Rebecca and I talk a lot about finding the perfect comfort food. Chicken usually figures somewhere in the conversation. But the other day, Rebecca brought a favorite dish to my attention that I had not considered as a comfort food. Quiche!

My love affair with this dish began 30 years ago when I was given my first copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Just look at the page which features the Quiche Lorraine recipe. I’ve touched it many times.

notice the whole eggs and heavy cream

But Julia uses heavy cream and whole eggs. So Rebecca went to work to come up with a modern, healthier version that is sure to comfort and nourish. Here’s what she has to say.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has made a cheddar and sausage quiche for people who are sick, have a death in the family, etc. I recently calculated one of her quiche recipes for calories, fat, etc. and was shocked to see it ring in over 400 calories per slice. After doing some research, I realized most traditional quiches have 400-500
calories per slice!

We’ve also included a pie crust recipe made with heart healthy canola oil instead of shortening. The best part about this quiche recipe is that you can add and subtract ingredients to make it your own (onions,mushrooms, chicken, crab meat)!

Turkey, Spinach, and Cheddar Quiche
1 recipe for Pastry (see below)
4 eggs, beaten (two whole eggs + 2 egg whites)
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
3/4 cup chopped cooked turkey (about 3.5 ounces)
3 cups lightly packed spinach, chopped
3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

In a medium bowl, stir together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir in turkey and spinach. In a small bowl toss together the cheese and flour. Add to the egg mixture, mix well.

Pour egg mixture into pre-cooked pastry. Bake in 325*F oven for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pie Crust Recipe
Makes: 1 pie crust
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
3-4 tablespoons milk

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flours and salt. Add oil and 3 tablespoons milk all at once to flour mixture. Stir lightly until combined. Add in 1 more tablespoon milk, if necessary. Form pastry into a ball.

2. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to flatten pastry ball. Roll pastry from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter (pressing cracks back together). Gently roll pastry into a pie dish (not stretching it). Trim and crimp edges as desired.

3. Line pastry with foil. Bake in 450*F oven for 8 minutes. Take off foil. Bake for 4-5 more minutes or until pastry is set and dry. Reduce oven temp to 325*F for quiche recipe.

Nutrition Facts (one slice quiche with pastry)
Calories: 341
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 5g
Sodium: 451mg
Carbohydrates: 29
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 17g

*To further reduce the fat content, I used egg substitute with 0 fat grams, an organic reduced-fat chicken sausage, and spinach in mine as well as an organic white cheddar made with 1.5% milk fat.

And then, because I was too lazy to make a pie crust, I cubed a day old loaf of crusty bread and spread it across the bottom of my pie pan. I have to say, it was delicious!

A PLACE WHERE BOOKS AND FOOD COME TOGETHER

A couple of weeks ago, a good friend called to tell me her father was dying. I went to the kitchen and started to cook.

The Ultimate Comfort Food: Chicken and Dumplings

Cooking in sad times is not an exclusively Southern thing, but I think we do it really well down here. And I’m sure I could dig up some sociological and anthropological theories which would justify what I know to be true.

Simply put, when we moved into our first home in Tennessee, welcoming neighbors arrived at our door carrying fresh pies and baked bread. When we moved into our first home in Los Angeles, I took the homemade pies to our neighbors. Hardly scientific, but you see where I’m going with this. In all fairness, I do have some lovely, cooking, food-bearing friends in L.A., but I don’t think it’s quite the habit that it is here in the South.

Of course, being a preacher’s granddaughter and the daughter of a Sunday-school superintendent has trained me well. I grew up going to visitations and funerals. And I listened to my dad read the obituary page every evening with such flair you would have thought he was reading from a novel. But I grew up understanding that it is the ritual that comforts us in times of great loss.

Probably no surprise that I’ve included a funeral scene in both of my books. And my third, yet to be released, is tentatively titled, THE FUNERAL DRESS. I’m not sure why I’m drawn to this particular ritual. I don’t think it’s a morbid obsession with death but more of a fascination with life and how we live through the sorrow and grief.

