Post-Christmas Day Ham and Cheese Quiche

This recipe was created in collaboration with Midwest Dairy. I was compensated for my time, but the content and opinions included are my own. 

Wondering how you’re going to use up all that leftover ham from Christmas?? I think some people use it in black eyed peas for New Years (correct me if I’m wrong??), but I’ve got a better idea. A quiche! And not just any quiche, but a quiche filled with caramelized onions, savory sweet potatoes, and sharp cheese. (Oh, and don’t forget about that flakey, buttery crust).

Now, I’m a little confused about the difference between Thanksgiving food and Christmas food. Because with my family, we always have turkey with “all the sides” at Thanksgiving, but then we have turkey or ham with “all the sides” again at Christmas. Are the same foods traditional for both? Or is ham just an Easter food? Please set me straight and help me to understand here. My assumption for this recipe is that there WILL be ham served on Christmas day. But if not, just go out and buy a small package of ham for this recipe. And also grab a pre-made crust. Sure homemade crusts are delicious, BUT SO ARE PRE-MADE CRUSTS and they are so much easier. Do yourself a favor and simplify. There’s enough to think about with this holiday season.

I also recommend buying a variety of cheeses while you’re getting the ingredients for this. Not because it calls for a million different cheeses, but because your fridge is never well-stocked without cheeses for various situations. 😉 I used a sharp white cheddar for this quiche, but I think a hard, aged gouda would pair REALLY nicely as well. I attended an online “Cheeseboard chat” earlier this month with Midwest Dairy and they sent a variety of cheese for a cheese board tasting and sustainable nutrition discussion. They sent me an aged gouda with it and I’ve been pairing it with lots of various egg dishes or pasta and it’s simply delicious. Here are a few takeaways I had from the virtual chat with ACTUAL dairy farmers:

In making this recipe, I learned a few tips and tricks for baking pie crusts. I make quiches pretty regularly (we have an egg-based dish for dinner every week), but have never put in the time to learn how to properly bake a crust. Without fail, the crust sides would always fall down and fold on top of the center. I discovered that to avoid that, you can just put parchment paper and dried beans on top to help it stay in place and not “shrink”. I found this video helpful for learning various techniques for styling the crust. And I also learned that it’s super important to let the dough warm up enough to spread out without cracking or breaking. But regardless, you ultimately don’t need it to look pretty—just taste delicious. So even if you have a pie crust fiasco, rest assured you’ll still enjoy the final product.

A few other notes—I know cottage cheese is a strange ingredient, but I find that it increases the cheesy flavor and helps with the texture (a spongey quiche is not what we’re looking for here). It’s totally optional, but I always put it in my quiches. Also, I find it’s easier to distribute the fillings more equally if you put them into your crust and then pour the egg/milk mixture on top. There’s no right or wrong with that, but I just find it is easier to ensure equal distribution. ☺️ And lastly, I know quiches take awhile to prep and cook. My recommendation is to prep the ingredients the night before, that way all you have to do is put your filling in and bake!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Have a Happy Holidays!

Yield: 4-5

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Post Christmas Ham and Cheese Quiche

Wondering how you’re going to use up all that leftover ham from Christmas?? I've got an idea. A quiche! And not just any quiche, but a quiche filled with caramelized onions, savory sweet potatoes, and sharp cheese. (Oh, and don’t forget about that flakey, buttery crust).

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Ingredients

• Pre-made pie crust
• 1 cup sweet potatoes, 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2-3/4 cup ham, chopped
• 5 eggs
• 3/4-1 cup cheese, shredded (I used a sharp white cheddar)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 and take your crust out of the fridge.
2. Thinly slice your onion and chop your sweet potatoes into medium bite sized pieces (1/2 inch cubes).
3. Spray your pie pan with non-stick spray and roll out your crust into the dish. If you are having difficulty unrolling it, give it a few more minutes to come to room temperature. Shape the edges of the dough according to your preference (see video above). Poke bottom of the crust with a fork. Place a piece of parchment paper and dried beans on top (or pie weights) and bake for 12-14 minutes. Take out parchment paper and beans and bake again for another 2 minutes.
4. While crust is baking, heat a pan to medium-low heat and add olive oil and thinly sliced onion. Cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes or until onions are soft and caramelized. You may need to add 1 Tbsp water periodically to keep the onions from sticking or burning.
5. In another pan, heat oil to medium and add cubed sweet potato along with garlic powder and onion powder. Cook until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Again, you may need to add water to prevent burning or sticking.
6. Once crust and vegetables are cooked. Add vegetables, ham, and cheese to the crust. Scramble the eggs in a separate bowl and add the chopped rosemary and cottage cheese. Pour over the quiche filling and slightly move the pieces around to make sure the egg gets to the bottom. Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes (or until set).

