Paula Deen's Lean: Hash Brown Quiche

One of my favorite things about the weekend is having enough time to make a "real" breakfast. Yes, I eat breakfast on the week days too, but it doesn't compare to a hot quiche or a beautiful plate of Bananas Foster French Toast. You regular oatmeal-eatin', breakfast bar-grabbin' folks know what I'm talkin' about. Here is one of my new favorite quiche recipes. It is quick, delicious and filling too!

If it looks good (and I promise it is), make two! Save the leftovers for a super-quick breakfast the next morning. A slice in the microwave takes 30 seconds and then you have a hot n' healthy homemade breakfast!

HASH BROWN QUICHE
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 cups shredded frozen hash browns, thawed
• 1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter", melted
• 3/4 cup Egg Beaters
• 1 cup FAT FREE half-and-half
• 3/4 cup finely diced ham steak
• 1/2 cup scallions (green onions), diced
• 1 cup shredded KRAFT 2% cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Drain hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible.

In a 9-inch pie plate, mix the hash browns with the melted "ICBINB" into the plate.

Press them into the bottom and a little bit up the sides to form a crust.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. The crust should begin to look golden brown and starting to crisp.

While the crust is baking, combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F . Bake for about 30 minutes. The quiche will be light golden brown on top and puffed when it is ready.

RESULTS

This is on my "TOP 5" list of favorite breakfast dishes to make. It is wonderful! By substituting reduced fat cheese and Egg Beaters, we were able to save a ton! Plus, reducing the amount of hash brown and butter allowed for just enough to satisfy the craving without going overboard. As you can see, it is an easy recipe to get the little ones involved in too!

NUTRITION FACTS (Per serving):

BEFORE: 321.5 calories;  23.98g fat;  11.98g carbohydrate;  14.94g protein;  1.2g fiber

AFTER: 158.6 calories;  7.12g fat;  9.08g carbohydrate;  14.91g protein;  .72g fiber

SAVES: 162.9 calories /  16.86g fat / 2.9g carbs

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Happy Friday!

Cookin' Lean with The Neelys: BBQ Potato Skin Poppers

I have watched the Neelys do their cookin' thing a lot. I love their recipes! I also love how those two always have so much fun cookin' together. But as much as I love what they do, I haven't tried out a single recipe...until now! Their Grilled BBQ Potato Skins inspired me to make a tasty, "lean" appetizer to share with the ladies in my fantasy football league for our draft party last Sunday. They were awesome (I wish I could say the same for the team I drafted. : (  Oh, well! At least the food was great! Check out these petite potato treats loaded up with flavor that is anything but small.

BBQ POTATO SKIN POPPERS
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 24 ounces baby red potatoes (about 18 potatoes)
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 strips center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup favorite store bought BBQ sauce (additional TBSP for garnish)
• 1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons chives, diced
• FAT FREE sour cream; garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes on a sheet for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely (until able to handle).

Cut the potato in half. Use a melon baller to remove a small scoop of potato from the center. Cut a small piece of potato off of the bottom; creating a flat surface which prevents to potato halves from rolling.

Combine EVOO and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush the EVOO mixture over the hallowed potato halves. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.

Return potatoes to the oven for about 8 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Drop equal amounts of BBQ sauce in each potato. Top with bacon and then with shredded cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese in melted.

Drizzle an additional tablespoon of BBQ sauce on top of melted cheese. Finish with chives and serve along with FAT FREE sour cream.

RESULTS

These little potato poppers were a hit! The size made them fun to eat (no fork and knife required). They are the perfect party snack; sure to please a crowd full of hungry football fans. Here is how the nutritional line-up looks...

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving/ 6 BBQ Potato Poppers**):


BEFORE: 702.7 calories;  36.34g fat;  62.0g carbohydrate;  34.35g protein;  2.8g fiber

AFTER: 174.67 calories;  5.5g fat; 24.74g carbohydrate;  6.5g protein;  1.97g fiber

SAVES: 528.03 calories;  30.84g fat;  37.26g carbohydrate

** Nutrition facts do not include sour cream garnish.

The difference between the before and after is significant. This is largely due to leaving out the pulled pork and butter; along with substituting low-fat versions of original ingredients. The new portion size is better suited for an appetizer that won't fill you up too much before dinner. This version of the recipe allows for the BBQ flavor cravings to be met without blowing your nutritional budget.

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Paula Deen's Lean: 4 Cheese Souffle

I'm a food-competition-television-show-lovin'-geek. I know. You're surprised, right? My most recent addiction has been Master Chef. I am just blown away by the talent from these home cooks! They know how to cook everything. They may be home cooks now, but I'm a little suspicious. There may have been some professional training earlier in life. Still, these cooks are crazy-good!

Anyway, one of the challenges or "pressure tests" was to make a perfect souffle. Chef Ramsey built this up to be one of the most difficult items for a chef to master. Naturally I was intrigued and felt the need to accept the challenge as well. I went straight to my girl Paula for a recipe to work from and an hour later...I had a pretty nice lookin' cheesy souffle. Wanna give it a try? You can do it! Show Chef Ramsey that you are a Master Chef too. Here's my very simple recipe adapted from Paula Deen's 4 Cheese Souffle.

FOUR CHEESE SOUFFLE
Makes 4

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1 tablespoon "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons WHOLE-WHEAT flour

1 cup  FAT FREE half-and-half

1 cup 2% Four Cheese Mexican Blend

Salt and pepper

5 eggs whites

1 cup ORIGINAL EGG BEATERS

Fat Free cooking spray


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute onion in olive oil and ICBINB until translucent.

Whisk in all-purpose and whole wheat flours to form a roux. Gradually whisk in the FAT FREE half-and-half until thickened. Add cheeses and season.

Remove from heat and beat in Egg Beaters. Allow to cool.

While Egg Beaters are cooling, beat whites to stiff peak. Gently fold in whites to cheese mixture.

Add mixture evenly to 4 sprayed (with FAT FREE cooking spray) oven-safe ramekins and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve immediately.

RESULTS

Rudy admitted to not expecting them to taste that great...but he was wrong! There is a lot of flavor in these souffles. They looked great coming out of the oven, but they did fall down a little during the photo shoot. Maybe that is what Chef Ramsey was talkin' about. Keeping the souffle from falling may be the challenge....or maybe it's just me.

 I am thinking it has something to do with using "low-fat" substitutes. If any of you know anything about the science of the souffle, PLEASE SHARE! Still, they tasted really good and saved on fat and calories. This qualifies as a success in The Cookin' Lean Kitchen.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving/ 1 souffle):

BEFORE: 451 calories;  34.27 g fat; 12.25 g carbohydrate;  23.33 g protein;  .45 g fiber

AFTER: 294.5 calories;  14.4 g fat;  19.09 g carbohydrate;  21.94 g protein;  .7 g fiber

SAVES: 156.5 calories & 19.88 g fat 

ADDS: .25 g fiber

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