astray recipes: Spanakopita quiche

Categories: Meatless
Yield: 6 Servings

Measure	Ingredient
	Vegetable cooking spray
10 ounces	Frozen chopped spinach; thawed and drained
1 cup	1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 ounces	Crumbled feta cheese; (1/2 cup)
¼ teaspoon	Pepper
⅔ cup	Nonfat buttermilk
2	Eggs
1	Egg white
¼ cup	Chopped green onions
1 tablespoon	Chopped fresh oregano
1 large	Clove garlic
6	Frozen phyllo pastry; thawed
2 tablespoons	Fine dry breadcrumbs; divided
1½ cup	Sliced plum tomato; (1/4-inch-thick)

Coat a 9-inch pieplate with cooking spray; set aside. Press spinach between paper towels until barely moist; set aside.

Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add cottage cheese and next 5 ingredients, and process until smooth. Add spinach, green onions, oregano, and garlic; process 45 seconds. Set aside.

Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, lightly coat each sheet with cooking spray. Fold phyllo sheet in half crosswise to form a 13- x 8-½-inch rectangle, and lightly coat both sides of rectangle with cooking spray. Gently press rectangle into pieplate, allowing ends to extend over edges of pieplate.

Repeat procedure with a second sheet of phyllo, placing it across first sheet in a crisscross design; sprinkle 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs over second sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo and breadcrumbs, continuing in crisscross design, ending with phyllo.

Fold in edges of phyllo to fit pieplate and form a rim.

Pour spinach mixture into prepared crust; gently arrange tomato slices over filling.

Bake at 350 deg for 55 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean; let stand 10 minutes. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 wedge).

Serving Ideas : Cut into wedges.

NOTES : Spinach, feta cheese, and phyllo dough, key ingredients in the classic Greek dish spanakopita (span-uh-KOH-pih-tuh), combine with cottage cheese in this unique quiche. Breadcrumbs sprinkled between the phyllo layers prevent a soggy crust.

spanakopita quiche