Why save breakfast for the morning? Breakfast dishes are quick to make, filling, and just as good for dinner as for breakfast. Bacon and Swiss Protein Bake--essentially a crust-less quiche--is full of good things that shouldn't be relegated to morning feedings. Although the dish is flavored with bacon and Swiss cheese, the real protein punch comes from eggs and cottage cheese--keeping the fat content in check. You can mix up the protein bake, pop it in the oven, and let it bake while you do other things. The dish is great with sliced tomatoes alongside and perhaps some sourdough bread--or see my posting for Banana Oat Cakes. Some fresh fruit would make a great dessert and keep the meal light and nutritious.
Bacon and Swiss Crust-less Quiche/Protein Bake -- Serves 6
4 large eggs
16 ounces of low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
2 tablespoons of low-fat milk
2 teaspoons of grainy Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper
1 tablespoon of chopped dried chives
2-3 tablespoons of bacon crumbles
1 cup of shredded Swiss (or Gruyere) cheese
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and coat a 10-inch round pie pan or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, milk, mustard, onion powder, dill, lemon pepper, and chives and whisk them together well. Keep whisking until the eggs are blended with the cottage cheese and the other ingredients are well distributed. Stir in the bacon and Swiss cheese until thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Bake the Bacon and Swiss Protein Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and barely pulling away from the sides of the dish. Let the protein bake cool for 5-10 minutes before serving it.
