Tasty Tuesday w/ Beth’s Mess

I’m excited to have one of my friends Beth from Beth’s Mess share a yummy *healthy* recipe today. Beth is super cute and creative too! The fun part is I know her IRL. Here’s a fun story about her… Right after I had my baby and blogged about my c-section here I got an e-mail that said “Sympathetic advice from a complete stranger.” It was the sweetest e-mail that gave me support, comfort and hope. She had gone through a similar situation and gave me some great advice. I was so amazed someone would take the time out of their day to write a complete stranger.  I was very grateful. We e-mailed back and forth a few times and had no idea about each others personal life. Then I get a comment from Beth on my Christmas post where she asked what my maiden name was because she recognized my Dad. Ends up we weren’t strangers after all and grew up in the same ward growing up! Small world!

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I have a confession to make: I'm not a dessert person.  Feel free to gasp and call me crazy.  But I just don't have the sweetest sweet tooth.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I love chocolate, pie, cookies, etc.  And I'll eat them when offered.  But I rarely make them myself...  Truth be told, I'd pick sautéed veggies over cake most any day.  I know, crazy!  So when the cute, sweet miss Jamielyn asked if I'd like to do a guest post for Tasty Tuesday, I started to panic.  She's all about the cute, sweet treats.  Me?  Not so much.  But, I do have a few tips and tricks up my baking sleeve.  Healthy tips and tricks!  Because I believe that good health is the sweetest thing :)

 

One of my all time favorite baking tricks is to substitute fruit/veggie purees for oil/butter.  It works like a charm every time!  And most of the time, the result is a moister cake, cupcake or muffin.  Not only does it magically turn your favorite recipe into a low or non-fat recipe, it also makes it more nutrient dense.  It's a great way to sneak in those "yucky" vegetables, too ;)  Some of my go-to purees include applesauce,  bananas, yams, and carrots.  Sometimes I even use pureed white or black beans in my cookies or muffins!  The possibilities are endless, and oh so healthy.

But today I'm skipping the sweets in favor of savory!  One of our family's favorite meals is quiche.  It is so versatile, so healthy, and so yummy!  I love that you can eat it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and any other meal(s) in between ;)  I rarely make crusts (remember, not much of a baker) but you can absolutely use this crustless quiche recipe as a filler for a crusted quiche.  These also freeze great and can be used for breakfast burritos.  Low in fat but full of flavor and nutrients, it's an overall awesome recipe!

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. cottage cheese
• 1/2 c. shredded cheese (Romano/Parmesan is amazing, but cheddar is good too)
• 3.5 oz. sweet potato puree
• salt & pepper, to taste
• garlic & herb blend, to taste
• dash of nutmeg (opt)
• dash of cayenne pepper (opt)
• 1/2 zucchini, finely chopped (peeled for the picky)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 c. prepared hash-browns (reconstituted dehydrated ones)
• 1/2 c. ham, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped mushrooms (opt)
• 1 roma tomato, chopped (opt)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat eggs in large bowl. Mix in cottage cheese, shredded cheese and sweet potato puree; add spices.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.

Pour into prepared muffin pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until set. You could also pour into a prepared square baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until set. Serve warm.

The first three ingredients are my base in any quiche I make. Vary the additional ingredients (fillers) according to your taste and pleasure. Completely customizable and nutritionally delicious!  Now that's a sweet recipe ;)

 

 

Thanks Beth for sharing. Make sure to visit Beth’s Mess for lots of more yummy *healthy* recipes.

I also wanted to show off these cute hats Beth made for me. Aren’t they the cutest?! Oh how I wish I could crotchet. Maybe one day I’ll take the time to learn.

Check out her etsy shop B Dreamy to get your own.