This Crustless Vegetable Quiche is easy to make and only 120 calories a slice! This is an easy breakfast quiche recipe that is perfect to make for any brunch or even for a weekday breakfast.
The left overs are great! This vegetarian no crust quiche recipe is great if you are looking eat lighter.
This week I’ve had a few friends casually talk to me about dealing with grief . . . or rather dealing with people who are dealing with grief. I’m always careful about what I say, because even though I have been through it and then through it some more, I don’t want to say the wrong things. But I feel like it would be almost negligent for me to say nothing.
The question beneath their casual talk is this: What do you do for someone who lost someone or is currently in the process of losing someone? The people who have talked to me recently are talking about THE BIG losses. Children. Spouses. The kinds of loses that are soul crushing. And I know that sounds dramatic, but when you are in it, that is exactly how it feels. Like your soul is crushed and you will never quite be the same.
And you won’t.
I tend to believe that the universe talks to you. Sends people your way who you need to learn something from. And maybe I’m taking it a step too far, but I feel like if I can possibly help one person by writing about this (even if it is paired with a crustless vegetable quiche recipe . . . . maybe especially if it is paired with a crustless vegetable quiche recipe) than I should write.
So this is my advice.
Bear witness.
And this isn’t actually my advice. This is the advice from my old therapist who got me through the death of my mom, through Elliot’s death, and the intensely difficult pregnancies that followed. She said that there is nothing you can actually do to help someone who is grieving. There are no cards that will make them feel better. No plants. No meals. Those things are wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But they won’t actually fix anything.
The greatest gift you can do for someone who is grieving is: Bear witness.
I think that can mean so many things. It can look like so many different things. But I think what it boils down to is allowing the person who is grieving to feel however they are going to feel in whatever moment they are going to feel it for as long as they are going to feel it while letting them know you love them and passing no judgement.
I am going to be brutally honest.
After Elliot died, there were people who did this beautifully. There were people who let us be exactly where we were at. Over and over and over. And there were people, some of the very people we thought would be there for us, who did the exact opposite. And that sucked.
You can’t make it better. Please don’t try. Bear witness.
And remember that the thickest part of the grief comes later. It comes six, nine months down the road. Maybe even years later for some people. It doesn’t mean they aren’t moving on. Grief is a debt that has to be paid (another great line from my great therapist) and people have to be allowed to pay it in their own time.
That’s it.
Woah. Super heavy for a brunch recipe, aye?
Thank you for forgiving me all this talk of grief, friends. It’s a huge piece of who I am and I don’t suspect this will be my last post like this.
Crustless Vegetable Quiche!
You guys, this quiche is so crazy good! And its made with loads of veggies, a little cheese, egg whites, a few eggs, and skim milk, so it’s only 120 calories a slice! I loooooove brunch recipes, but so many of them are totally loaded with calories. I love this lighter option that is still packed with flavor. Give me a slice of this and a cup of coffee and I am a happy happy girl.
Other Light Breakfast Ideas
If you are looking for other light breakfast ideas, try this quinoa breakfast recipe. If you need another easy breakfast, make these cheese and sausage egg muffins or another great quiche make my crustless spinach quiche.
Crustless Vegetable Quiche
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 red pepper diced small
- 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1/2 a yellow onion diced small
- 4 large eggs
- 4 egg whites
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp basil
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nine inch quiche dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Then add the garlic, peppers, broccoli, and onion. Cooking, stirring intermittently over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about eight minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Then whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Stir in the mozzarella and feta cheese.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, pour them into the quiche dish. Pour the egg mixture over it, gently smoothing it out so it is all even. Put in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the edge of the quiche starts to pull away from the side. Let set for 10 minutes and then serve and enjoy!
Angela Sommers says
I have started following your blog a couple months ago and have come to love it – especially your openness and sharing the good and the difficult. Thanks so much for that – it really helps when others open up and share their experiences, and it’s invaluable to get advice from someone who has been through grief and loss.
