WDW - Goat cheese & leek quiche

I get a lot of leeks in my farm box. Prior to farm box days, I had never bought a leek in my life, and the only thing I had ever heard to do with them was to make potato leek soup (laden with cream!). Now I'm finding lots of great uses for them. One of my favorites is to just saute them in a little olive oil, season lightly with s & p, and serve with cooked greens. I have come to find out that leeks are very nutritious! They belong to the Allium vegetable family (along with garlic and onions) and contain many beneficial compounds that help protect our blood vessels and cardiovascular systems. They are also quite delicious, many great reasons to try leeks!

I decided to mix it up in the way I serve leeks - so I tried this recipe this week for goat cheese and leek quiche. Winner!! I cheated and bought a frozen whole grain pie crust which made this quiche super fast to get into the oven. If you like goat cheese, you'll LOVE this quiche! I got sun dried tomato/basil flavored goat cheese, which was great in this recipe (I actually accidentally used 4 oz. goat cheese instead of the 2 oz. called for - actually a good oops). I did not have fresh tarragon, which probably would have been amazing, so I substituted fresh sage, parsley, and chives from my herb garden. I am thinking mushrooms would be fantastic in this quiche!

This was a great spring dinner - so fresh and light. Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today!

Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche (adapted from Whole Foods)

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) frozen whole grain pie crust (in pie pan), thawed 10 minutes
2 leeks (about 1 pound), trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2-4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick crust all over with a fork. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until just golden, about 15 minutes. Set crust aside and reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add leeks and simmer until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain leeks thoroughly.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, tarragon, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Spread leeks in bottom of crust and dot with goat cheese. Pour egg mixture over the top and bake until puffed in the center and lightly browned, 40 to 50 minutes. Set aside to let cool until warm or serve at room temperature.

Nutrition

Per serving (1/6 quiche): 260 calories (160 from fat), 18g total fat, 9g saturated fat, 105mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 17g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 6g protein