Black bean, sweet potato, and quinoa power bowl

Hello hello! I’m about to make your lunch meal prep or meatless Monday dinner a LOT more exciting. I can’t get over the amazing combinations of flavors in this meal. Inheritance is currently my favorite coffee spot, and occasionally I stop to get lunch and work. I have to be honest—I’m not usually prone to meatless meals. I typically just find them to be unsatisfying or unfilling. But I tried their black bean grain bowl and it changed my mind! So so good and really filling and satisfying. I decided I needed to make it at home for dinner, and BOY DID I DELIVER!! Not trying to toot my own horn, just really excited about how delicious this meal is. 🤪

It’s got a lot of different components, but each one adds a different element—crunch, saltiness, sweetness, acidity, etc. So although it takes some time prepping all the ingredients, the result is totally worth it. And it could easily be doubled for lunches all week. Just keep the ingredients separate in your fridge and then combine when packing your lunch. If you need a significant source of protein to feel full/satisfied or just feel best having an animal source of protein, chicken or fajita steak would be a really addition. And can I just point out all of the beautiful colors below?!?! 😮😍

If you end up making this, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tag me @DonutEatingDietitian on Instagram. Happy eating!!

Yield: 4-6

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Black bean, sweet potato, and quinoa power bowl

This meatless meal is BURSTING with flavor and is perfect for a low budget dinner or lunch on the go.

Ingredients

• 1 cup multicolored quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cans black beans, undrained
• 2-3 large sweet potatoes
• Pickled red onions (see below)
• Magic green sauce (see below)
• Crumbled feta
• 4 cups kale, chopped
• Avocado oil, for roasting
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

Pickled red onions

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Magic Green Sauce *adapted from Pinch of Yum

• 3/4 cup cilantro
• 3/4 cup parsley
• 1/2-1 jalapeno
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 Tbsp pepitas
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• water to thin

Instructions

Pickled onions

1. Bring the apple cider vinegar, water, and salt to a boil. Pour into a glass jar or container and add the thinly sliced red onion. Let it set for at least 30 minutes to allow the onions to pickle and soften slightly.  

Magic Green Sauce

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water as needed, but be careful about adding too much and making it runny. 

Rest of bowl

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Prep picked red onions according to directions. 
3. Cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes and toss with avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until potatoes are fully cooked and lightly browned and crispy. 
4. Cook quinoa according to directions (I use a 1:2 quinoa:water ratio).
5. Bring undrained black beans, onion powder, and garlic powder to simmer and cook until most of the water has evaporated and the black beans are thick and saucy. 
6. Make magic green sauce in blender according to directions. 
7. Chop kale and massage it with 1 Tbsp oil and 1/8 tsp salt. 
8. Once all of the components are ready, assemble bowl with kale, potatoes, quinoa, pickled red onions, green sauce, and feta. 
9. Enjoy!

Sweet potato quesadillas--your next obsession

Guys. I'm seriously doing this...I'm starting a food blog!!!

You have NO idea how excited I am about starting this and all that it entails. I'm envisioning endless hours of recipe daydreaming, food experimentation, and taste testing (aaaannd MORE taste testing)...I'm guessing that I'm being naive and that it's not gonna be as glamorous as I think it is, but for now, ignorance is bliss and I'm super excited.

These pictures don't do the quesadilla justice, but you're gonna have to be patient while I figure this whole food blogging thing out. I know how to cook and  eat...not how to take pictures and make them look pretty. It'll come...

So this quesadilla--it's something I make for pretty much every friend get-together. And every time, my friends tell me how good they are. It's super simple, inexpensive, and great for allowing people to customize it for themselves. I'm all about having options and being able to customize things to my liking (ask Isaac about how I order food at restaurants. "Can you add ___ and take off ___?" Do I even end up with the actual menu item??). 

Anyways, I got the idea for this quesadilla from a friend. I love quesadillas because I can throw them together for Isaac and I when I don't have anything planned or when we're rushed for time. I absolutely adore sweet potatoes because....well, do I even need to explain why?? The sweet potatoes make the quesadilla creamy and incredibly filling. So, if you want to take your dinner to the next level, or you want to become the top party host among your friends, give these a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Yield: 3 quesadillas

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Sweet Potato Quesadillas

The ultimate savory quesadilla stuffed with sweet potatoes, cheese, and additional vegetables or protein of your liking!

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 cup sliced zucchini/yellow squash
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Colby, mozzarella, Mexican, etc.)
• 3 medium/large tortillas
• salsa, plain Greek yogurt, avocado, and cilantro, for topping

Instructions

1. Turn oven to 425 degrees. Wash and pierce your sweet potato and wrap in wet paper towel. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and place zucchini in a single layer. Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake zucchini for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, microwave the sweet potato for 2 minute increments until the potato is cooked through and soft to touch (4-6 minutes). Heat a skillet to medium heat and sauté red onion in olive oil until translucent, about 10 minutes, and transfer to another dish.
2. Take skin off potato and cut into thirds; mash sweet potato onto half of each tortilla. Grease skillet with butter and bring to medium heat. Place a tortilla with sweet potato onto the skillet. Sprinkle 1/3-1/2 cup of cheese over entire tortilla and then add 1/3 of spinach, 1/3 of sauteed onion, 1/3 of chicken, and zucchini slices over the sweet potato half. Once the tortilla is browned and the cheese is melted, fold in half and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the other two tortillas.

Notes:

Pretty much all of the fillings are optional EXCEPT the cheese and sweet potato. If you need to simplify your life, just do the cheese and sweet potato. :-)

Let me know what you think after trying it!

Shout out to my wonderful friends Billy and Kelsey for really encouraging me to pursue this blogging thing!