I am constantly thinking of ideas to get more vegetables in my 7 year old’s diet. Let’s face it, the struggle is real. Not many kids care for vegetables. Yes, they know “it’s good for you” and “will make you fly like Superman” yet they don’t care as much. As most of you know I am a die hard fan of local food and our farmers market, so I came up with a grand scheme and, of course, a recipe too.
My daughter accompanies me on most of my market visits so I decided it would be fun to let her buy a few vegetables on her own. She has her own little bag and many times I give her $5 to go purchase the vegetables she thinks she likes. It teaches her to be independent, make good food choices on her own and of course there is a little bit of math in there, too 🙂
On Sunday, I asked her to bring all those vegetables that she bought and we made a vegetable quiche!! It’s super easy and really tasty.
You will need:
1 pie crust (I buy whole wheat organic from Sprouts. They have a gluten free version too.)
All your favorite market vegetables, chopped
5 eggs (mine come from the market)
1 cup shredded cheese (I use feta too and if you want you could substitute with the goat cheese from the market)
2 garlic cloves
Dash of olive oil
Salt to taste
–Thaw the pie crust as per the instructions.
–Pre heat your oven at 350 degrees.
–Wash and chop all the vegetables. My mixture usually consists of zucchini, squash, peppers, broccoli, any kind of greens and spring onions. I add kale or any other winter greens we have during the winter time.
–Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat, add your spring onions and then the chopped garlic. Sauté a little making sure that the garlic doesn’t turn brown. Then add your chopped vegetables. If you have spinach or any other greens, wait till they wilt.
–In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and add some salt or any of your favorite seasoning, which reminds me!! Have you tried any of the spices from CJ at Good Spice?? They are amazing and add great flavor to any dish.
–Pour the sautéed vegetable mixture into the pie crust.
–Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and then pour the eggs over it all.
–Bake for 35 minutes uncovered.
The house will smell so great within 20 minutes that it’s just amazing. I usually make two on Sundays and freeze one. Next morning all you have to do is cut a big piece for lunch, add some side of fruits and nuts (my daughter loves chili lime cashews from Good Spice) and you have a fabulous healthy school or office lunch.
The first time I made this dish and packed it for my daughter, I was very pleasantly surprised that she said, “Mommy, that lunch!! Looked good, smelled good and tasted good!” Victory at last!!!
By Neha Pant