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!
Carol K says
I just saw your recipe on fb, and read what you wrote about grief. What you said was so touching and true. I recently had to share my medical history with a new doctor. This included having to discuss my parents’ cause of death. They died 2 months apart in 2009, and I still start crying when I talk about it. On a lighter note, I will be trying your quiche recipe! It sounds great!
Uuuugh, I hate have to share my medical history that includes losing my mom to breast cancer and having a c-section with our second who passed away. I’m hate that you have gone through it, but I appreciate having people relate!
Mrs Black says
Can I use 8 whole eggs as I don’t want to waste any yolks!
So 4 whites plus 4 whole eggs really doesn’t equal 8 whole eggs. You can certainly do it, but the seasoning might be off and the baking time would definitely have to be adjusted. I think it would be better to go with six full eggs, but you would definitely have to keep a closer eye on it.
Jamie says
I’m having a friend over tomorrow for lunch to meet her newborn baby boy and was searching quiche recipes on Pinterest. This looks delicious! I have two girls myself, and we recently had the very unfortunate circumstance of having to terminate a pregnancy at 21 weeks due to a very rare congenial heart defect called HLHS. I am so so sorry to hear of the loss of your sweet boy- I think you shared such a beautiful story and I can only imagine how difficult it was to write that post. I also saw you went on to have other children- we aren’t sure about what the future holds for us but hearing stories like yours offer hope for people in our situations!
Oh Jamie, I have had so many people share their own stories of loss with me and they are all moving, but yours brought tears to my eyes. I am so very sorry for your loss. I feel like I should be honest, my pregnancies after Elliot were honestly the most trying times of my life. But I am *so* grateful that I did it. The birth of my third child didn’t end my grief by any means, but it did change it. Feel free to reach out to me via email if you want to talk about it more! Also, you are a very good friend making food for someone with a newborn after your loss. I don’t know if I could have done that.
Ana says
Such a delicious and healthy quiche! It’s also one of the prettiest quiches I have ever made. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Ana!
Jayne says
Very Delicious, however, I had some liquid on top. What happened? Thank you.
Jayne, my guess is that it was from the vegetables. Maybe next time, after you sauté them, be sure to drain any excess liquid. I’ve made this several times and haven’t had that problem, but that would be my guess.
Jennifer Giordano Imbroll says
How well you have said it.
Kelly says
Wow, I usually scroll down for the recipe w/o reading blogs but for some reason, I paused. Your words on grief are spot on. I recently lost my dad and often wonder if I’m ‘normal’ lol
Appreciate your insight!
That means so much to me Kelly, I always worry that I put it TOO MUCH out there. Thank you for leaving this comment.
Nancy McIntosh says
I don’t believe there are any “coincidences” in life, more like God-things. I am mourning the loss of my husband last February. Going through the holidays was hard. I am feeling like my grief is harder now that it was a couple months ago and thinking it should be getting easier. Then I read what you wrote and what others shared and I realize it is normal. Thanks for sharing your heart and your words of wisdom (along with the quiche recipe).
Nancy, I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine the heart ache you feel losing your partner in life. The holidays are very hard, and I will tell you that for me they have gotten easier over time, but I know that my loss is not the same as yours. I love that you called them “God-things” and I also wanted to say that the fact that you see them, even in the fog of grief, tells me that you are such a strong woman. Sending you lots of love and the hope that 2019 eases your pain.
Karren says
Thank you for the thoughts on dealing with grief. My sister’s only child took his life when he was almost 18 years old – 22 years ago. She still grieves so much it hurts to hear her say that she does not want to live anymore. I never quite know what to say. I simply cannot imagine the pain she feels. It amazes me that she is able to get up every morning and go to work. Thank you again for your advice.
Oh Karen, I can’t even imagine what your sister is going through. And though it is a different type of grief to be sure, I’m sure you grieve both your nephew and watching your sister in pain. I recently found this book, and I recommend it to anyone watching someone they love grieving. “It’s Okay You are Not Okay.”
Nancy says
This is a really yummy recipe. Even my picky and fussy 7 year old liked it! Thank you for sharing!
I’m sos happy to hear that!