My friend’s father died a few days after that call. Again, I cooked.

This time, I started thinking, really thinking, about the food I was preparing. Since my mother-in-law died of cancer several years ago, I’ve wanted to take a much closer look at our favorite comfort foods and figure out a way to make them better, healthier. I just hadn’t found the time, until now.

So I’ve teamed up with a Chattanooga nutritionist to do just that. Rebecca Ellen Greer, is a registered dietitian with all the right abbreviations beside her name–MS, RD, LDN. Rebecca and I are going to work together to bring you recipes that are not only comforting but good for you. And we’ll suggest the best dish for the right occasion–whether it’s to care for those who’ve experienced a loss, feed those who are ill, or celebrate with those welcoming a new baby into the home, or just wanting to enjoy a simple family meal. Think of us as your go-to site when doing a good culinary deed!

We’re going to start with the ultimate comfort food: CHICKEN ‘N DUMPLINGS. I prepared this Saturday night, and my family loved it.

According to Rebecca, chicken soups are simply the gold standard for comfort food. “With it’s mix of protein and fat, it’s sure to please the palate. The browning of the chicken in this recipe before it is added to the soup really amps up the flavor factor. When cooking healthier versions of foods, it’s important to take a little extra time to up the flavor (in this case browning the chicken before hand) without taking shortcuts by simply adding more salt or fat. That is what I consider cooking with love-providing delicious and nutritious dishes at the same time.”

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)
Ingredients

8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups (1/4-inch) diagonally cut celery
1 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
6 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaf
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup non-fat milk

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking
spray. Add chicken to pan; cook, browning on all sides.
Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and next 5 ingredients
(through bay leaf) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute. Add broth to pan; bring mixture
to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a
knife. Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a
medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist. Spoon by heaping
teaspoonfuls into broth mixture; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until
dumplings are done. Discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf.

Each serving provides:

Calories per serving: 318
Calories from fat: 24%
Fat: 8.5 g
Saturated fat: 2 g
Monounsaturated: 4.4 g
Polyunsaturated: 1.5 g
Protein: 25.5 g
Carbohydrate: 36g
Fiber: 3.3 g
Cholesterol: 55mg
Iron: 3.5 mg
Calcium: 133 mg
Sodium: 596 mg*

*Sodium content will vary by the type of chicken broth used. Regular chicken broth can contain up to 1400 mg sodium/cup while low sodium versions can be as low as 140mg/cup. It’s always smart to prepare low sodium versions and then add a bit of salt on top if needed (after tasting of course).

Good source of Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, and Copper

Excellent source of Phosphorus, Potassium, manganese, selenium,Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K,Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, VitaminB6 and Folate

FROM THE KITCHEN OF:     Hannah Purdy

I’m not much of a cook, but I love stir-fry.  Don’t let that discourage you from making this recipe! It’s a great, easy dish that I picked up from Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of American Public Media’s Splendid Table.  And Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, one of my favorite books, left me wanting to explore all things Chinese – especially food!  Enjoy.

BOOK TITLE:     Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

BOOK AUTHOR:     Lisa See

RECIPE:

1 tablespoon rice bran, safflower, sunflower or soybean oil
2 cloves garlic, mined
3 to 4 thinj slices fresh giner, peeled and mined
2/3 cup thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablepsoons white wine
1 cup bean threads, softened in cool water, dried, and cut into manageable lengths
1/4 cup coasrsely shopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and wait for another minute. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until the garlic is golden. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it is partially cooked. Add the onion and cabbage, stir to mix, then add the soy sauce and wine.
2. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is fully cooked, the cabbage softened but slightly firm, and onion translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bean threads and stir until they are soft and translucent. Add the cilantro and toss to mix. Transfer to a platter and serve with hot white, brown, or red rice.