A Vegetable Isn’t A Vegetable

Down South, even our vegetables have some pig hidden somewhere in it. A vegetable isn’t a vegetable without a little ham hock.
Paula Deen

Ah Ha…I finally found a recipe using vegetables that appealed to me.  I think the reason I only want to eat fresh fruit has to do with the heat factor.  Soon I”ll be in the cool mountains of Colorado…looking forward to throwing on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and hopefully getting more vegetables in my tummy.  Last night I made the decision that we needed a light meal that would be accompanied by….you guessed it…fresh fruit!  I asked my man, Dan if a Quiche sounded acceptable for his evening meal.  He’s so easy…he said, “well, depends on what’s in it”, I replied, “well, veggies because I really want to eat some”.  I could tell by the look he shot me that it wasn’t sounding particularly appealing to him based on those ingredients.  So guess what else I put in it?  Bacon!  Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.
Doug Larson

Oh, and look at how the Veggie Burger is served by “The Pasta House” at Long Bay Resort, Tortola, BVI.  We got a laugh!  Bacon really does make everything better…even a veggie burger.

Light and creamy, chock full of veggies and bacon, this is the perfect summer meal served with melon, mango and berries on the side!  For my vegetarian readers, you can easily leave out the bacon for a satisfying veggie meal!

Enjoy!

Rustic Quiché

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pie crust – thawed
2 bacon slices, cut into bite-size pieces
1 red potato, peeled and cubed
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Around 10 artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
2 small purple heirloom tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup Morel and Leek cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375*.  Prepare filling: Cook bacon in a non-stick skillet until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Add potato and green onion to bacon drippings in skillet; sauté for about 10 minutes or unit lender.  Remove from heat.

Place pie pastry in pie pan.  Arrange potato mixture and bacon in bottom of crust.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Combine milk, salt, pepper and eggs and stir well with a whisk.  Pour milk mixture into crust.  Bake at 375* for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean.  Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.