Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Quiche with Spinach

Now that the weather is turning warmer (finally!) I've been thinking about lighter foods.  This quiche recipe, adapted from Cooking Light, was originally made for me by a friend when we were having a girls' night dinner (and when's the last time that's happened?).  It has become one of my favorite lunches and is a great meal to make when having people over for a light meal.  It is Cooking Light so the recipe is all very healthy and non-fat.  I don't know about you but I am not a big fan of low-fat cheese so I don't exactly follow all the guidelines, but it is crustless so that helps to cut out some of the fat and calories you may get by adding a pie crust.  I posted this once before but now I've also made it gluten free.  We have family with gluten intolerance so that works out well, but you totally use regular ham and flour in the same amounts and it turns out the exact same.

This is great served with a salad, soup, or, as we had it last night, with fruit salad.  It's a great meal for spring and summer because it's not heavy, and I'm sure if you wanted to make it meatless it would still turn out tasty.

Crustless Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Quiche with Spinach

Cooking spray
3/4 cup (4 ounces) gluten-free ham, such as Appleseed's
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour, such as Bob's Red Mill (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add ham, onion, and pepper to pan.  Saute 4 minutes or until ham is lightly browned.

3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese in a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray.  Top with ham mixture and then with the spinach.

4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, and next 5 ingredients (through egg whites) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

5. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.  Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Pour egg mixture over spinach.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of quiche comes out clean.