Roasted Red Pepper & Spinach Quiche and a word about Pie Crusts

This week I took a stab at incorporating a great factoid into my cooking: foods that have ingredients that are high in fiber are more satisfying to us, so we eat less of them. Oh how I would love to be satisfied with less of my favorite foods! So often I find myself loving my favorite foods so much that I want to keep eating them...all day long. That just doesn't work for those of us trying to fit into our jeans or swimsuits!

So, I thought a quiche might be able to help me on this quest. What is a quiche after all? Like pie crusts, not all quiches are created equal. I will spare you and me both the historical review and suffice it to say that I was looking for more than just the traditional egg and cheese quiche. I came across a yummy variation online, to which I made my own modifications, such as adding roasted red peppers (from a jar...seriously, they are a blessed convenience), raw spinach, yellow onion, and then the traditional eggs and cheese.

If you are puckering your lips, consider this first. I am not a fan of spinach--like, not at all. But, I know that I need it and all its nutrients, from warding off carcinogens to needed vitamins and the like. I thought I would try shredding a handful into my quiche. While spinach quiche is hardly groundbreaking, I felt a little adventurous with this mix. To my great surprise, not only did it turn out to have fabulous flavor, but I noticed that I was satisfied before I'd finished one piece. A drastic contrast to this is when I bake bread, only to want piece after piece after piece. Clearly, I found a winner with this veggie cheese souffle. Other variations that I would consider adding in the future are different types of cheeses together such as feta, sausage, or a blend of mushrooms.

Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Quiche
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp. salt 10 ounces shredded reduced-fat Tillamook Cheddar cheese (the only kid of cheddar I buy)
1 handfull of raw spinach, washed and dried1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell (I use a recipe for a 10 inch so that I have enough dough for a pretty edge--see note and recipe below)
Top with green or red salsa
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prepare your pie crust first--rolled out and in its pan--and let it chill in the fridge while you make the quiche mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, milk, eggs and salt until smooth. Add cheese, spinach, red peppers, and onion to your egg mixture and combine. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet and cover quiche with foil so the crust doesn't burn. The cookie sheet will facilitate even baking. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover, and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is set.

A NOTE ABOUT PIE CRUSTS

Now, you might be thinking about the crust, which there was one in this case. Not all quiches have crusts, but I prefer one. Perhaps you are thinking that I was satified because of all the yummy goodness that comes in a pie crust. Well, think again while I provide perspective on a non-talked about issue: imposter pie crusts.

Yes, I said it. Imposter pie crusts. I attempted something new recently in my pie crust that my mother and grandmother would scorn at: organic, non-hydrogenated, all vegetable shortening. Sounds like a good option to regular shortening or butter, right? Wrongo. What it produced was the hardest, nastiest, flavorless pie crust I have ever partially eaten. And why was it all these things? Perhaps because the fat in butter or shortening provides two things--flavor and consistency. Now, I am not a science cook like Alton Brown on Food network (whose factoids I adore by the way), but I can tell you that shortening and butter are the real deal when it comes to creating fantastic pie crusts. For the best crust, I used unsalted butter. Note: if you choose to use butter instead of shortening, be very mindful that your crust is chilled before baking or the crust will slide down the sides of the pan. When the butter is cold, it holds up the dough when baking. If it starts out gooey, you will be disappointed with a sunken crust. I avoid this by chilling the dough in the freezer for 5 minutes after mixing together, and chilling again once I get it in the pie pan for 10 minutes in the fridge.

10-Inch Pie Crust Recipe (adapted from The Southern Living Cookbook)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3-4 Tbs. COLD water