking of. I’ll have to do a little research.
This looks so good! I’m going to make this recipe this weekend for sure. I have eggs in my fridge that are just BEGGING to be made into a Quiche haha.
I bookmarked this a while ago and I finally got around to making it. So good! I also added broccoli to it for some added veggie goodness. Thanks for the great recipe!