I also happen to really enjoy your style of writing, and your recipes of course. Thanks!
Angela, this is the nicest comment I have gotten in a while. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave it. It means so much, especially sometimes I feel like I’m just talking into a void hoping it lands. You know? Thank you! This will stick with me all day.
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
Thanks for sharing your wisdom Lisa! Especially about bearing witness. That is such a beautiful thought. It reminds me of Jesus weeping when Lazarus died. He new he was going to raise him from the dead, but Jesus mourned with his friends anyway. One of my favorite moments in the scriptures.
Karen, I just adore you. Did I ever tell you that my mom was a nun and my dad was a priest (they both left and then met!!). The way they would talk about what they learned from Jesus’ teachings . . . it was always so inspiring and beautiful.
Melissa Sperka says
I adore quiche!
Me too Melissa!! And I love how this one is super super easy because there’s no crust!
lim says
can i use 6 eggs instead of 4 eggs + 4 egg whites?
Jess says
I so pinned this! Sounds amazing! :)
I would love for you to Link Up with me at my weekly Link Up:
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Toni says
Thank you for sharing your grief. My grandson Liam passed away nearly a year ago April 8 2016. He was three years old. I find myself consumed with so much grief and sadness. Every word written here is so true. I love the Quiche recipe. Can’t wait to make it. It’s blogs like this that make me feel less alone. Thank you.
Toni, I am so very very sorry for your loss. I know for grandparents, the loss is compounded. You lost a grandchild, but you have also had to watch your child grieve. I can’t imagine.
Mak says
Can you use more eggs instead of the four egg whites?
Definitely! It’s a really flexible recipe. The only thing you might need to consider is adjusting the baking time. If you wanted to use eggs instead of egg whites, I would just use one egg for every two whites. Again, its rough, so watch it while baking.
natasha says
Can I fix this all together and then freeze/refrigerate for another night later in the week to bake at a later time?
Do you mean bake it and the refrigerate/freeze it? If that is the question, then I can tell you I haven’t tried freezing it, but it is very good as left overs. Even cold. Up to about four days. If your question is can you mix it all together and then bake it later, I probably wouldn’t do that. If pushed, I would sauté the vegetables ahead of time and then when I’m ready to bake the prep time would be really minimal.
Lesa Laurence says
Thank you for posting these recipes. For someone who needs to eat low fat and has chronic pancreatitis and other people with suffering ailments, your recipe would help us. I am thankful for people like you who care……xo Lesa
You are so welcome!
Mary Lynne P. says
Thanks for the yummy looking quiche, Weight Watcher friendly veggie quiche recipe. Your post about grief was perfect. I just wish everyone could read it and get the point. I am grieving the loss of my husband and everything you said is so very true! Most people don’t really get it and think that as time goes on, you should be “moving on”. I just want to scream and tell them it is more intense no than it was 10 months ago. But as you know, we smile and say “I’m fine” and go on. Looking forward to reading more from you!
Oh Mary. I’m so sorry. And yes! I just said to someone recently, make sure you reach out to them again in 6 months because it will be HARDER then. I know it’s hard, but I encourage you to be honest with people. Don’t tell them you are fine. It sucks that we have to teach people how to be there for us, but sometimes we do. Wishing you more peace filled days ahead, Mary.
Mary says
We learned in Grief Share that there are times you need to write a grief letter or have a heart to heart talk with close friends
I belonged to a club of woman and after my daughter took her own life no one would even mention her name . so I let them know gently I wanted them to say her name, talk about her I needed to talk about her. They were afraid to talk about her for fear of hurting me but as I said I’m all ready hurt! And there are some that don’t want to talk so be honest with your friends and family so they know how you want to handle your loss,
Mary, I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter. And I think you are amazing for letting your friends know that you needed them to say her name. We, the grieving, shouldn’t have to teach people how to help us, yet (sadly), I think that is the way of the world right now.