Thrifty Garden Quiche

I make a quiche using odds-and-ends veggies that are either leftover in the fridge or come from my yard.  Chives grow wild around here and I use them 6 months of the year as a tasty and colorful addition to this quiche.

Recipe:

1 deep dish frozen pie crust (Usually sell for about $1 each in package of 2.  I buy them on sale and keep them in the freezer)

2 cups of milk or you may use a 16 oz conainer of half-and-half (cost about $1)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup of Swiss cheese.  I go to the deli counter and buy the cheese ends.  They sell for about $2 a pound and there are always Swiss included. It can be reducted fat or regular, I just use whatever they have left over.  It can be simply chopped into small cubes or grated if you like.

1/4 cup of fresh chives snipped into 1/2 in bits

1 loose mushroom

1/4 cup of colorful vegetable.  I save broccoli stems and chop the middle parts up, use bits of red pepper, very thin carrot dimes or thinly sliced zucchini or yellow summer squash.  I don't go out and buy any of these, but remember to put a little aside in a container for when I make the quiche. You don't need a lot of any one veggie, a colorful variety makes it even prettier and adds a variation of flavors, making each quiche unique.

Directions:

Prick pie crust with a fork.  Separate one egg so that you have a bit of egg white to brush on the crust.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Scald milk or half-and-half

Place cheese on bottom of pie crust and then add veggies on top. 

Cool the milk a bit and beat a bit of the warm milk into the eggs.  Then combine the eggs with the rest  of the milk.  Add a dash of Tabasco/hot sauce sauce or pepper. Pour into pie crust.

Place on a cookie sheet in the pre-heated oven and cook for about 35 to 40 minutes until consistency of a custard in the middle.

Served with a salad or loaf of French bread it make a delicious meal for 4.